Making the Jump from DSLR

[AJ Bleyer]

Hi REDUsers,

As my filmmaking has grown, I'm excited to finally be making the jump from DSLR to a RED Scarlet. Couldn't be more pumped!

I obviously have a lot to catch up on, from accessories to troubleshooting. I was wondering if any of you might have any specific pointers for someone coming from a 5Dmkiii, or any recommended resources that might help me familiarize myself with this new medium a bit quicker.

So excited. This forum is fantastic, too.

Thanks so much for your time!
AJ

 

[Jake Wilganowski]

Look at all the "learn" info on red.com, pretty much says it all

 

[Ryan Sauve]

Congrats! I remember when I made that jump not too long ago. You're in for a hell of a fun time, especially in post. As for tips, do lots of testing. You won't get away with the same sort of low light shots you've been able to in the past so get familiar with the limits of your new camera. And welcome to reduser!

 

[AJ Bleyer]

Thanks so much, man!

 

[Sergio Perez]

Wellcome! Ok, coming from DSLR... First thing to do is to configure the Scarlet to the form factor you prefer, or think you want most. For someone coming from a DSLR background, I really, really suggest purchasing the Side Handle. Makes the transition much, much smoother. Also configure the camera to achieve some sort of balance. With a VMount on the back and rails is the most common setup people use. I often prefer the extreme lightweight side handle and redvolts setup,but it comes with a very big downside: each revolt lets 25 minutes. It means carrying lots of Redvolts with you- the price to pay for a lightweight setup.

Operation wise, don't forget to Blackshade. In Red.com there's a good video about that, I think.
Optimal ISO range for me is 640, the best compromise between noise and Dynamic range.
Remember, compared to DSLR's, your choice of Native ISO has influence on the Dynamic range captured. Sounds confusing because its RAW and one would think ISO is just an artificial parameter. True, but the ISO you set the camera to influences how you see it at capture and how you setup your lenses and lights to that image. The lower you set the ISO on a MX Scarlet/Epic, the less dynamic range you have. I have seen complete DISASTER shots of people setting up the camera at 320 ISO and complaining the lack of dynamic range of the sensor.

Just some small tips to get started. Again, Wellcome! And surf the forums, lots and lots of valuable information here!

 

[Daniel Kelly Brown]

Found this thread important for deeper understanding of blackshading. http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?111628-BLACK-SHADING-For-Dummies-amp-Experts

Have fun with your new cam!

 

[Clayton Taylor]

I picked up my RED Scarlet back in September - came from a 5D M3 myself. Just read read read. That's all I can really tell you. Quiz your friends that have a RED.

 

[T_Freundlich]

Congrats & welcome aboard, you won't regret the upgrade.

One thing I would mention (having also come to Red from a DSLR background) is, be prepared to upgrade your other infrastructure. Redcode raw is miraculously efficient in terms of footage data rates but you will find your hard disk space usage growing by an order of magnitude compared to shooting H.264 off a DSLR. You can get by perfectly well without a Red Rocket, but at some point when you find yourself working with R3Ds every day and/or doing lots of proxy transcodes, you will find the investment in the card well worth it. And so on.

The whole exposure/ISO thing can be a bit confusing just because the logic of how it works is so different from DSLR video, but on the other hand if you've shot raw photos on the still camera you'll be up to speed in no time.

Good luck & have fun!!

 

[Jeff McCoy]

Welcome to the club Mr. Bleyer