It has arrived. The DREAM camera. The RED EPIC. When it comes to video cameras, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. As far as we know, there are only a few EPICs in central Iowa. This addition to the 515 arsenal takes our crew to an entirely new level and opens up a whole new world of possibilities for our clients.
We started out with humble beginnings in 2006: a JVD-HD100. It said “ProHD” on it, but it really wasn’t HD. It was HDV. There is a difference. After a good couple years, it reached a point where it could no longer keep up with our demand. So, in 2008, we made the switch to the Sony PMW-EX3. Let me tell you, full HD was AWESOME. We took off running with that camera. Traveled the country with that camera. Beat the crap out of that camera. It still gets a lot of use, but we found ourselves needing just a little bit more…
In 2011, we added the Sony F3, which brought us to the next level in video production. With a Super 35mm sensor, it is amazing in low light, and it doesn’t have the problems that plagued the DSLR’s. We dragged the F3 all over hell and back. But as with everything in this world, there is always something bigger and better. And as we all know, clients don’t like to be stuck in the past. Neither do we. Which brings us to today.
You can call it 5k, Ultra HD, or just plain awesome resolution, and you would be right on all counts. With a whopping 5120×2700 pixel array, it trumps everything on the market to date. Capturing 13.5 stops of dynamic range and almost 18 in HDR mode (high dynamic range), not to mention 300fps, it can do things no other camera can do. By a long shot. With the announcement of the pending upgrade “DRAGON”, the camera becomes even MORE untouchable. Venturing into completely unknown waters with almost 18 stops of dynamic range WITHOUT HDR and a boost in resolution to 6k. It will then be an IMAX camera, in a body that is only slightly bigger than a fully kitted-out 5D Mark II. The original RED ONE was adopted early in its years by Steven Soderbergh, David Fincher and Peter Jackson, which led the charge for RED to be introduced full force into Hollywood. Now HUNDREDS of major motion pictures have been shot on the RED, as well as countless Indie films and TV series.
The RED ONE was always considered a “Beta” camera, and it definitely had its share of problems: bulk and weight, and a hideously slow boot-up time. That all changed with the EPIC. It is TINY (which I guess hurts the above argument about it being “bigger and better”). Currently, our full F3 kit includes an Anton Bauer Dionic HC battery pack, matte box, rail system, follow focus, 6″ Small HD monitor, and Atomos Samurai. The result is a camera that closely resembles Frankenstein:
This is a picture from a commercial shoot for Congressman Bruce Braley. As you can see, the F3 gets a little big. The EPIC however, takes a lot of the accessories typically mounted to the F3, and crams them all inside the body. The result is a much smaller form factor and WAY more powerful camera. Needless to say, traveling with the EIPC is going to be a breeze, compared to what we are used to!
Now, there is a downside. This baby eats hard drives for breakfast. In the default setting, the EPIC will go through 256gb of data in a little over an hour. Gone are the times of shooting all day and only having to transfer 32 or 64gb of media to a portable drive when the day is done. Also, unlike the F3 or EX series cameras, there is only one SSD slot, so it’s not possible to hot-swap the cards and seamlessly record hours of footage. This is not a quick turn-around type of camera. But it IS a rock-your-world type of camera.
Needless to say, we are VERY excited to get this thing out in the wild. If you’d like to see it for yourself in person, and get a better idea of what it can do, don’t hesitate to give us a shout. And when you’re prepping your next video project, give the RED EPIC some serious consideration. It will knock your socks off.