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RED Epic camera - six times the resolution of HD video

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Re: RED Epic camera - six times the resolution of HD video

#3
Werner Herzog was apparently not impressed

http://www.dgaquarterly.org/BACKISSUES/Winter2010/DGAIntervi...

Q: What about shooting digitally?

A: We used the RED camera for My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. It's an immature camera created by computer people who do not have a sensibility or understanding for the value of high-precision mechanics, which has a 200-year history. It's terrible: Whenever you have to reboot the camera, it takes 4½ minutes or so. It drove me insane, because sometimes something is happening and you can't just push the button and record it. An assistant cameraman said this camera would be ideal if we were filming the National Library in Paris, which has been sitting there for centuries. But everything that moves faster than a library is a problem for the RED. Super 35 mm celluloid is still better

Re: RED Epic camera - six times the resolution of HD video

#4
post #3

Werner Herzog was apparently not impressed http://www.dgaquarterly.org/BACKISSUES/Winter2010/DGAIntervi... Q: What about shooting digitally? A: We used the RED camera for My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. It's an immature camera created by computer people who do not have a sensibility or understanding for the value of high-precision mechanics, which has a 200-year history. It's terrible: Whenever you have to reboot…

To be fair, that was the RED One, the Epic's predecessor. Startup time on the Epic is about 10 seconds.

I've shot with the red one, and yes, a few quirks were frustrating. But they're definitely improving.

Re: RED Epic camera - six times the resolution of HD video

#5
post #3

Werner Herzog was apparently not impressed http://www.dgaquarterly.org/BACKISSUES/Winter2010/DGAIntervi... Q: What about shooting digitally? A: We used the RED camera for My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. It's an immature camera created by computer people who do not have a sensibility or understanding for the value of high-precision mechanics, which has a 200-year history. It's terrible: Whenever you have to reboot…

I am a little surprised that digital filming isn't hitting it's stride when photographers have taken to the digital transition. Not sure if the celluloid comment is only in reference RED or in reference to digital film in general.

I see parallels to audiophile type comments regarding analog v digital.

Re: RED Epic camera - six times the resolution of HD video

#6
post #3

Werner Herzog was apparently not impressed http://www.dgaquarterly.org/BACKISSUES/Winter2010/DGAIntervi... Q: What about shooting digitally? A: We used the RED camera for My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. It's an immature camera created by computer people who do not have a sensibility or understanding for the value of high-precision mechanics, which has a 200-year history. It's terrible: Whenever you have to reboot…

To be fair, that was the RED One, the Epic's predecessor. Startup time on the Epic is about 10 seconds. I've shot with the red one, and yes, a few quirks were frustrating. But they're definitely improving.

Also, no mention of how much it sucks to do the canister-in-a-bag thing, or telecine-ing the film so it can be edited. Or the free cost of bits.

(ok I'll stop.)

Re: RED Epic camera - six times the resolution of HD video

#7
post #3

Werner Herzog was apparently not impressed http://www.dgaquarterly.org/BACKISSUES/Winter2010/DGAIntervi... Q: What about shooting digitally? A: We used the RED camera for My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. It's an immature camera created by computer people who do not have a sensibility or understanding for the value of high-precision mechanics, which has a 200-year history. It's terrible: Whenever you have to reboot…

I get the feeling that Werner enjoys taking this rebellious attitude towards a technology that so many of his art-film peers have been lauding since the release of the One. Soderberg has been shooting Red for years now. The Social Network was shot on a Red One.

The Epic is taking the technology mainstream. Peter Jackson bought 30 Epics to shoot The Hobbit with.

Re: RED Epic camera - six times the resolution of HD video

#8
Meh. The pricetag on this makes it really unappealing to anyone except multimillionaires and professional cinematographers. When Red can produce a 4K camera for under $1,000 I'll be the first in line to get one. Until then it's little more than a curiosity. An awesome curiosity but a curiosity nonetheless.

Re: RED Epic camera - six times the resolution of HD video

#10
post #8

Meh. The pricetag on this makes it really unappealing to anyone except multimillionaires and professional cinematographers. When Red can produce a 4K camera for under $1,000 I'll be the first in line to get one. Until then it's little more than a curiosity. An awesome curiosity but a curiosity nonetheless.

Well, in reality this price is fantastic for a cinematography camera. When you consider the prices for everything else on a shoot, and how a camera is typically rented instead of bought for a feature film, this camera (and the RED ONE) is revolutionary.

Sony's recent release of the F3 has them playing catchup, and they've announced plans for a 4K cinematography camera, but this camera is ahead of its time, and a huge step forward over the RED ONE.

And this camera isn't for anyone who doesn't know their way around a video camera in full manual mode (shutter speed, iris, focus, zoom, white balance, gamma, knee, etc...). This is not a camera for anyone except for filmmakers.

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