Vincent Laforet

[Steve Gibby]

Welcome to the Epic club Vincent. Good to see you out having fun with the camera :)

I think we're closer to being on the same page than you think.... the Epic is a PERFECT camera handheld. (Jared knows I'm dying til my name comes up in line to get my right hand grip so that I can make the camera package super tight... in fact he teases me about it!) The size / weight of the camera is perfect for steady handheld work - w/ just one hand on the top handle - and mix it w 5K footage and CS5.5's Warp feature... scary combination. It's a major reason for getting this camera in fact.

Exactly what I've been saying for the four months now since we received Epic M 0008 on February 4. Yes, Epic can be accessorized and lensed outward to make it a big immobile beast if someone really wants/needs to for what they're shooting - but with a minimalist approach to lens and accessories it is essentially a lightweight UHD/stills camera capable of satisfying a myriad of mobile shooting needs and scenarios. We've had the right hand grip with Epic M8 since early February - it rocks! When the bottom handle and the Red Volt batteries are available that will also exponentially increase the mobile hand held capabilities of Epic.

I was talking more in generalities - not everyone can afford and Epic, nor the cine glass, HDs, Rockets that come with a high end cine camera.... What do I see myself using HDSLRS for? Once I get an EF lens mount for the Epic... not too often to be honest. I have a lot of long / specialty Canon glass that I'd like to shoot with. You can remove an Epic mount in less than 30 seconds very very easily - and I think the swap to EF will be ridiculously easy - and something that can DEFINITELY be done in the field - which is just awesome. (There isn't a single wire/anything - it's incredibly well designed) Want to go from a PL Master Prime to a Canon 500mm f4? I think you can do it in under 5 minutes - even less if you mount the camera off of the lens and don't bother w/ rods etc. I know many of the Canon lenses won't measure up to cine glass - but the long glass is still pretty excellent relative to almost anything.... One should keep in mind the relative ease of the backend workflow w/ the HDSLRS in terms of HD space, speed etc. especially with CS5.5

I've been using Canon and Nikon lenses on Red One since August 2007 when I received Red One 0008, and PL mount Canon long lenses on Epic M8 since February. The images generated have been stellar. Once Red has the new smart Canon and Nikon mounts available I'll be using them extensively with my Canon L series lenses and my top-level Nikon lenses. Then once the new Red electronic mount and lenses are ready I'll also be using them heavily. The concept of quickly changing between Red, Canon, and Nikon mounts and lenses, depending on the shooting needs at hand, is just amazingly cool. When they're fully enabled, being able to also select AF and other electronic features when wanted/needed will open up many possibilities.

I wonder if people reading this thread have compressed the crap out of their Epic 5K footage (in the camera settings) and what they think. Shooting a full day's worth of footage w/ the Epic at 5K at 8:1 means you'll be shooting into the Terabytes real easily. I'd like to shoot some documentary footage for a project at the end of this year - and my only worry right now it data management... If you're shooting commercials or feature films - 5K 8:1+ is awesome. But if you're trying to follow someone around for 18 hours - it's too much data. I love the ability to shoot 2K - but I'd rather not have to crop into the image. If RED can enable shooting w/ the full sensor and outputting a 2K file out of it at a good compression setting / codec - a lot more people will clamor for this camera as they won't have to worry about data overload. I hope they enable this. Some things I want to shoot a 5K 8:1 - other stuff is quick and dirty for some clients and you know what I'm talking about... and you can justify an inferior quality image for. All that being said: enough people are clamoring for this camera already....

Most of the 5k footage I've shot on Epic since February has been at 10:1 and 12:1. It looks amazing and saves storage space, both in the field and in the studio. For HDTV and BluRay deliveries I see myself and my crews shooting 12:1. People shooting features, with big crews and more resources, will undoubtedly shoot 3:1, 5:1, or sometimes 8:1. To each their own according to their particular needs.

Some might say that this camera is not "intended" to shoot documentary style. While that may be true to some - I think this one killer camera for documentary work all the way up to the silver screen. You can do narrative, doc, underwater, aerial, handheld, Steadicam, and even couple a 12x Optimo to it.... And that's pretty much why I bought it.

I've been saying those same things about Red One since 2007, and now especially about Epic since February. Epic will be a great camera for narrative, but it will be an equally great camera for the diversity of mobile hybrid and mobile EFP genres of production - and also shooting stills. Essentially Epic is a chameleon camera that can morph into whatever we need it to be.

[Vincent Laforet]

I've started to put together a gear section up on my blog... most people don't have the luxury of driving up to Element Technica in person and talking w/ the good folks there on how to best accessorize their Epics... or go to CineGear in LA and get to see new (often prototype) accessories in one place from all of the top manufacturers in one place... so I thought I'd put this section up there to help anyone out there that is looking for suggestions. I've found the Element Technica kit to be stellar - incredible build quality that feels like it will last for years and years if not a lifetime. The Epic prototype pieces you'll see on the picture atop the section were fantastic and Element Technica is hard at work getting them ready (and incorporating feedback I and others have given them...) Here is the link: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/mygea...c-accessories/

This is all stuff that I've come to use and that I can vouch works well w/ the Epic.

If you have any suggestions of things you've found - I'd be happy to post them on the section. As you all know - configuring cameras from websites can be close to impossible ... getting you hands on stuff and seeing what "fits" or "works" is essential. So if you guys have anything to share I'm all ears and I'll be happy to update the section...

[Vincent Laforet]

[QUOTE=Steve Gibby;771888]Welcome to the Epic club Vincent. Good to see you out having fun with the camera :)


Very much appreciate the feedback Steve - especially w/ your use of 12:1... will do so feeling much more comfortably now... seems like we do agree on quite a bit! ;)

[Vincent Laforet]

Vincent, how do you like the Schneiders? I was "this close" to buying them but ended up going with Cooke Panchro/i's. I love my Schneider view camera lenses.

Optically they are GREAT. Mechanically - they need to re-design them and I believe they know that are going to do so eventually. The focus and aperture and inversed relative to most lenses... and more importantly - the focus ring and front element MOVE as you pull focus... big no nos... the Panchros are a fantastic series of lenses... I really like to shoot in low light, so have f2.0 or wider is a nice option... I've really come to like the size and weight of the Zeiss CP.2s for the Epic for when I want to shoot with a relatively small system. Schneider makes a series of snap-on ND filters for both the CP.2s and Cookes btw... in case you don't want to bother w/ Matte Boxes and rods...

[Vincent Laforet]

Hey Vincent, sorry if I missed this post but you mind shedding some light on your accessories being used there? I cant seem to ID them. Cheers.

Just put a section up on my blog as a result of this and other requests... work in progress... http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/mygea...c-accessories/

[Vincent Laforet]

Lastly - here is a frame grab from the Epic - shot at 96fps on a Zeiss CP.2 25mm at T 2.9 at 8:1, natural window light, 800 ASA - I'm pretty stunned at the quality of the image coming off this camera and the potential for the use of frame grabs as still images... those that own and Epic all know this already.. but for those who don't have theirs yet... it's worth every second of waiting....

here is a link to the full rez file: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/wp-co...oseupFinal.jpg

or here I go trying my first embed here:

[AndrewThomas]

Just want to say I love your work, sir. You've been quite inspirational and influential to me and many of my mates!

[Tom Lowe]

It's a whole 'nother ballgame with this camera. This is why I delayed shooting my film for 2 years. I wanted a movie camera that could match my stills camera.

[Neil W. Smith]

Vincent,

As ever, you have such a great eye for the dramatic moment ... really looking forward to seeing what you can do with the EPIC .... next time you're in West Hollywood, drop in and we'll put your EPIC images up on our DI screen and see what you and Aaron can do with them.

I'm sure you'll take 5k imagery up up the next level of creative story telling ... very cool work, Monsieur Laforet.

Cheers,
Neil

[Steve Dent]

Nice blog about stills on Epic. Since you've taken a few snaps in your day, it's interesting to hear that you think it could be a game changer on that side, too.