Teradek RT - Is it a great product?

[Mark A. Jaeger]

I would like to know what experience shooters have with the Teradek RT. I am looking at purchase of the MDR.X receiver, MOTR.X motors and CTRL.3 controller.
Specifically,
a) Functionality - is it easy to use/configure and is it TOTALLY reliable? Are there issues with motors, firmware, cables, operator controls (wheels, knobs), etc.?
b) Battery life - how long will the controller run on one charge of the Canon battery?
c) Interference - I will be in remote locations most of the time. As such, I don't expect interference issues BUT when shooting in the "big city" with all kinds of ambient electronic competition, is the communication reliable and unlikely to have issues?
d) Environment - Is the unit reliable in all conditions (hot, temperate, below freezing)? What is the experience - especially in cold conditions where issues are most likely?
e) TOF - while not on my shopping list at the moment, the TOF attachment looks interesting. What is the experience with this add-on?
f) Proximity - in the user's manual it says the transmitter power must be "low" when the transmitter is close to the receiver. Is it an issue if the transmitter/controller is used on the fluid head handles = real close?
g) Lens calibration - How good are the rings at matching the focus distance on the lens? Can differences be effectively neutralized with the correction factor(s)? Is there one correction factor or several (I couldn't tell from the Teradek video)?
h) The MOTR.X motors are quite a bit more expensive than the MK.3 motors. Is there a clear incentive (other than the cable daisy chaining) to buy the MOTR.X if high speed motion is not likely to be a priority?
i) Any trouble with the cabled interface between the DSMC2 (Monstro) and the Teradek RT?
j) Is there anything else I should know about this product?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Nathan Korosec]

Hey Mark! I know this post has been up for a while and I’m sure you’ve decided on a system already, I thought I’d answer some of your questions. For reference I have a MK3.1 MDR and a CTRL.3 (old version) with 2x MK3.1 motors

a) Functionality - is it easy to use/configure and is it TOTALLY reliable? Are there issues with motors, firmware, cables, operator controls (wheels, knobs), etc.?

I have no experienced any reliability issues. My connectors on the MDR are hirose style which feel flimsy, so I have a few spare cables but I haven’t needed them yet.

b) Battery life - how long will the controller run on one charge of the Canon battery?

weeks, seriously.

c) Interference - I will be in remote locations most of the time. As such, I don't expect interference issues BUT when shooting in the "big city" with all kinds of ambient electronic competition, is the communication reliable and unlikely to have issues?

have had no issues

d) Environment - Is the unit reliable in all conditions (hot, temperate, below freezing)? What is the experience - especially in cold conditions where issues are most likely?

again, no issues for me yet. Have used in a battery factory at 120° F and outside in sub freezing temperatures.

e) TOF - while not on my shopping list at the moment, the TOF attachment looks interesting. What is the experience with this add-on?

N/A for my system, not supported.

f) Proximity - in the user's manual it says the transmitter power must be "low" when the transmitter is close to the receiver. Is it an issue if the transmitter/controller is used on the fluid head handles = real close?

yes, it’s almost as if the handheld unit “overshoots” the mdr. I good option if operating on a head with pan handle is the RT Fingerwheel which attaches to the MDR via direct cable. Can run 2x fingerwheels at once. Use the red button as start stop or a/b limits.

g) Lens calibration - How good are the rings at matching the focus distance on the lens? Can differences be effectively neutralized with the correction factor(s)? Is there one correction factor or several (I couldn't tell from the Teradek video)?

I marked the blank rings that came with my unit and the accuracy has been dead on. Haven’t needed to adjust.

h) The MOTR.X motors are quite a bit more expensive than the MK.3 motors. Is there a clear incentive (other than the cable daisy chaining) to buy the MOTR.X if high speed motion is not likely to be a priority?

daisy chain is the big sell here.

i) Any trouble with the cabled interface between the DSMC2 (Monstro) and the Teradek RT?

not on mine, although I’ve had to use a work around with the MK3.1 MDR. The old MDR (read: mine) ports run/stop through “sync” and not “ctrl”. To get around having run/stop and timecode at the same time I use a wooden camera B Box that has timecode, genlock, and trigger.

I have used the newer MDR.ACI and being able to adjust shutter, ISO, WB, etc from the MDR or handheld unit is very nice and seem less.

j) Is there anything else I should know about this product?

well worth the price compared to other systems! I love mine!!