Red one and wildlife cinematography thread?

[Steve Gibby]

Originally Posted by Mizael

Hi Isaac,
I am very interested to hear you have a good setup with the red and an 800 or 150-600mm. Ive been thinking about my options a lot, should i go for a canon/sigma 150-600/300-800 for my red or use a 40x with the b4 (but then its only 2k right?) Ive always thought that yes its great you can get the wide and the mammoth close up with the 40x but in a lot of cases you dont need to go THAT wide as your subject will be so far away you wouldnt see it in the wide, i recently saw this situation in BBC's Wild China. The cut from extreme wide in beautiful landscape where you didnt really see the animal, to the extreme closeup on the long end. What the 40x are nice for are the zooms from that extreme close up to super wide - but for regular sequence work you dont really need it?

So my question is (as i never used this lens) is the 150mm on the 150-600mm wide enough to get a wide in most cases? or just a mid.
Im all for using and investing in stills lenses for my red and hiring hd zooms as and when necessary - silly prices anyway - little me cant afford a 40x whaha

Here's some input on your questions:

We have the Funinon 42x9.7 and 22x7.3 HD EFP zooms. They're both great lenses. If the shooting we're doing can be limited to 2k and we need a very high frame rate, then yes we use them and yes, the footage is excellent. I've owned a RED B4 adaptor since last September.

The above said, a large portion of the wildlife and adventure travel footage we've been shooting has called for 4k and 3k resolutions, so the B4 lenses can't be used. My solutions for long lens 4k and 3k footage have been my Canon FD 150-600 f5.5L zoom and my RED 300mm tele, with a Century 2x extender at times.

My 150-600 is stock, except for a Century PL mount conversion (mount only). It was made in 1989 and the glass is excellent. My lens is well-maintained and free from the wear and tear you may find in lenses that old. It weighs 9 pounds, as opposed to the much heavier Sigma 300-800 (16 pounds).

With the 150-600 installed on RED, and the rest of the camera all set up, the rig weight is around 30 pounds. I regularly hike into remote areas with the rigged camera body in one hand, the 150-600 in my Tamrac 5258 backpack, and my tripod in my other hand.

150mm isn't that wide, so I usually also take along my RED 18-50 zoom for the wider scenic shots. BTW, the RED 300 is a very crisp lens and holds up very well to use with a 2x extender. Its is an excellent wildlife lens if you don't need zoom capability. When I need long lens zoom capability and need to cover 4k and 3k, my choice is the 150-600. If zooming isn't needed I quite often use the RED 300.

If you're not planning on renting your RED kit out, then by all means you can go the still lens route.

I've shot extensive amounts of wildlife with RED ONE since last August, in places like the Rocky Mountains, Hawaii, the U.S. West Coast, and Alaska. The first photo below is me in an extremely remote area of Alaska a few weeks ago shooting with my 150-600. The rest of the setup includes: RED EVF, ET EVF mount with sliding adjustment, RED Drive, ET ARRI plate (15mm), 15mm rods, ET ARRI V plate, Miller Arrow 55 tripod. The other photo is a closer look at the same rig in action on one of my California coast shoots.

I highly recommend the ET accessories. They're strong and well designed.

The 150-600 is hard to find and getting more expensive by the week. It is good glass and covers 4k and naturally 3k on RED ONE.

Hope this info helps you...

[Steve Gibby]

Originally Posted by JoshBertrand

When you guys go out solo, how are you carrying the tripod? I can my Red kit to fit in the Tamrac backpack just fine, but that leaves me holding the tripod in my hand. I can't imagine trying to hike while carrying an O'Connor 1030HDS. Though I suppose that's the only option if I'm alone.

I regularly hike alone long distances with my Tamrac back stuffed with lenses and accessories, the rigged but lens-less camera body in another hand, and my Miller Arrow 55 tripod in a soft case with the should strap over my shoulder. There are a number of different strap systems you can find to strap up your tripod and shoulder-carry it.

I can't over-emphasize the role of physical fitness for this type of hiking in and shooting. I'm 60 years old, but I workout five or six days a week and eat carefully - thus I'm still able to get those hyper-mobile, challenging, single person into the wilderness shots. You can too - if you stay in shape. Otherwise, take an assistant with you to share the load.

[are]

Gibby, or anyone else.

Could you please tell me how you support the heavy lences? Is there some kind of universal support for different lences (I will probably go with different still lences, probably Canon and Sigma)? How much weight may a solution with rods carry? If the lence make the rigged camera front heavy, how do you conect and find the balance at a tripod, using the rods-solution?

I have no experience with the use of rods so please explain this to a "dummie".
And I appologice my poor english...I am norwegian you know...

Sincerely
Are Pilskog

[Steve Gibby]

Originally Posted by are

Gibby, or anyone else.

Could you please tell me how you support the heavy lences? Is there some kind of universal support for different lences (I will probably go with different still lences, probably Canon and Sigma)? How much weight may a solution with rods carry? If the lence make the rigged camera front heavy, how do you conect and find the balance at a tripod, using the rods-solution?

I have no experience with the use of rods so please explain this to a "dummie".
And I appologice my poor english...I am norwegian you know...

Sincerely
Are Pilskog

Your English is much better than my Norwegian! My grandmother emigrated form Norway to the USA in 1875. A large part of my ancestry is Norwegian and Swedish.

I use both 15mm and 19mm rods at times. I have both of the ET ARRI base plates (15mm and 19mm). The little sliding bracket you see on the new picture I just added to my previous post shows the bracket under the lens. A small screw on that bracket goes into the bottom of the lens and secures the mount. Thos are 15mm rods in the picture. I use them to keep the weight of the rig down. They're plenty strong for that. The Canon 150-600 zoom pictured weighs nine pounds.

The Sigma 300-800 weighs 16 pounds, so again, no problem supporting it with either 15mm or 19mm rods.

Recently in Hawaii on a production, I used an Optimo 24-290 zoom, which weighs 24 pounds, on 19mm rods and again no problem.

On your questions about balance:

The Element Technica ARRI base plate you see in the pictures, with the rods on the side guides, is made to slide along the ET ARRI V plate I have it mounted on. That allows me to slide the rig forward or backward until balance is achieved. The Miller base plate under the AEER V plate also has the ability to slide forward and backward, so I can also use that to balance the rig on the head.

The Canon 150-600 lens weighs 9 pounds, The RED Cradle on the top back of the camera, which holds the RED Drive and RED battery has a weight of roughly 5 pounds. Sliding the rig on the V plate easily balances the rig on the head, then just lock it down.

Hope this info helps you...

[are]

Thank you for a quick and thoroughly answer...
Are

[are]

Actually, one more question (and there might be more questions later:=).
Where do you get the sliding bracket for the lence? Is that a universal bracket that fits at different lences or does it just fit on your Canon 150-600 lence?

Are Pilskog

[Steve Gibby]

Originally Posted by are

Actually, one more question (and there might be more questions later:=).
Where do you get the sliding bracket for the lence? Is that a universal bracket that fits at different lences or does it just fit on your Canon 150-600 lence?

Are Pilskog

If you're using 19mm rods the RED Universal Mount will slide onto them. It has a hole in the center where you can screw through a long bolt to reach the bottom of the lens collar or in the case of the 150-600 the bottom of the lens casing. With the RED Universal Mount there is about a 3cm gap between the top of the mount and the bottom of a lens collar - thus the need for a longer screw. I would imagine when RED can get around to it they will design a small plate to fill that gap.

I don't know who made the sliding bracket pictured in use with my 150-600. The manufacturer is not mentioned on the part, and I bought it used from someone else. There are a number of rail systems and sliding brackets that will work with RED though.

The screw hole diameter on the bottom of lens collars is pretty much universal.

Hope this helps...

[richard peterson]

Originally Posted by Gibby

... Miller Arrow 55 tripod. ...

Hi,

How do you like your Miller Arrow 55 ?

[Ed Watkins]

Originally Posted by MaxAMillion

Hi,

How do you like your Miller Arrow 55 ?

I use one, and absolutely love it. I couldn't recommend this tripod highly enough, especially with the CF legs. Millers are beauties.

[M_Sanderson]

Originally Posted by Gibby

Here's some input on your questions:

We have the Funinon 42x9.7 and 22x7.3 HD EFP zooms. They're both great lenses. If the shooting we're doing can be limited to 2k and we need a very high frame rate, then yes we use them and yes, the footage is excellent. I've owned a RED B4 adaptor since last September.

The above said, a large portion of the wildlife and adventure travel footage we've been shooting has called for 4k and 3k resolutions, so the B4 lenses can't be used. My solutions for long lens 4k and 3k footage have been my Canon FD 150-600 f5.5L zoom and my RED 300mm tele, with a Century 2x extender at times.

My 150-600 is stock, except for a Century PL mount conversion (mount only). It was made in 1989 and the glass is excellent. My lens is well-maintained and free from the wear and tear you may find in lenses that old. It weighs 9 pounds, as opposed to the much heavier Sigma 300-800 (16 pounds).

With the 150-600 installed on RED, and the rest of the camera all set up, the rig weight is around 30 pounds. I regularly hike into remote areas with the rigged camera body in one hand, the 150-600 in my Tamrac 5258 backpack, and my tripod in my other hand.

150mm isn't that wide, so I usually also take along my RED 18-50 zoom for the wider scenic shots. BTW, the RED 300 is a very crisp lens and holds up very well to use with a 2x extender. Its is an excellent wildlife lens if you don't need zoom capability. When I need long lens zoom capability and need to cover 4k and 3k, my choice is the 150-600. If zooming isn't needed I quite often use the RED 300.

If you're not planning on renting your RED kit out, then by all means you can go the still lens route.

I've shot extensive amounts of wildlife with RED ONE since last August, in places like the Rocky Mountains, Hawaii, the U.S. West Coast, and Alaska. The first photo below is me in an extremely remote area of Alaska a few weeks ago shooting with my 150-600. The rest of the setup includes: RED EVF, ET EVF mount with sliding adjustment, RED Drive, ET ARRI plate (15mm), 15mm rods, ET ARRI V plate, Miller Arrow 55 tripod. The other photo is a closer look at the same rig in action on one of my California coast shoots.

I highly recommend the ET accessories. They're strong and well designed.

The 150-600 is hard to find and getting more expensive by the week. It is good glass and covers 4k and naturally 3k on RED ONE.

Hope this info helps you...

Yeah definitely helps, thanks for the info.
Nice library you got going - i doesnt say which lens you used on the shots though - would you mind pointing out some shots that you took with the 150-600mm and which with HD zooms?
would be good to see their performance - I understand that they are webclips and not their native resolution.

I dont really intend to rent out my red - except with me included ofcourse so going the stills lens route is a bit of a no brainer
What about using the 150-600mm with the FD mount adaptor that is aparantly available for the Red?


16 pounds is pretty heavy for the Sigma 300-800mm, but this lens would be good for hide work?

Nice pics of your rig BTW, puts it into perspective what works for you, thanks