Tag: best camera

Great new tool to setup all your Red Epic/Scarlet buttons

by North Coast Videographer, posted in Epic, Red, Scarlet, Sydney cameraman, Tim Bradley

DSMCResourcesIconRed has released a new set of tools for Epic or Scarlet camera users.

One of the tools is amazingly good, it is visual tool for key mapping so  you to setup all the buttons / keys on your Epic camera while using a Mac or PC. Once you have run the program and setup all you button / key choices you save it to a camera SSD and then load to your camera.

Its a so much quicker, easier and simpler way to set up your camera using this program. This tool would be great for anyone one who either rents an Epic or Scarlet or  uses multiple cameras on a shoot. A great way to have all the keys / buttons setup uniformly.

The tools included in the latest release are:
REDMote Upgrade Utility
RED Guide Creator
RED Key Mapper

https://s3.amazonaws.com/red_3/downl…olkit_v5.1.zip

Red Epic Dragon Frame Rates

by North Coast Videographer, posted in Epic, Red

The new Epic Dragon camera allows for an amazing range of frames rates. Below is the maximum frame rate for each resolution of Epic Dragon. The minimum frame rate is 1 frame per second.

Dragon frame rates

Please note all frames rates are based on 23.98 time base, 8:1 compression with Lookaround turned off.

6K shooting

by North Coast Videographer, posted in Epic, Red, Sydney cameraman, Tim Bradley

With Red’s new sensor coming out now, its about time to have idea what you are getting with 6K shooting.

So what is 6K, well it is 6144 x 3160 pixels or 19.4 megapixels at a 1.94:1 aspect ratio.
6K is 9.36x more pixels than 1080p.
6K is 8.78x more pixels than 2K.
6K is 2.2x more pixels than 4K.
6K is 1.4x more pixels than 5K.
6K is 14% more resolution than 5K for a pristine full debayer down to 4K. Meaning it’s a 66.7% down sample/debayer to 4K.

What does all this mean to me?
Well if you’re thinking about a 4K finish it gives a bit more freedom for creative re-framing, cropping, or leveling. Fine and high frequency details will actually down sample into 4K and benefit from that extra resolution. There are many ways to work with and finish REDCODE for screen and print use. Over sampling and the use of a debayer pattern help eliminate aliasing artifacts. If you want crisp and detailed images there’s options. If you want a smoother feel there’s options. Just depends on what you’re after and the workflow you choose.

So we’re now in some new exciting territory!

Many Thanks to Phil Holland for all the numbers and great chart.

phfx_redDragon_whatIs6K

Power of 5K

by North Coast Videographer, posted in Epic, Red, Red One, Scarlet, Sydney cameraman, Tim Bradley

This TVC is a great example of the power of shooting 5K. By choosing such a high resolution to shoot in enabled an extremely flexible outcome in post. The camera was mounted vertically to make the most use of the resolution, and the shot was framed head to toe with just enough room to allow a few hand gestures. While all the shot sizes had already been decided prior to the shoot, we didn’t have to worry about shooting anything besides the one shot size, knowing that it meant we could get a shot from an extreme close up all the way to an amazing wide shot if needed.

The shoot was a fun day. The director loved the freedom as he knew a shot take could be used in any size in the end TV commercial.

One note for this approach of reframing in post is that I would not recommend this for anything other than a chromakey shoot or white limbo background, as with reframing in post you loose all advantages of being able alter your depth of field with your shot size changes. Vertical shoot

The next Red Epic …

by North Coast Videographer, posted in Epic, Red, Red One, Scarlet, Sydney cameraman, Tim Bradley

The next Red Epic is Epic Dragon and it is now out and about. Red has released a few Epic Dragons for testing and evaluation of the new sensor and electronics. So far the word is great.   Added dynamic range of some say 3 stops over what the current Epic has makes this truly stunning.

One test was shot by Aussie Director/DOP Mark Toia and he was quoted as saying that now the Epic Dragon see what his eye sees. Anyway proof is in the pudding so heres what he shot. Please remember this is a camera thats in beta and still has not got all the colour science and post work out, so if you like the pics now remember they will only get better and better as Red releases camera updates and Redcine software updates.

GoPro updates

by North Coast Videographer, posted in GoPro, Sydney cameraman, Tim Bradley

There is new firmware for the GoPro Hero 3 cameras and a new app. With these you now can watch video recorded on your GoPro via WiFi on your smartphone or tablet. In video playback mode you can only watch a low res version of the footage but its a great feature making it really easy to check a shot back straight after the shoot to make sure all went well.

You can also view stills taken with your GoPro via your smartphone or tablet. With Stills you get a reasonable high res image version.

You can also save video or stills directly to your smartphone or tablet and even share these immediately with social networks.

I love these updates, they make a great camera even better!

New GoPro App

Setting up an Interview

by North Coast Videographer, posted in Epic, Gear, Red, Red One, Scarlet, Sydney cameraman, Tim Bradley

Setting up EpicI have a big interview series shoot, where we are interviewing heaps of legends from Australia’s film and TV industry. Shooting on a Red Epic to ensure nice short depth of field and and a cinematic feel to the finished video. Thanks to Eve Brown (Production Manager) for sitting in for the pre-light at the beautiful Theatre Royal.

We decided to shoot at 4K resolution with an f-stop of 2.8 to achieve a beautiful soft background. The rich red tones in the theatre look superb. I am looking forward to the next few days of shooting with the great team from The Milkbar.

Screen Aust Epic shoot

Screen Aust2

The lighting I am using are a mix of Lowel Tota lights and Dedolight or Dedo’s

GoPro Hero 3 – Black

by North Coast Videographer, posted in GoPro, Tim Bradley

gopro hero 3 black

GoPro have released their new range of cameras and I recently got my GoPro Hero 3 Black camera. The Black edition is the top of the range GoPro camera. It is the most versatile of the range as it offers more video resolutions and higher recording resolutions, in fact it will record 4K files. Other great features are its now 30% smaller, 25% lighter and 2 times more powerful than previous models. It’s waterproof to 60 m, capable of capturing ultra-wide 1440p 48fps, 1080p 50 fps and 720p 100 fps video and 12MP photos at a rate of 30 photos per second. It also has time lapse capabilities, being able to take a frame every 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 second intervals. Another stills innovation is the Continuous Photomode where you can take 3 photos per second or 5 photos per second or 10 photos per second – get for capturing the exact moment.

 

This camera is so small it can be mounted almost anywhere, meaning that I can now offer another camera to get a different view than possible with a normal sized camera. Also the waterproof housing meaning that is can be used almost anywhere in any weather conditions.

 

It has built-in Wi-Fi enabling remote control via included Wi-Fi Remote as well as live video preview and remote control on my smartphone and ipad running the GoPro app. This means its really easy to frame up your shot and then roll and cut the camera, as well as check that the camera is still getting what you want. The app also lets you can all camera setting really quickly and easily.

 

 

Red Epic Pro I/O arrives

by North Coast Videographer, posted in Red, Red One, Scarlet

Epic Pro I/O ModuleThe latest module for the Red Epic has just arrived. Its the Pro I/O or professional Input output module. This module allows for many advanced configurations and attaches to the rear of the Epic to provide a central hub for essential I/O connections. Professional I/O support for audio and video is critical for large productions and the PRO I/O MODULE bundles them conveniently into one module.

Connections Include:

1x Genlock / PGM / Preview (BNC)
1x AES
2x 3-Pin XLR Input
1x 5-Pin XLR Output
1x Timecode (5-Pin Lemo)
1x GPIO (4-Pin Lemo)
1x Power (4-Pin Lemo)
1x AUX (10-Pin Lemo)
1x LCD/EVF Output (RED Display)

 

This module makes our Epic truly versatile and now is all you need to shoot anything from Web video through to a feature film.

New Audio gear

by North Coast Videographer, posted in Alexa, Arri, Red, Red One, Sony, XDcam

www.sydneycameraman.net.au

I have just added a few things to my audio kit. I have added a Countryman B3 lapel mic and windscreens and accessories. This mic I can use with my radio mic transmitter as well as being able to have it as a wired mic too. The capsule (head) is tiny so will be less visible than most mics, as well as it offering a great sound recording. The little windsocks are rated to winds up to 30Km/h, so will offer a great option in tough conditions.