Redmote or Side Handle

[Ryan Lightbourn]

Hey guys, I'm one of the BT Red One purchasers & love 4k+ so much that I want to invest in an Epic next month.

I have a Marshall 3G-SDI monitor & will probably pass on the touch screen for a few months.

I've heard that the Side Handle grants full control over the menu fuctions, but was wondering if I could save even more & go with a Redmote instead?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Mike P.]

You can, but you should have some kind of kit to hold the camera with (cage, handles, something) unless it lives on a tripod. Otherwise it's an accident waiting to happen -- a somewhat smooth block that weighs ~10lbs (batt + lens) and doesn't really have a place to hold on to... But yeah, the REDmote does all the same stuff that the side handle does (more, since its wireless) just without all the programmable buttons and RV-ness.

 

[Ryan Lightbourn]

Great, thanks for the info Mike!

I'll be attaching it to a 19mm rod/shoulder mount/quickplate setup that I put together for the R1, but I'll look into a top handle as well for easy holding & low angle shooting.

 

[Josh Snyder]

Remember that if you want to use Redvolts you need either Side Handle or Dual/Quatro Battery Module.

 

[Philip Lima]

We have both and use them between our Epic and Scarlet depending on the job. Personally I find the Side Handle the quickest and easiest way to navigate the menus on either camera. We have the touchscreen too, but that just takes more time to get through the menus once you memorize them. As mentioned, the idea of using redvolts is something to consider as well. We have 6 of them I love using them in a lightweight handheld configuration, or on our steadicam.

Hope that helps!

 

[Bobby Farokhzad]

I have both the redmote and the side handle for my Epic. I find myself using the side handle almost 95% of the time for all menu navigation. I hardly ever take the side handle off the camera, and the
fact that you can power it from the redvolts is awesome.

 

[brian mcclatchy]

I like to always have two possibilities always available for controlling the Epic in case one fails, which can happen.

When My epic was first delivered i arrived with only the side handle but no touch screen or redmote. On an early shoot I slipped and slid down a mountainside in New Zealand with my Epic and side handle, the Epic survived unharmed but the sidehandle buttons became stuck and I could not change any of the settings.

I actually hated the Touch screen when i first got one but now it is my favorite of all 3 options, just took some getting used to.

 

[Joe Minuni]

I had the side handle, redmote, and touchscreen. I thought I would use the side handle more than I ended up so I sold it. I didn't like redvolts and used my touchscreen far more. I barely used the side handle to actually 'hold' the camera because i'm on a rig, sticks, or jib, don't really need to grip the body. I have a top handle for that when moving the body.

I love my redmote. I do have issues some days with wireless connection but for the most part I have had success.
That being said, I do have the touchscreen at all times because things break and I need a second control option-and still use it a lot. Its nice when it is mounted on the side of the camera. different strokes.

 

[William Albertini]

I have the side handle, the touchscreen and the redmote. The first month that I had the camera the only one not on backorder was the touchscreen, so that is what I used but I never was comfortable focusing through greasy fingerprint marks. The side handle is almost a permanent fixture on the camera now which could be because I come from a still camera background, but I do find it intuitive. The red mote gets it's fair share of use but only when I have the camera on a tripod, I would not want it as my primary control device. The other plus for the side handle is that it takes a redvolt which means I do not have to power down when switching my main batteries.