shooting stills with Scarlet

[Maik Müller Menendez]

I want to share my thoughts on shooting stills with Scarlet, because at first i thought i'll never use the 5k-mode, but looking at my R3D-files i realized that i use it more often.

I've made a preset that comes close to fill all my needs. It simply does this:
- REC-button on side-handle: half-press = single AF, full press = start recording, release = stop recording
(I leave the REC-button on the SSD-module at standard-behavior to have both)
- 5k, 12fps, 5:1
- shutter-mode to time (i mostly use angle for motion)
Make another preset for your favorite motion-settings and map that to the S/M-switch, works great.

I've also made presets for higher quality (8fps @ 3:1) and HDRx-shooting, but i mostly use 12fps @ 5:1. 4k 15fps with HDRx is another interesting combination.

So, then i have the shutterspeed selected and can quickly change it with the front-wheel on the side-handle. (My side-handle setup is based on RED's alternative preset.) I choose my desired aperture via the zoom rocker and compensate via shutter-speed, then i hunt for focus. :) 12fps without worrying about a puffer that gets full after seconds does really make things different. Catching a moment or a facial expression on a baby's face for example gets easier than ever.

Sure, there are drawbacks:
- AF is slow compared to DSLRs and it is disabled during recording at 5k. (Why?)
- There are no automatics at all, it's full manual photography. Some half-automatics like aperture-priority/shutter-priority would be nice to have.
- It makes you think about getting a EPIC, full DSMC must be fantastic. Sometimes i find it a bit hard to make the decision between stills and motion.

Sure on Scarlet we could shoot 24-30fps @ 4k to get DSMC, but having a fast enough shutter for stills and enough blur to not destroy motion at the same time is a bit hard to get. Thats why i prefer to drop the motion part when i shoot stills. DSMC is clearly EPICs territorial, the higher FPS and being able to use HDRx for motion at high resolutions are the key here.

I don't miss a DSLR that much and if, then mainly for their better AF and obviously the weight/size/battery-time. ;)
So, try it, 5k stills really look great.

[stu aull]

Thanks for sharing Maik - this is an area I have yet to explore. The few stills I have pulled from a normal recording stream have been fabulous, but your idea of ready-made Preset makes best sense. Esp the rec stop-start on the REC button!

Stu Aull
SX 199
Alaska

[Jack Shanahan]

Good ideas. Thanks.

[Patrick Grossien]

Maik, would you mind sharing your setup with the camera when shooting stills? Do you shoot handheld or with a monopod? With LCD or viewfinder?

I still have yet to find a perfect way to hold the camera. I guess I'll have to "invest" in the outrigger handle to get it to make things easier. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks,
Patrick

[Maik Müller Menendez]

Patrick, i have to disappoint you because i have nothing fancy to share here. I mostly use my Scarlet handheld and for that, i keep it simple and as light as possible. It's the basic setup with the LCD on top and the DSMC-sidehandle and sometimes the dualbattery-module. I often have the back of the camera on my chest to get it more stable and the left hand is on the lens. Thats why i'm not convinced to buy the outrigger handle, unless you shoot with deep focus/hyperfocal or with defined distances the left hand needs to be on a focus ring or follow focus. I think something like a small chest-pad on the back of the camera would be nice, oh and of course a trustworthy strap for the sidehandle. I have to play around with a EVF one day to see how this feels, but the next thing i'm getting is the 9"-LCD, so the EVF has to wait. Currently for me its this barebone handheld-setup or a bigger one on a tripod.

I haven't played around with monopods so far. I'm thinking about getting a small shoulder-rig (Gunner). Something like Zacuto's Target Shooter or Striker comes in mind to, but i don't like that design enough to buy it. ;)

I'm with you, i'm looking for a better way to hold my camera too, it's still not perfect for quick handheld stuff and a Scarlet is not really easy to carry around everywhere (which hurts a bit, because i really want to take it around with me more). The images make everything up, but there is room for improvement.

[Bill Sepaniak]

... I haven't played around with monopods so far. I'm thinking about getting a small shoulder-rig (Gunner). Something like Zacuto's Target Shooter or Striker comes in mind to, but i don't like that design enough to buy it. ;)

I'm with you, i'm looking for a better way to hold my camera too, it's still not perfect for quick handheld stuff and a Scarlet is not really easy to carry around everywhere (which hurts a bit, because i really want to take it around with me more). The images make everything up, but there is room for improvement.

We just returned from three (3) weeks of running-n-gunning in Northern Italy. Instead of lugging our carbon fibre Vinten tripod and Monfrotto 526 head, we took a Monfrotto 561 BHDV monopod. It has three (3) small retractable tripod-like feet at the bottom for additional stability that are connected to a "fluid-head" at the bottom of the monopod that allows semi-decent panning. It also has a tilt-head (of sorts) at the top of the monopod with a retractable side handle. We mounted our RED Universal mount with an Arri plate to the tilt head, and surprisingly enough it worked quite well. It folds down to nothing and sets-up in seconds, and one person could carry the camera and the monopod with relative ease ... however by the end of the day it was a bit tiring to carry both the monopod and the camera.

A frame grab taken with it is here:

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthr...Northern-Italy



____________________________________
Scarlet X # 1859 “Bettie Page”
“… preparing to ‘whip’ the competition …”

Zeiss Lenses:

CY 21/2.8
ZF 28/2.0
CY 35-70/3.4
CY 50/1.4
ZF100/2.0

Nikon Lenses:
G 14-24/2.8
G 24-70/2.8
D 80-200/2.8

Tokina Lenses:

11-16/2.8

[stu aull]

wow - under-9-Lb limit on that, some impressive you could keep your scarlet trim enough to use!

Stu Aull
Alaska

[Jonas Kvist Jensen]

Can you actually set up you Scarlet to just shoot a single frame, when pressing the button? Like a normal DSLR would? I'm not sure I could get used to shooting sequences and then picking out frames afterwards.

[William Albertini]

wow - under-9-Lb limit on that, some impressive you could keep your scarlet trim enough to use!

Stu Aull
Alaska

A monopod would be able to safely support considerably more than its stated maximum because the weight is transmitted straight down.

[Bill Sepaniak]

A monopod would be able to safely support considerably more than its stated maximum because the weight is transmitted straight down.

True. I am sure that the camera with either our Nikon 14-24 or our 24-70 + a REDVOLT weighed considerable more than 9 lbs. Before we bought the monopod we read several reviews and there was a general consensus that the 9 lb weight limit was very, very conservative. While not a substitute for a "real" tripod, the little monopod worked just fine for us.

____________________________________
Scarlet X # 1859 “Bettie Page”
“… preparing to ‘whip’ the competition …”

Zeiss Lenses:

CY 21/2.8
ZF 28/2.0
CY 35-70/3.4
CY 50/1.4
ZF100/2.0

Nikon Lenses:
G 14-24/2.8
G 24-70/2.8
D 80-200/2.8

Tokina Lenses:

11-16/2.8