Variable Speed/media/reformat? HELP!

[Dan Dumouchel]

Hi,

I have a quick question.

We are currently on build 15 and doing some camera tests to a RedDrive. We've been shooting 4k and now want to switch to 3k and then 2k and test frame rates. Do I need to re-format the drive before I record from 4k to 3k to 2k or am I fine? Also also are the limits of the CF cards the same as the Red Drives? Any speed/media map would be appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[Vigen Vartanov]

4K (up to 30 fps), 3K (up to 60 fps) and 2K (up to 120 fps)

 

[Dan Dumouchel]

Thanks

Just want to make sure that 4k,3k and 2k can all be recorded on to the same media source (Drive or CF) without having to reformat the media in between the changes in format.

Also is CF and drive speed limits the same?

 

[Matthew Rogers]

As long as you don't change your project speed settings (which can only be set at 23.98, 24, 25, and 29.97) then you can use different rezs and speeds on the same media. For example I've shot 4k 23.98, 3k 60fps, and 2k 120fps all on my RED drive without reformatting.

Matthew

 

[Dan Dumouchel]

Thank you Matt! I remembered reading something about that but couldn't remember what it was.

Do you know if CF and the Drive have different speed limits?

 

[D Namir]

I know the CF card will not record 120FPS I don't know if it even goes to 60FPS. So for 120FPS you need the drive.

 

[Matthew Rogers]

Thank you Matt! I remembered reading something about that but couldn't remember what it was.

Do you know if CF and the Drive have different speed limits?

This is all in the manual BTW (plus it tells you what the limits are for what rez)

The drive has no limit for what the camera can currently do. Here you go

REDCODE 28 CF MEDIA * RED-DRIVE
2K 2:1 113 fps 59.94 fps
2K 16:9 59.94 fps 59.94 fps
3K 2:1 50.00 fps 59.94 fps
3K 16:9 29.97 fps 50.00 fps
4K 2:1 25.00 fps 29.97 fps
4K 16:9 25.00 fps 29.97 fps

REDCODE 36 CF MEDIA * RED-DRIVE
2K 2:1 59.94 fps 59.94 fps
2K 16:9 59.94 fps 59.94 fps
3K 2:1 29.97 fps 50.00 fps
3K 16:9 29.97 fps 29.97 fps
4K 2:1 25.00 fps 25.00 fps
4K 16:9 n/a 25.00 fps

This doesn't totally seem to be accurate as I had to manually put in 113fps for the 2k 2:1 CF cards under RC28.
Matthew

 

[Dan Dumouchel]

Thanks Matthew

I had seen those limits in the manual but was confused because I could not figure out what media these limits were for.

Very helpful Matthew. Thanks a lot.

 

[RyanKunkleman]

it does mess with the metadata when you do multiple formats on the same drive. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that meta for frame rate and RES us pulled from the project settings and will cause all the clips to come up as the last project that was set up.
Its been common practice for us to use different media for different formats and reformatting any new media to the new settings.

 

[Philip Powell]

Here's my take on it

Here's my take on it

People always used to say, don't change your project settings, but as Matt says, it's really only your base "playback rate", in your project settings that you can't change without having to reformat or change your media.

Not many people change playback rates while shooting the same program.

It's capture rates that they change. While it's true that under project settings, that framerate is ALSO your base capture rate. When you want to change your capture rate, do that under the Varispeed menu, NOT your project settings menu, as some people might tend to do...as that will indeed cause you to have change media.

Again, for me, as long as I think of it as playback rate, and not capture rate (although it is), things make much more sense to me.