ETA on full parts price list of red cage and rail.

[Greg Voevodsky]

I would like to know when all the parts will be listed separately for RED rail and cage. I would like to put in a parts and accessories order but I am waiting for a complete list to order. (Jim said all parts would be sold separately.)

The parts that I would like to order are the battery / drive holder, the front cross section that the handles mount to, and one handle.

There are several of us, that are building our own custom and lighter RED Rails, using some of RED's parts. Thanks.

[Clayton Harper]

I stopped stressing out about this by just assuming I'm gonna end up with the premium rails no matter what. :biggrin:

[Ralph Oshiro]

There are several of us, that are building our own custom and lighter RED Rails, using some of RED's parts.
Who might those be? Because I won't be able to use the RED rail base plate. So I need to figure out how I'm going to mount the HDD and V-mount brick directly to the camera somehow. The reason I can't use the baseplate, is, I have always had multiple camera mounts for all my still and video cameras. I own more than 10 Stroboframe quick-release plates and receivers for all my still gear and small video gear! Also, I have three VCT-U14s for my DSR450.

Using a universal quick-release allows you to move quickly, very quickly, from camera support to camera support. I can have the same baseplate receiver on my Steadicam, as I do on my sticks, tilt-plate, car mount, etc. Unmounting RED from the dovetail RED rail baseplate, then finding a screwdriver to attach another baseplate will take MINUTES. I suppose I could just standardize on the Sachtler quick-release, and mount the Sachtler base plate to the bottom of the RED rail baseplate, if that configuration is stable enough. But the main reason I need to ditch the RED rail baseplate, is that I need to conserve as much weight as possible when mounting RED onto my Steadicam Flyer. When mounted on my Flyer, the camera is powered by the Flyer's brick on the sled, so all I really need to attach directly to the camera in this application is the HDD somehow.

[Clayton Harper]

I suppose I could just standardize on the Sachtler quick-release, and mount the Sachtler base plate to the bottom of the RED rail baseplate, if that configuration is stable enough.

That little metal square is magical.

[Clayton Harper]

I need to conserve as much weight as possible when mounting RED onto my Steadicam Flyer. When mounted on my Flyer, the camera is powered by the Flyer's brick on the sled, so all I really need to attach directly to the camera in this application is the HDD somehow.

Do you think those IDX batteries will run the Red? I know you get 12v off the lemo 2-pin but somewhere I remember Jim saying that only those 140Wh jobbers would cut the mustard.

I think you could easily make your own lightweight top plate to put the HDD on the roof of the Red although it might be getting really top heavy for the Flyer at that point. I am sort of thinking that the onboard flash modules will be the best application for Steadicam shots but of course those will be coming a little later.

[Ralph Oshiro]

Do you think those IDX batteries will run the Red? I know you get 12v off the lemo 2-pin but somewhere I remember Jim saying that only those 140Wh jobbers would cut the mustard.
Yup. Even my brand new Anton Bauer 65Wh Propak14s will run RED for only about an hour. Even though I already own close to $3,000 in Anton Bauer gear, I'm going to pop for those nifty 140Wh RED batteries as well, which should run RED w/HDD spinning for about two hours.


I think you could easily make your own lightweight top plate to put the HDD on the roof of the Red although it might be getting really top heavy for the Flyer at that point. I am sort of thinking that the onboard flash modules will be the best application for Steadicam shots but of course those will be coming a little later.
Yeah, I was kinda hoping RED themselves would offer another mounting option for the HDD (I originally thought it would clip onto the side of the body where the flash ram modules go). I certainly can appreciate what a beautiful piece of design work the RED rail is, and it offers a ton of benefits for most shooters. But I'm simply more comfortable shooting with the most stripped-down version of the camera as possible. I always seem to be fitting cameras in tight spaces and awkward angles. And I'm always pretty frantically running-and-gunning, since I have to steal all of my locations. So reduced bulk, high mobility, stealth, and speed of changing camera supports are key issues for me. So at the risk of being woefully repetitive, I would prefer to ditch the RED baseplate, and instead, mount the Sachtler quick-release plate directly to the camera body. Then, I would modify some existing shoulder pad, and attach another Sachtler receiver to that as well.

[Rob Lohman]

We've had the HDD on top of the camera in our labs. Not a problem!

[Clayton Harper]

But I'm simply more comfortable shooting with the most stripped-down version of the camera as possible. I would prefer to ditch the RED baseplate, and instead, mount the Sachtler quick-release plate directly to the camera body.

I am planning to do a similar config without any lens accessories (MB or FF) with just a Sachtler plate so I can run it on a DV12 that I have for the HDV stuff. I call this my "tourist" set-up. If you wear a fanny pack and a Nebraska football t-shirt, you can shoot anything on the streets in NYC. :biggrin:

I am thinking about creating a sort of "saddlebags" arrangement where I have the HDD on one side and the battery on the other running along their length mounted on some sort of custom plate. Then maybe just the handle and EVF.

[Chris Gearhart]

Do you think those IDX batteries will run the Red? I know you get 12v off the lemo 2-pin but somewhere I remember Jim saying that only those 140Wh jobbers would cut the mustard.

Drat. I didn't think of that. I wonder what Watt-hours the new Power Cubes sport from Tiffen? Is that what you use, Ralph? I have two arriving today for a shoot with an Archer next week.

Oh well, I guess they can be emergency backup power for Red.

[Ralph Oshiro]

Drat. I didn't think of that. I wonder what Watt-hours the new Power Cubes sport from Tiffen? Is that what you use, Ralph?
No, I haven't seen the PowerCubes. I have a standard AB GoldMount on my Flyer, and four Anton Bauer ProPak14s, which are 65Wh each. Any comparable 140Wh Li-ion battery from anyone else is going to be loads more money than the RED bricks.

[Ralph Oshiro]

Well, Tiffen rates it at 6 amp-hours. Someone want to do the math to convert that to Watt-hours? Oh, got it . . . it's V x A. So, 6ah x 14.8v = 88.8 Watt-hours. That should run a RED w/HDD for a little over an hour.

[Jared VanLeuven]

For weight/size's sake, it would be cool to see what the minimalist option is for RED ONE + Battery + RED DRIVE.

I'm also curious as to whether the batteries could piggy-back. Didn't look like it to me at NAB, and I'm looking for something that'd power the camera for at least 2-3 times longer for timelapse work.

[Chris Gearhart]

Thanks, Ralph. At least it'll run for an hour, then.

-Chris

Oh, and Pixelchef, I wondered that too--about piggybacking. Doesn't look like it.