The Red Dragon. A possibly silly question.

[Robert Hart]

A friend film-maker looks like he will have to enter a steep learning curve with a Dragon camera. I am assuming it is a Dragon because it has the skull logo on the side of it.

Am I correct in this assumption?

In hard outdoors bright daylight, is there a need for IR filtering when ND is used. At what amount of ND does IR filtering became mandatory.

I understand that 3:1 compression is favoured as a balance between conserving drive space yet retaining image quality.

It is likely that the lens offered with the cam will be an Angenieux Optimo zoom. Does anyone have any cautions relating to this lens, IR pollution, and green fringing in wide views?

I understand that the camera's native ISO equivalent is 800. I have also read that some folk favour an ISO equivalent of 400.

In largely underlit, night time, gritty urban street action with a wide view, how much gain can be selected without provoking noise artifacts in the blacks.

I understand there is a variety of OPLF panels available for the Dragon. Likely the operator will be given the camera as is. If there was a choice of OPLFs available, which would be the best compromise for outdoors hard bright light and underlit night urban inner-city vision.

Are there any traps relating to medium to dark skin colour and IR pollution in outdoors bright day?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Michael Tiemann]

A friend film-maker looks like he will have to enter a steep learning curve with a Dragon camera. I am assuming it is a Dragon because it has the skull logo on the side of it.

Am I correct in this assumption?

Skull logo = Weapon.

In hard outdoors bright daylight, is there a need for IR filtering when ND is used. At what amount of ND does IR filtering became mandatory.

Firecrest ND filters have built-in IR. Other modern ND filters likewise. Yes, you need to filter IR. A good ND will do this for you. A bad one forces you to use a stack.

I understand that 3:1 compression is favoured as a balance between conserving drive space yet retaining image quality.

Ridiculous. 8:1 compression is a good balance point for 6K. Shoot 7:1 or below if you have the card space and disk space to burn, or above that if you don't (or you are shooting HFR/HDRx).

It is likely that the lens offered with the cam will be an Angenieux Optimo zoom. Does anyone have any cautions relating to this lens, IR pollution, and green fringing in wide views?

Optimos are fantastic zooms. Should not be a problem.

I understand that the camera's native ISO equivalent is 800. I have also read that some folk favour an ISO equivalent of 400.

This is perhaps the single greatest point of confusion among all new Red Users. Given that you have over 1,000 posts on these boards, I trust that you are not in fact a complete noob who has never actually shot a single frame on an actual RED camera. But for those who never have, the facts are these: digital cameras make images from light, if if you don't hit the sensor with enough light, you are going to get crappy images. I would recommend the following:

If you are shooting in low light, set the ISO to 320. If you are shooting in bright daylight (possibly with ND), set the ISO to 800. Select a shutter speed/angle that gives you the motion look you want (typically 180 degrees). Select an aperture so that your histogram is largely centered. If the shot is low-key (mostly dark) it's OK for the histogram to be a little to the left; if the shot is high-key (mostly bright, like sandy beaches) it's OK for the histogram to be a little to the right. Try to keep the stoplights on either side from lighting up. If ISO 320 is not enough to give you what you want, simple: use more lighting.

In largely underlit, night time, gritty urban street action with a wide view, how much gain can be selected without provoking noise artifacts in the blacks.

The answer is between you and Neat Video. But seriously, underlit nighttime scenes are a waste of time and trouble unless and until you have enough experience with properly lit nighttime scenes.

I understand there is a variety of OPLF panels available for the Dragon. Likely the operator will be given the camera as is. If there was a choice of OPLFs available, which would be the best compromise for outdoors hard bright light and underlit night urban inner-city vision.

The answer is almost obvious: for low-light there's the LLO, for high bright situations, STH. For the best compromise between the two, STD.

Are there any traps relating to medium to dark skin colour and IR pollution in outdoors bright day?

IR pollution is a problem for any skin color. Kill it at the source (with a proper ND filter) and you'll be fine. BTW, human bodies tend to absorb IR much more than they reflect it. It's why heat lamps work so well at heating us up, not the room.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

My advice is to read Phil Holland's Field Ops Guide.

 

[Robert Hart]

Michael Tiemann.



Thank you for your response.

I am a total "noob" when it comes to the Red cameras, so I am absolutely dumb when it comes to the system. The nearest I have come to the Red has been Sam Winzar's Epic on the "Revive" shot a few years back in Fremantle,Western Australia. That consisted of touching the body of the camera during a break and declaring "There. I now have put my DNA on a Rec camera".

The use of a lower ISO in low-light conditions and lighting for it on the surface might seem counter-intuitive but I have found similar practices favour the SI2K.

I will pass your information on.