Camera improvement suggestions

[Floris Liesker]

Maybe there already is a thread or a subforum for this, but I haven't been able to find it so far.
Just a simple thread for improvement ideas for the exisiting camera.
Preferrably from owners or users.

Anyway,
I have an idea:
I would like to have the histogram and the colorful luma-value overlay mode to display what the sensor is getting.
Now it's values are influenced by the ASA setting (which is a post thing in this camera) and what not.
I want to know when the sensor is at 100%.
It can be a pleasant surprise in post to see that you had some headroom left after all when you though you overexposed, but I'd rather be sure about it on set.

[Mark L. Pederson]

Anyway,
I have an idea:
I would like to have the histogram and the colorful luma-value overlay mode to display what the sensor is getting.
Now it's values are influenced by the ASA setting (which is a post thing in this camera) and what not.
I want to know when the sensor is at 100%.
It can be a pleasant surprise in post to see that you had some headroom left after all when you though you overexposed, but I'd rather be sure about it on set.

always keep the camera rated at 320 or 400 and you are good to go -

[RED,BLUE&GREEN]

Always keep the Camera at 320 asa......

Can you push the camera to 640 or 1250 with no problem? Gain push? since it is raw? On the set?

The usual improvments : (there on the way..!!??) viewfinder- 720k pixels or above... playback clips and list on output..and vf.
Audio, 20 bit, phantom power..the usual stuff
1080 out for monitor..duel hdsdi feeds
Redcode for 2k at 25MB/s the same as 4k...( is it there already?)
SxS cards or redflash 32 or 64 gig.
and - - -
me with a camera.......# 500 or so....

[pablokorona]

i personally would like to see some kind of overlay when you're in focus adjust mode. A thin red X across the screen maybe - 1px wide - Often the shot was being auditioned for composition, and it was left in this mode accidentally. It became habit for me to ask if we were in this mode before i approved the shot.

this is coming from the perspective of director.

i also realize that this is with only one output hot - my director's monitor was run a feed from an HD-SDI loop on the back of the on camera LCD monitor, so i assume that RED's EVF or LCD have this overlay - i'd like to check tomorrow...

[Floris Liesker]

One more suggestion: the focus assist.
I've worked with it last week. It's a great tool, though I think it could be even better.

It's a line graph showing the (normalized) luma value of the center horizontal line of the image.
It performs very well on textured surface, you can easily spot when you're in maximal focus there.
I found it much harder to obtain maximal focus on a non-textured surface with a hard edge, a situation in which the oldfashioned edge sharpening performs well.
I found it hard to detect exactly when I was in maximal focus there.

I wonder how the focus assist would work when you'd apply a high-pass filter to the line instead of normalizing it.
Graeme, what's your idea about this?
__________________

[Graeme Nattress]

The focus assist should be doing a high pass filter to measure the sharpness. It's not showing normalized luma values. Are you seeing the most current version?

Graeme

[Stuart English]

The Focus Assist algorithm changed substantially between Build 8 and Build 9, I think your issues were addressed.

[Floris Liesker]

In that case I think I wasn't seeing the most current version. ;)
Thanks for your quick response, I'm looking forward to work with build 9.

[LighthouseMEdia]

Okay Here is my wish list...
1. One button quick push for reformatting cards, with a verify of course it just takes to long to get there.

2. Make it where when you overcrank and the camera has to change the shutter speed to the minimal resolvable speed that the camera changes the display to show you what it is running at, rather than say the 1/48 it was running at prior to the overcranking.

2. Make it where the camera retains all user settings until changed by user, I had issues with certain menu items resetting to "default" settings.

3. An option to delete a clip you have up for preview off the CF card, and maybe an option called retake where it just dumps the last take for say a false start or such, all option requiring verification of course.

I'll think of more later :)

[I Bloom]

I think this thread belongs in the main section for RedOne. Hopefully the help section can remain a list of problems and solutions.

While we are at it here is my idea for the focus zoom mode. I found the image zoom difficult to use because I couldn't continue to hold the frame once it was switched on. Instead I'd like to see a cubist version of it, where multiple samples appear from around the frame, zoomed to a 1:1 pixel ratio (or even 2:1 nearest neighbor, with peaking), such that you can still hold your composition around and between the zoomed images.

http://www.reduser.net/forum/uploaded/582_1194404337.jpg

It's a thought.

I'd also like to see a mode, where no information or frame guides appears on the screen, just the image, cropped to the framing you select surounded by black. WYSIWYG mode. Maybe they already have this...

IBloom

[Mark B.]

I think this thread belongs in the main section for RedOne. Hopefully the help section can remain a list of problems and solutions.

While we are at it here is my idea for the focus zoom mode. I found the image zoom difficult to use because I couldn't continue to hold the frame once it was switched on. Instead I'd like to see a cubist version of it, where multiple samples appear from around the frame, zoomed to a 1:1 pixel ratio (or even 2:1 nearest neighbor, with peaking), such that you can still hold your composition around and between the zoomed images.


I recommended that same idea back when they were still spec'ing the camera... I was calling it the Brady Bunch focus assist! :) You have good taste. More recently I've been thinking about the design and figure that if they blink the squares on and off it would give a chance to focus while still getting glimpses of the full image.

[Bruce Allen]

ADD: indication in LCD of whether you are running BETA or STABLE firmware.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

[Alberto Caprioglio]

excellent ideas.

possibly even simpler.. lay a transparent touchscreen membrane over the LCD, you touch the frog's head, and via USB port it gives information to the camera about which small area and abit aroud it (progressively going from that exact point to a slightly bigger square aroud it?) of the frame you want to focus. And the camera magnify that precise area... perfectly clear seeing, focus assist....


And we may buy 2 LCDs if we are more comfortable: one for framing alone, and the other one with the touchscreen membrane layed over it mainly for focusing and with just a bit of framing like in your graphic example.

[donatello b]

"Can you push the camera to 640 or 1250 with no problem? Gain push? since it is raw? On the set?"

i think you can set ASA up to 2000 ...
no problem ? depends on what YOU consider problems ..
it also depends on the tones in the scene .. i've done 1250 and it looked very good and i've done 1250 and didn't like it ... some find to much noise at ASA 640 - others say what noise ... so what is acceptable to me might not be acceptable to you ...
i would suggest you do some ASA TEST .. be sure you take the TEST out to a finished format ( 4k/2k/HD/SD ) .. the ASA 1000 noise you see at 4k might not be there when you scale it down to HD or SD

[Obin Olson]

Number 3 is really needed a retake button! What a great idea!


QUOTE=LighthouseMEdia;105073]Okay Here is my wish list...
1. One button quick push for reformatting cards, with a verify of course it just takes to long to get there.

2. Make it where when you overcrank and the camera has to change the shutter speed to the minimal resolvable speed that the camera changes the display to show you what it is running at, rather than say the 1/48 it was running at prior to the overcranking.

2. Make it where the camera retains all user settings until changed by user, I had issues with certain menu items resetting to "default" settings.

3. An option to delete a clip you have up for preview off the CF card, and maybe an option called retake where it just dumps the last take for say a false start or such, all option requiring verification of course.

I'll think of more later :)[/QUOTE]

[LighthouseMEdia]

one more is a some sort of on screen indicator that you are in focus assist mode as nothing is as bad as forgetting that and screwing up the frame :)

[Anders Holck]

one more is a some sort of on screen indicator that you are in focus assist mode as nothing is as bad as forgetting that and screwing up the frame :)

I have the center cross enabled. Makes it pretty obvious that you are in magnify mode when it's missing.