Ongoing updates at the bottom of the post (2/14/2011 2:46 PM latest update)
Footage
The first batch of visual goodness comes from Dino Georgopoulos shooting with Epic #00087 (the high number is likely the result of demand from the various productions that named Epic as their camera of choice). Dino was quick to make his camera go to work, which is unsurprising considering the man has logged 3400 hours of RED One operating time. He traveled only about a mile away from getting his camera before he gave into temptation by shooting a “down and dirty” test of 5K 120fps footage, similar to the pillow fight, but using only available light:
Dino also took time to use his iPhone to record himself turning on the Epic, using its REDMOTE/touchscreen, recording a bit, then powering down:
Nothing groundbreaking in the clip, but it does give a bit of a peak into what seems to be a less pesky user-interface than the RED One. Also notable is the 10 second boot time on the Epic that is likely to get even faster as firmware upgrades improve the tech.
Stills and R3D
This second group of stills comes by way of RED’s own Jarred Land who shot a personal project in New York on the Epic. All of these stills were shot at 24 frames-per-second then taken as frame grabs because the still mode is not enabled yet on these models. Click to enlarge the pictures.
Land also posted a single R3D file (download) for those who wish to color grade some 5K stills. If you’re giving that a go, make sure you have the beta release of REDCINE-X that handles Epic footage, as the R3D files won’t open in current releases of the software.
Both Dino and Jarred have promised to update with more R3D’s and clips to play around with. I will keep a close eye on the forums for the next couple of days and update this post accordingly if anything of substance pops up.
For now, looks like anybody looking forward to Epic is still going to have to watch from the sidelines until the big boys are done playing with the toys. Or maybe you’re old school and prefer celluloid to the 1’s and 0’s of the digital world — nothing wrong with that, just don’t tell Roger Deakins.
Ongoing Updates
UPDATE #3 (Dino Shoots Nighttime Exteriors Around Hollywood): Despite only getting his RED Epic a few days ago, Dino Georgopoulos has managed to shoot a bunch of clips and upload them faster than others who have gotten their hands on an Epic-M. Maybe it’s cause he’s trying to live up to all those hours his RED One has logged. Either way, Dino has been cruising around Hollywood and posted a bunch of clips shot on his RED 18/50 zoom at T 3.0 and 5K resolution — clips will be added as they’re uploaded:
UPDATE #2 (Jim Jannard Tests HDRx Magic Motion): The man behind RED himself, Jim Jannard, has decided to show off what he claims is another advancement in HDRx dealing with “the most difficult situations of bright highlights moving quickly against a dark background.” To test it out, Jannard applied the software to his older footage and was “blown away” but wanted something that would put HDRx through its paces. I’ll let him set up the clip below:
At the house we have a gas fireplace. While not the most natural looking “read a book by the fireplace” fire, it forces out the flame with rapid changes. Very difficult motion to deal with, especially with two exposures. And usually something in fire is near clipped or white in the center. The perfect test. I used HDRx™ +3. Here is the result. I did no grading whatsoever. I just pushed the “Magic Button”
A short little test, but one that I suppose is best analyzed frame by frame. For that kind of scrutiny, download the clip here.
UPDATE #1: Dino and Jim Jannard have both released some new footage on the forums. I am working now to download the clips and throw them up on the YouTubes to post here. For now, here are the forum links: Dino’s footage – Jannard’s footage