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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

M8 (aka 008)...

Lee Saxon said:
Steve why'd you go with the Arrow 55? Sounds like with the weights you're talking about you would have been fine with a much less expensive head, maybe even as small as a Compass 20...
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I already had a Miller 55 head before I got my first Red One, so I just stuck with that. Since the head loads in the mobile hybrid work I do seem to always be below 30 pounds, several of the Miller Arrow 40 would have easily sufficed for my needs though.

For Scarlet Fixed Lens I'm definitely taking a hard look at some of the lighter Miller heads and Solo CF legs combos. The Arrow 25 comes to mind, and as you said, the Compass 20.
 
rod bradley said:
Just to chime in with Steve, I too think Miller heads are outstanding. And the arrow 55 is one of the lightest heads out there, if not the lightest in terms of the weight it can handle. Plus, they, like Oconnors, are incredibly robust.
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Thanks Rod...I agree completely.

The Miller 55 head weighs just 7 pounds, but easily and smoothly supports up to 55 pound loads. The heads are well built, durable, have very smooth head action - and as you know the performance to cost ratio is one of the best in the industry.

I have great respect for top-level O'Connor, Sachtler, Vinten, and Cartoni heads. I've used a ton of them over the years. But I'm way happy with my Miller heads, and have been for several years now. I don't work union, and I don't rent my equipment out, so that gives me the leeway to personally analyze what works best for me and what is cost-effective - without sacrificing any field performance in the process.

I've been very happy with the three different style of Miller legs I own too - single stage mid-spreader alloy, 2-Stage mid-spreader CF, and the 3-Stage spreader-less CF (Solo 1505). When I do use legs with spreaders, they need to be mid-spreader because I work a lot outdoors, and a floor level spreader is a nightmare for that kind of work - the runner get clogged with mud, sand, etc.
 
gavin, i thought the blue channel was just sensor noise (for any sensor) based on relatively less light coming from blue wavelengths, and not anything to do with the compression at all (at least not any more than other channels). am i incorrect?
 
paulherrin said:
Gavin, I thought the blue channel was just sensor noise [...]
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Compression operates best on smooth gradations and constants. The more random a signal is the more difficult it is to compress. You'll find the most compression artifacts in the noisiest channel.

The question is "which is more desirable noise or wavelet artifacts?" To which I would reply "A good test is worth a thousand expert opinions." My gut instinct is that noise is preferable since artifacts are larger than 1px.

a 7.5:1, 5:1 and 2.5:1 comparison would provide some basis to build an informed opinion.
 
Steve, could you tell us a little about your experience pulling focus on the 008, perhaps more from the perspective of mobile shooting style? E.g. how did you find montor performance, what focus-assisting features of Epic were enabled etc?
 
Michael Shilnov said:
Steve, could you tell us a little about your experience pulling focus on the 008, perhaps more from the perspective of mobile shooting style? E.g. how did you find montor performance, what focus-assisting features of Epic were enabled etc?
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Me and my crews shoot with Red cameras in a mobile hybrid style. All focusing is eye focusing by the operator (no AC), via hand racking the lens barrel (no FF). We use 1:1 image magnification quickly, rack focus, then shoot the shot. The lenses we use are almost exclusively 35mm still lenses (mostly f2.8 in speed). Most of our shooting apertures are in the range from f4 to f11.

The above is how we've always shot Red One...and now we shoot Epic in exactly the same way. All our work is in non-narrative production genres, and non-union, thus that focusing technique is quick, fast, efficient, and fits a mobile hybrid field production scenario perfectly.

When the new Red Canon, Red Nikon, and Red electronic mounts ship, me and my crews will then alternate between the technique of focusing I described above, and auto focus - whichever makes the most sense for each shot we shoot - using what we feel is the right tool and technique for each shot we do.

There is no universal "right" way to lens, accessorize, and/or use a Red One or Epic camera - but IMO there is a right way for each genre of production, or shot within that genre. The object is to not attempt to fit round pegs into square holes, or square pegs into round holes - but to match appropriate pegs with appropriate holes (in other words, horses for courses)
 
Steve, Could share what onboard mics you use and how you and your team capture sound at sporting events and wildlife shoots? Also, with the thankfully smaller size of the Epic does that require a change in your onboard camera mic? Thanks.
 
Mike Van Laanen said:
Steve, Could share what onboard mics you use and how you and your team capture sound at sporting events and wildlife shoots? Also, with the thankfully smaller size of the Epic does that require a change in your onboard camera mic? Thanks.
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For sports and wildlife field production with Red One, for ambient sound, on-camera shotguns, have been using Sennheiser 416 and ME66. We've also occasionally used other off-camera parabolic dish mics for capturing specific ambient audio.

With the smaller size of Epic (and Scarlet) I'm looking for a very good short shotgun for the on-camera mic - but it must be shorter than the 416 and ME66, because the last thing I want on these shorter, lighter rigs is a big, long shotgun sticking way out past the 35mm still lenses I use. I need a good shotgun which is about 5" in total length. I haven't seriously looked yet because audio is not yet enabled on Epic. But sometime soon I'll start checking. Until then, any specific suggestions for good quality short shotguns in that size range are welcome...:)
 
Thank you Steve. I was looking at the Sennheiser MKH-60, but worried about the 11" length. I did find the Sanken CMS-10 at 8.3", but don't know much about that brand. Looks good from the specs. Would be great to hear if anyone has any experience with them. I'll keep looking and post when I find more info and options. Thanks again Steve for all your time and effort sharing what you do with us. I've learned so much from everyone here.
 
Mike Van Laanen said:
Thank you Steve. I was looking at the Sennheiser MKH-60, but worried about the 11" length. I did find the Sanken CMS-10 at 8.3", but don't know much about that brand. Looks good from the specs. Would be great to hear if anyone has any experience with them. I'll keep looking and post when I find more info and options. Thanks again Steve for all your time and effort sharing what you do with us. I've learned so much from everyone here.
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I have the Senny MKH-60 and the ME66 and they have substantially different lobar patterns. MKH-60 is more directional and has better rear rejection. Good for film. The ME66 is better for ambient, records better off-axis sound. Both do a good job of capturing dialogue - MKH-60 has a richer sound for dialogue capture. But overall, it's not a great on-camera mic because you'll get better performance from it, on a boom.

In the film world, the MKH-60 is considered a "forgiving" mic because it will record more off-axis and requires less directional precision from your boom op than other mics, like Schoeps - but in doc world, it does seem to require a degree of directional precision which is not always available. The ME66 is (my opinion) one of the best on-board doc-style choices.

I have been surprised by the quality of interview sound I've been able to acquire with the ME66, in a fast environment, where I didn't have time to wire the speaker and was working alone.

But it really depends on your application and whether you are working with a separate boom op. Or not. Boom op will definitely like the MKH-60 but it doesn't make a great onboard mic...

hope this helps...
 
Thanks Meryem. Don't want to hijack Steve's thread here. Would love to discuss further in a different thread. I'm worried about camera mounting the ME66 on an Epic and have it hang into wide angle shots. What I am looking for is one I can mount on a camera for run and gun and cabled off camera on a Baby for wildlife. Might have to get two, but still alot of questions.
 
sergio arguello said:
hey Steve just didnt want to forget to say thank you for the opportunity with the camera...

all the best
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Glad it worked out for you Sergio. As you know, me and Ketch are both committed to getting many of our associates some shooting time with Epic M8. Ketch shoots some very different genres and techniques than I do, but as modular and flexible as Epic is, it can be used for just about any genre or style someone wants to use it for.

All the best to you too...
 
Epic M8 has been on a busy schedule since we received the camera (Feb 4). The camera was only here in Utah for a little over three days, one day for unboxing and setup (with a little shooting in the afternoon/evening), one day we had real heavy winds so it wasn't worth shooting, and one afternoon shooting at a ski resort.

This may sound funny, but Epic M8 has been traveling so much, been so busy with testing, and been with Ketch in L.A. so much that I haven't even shot with the camera since those early days in February!

I have about a million shots I'd like to shoot with Epic. In fact, I'd like to go back to each of the locations and genres represented in my Red footage library and shoot everything over again in 5k now :-)

The rushed footage we were able to shoot in early February really isn't indicative of the breadth and style of shots you'll see from me in the future with Epic. If you look through the portion of my library on Artbeats (link below), you'll get a slight taste of where I'll be taking Epic. Later this month I'll head out and start shooting Epic heavily. Between now and then I need to re-construct my web site, and create the bandwidth to support the many edited clips I'll be loading onto it.

I have multiple TV series using Epic and Scarlet that I'll be producing and/or working on this year. Me and Pam are really looking forward to teaming up with Ketch and a load of our Epics in Italy for the Italia Mia series! For those curious, I brought Ketch in to partner with me on the Epic M8 camera only. I have multiple other Epics of my own on the way, as does Ketch. We've formed an alliance for some very cool work in Italy and beyond.

Epic seriously rocks...fun times ahead :thumbup1:
 
Macro?

Macro?

Hi,

Please forgive me if this has been covered elsewhere - I'm slowly searching through the threads a little each day.

I'm curious if anyone's been doing any macro cinematography with their EPIC? In my own work, I tend to love cameras that let me get the "ant view" and very wide lenses (like 8-12mm), so I'm curious if you guys have done or seen any of this type of work with EPICs? Is there an adaptor for the 18mm to widen it up (or is it equiv. 12mm/35)?

Again, I feel silly for asking since it's probably right under my nose out here. Just haven't seen it yet, I guess...

Thanks!
Chris

PS: Man you guys look like you're having the time of your life! Rock on! :thumbup1: :cheers2:
 
Hey Chris,

we certainly have been, and will do more in Italy, Master diopters are fantastic with cine lenses and looking for an adaptor to use with the Red Pro Prime 300mm,
for now I have used the Master Prime 75mm and Red Pro Prime 100mm with +3 Master Diopters, for extreme close up beauty shots, such as the one below, and the shot of the leaps, the Ice cubes played at NAB Epic reel.

Eyeshot.jpg
 
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