Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • 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 :)

Shooting football on Red-Lens recommendations?

Thanks everyone for all the input and suggestions. To answer a few questions...
I'll not be wired in, but shooting for game highlights and sideline color. No interviews or other audio, just pretty pictures for later use. Delivery will be 1080 HD, mainly for use on the stadium HD video board. I will have an assistant, and it is a daytime game.

Steve Gibby; Thanks for your suggestions. You've given me lots of options to think about. I'm trying to find a zoom range that I won't have to change lenses out. I'm afraid I'll miss a shot! Last year while shooting (about 1 month after taking delivery of our Red), I missed several shots where the action was moving towards me and I needed to zoom out, but had to choose focus or zoom, but couldn't pull off both. That game was shot using a rented Sigma 120-300 f/2.8. I now have the motor/micro force combo.

If I went the B4/ENG style lens, where is a good place to rent from (including a B4 mount)? Lens recommendations?

I'll likely be shooting through a Red EVF. We have a nebtek HDSolar 7" monitor as well, but that starts adding weight and bulk and makes being mobile that much more difficult. I'll have to experiment w/ that setup and see if it's feasible.

I'm trying to achieve a look that isn't easily attainable w/ a "normal" HD video camera. The budget is pretty low (I'm just trying not to lose money) but I'm hoping to open a door for more work later. Thus, I'm wanting a shallow dof and overcranked look. I need to keep my expenses low, so renting a Mantis and expensive glass probably isn't an option. Honestly, the NFL films look would be great, I'm sure I'll need a lot more time on the sidelines before I can start getting anywhere near that quality.

Now, to start sorting through all these options and find a good solution!
 
David,

Believe me, I understand your dilemma. I often shoot similar subject matter. I've faced the same questions many times since August 2007 when I received my first RED camera.

Now that you've given more info on your production, here are some observations:

If it is 1080 for the stadium HD video board you could probably get away with shooting 2k with a B4 adaptor and a B4 2/3" HD EFP/ENG zoom. The ergonomics and ease of shooting football with a multi-speed rocker zoom can't be underestimated. Add to that the huge focal length range of an EFP/ENG zoom and it make it a good way to go.

Your solution sequence for shooting the B4 way is:

1) Find a RED B4 adaptor to rent (some rental houses have them - you'd need to check around)

2) Buy the B4 hirose to 12v auxiliary cable from RED. This runs from the lens servo cable to the small 12v auxiliary bus on the smart side of RED, right below the LCD bus.

3) Rent an HD EFP/ENG zoom for the day. These are available from about all rental houses. For mobility you wouldn't want a lens too heavy or too long of focal length. Something like the Fujinon HA 13x4.5 (with 2x) or Fujinon HA 16x6.3 (with 2x) would probably work real well for your needs.

4) Take the RED B4 adaptor and RED hirose to 12v cable with you to the lens rental place. Test the whole rig out to make shure everything works fine, especially making sure the cable for the camera powers the lens servo just fine.

If the above B4 option isn't feasible for you, you should think about exploring the possibilities on some of the other lens options I listed in my previous post.

Missing shots because of not enough focal length range in portable lenses happens often in certain types of shooting with RED. I believe that some time soon there will be reasonable sized lenses which will cover S35 and FF35, that aren't too expensive, have a broad range of focal length, and have servozoom units available. I'm not talking about adapted cine lenses, but rather a new breed of lenses based on 35mm still lens technology, but with much better motors, and performance.

Good luck to you...I'm sure you'll do fine
 
David,

If you do not got eh B4 ENG route, and based on teh style of shots you want to get and the fact that you have someone assisting you then I would really go for a goos 16mm Zoom lens, they are light, they do not require extra power, will not need to add adaptors, etc.

If you can get to a rental house that rents Super 16 PL mount glass then you will get the option of shooting at 2K all day at different speeds, in daylight his should look really great.

You can also opt for a clip on matte box and a .3 .6 and .9 filet set depending on how much DOF you are going for. If you keep things at about F11, y ou get nice depth on the super 16 glass and still have room to keep critical shots in focus.

I agree with Steve on all the option s for monitoring and exposure.

Just my .02 cents.

David
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top