EPIC FAN NOISE - HEARTBREAKING DURING INTERVIEW

[Marc Wielage]

RotoSub silencing technology claims to reduce fan noise by up to 25dB ...seems like something that could be used on an Epic.

If you listen carefully, you can hear that what they're doing is taking one microphone and throwing the noise 180 degrees out of phase with the other mike. They're killing the noise on the microphone -- not in the room itself, and not in the fan itself. This will still have artifacts in most situations.

The ideal solution is a new fan, better heatsinks, and better ductwork. As Apple discovered in their G4 desktops about 10 years ago, in some cases, more small fans going at lower velocity may be quieter than one or two giant fans at high velocity.

[Ruff]

I am currently shooting a short documentary film in Japan on Epic.

The images are beautiful, and the slow motion is excellent. But the fan noise when not recording is terrible. When there is a room full of monks in prayer, it's super disruptive to have the fan come on every time I cut the camera. It's 30 degrees heat here, and the fan is working overtime to keep up.

Did a couple of interviews yesterday. Three times I had the temperature display go into the yellow. So I made an excuse and cut for the fan to blast in at 110%. It's all set to auto, and yet we can he happily shooting and the temperature jumps.

I really don't want to care what temperature the camera is at. Why should this even be important to me? It's a technical background process that should be hidden, and invisible, and not disruptive to the shoot.

[Mike P.]

Has anyone tried swapping out the fan with a better/quieter one? I fear that the noise is more the air being pushed through the fins of the heatsink than the actual fan itself...

[Marc Wielage]

I believe opening up the camera for any modification would void the warranty. If heat at the location is an issue, then I would use the solution used by Stephen Soderbergh on Che and just slap ice packs or frozen food on the camera every 20-30 minutes and see if that helps. I agree that in some cases, the size, shape, and design of the vents themselves shape the noise almost as much as the rotating fan. I would also check with your Bomb rep to make sure you have the latest heat sink and fan mods.

The other alternatives early in this thread could be useful: physically position the camera further back in the room, surround it with sound blankets on C-stands to muffle the noise, use directional microphones on the interview subjects. It might also be beneficial to place sound-absorbing materials in the room if this works with your available budget and time, particularly on reflective walls and floors.

[Les C.]

I believe opening up the camera for any modification would void the warranty. If heat at the location is an issue, then I would use the solution used by Stephen Soderbergh on Che and just slap ice packs or frozen food on the camera every 20-30 minutes and see if that helps. I agree that in some cases, the size, shape, and design of the vents themselves shape the noise almost as much as the rotating fan. I would also check with your Bomb rep to make sure you have the latest heat sink and fan mods.

The other alternatives early in this thread could be useful: physically position the camera further back in the room, surround it with sound blankets on C-stands to muffle the noise, use directional microphones on the interview subjects. It might also be beneficial to place sound-absorbing materials in the room if this works with your available budget and time, particularly on reflective walls and floors.

What if condensation forms inside the camera from the cold (I think the camera is pretty well sealed, but ... there will be some moisture in the air inside the camera )? That could cause a short on one of the circuit boards and ... bye bye camera!

[Marc Wielage]

Seemed to work for Soderbergh. The cold packs would only be going on the heat sinks, not on the boards themselves, so I don't think it's an issue.

If you watch the behind-the-scenes documentaries on the making of Che, you can see the crew talking about this. Note that this was the early Red One, so your miles may vary.

[M. Bergeron]

What about this?
https://sites.google.com/a/mecasax.c...ducts/fanplate

[Vico Martin]

What about this?
https://sites.google.com/a/mecasax.c...ducts/fanplate

Good to know, thanks for share.

[Tom Gleeson]

What about this?
https://sites.google.com/a/mecasax.c...ducts/fanplate

Very interesting as the hairdryer in my ear is very trying and a genuine surprise for every first time Epic experience for crew and talent . Only bummer is that you loose alot of mounting positions on the top of the camera and I find this is an already crowded space. It is also one expensive fan but I suppose you are paying for its low production volume. I would love to hear from anyone who has used this product???

[Mike P.]

The fan is accessible withouth opening the camera, so it shouldn't void the warranty... Then again, apparently using aluminium bolts voids the warranty, so who knows. Conversely, I'd imagine that using ice packs to cool the camera, with all of its potential condensation and moisture issues, would not be covered under warranty either... Plus it's incredibly impractical and ridiculous to have to do that to use a camera.

This fan noise issue is a stupid problem to have, and "better cooling" is a fairly straight forward fix (plus proper thermal design is not the most complicated/difficult aspect of engineering the rest of a 4k/5k RAW camera.)