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  • 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 :)

Which RED for me?

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Perry Wilson

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I have a question about which RED I should get. I live is south florida and know that im not going to be shooting any major motion pictures any time soon, But i do shoot indipendents about every month one after another. I love this kind of work and im looking for the cam for that area. I am currently a 7D shooter and dont get me wrong but I love the camera. But it does have its work arounds and res issues and what not. I have shot with the R1 a few times. I love RED and have followed them since day one. I would love to buy an R1 either refurbished or used or what ever and just mx it myself or if it is alreasy mx it makes no difference, but they are still pricy(maybe that will change after the epics are in full effect?) Her is the thing I have a great collection of canon/nikon glass that I use on my 7D and would like to continue using them on the RED, I dont really need 5K but it would be nice, Should I just splurge and get the Epic-s so i can use my lenses and be "future proof". or should i get the interchangalbe 2/3 ane bite the bullet on my lenses?
 
Keep the 7D and your lenses for B cam. Get the Scarlet fixed to start with and build your package around that until you can afford to add an Epic-S brain to replace the Canon. All the modules and components you need for Scarlet will work on the Epic-S too. Lowest cost most effective entry level approach for the new models.
 
I dont want the fixed... as great as it is going to be I just want to be able to drop some 16mm lenses on it if I want... and the 7D will be staying as a bcam and as my still cam, photography is my main source of work. And the 7D is a great cam I am actually working on a indi now with it... so go for the interchangeable?
 
Perry Wilson said:
I dont want the fixed... as great as it is going to be I just want to be able to drop some 16mm lenses on it if I want... and the 7D will be staying as a bcam and as my still cam, photography is my main source of work. And the 7D is a great cam I am actually working on a indi now with it... so go for the interchangeable?
Click to expand...

That is my plan, interchangeable and vintage 16mm lenses. But you could not buy an aftermarket servo zoom lens for the interchangeable for anywhere close to the price of the fixed brain. If automated functions are of any importance to you, don't discount the fixed. I may end up with one of each.
 
no automated funcions are not my cup of tea, they used to be when I shot eng, but since day one of the 7D's release untill just yesterday i have DP'd about 15 films on all manual everything, thats what I liked about the RED manual everything but not really, I cant wait for the scarlet, im hoping the NAB surprise is 2/3 fixed and interchangeable order forms :)
 
also another important question and thing for me... seeing as how the scarlet/epic is dsmc, will there be a hot shoe mount anywhere si I can use my alien bee transmitter for my strobes??
 
You won't be happy with the 2/3" sensor Perry. After shooting with the 7D you're going to want an S35 sensor. If you like that incredibly shallow depth (and I know you do) you have to bite the bullet and get either the RED ONE or the EPIC-S. The RED ONE's will be relatively inexpensive after the EPIC is released, so if I were you, I'd go for RED ONE. Unless you have a rich uncle who's willing to buy you an EPIC :-) Whatever you decide, remember this: it's much more about the story, acting and directing. But you knew that already, right?
 
^^ lmao how yah been carey, you know me all toooo well... as far as the money goes either one is within my range, I would have no issue buying the s35 scarlet had it still been that and 7k for the body, but too bad, btw carey i really need some of that footage from ambidextrous, just a few gigs worth from the trailer park stuff. Ive got a huge project coming up that I wrote am directing, dp'ing, and shooting a cam. need to practice some grades
 
Perry Wilson said:
also another important question and thing for me... seeing as how the scarlet/epic is dsmc, will there be a hot shoe mount anywhere si I can use my alien bee transmitter for my strobes??
Click to expand...

The side handle has a standard flash sync connector I believe. Have to get an aftermarket shoe though.

I'm with you on manual controls. I've mostly shot the video cameras manual too, even for ENG work if time allowed. Ansel Adams zone technique and an incident light meter.
 
yeah man i know i can swing the cash for both, but idk if its really worth it to shell out the 12k for the epic, in my situation that is, film isnt my profession, in fact it makes me little to no money at all right now, I am 21 and maybe someday it will but for know its a severe passion, all i do is shorts and indi work so I think im going to go scarlet interchangeable, if I want the depth ill use a bigger mm lens. As is i dont get much depth out of the 7D when im doing establishings anyways. when i do close ups i mainly shoot att f/4 with my 50mm other wise the actors nose is the only thing in focus, I love 16mm love the look, love the feel, love the depth so i think the 2/3 is my baby
 
At a time when low budget indie filmmakers are obsessed with shallow DOF, thanks to low cost large sensor cameras they've never had access to before, fine art still photographers are trending in the opposite direction. Some are even using multiple exposure composite techniques to get extreme depth of field with the perspective of long lenses and large formats.

The worm turns. I'm a big fan of the 16mm sized formats too. When the top Oscars for two years running, including for cinematography, have gone to films shot mostly or entirely on S16mm film or 2/3" digital cameras the "big sensor shallow DOF look is everything" argument doesn't carry much weight.
 
to date one of my favorite film as far as astetic is "the wrestler" so im not too concerned about the shollow depth, i do like it here and there but yeah as a photographer I shoot every say at f/8-f/11 and i have no issues with it. I love the look of super 16, I still am dying to shoot on an ikonoskop d16 but unfortunatly i dont have the $$ to be dumping it into film on a nothing project
 
If you do a lot of photography and still want to dabble into motion, remember that the EPIC-S (or X) will be the ideal camera. Even if you are doing photography, you could be shooting a few seconds of motion instead (without flash, of course). That way, you can go through the motion to get the perfect single image.

Remember, with the DSMC, it's not about having "video" and pulling a frame grab. These cameras are shooting I believe 12 MP (EPIC) and 4 MP (Scarlet) RAW images at a rapid rate to create motion. It's a completely new way of looking at things.

Put the S35 sensor along with another 8MP AND the ability to fully take advantage of a host of lenses and tap into their electronics, well, that makes it a no-brainer to get the EPIC-S brain (no pun intended)...
 
Perry Wilson said:
to date one of my favorite film as far as astetic is "the wrestler" so im not too concerned about the shollow depth, i do like it here and there but yeah as a photographer I shoot every say at f/8-f/11 and i have no issues with it. I love the look of super 16, I still am dying to shoot on an ikonoskop d16 but unfortunatly i dont have the $$ to be dumping it into film on a nothing project
Click to expand...

That is one great advantage of digital. It doesn't cost much to play once past the initial investment.

Have you downloaded the Felix clip and Redcine-X to play with yet?
 
Hi Perry,

If I were in your situation I would get a used RED 1 sometime this Spring/Summer when the price is likely to drop pretty significantly on them. Then I would put a Birger mount on it and be a happy man.

Here's why:
1. You can use your existing Canon lenses, utilizing their internal focusing motors with Birger's smart mount and custom FF to achieve cinema lens type focusing mechanics with high grade still lenses.
2. You can use your 7d as a b-cam, hood mount cam, timelapse came, very low light cam (unless you pony up the extra money for an MX sensor, which is great in the dark too)
3. Come summer I think you'll be able to a decent used RED 1 set up for approximately $10k
4. As you are shooting narrative, already used to S35 sensor, etc. you will likely prefer this to fixed Scarlet. If you were shooting documentary stuff and more run and gun I would encourage you more toward the Scarlet.
5. Re: Birger...the reason its not been used by more people is that, unless you were one of the very early adapters, using it on your camera would void your upgrade/exchange path to the new Epic. As the camera package you would end up buying will not be upgradeable/exchangeable this will not be a problem for you.

If you have more money and can wait awhile, the EPIC system is going to be pretty great and it will also allow Canon and Nikon lenses (basically incorporating a Birger-like system into its design).
 
Take into an account that the RED one is double the weight of the EPIC...not exactly ideal to be running around for photography...though of course it can be done.
 
Sorry,

Point was: keep 7d and use it for stills. Get used R1 for motion (using 7d as B cam)
 
I do mostly shoulder mount and have built up a pretty good shoulder rig, of course as with every new camera I will be upgrading it to suit. I really would love a R1 and have the possiblity to upgrade to a mx perhaps the next year after I get it, does the birger miunt make it so red wont upgrade? plus remember im a young guy i dont mind a heavy ass rig on my shoulder all day as long as its balanced right.
 
and btw yes I have edited the felix stuff and love it i love RED workflow, the only issue with the R1 is the tight spaces issue, being an indi film maker i dont have the luxury of being on sets, so I mostly shoot in tight quarters, I'm just afraid the R1 will be kind of the elephant in the room.
 
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