Chasing with RED

[Phil Bates]

Thanks Matt. Wow, somebody is chasing with an Imax camera? I can't imagine the complications that could add to successfully capturing a tornado.

Here is something to consider. Despite the weight and bulk of the RED, we were able to setup and tear down in seconds with 2 people. The RED resolution is less than Imax, however with the new MX chip a clean 4K image can be shot at ASA 2000 with a 3.2K measured resolution. That light-gathering power under a dark wall cloud may help make up the difference in lower resolution.

Here is some resolution info taken from the RedUser site:

Canon 5D- 1080P output. 1.4K of measured resolution

Sony F35- 1080P output. 1.7K of measured resolution (much cleaner resolution than 5D)

RED ONE- 4K output. 3.2K measured resolution
RED ONE- 4.5K output. 3.7K measured resolution

EPIC- 5K output. 4K measured resolution

Film (ASA 100)- 4K scan. 3.2K measured resolution
Film (ASA 500)- 4K scan. 2.8K measured resolution

My research:
Imax: 6K measured resolution

Resolution comparison:

Here is a link to the above information (and more):

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=40067

 

[Matt Gingery]

Well, I doubt if Sean would throw all his work out the window, but maybe someone needs to see if Reed would want to make things more interesting next year on his vehicle by adding the Red Camera. He has been very inventive to keep the show interesting.

 

[Ted Keller]

Phil,

It was great working with Annette last week! I had the best time and am totally in my element when storm chasing. We were on a tornado-warned storms every single day but of course Thursday was the only day that true photogenic tornadoes appeared.

I can't wait to see the video of that storm and other storm structure we were able to capture. Word is, it is pretty good!

I'm looking forward to more projects in the future!

 

[Phil Bates]

As promised, here are some frames from the RED camera (reduced to about 25% of size):

Distant Funnel Cloud:

You can see with 4K resolution there is room to zoom in:

This particular timelapse shot was creepy due to the unusual cloud movement.

You may have thought that the bright backlight in the distance was blown out. However, with the 13.5 stops of dynamic range, you have the ability to adjust exposure in post. Here is the SAME image adjusted to expose for the light in the distance.

Here is another distant tornado shot:

On another topic, there was some interest in discussing sales models for stock footage. I don't want to start such a thread, but would be happy to contribute to it.

Phil

 

[Matt Gingery]

Excellent shots Phil. I am sure this is just the beginning to what you have on file. Would love to see more of the lightning imagery.

 

[Ted Keller]

Those are fantastic shots! If only that thunderstorm could have put down one more photogenic tornado after we had snuck up on it a bit more.

All in all, lots of storms although the week after our excursion would have been awesome. Oh well, that's the way the weather wheel spins!

p.s. Thanks for the package!

 

[Tony Perkins]

This is somewhat off topic, but YouTube has started posting some 4K videos. Click on the "Original" resolution above the 1080p option. It gives you a taste of what this RED camera can do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0m1...t&p=5BF9E09ECEC8F88F&playnext_from=PL&index=0

 

[Skip Talbot]

This is somewhat off topic, but YouTube has started posting some 4K videos. Click on the "Original" resolution above the 1080p option. It gives you a taste of what this RED camera can do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0m1...t&p=5BF9E09ECEC8F88F&playnext_from=PL&index=0

It looks like they've compressed the video so much that it loses whatever it gained from the increased resolution (and more). Without a 4K monitor I'm not sure how anyone could truly see the advantage of it either. The best previews of what the Red can do are the zoomed shots and cropped frame grabs that Phil has shown me. When you see the whole video on a smaller screen and then see a piece of the full size resolution you get a sense for what the camera is capable of producing.

 

[Darren Addy]

FYI: Engadget article on how RED Epic and Scarlet production are back on track after a long delay.