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 :)

Should I Sell my GH4 and buy a Raven?

O

Olly Fawcett

Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2015
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Cornwall, UK
I own a GH4. I like my GH4. But I think I like the Raven more, even if a working rig costs 10x more.
There’s something about the 4k/100fps that is ind. standard in the genre of films I work in: https://vimeo.com/144967470
The reason I’m linking it is so you can see the kind of stuff I do. Fairly run’n’gun and very rarely artificially lit.
So I’m considering laying down my deposit and ordering one.
I have OP/Coloured/Edited with a Red Epic and know a good bit about Red, but I know there’s Red shooters with years of experience out there.
I’d need a fairly minimalist rig, nothing fancy, and I’d be buying some (don’t judge) Rokinon primes and the new Canon 100-400mm.
I’m 18 and not a rich fella, so my budget minus lenses is about £8k. I figure that a lot of rig gear and batteries/mags could be bought second hand.

Here’s a rough rig list:
2x 256GB Mini-Mags
2x Redvolt XL
Charger
4.7” LCD
Bomb EVF
WC Top Plate
WC Riser
WC Handle


Is it just going to end up being too expensive?


I’d like to know the good and the bad. If you think I’m an idiot for even considering an upgrade then tell me, same goes if you think this is the best idea since sliced bread.


Any info/advice mucho appreciated.

Olly
 
I bought an EVF and the monitor and ended up virtually always using the monitor. Depends on your style but you probably don't need both to start. At least buy one and see if you can make do, and order the other if it's really a necessity for you.

Another way to save money is get 1x 256gig and 1x120gig. You can switch to the 120gig when the other is full and have exactly enough time to dump it.

edit: Also I wish I was shooting stuff as well as you at 18!
 
Waiting for the Raven in March...I'm thinking about the EVF as Olly because i 'll shoot surfing action too.When you are under the sun , is the 4'7" LCD effective? or is Scotland always cloudy!Nice video btw.
 
Anton Shavlik said:
I bought an EVF and the monitor and ended up virtually always using the monitor. Depends on your style but you probably don't need both to start. At least buy one and see if you can make do, and order the other if it's really a necessity for you.

Another way to save money is get 1x 256gig and 1x120gig. You can switch to the 120gig when the other is full and have exactly enough time to dump it.

edit: Also I wish I was shooting stuff as well as you at 18!
Click to expand...


Thanks for such a fast response!

The EVF would be for when I'm shooting telephoto stuff on really sunny days. Kinda a necessity with surfing, much easier to find the subject and not miss clips! The Red EVF is so so pricey though. Can you use other options? Say Zacuto?

Thanks for the storage idea. That makes a lot of sense. The only problem could be that with shooting surfing, some days you just don't get a chance to dump footage. That said, 400GBish would probably be enough for almost any day.

Thanks for the kind words!

Olly
 
Marc Pilato said:
Waiting for the Raven in March...I'm thinking about the EVF as Olly because i 'll shoot surfing action too.When you are under the sun , is the 4'7" LCD effective? or is Scotland always cloudy!Nice video btw.
Click to expand...


I've only used the 4.7lcd a couple times in the sun on a clients epic and its always been ok, but not ideal. The biggest issue is sometimes finding your subject in whitewater. Thats when the sun really makes it hard.
Thanks! Where we go in Scotland has a pretty sweet micro-climate and is actually usually sunny! Unfortunately I don't live there though, I live in Cornwall (England) where it is usually cloudy!
 
You can use the HDMI out on the raven for monitoring. You need some way to control the camera so you likely need the 4.7" touch screen as it's the best option.

The only unique advantage of the RED EVF is that it has two buttons you can program to control the camera. By default they show an exposure false color, and zoom in.
 
Anton Shavlik said:
You can use the HDMI out on the raven for monitoring. You need some way to control the camera so you likely need the 4.7" touch screen as it's the best option.

The only unique advantage of the RED EVF is that it has two buttons you can program to control the camera. By default they show an exposure false color, and zoom in.
Click to expand...

The 4.7" screen is a must, far more important to me than evf, its what I'd use for almost anything other than telephoto work.

EVF isn't necessarily a must. Ideally, I'd just get the Red bomb one, but as far as cost is concerned irs not worth an extra £2k to me. Ideally I'd find a used/heavily discounted one. I can always get an evf at a later date.
 
Not to be the black sheep but speaking personally from personal experience...! Do not get rid of th Gh4 ...! Own both !

I owned a gh4 and a scarlet simultaneously for a few months before I recently sold my scarlet. I realized That for the type of run n Gun stuff I was doing, the gh4's size, and mobility just seemed to "work". Couple The that with a glidecam, and 96fps HD ... And YouTube / Vimeo delivery .... The shots I got with the gh4 were amazing and I simply couldn't achieve the same with my red scarlet . I have not held a raven, but if it's anything like the scarlet, it will certainly my more difficult to manage , and far more costly .

red does carry the name ,reputation and commands a certain Level of respect amongst clients .... But from a practical stand point, the size and power of gh4 make it an awesome B cam.

heres a promo video I shot with red and gh4. All the moving shots were gh4, all the static were red . On the shoot , for obvious reasons I found we ended up using the gh4 much more ... https://vimeo.com/135814907
 
Go for it, when I was in your age I bought mostly drugs and motorcycles for the little money I managed to gather so I can not see buying a camera would be a bad thing. You will have fun with it.
 
Olly, this is a simple decision. Do you have enough potential work booked over the next 2-3 years to pay for it? If not, it's a bad decision. Your work is good enough [actually really good] on the GH4 for you to continue working your craft and acquiring more higher paying clients. If you have a booking that is higher end then rent. Do not buy until you have a business model that can support the investment. And don't pulled in to the latest tech hype.
 
Olly Fawcett said:
The 4.7" screen is a must, far more important to me than evf, its what I'd use for almost anything other than telephoto work.

EVF isn't necessarily a must. Ideally, I'd just get the Red bomb one, but as far as cost is concerned irs not worth an extra £2k to me. Ideally I'd find a used/heavily discounted one. I can always get an evf at a later date.
Click to expand...

Brent @ Red mention the 4.7" Touch is designed with small screw inserts for the purpose of putting a loupe onto 4.7". I'm dying for this as I love configuring my camera into an ENG / shoulder type rig and if the loupe can attach natively and flip up, that would be amazing. Obviously a loupe is not as good as a true EVF, but it's a decent compromise to have 1 less thing on the camera and save a bit of cash and have it double as a monitor. Convinence.
 
Possibly the best advice I have ever seen....

I agree, go all out while you can.........your 18, its not like your throwing money away. invest!





Björn Benckert said:
Go for it, when I was in your age I bought mostly drugs and motorcycles for the little money I managed to gather so I can not see buying a camera would be a bad thing. You will have fun with it.
Click to expand...
 
Olly Fawcett said:
Thanks for such a fast response!

The EVF would be for when I'm shooting telephoto stuff on really sunny days. Kinda a necessity with surfing, much easier to find the subject and not miss clips! The Red EVF is so so pricey though. Can you use other options? Say Zacuto?

Thanks for the storage idea. That makes a lot of sense. The only problem could be that with shooting surfing, some days you just don't get a chance to dump footage. That said, 400GBish would probably be enough for almost any day.

Thanks for the kind words!

Olly
Click to expand...
Olly,

I shoot skiing, surfing and other sports frequently.

I'd honestly just go with a Touchscreen and snag a hoodman. I had an EVF and sold it because I almost never used it. The 5" touchscreen let me see everything I needed to just as easily. And the environment on snow is even brighter. I don't think you'd regret that choice at all.

Ultimately it's your call, but i've found the touchscreen to be better nearly in every situation. Just easier to work with overall for me. At the end of the day it comes down to what you need. Maybe get both and just sell the one you use less?

For media I shoot almost entirely 6K when I go out. I run a 128GB and a 256GB. Some days I'll have to offload the 128GB card to keep shooting. But its pretty rare. This is also shooting at 6K. At 4K I'd be extremely confident in having the card set up recommended above. I've shot surfing with less to before too due to a card failure.
 
Olly Fawcett said:
Fairly run’n’gun and very rarely artificially lit.
Click to expand...

Keep your GH4. RED Cameras are cinema cameras, they are NOT designed for run'n'gun & poor light conditions. You have to light your scenes with a RED Cam.

If you still want to spend money in a "more serious hardware" : try the Sony FS7. Very good in run'n'gun & poor lighting.
 
Yea- made the decision recently to stop wasting my money on shit that doesn't 'do' anything for me. mainly drugs. I think I made that decision early enough that I haven't got any long term effects...we'll see. Feeling confident about my future as a f/maker at the moment though, more motivated than before by miles.
 
Thanks for the kind words. No, I don't have (all in cost) £10k worth of work booked. But stuff comes my way and works been picking up every week. Yeah the GH4 is good but its lacking in so many areas. For a start, after working a lot with 4k, frankly 1080p looks like the past and I want to get into a 4k RAW workflow early, ahead of the game (Most 18y/o aren't anywhere near 4kraw). Shooting mainly surfing, 4k@120fps is industry standard now. Everyones using reds. Getting pulled into the latest tech hype is a good note, though. Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top