Any AUTO-FUNCTIONs on RED? Focus or Exposure?

Greg Voevodsky

Greg Voevodsky

Active member
I know RED is a 'cine' digital camera. However, there are times when AUTO-FOCUS can be very usefull when trying to shoot wildlife or fast moving dragsters, etc. Also, when shooting TIMELAPSE or LONG SUNSET SHOTS - auto-exposure can really make life easier.

So, Can or will RED be able to interact with its lenses?

For Example, the NIKON 35MM STILL LENSE - AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm that many people are recommending? Auto-focus and or Exposure?

OR Red's lenses that are coming?

OR Cookes lenses? or their new S4s?

OR even Fuj's new Fujinon HA16x6.3 ERM 2/3 inch HD ENG /EFP lense?

If not, any chance that these features maybe added?
 
Greg... think of this as a film (cine) camera. No auto-iris or auto-focus. But with some very innovative iris and focus tools.

Jim
 
This is a good example where an open architecture could enable a third party to provide functionality like this. And beyond...

I think auto-focus tracking is going to be a huge thing in the future -- put a tracking tag on an actor and tell your camera system to keep them in focus. There are many times when I choose to simplify camera moves because the focus-pulling difficulty level makes me worry that it'll take too long to get a good take. The economic payback of not having to have a full-time focus puller and of getting complex shots first time makes me think that there is some gold in them thar hills.
 
Thanks Jim. You are going to make a lot of people very happy with your camera and even more with those of us who will share the beauty of this world captured by it. I can't wait!

And John, I totally agree. Let's hope some 3rd party or RED #2 can offer some of these features. I know a lot of sports photographers that rely on auto focus to capture those action shots. So, I hope the door is open for more options - both manual and automatic.
 
Question how would auto focus help sports. I've shot my share of college football, Basketball, Vollyball you name it and I couldn't imagine having to wait for an auto focus to find a moving image. I have never used auto focus on a spoting event I'm going to try it but it just dosen't make any sence why you would trust someting you can't controll in a shot. With manual focus you can chose when the players are out of focus and when they are in not just guess. Just my thinking.
 
I would say an Auto exposure button is a must. All ENG cameras have it. CineAlta cameras have it. You might not have to use it, but you can always have it there.
 
macgregor said:
I would say an Auto exposure button is a must. All ENG cameras have it. CineAlta cameras have it. You might not have to use it, but you can always have it there.
Click to expand...

Why do you say "button is a must" if you might not ever use it?
When would you "have to use it"?

I would ask that features like Auto Exposure and Auto Focus not be added to this camera. Why pay for the research to add a button that would not get used professionally and just get in the way when operating the camera.
 
well it looks like its going to have histogram previews ,,,,

personally I never use a light-meter or auto exposure of any kind-- your instinct/guess should get you 90% there, and use the zebras to see where your top end is... Why you'd need a light-meter on a camera where you can SEE (and analyse) your image is beyond me ?
 
There are no film cameras with auto-exposure. For good reason. A light meter is a good thing. But a histogram is the absolute best way. If you are not familiar with this method, now is a good time to learn something new. With the histogram on the display, the process is very fast and extremely accurate. The MAIN thing to avoid is blowing out the highlights. A zebra is a less accurate method of accomplishing the same thing. There is a ton of exposure lattitude in this sensor as long as there is detail in the highlights.

Jim
 
Jim, the lattitude/snr in the sensor really will change the way we (digital types) shoot ... It's similar to recording Audio- with 16bit you have to really push your limits, while with 24bit you can ride the levels really safe cause you have dynamic range to spare... 24bit at -48dB has the same bitrate/quality as 16bit, which is staggering (presuming of course that your analogue stages can keep the snr somewhere down that end of the scale). There's just no reason to push near the clipping limit with 24bit.

I'm hoping the same logic will apply with Red's CMOS sensor- ride the levels low, grade up in post ... sounds a lot like overcoming an advantage that film has always had over video :)
 
Jannard said:
There are no film cameras with auto-exposure. For good reason. A light meter is a good thing. But a histogram is the absolute best way. If you are not familiar with this method, now is a good time to learn something new. With the histogram on the display, the process is very fast and extremely accurate. The MAIN thing to avoid is blowing out the highlights. A zebra is a less accurate method of accomplishing the same thing. There is a ton of exposure lattitude in this sensor as long as there is detail in the highlights.
Click to expand...
This is brilliant! Not only can you just move the lens aperture open or closed to "drag" the histogram curve until it fits in the capture spectrum, but you could even ask for more/less light from the gaffer in real time until the curve creeps inside the under/over-exposure lines, or at the absolute worst give the DP the option of deciding which end to accept as out of range.

I can't wait to bring the camera to a shoot where someone asks "where's the light meter?" and "what do you mean, you're only using the LCD to focus?!" :D
 
Jannard said:
There are no film cameras with auto-exposure.
Click to expand...
Er... I've got film cameras with autoexposure; every 35mm still camera has it, I've got a CP16/R that has it, lots of 16mm cameras had it. Every ENG camera has it.

Histogram is good, but how about a waveform monitor?
 
OK, Barry, you got me. I was not thinking of 35mm still. And there "were" a few older 16mm and Super 8mm with auto-exposure. But none of the Arri's have it and, I have to say "to my knowledge", none of the cameras currently used to shoot movies have it. I'm sure someone will point out an exception. But the point is that auto-exposure is not really an accurate way to expose film. I don't count 2/3" video cameras as film cameras.

You are correct about a waveform.

Jim
 
:)

(besides, I'd never actually USE the autoiris on the CP or the Scoopic or whatever!)

Waveform would be awesome. Histogram's great but a waveform tells you where in the picture it's clipping, etc. A built-in waveform would be the bomb.
 
A histogram and waveform monitor are very welcome news for certain types of shooting environments and genres. I think it would be a good idea to include zebra also. Many RED adopters will arrive from mobile shooting backgrounds where zebra is used for rapid shooting environments - where stopping to analyze a histogram or waveform monitor is simply not practical.

But, if the histogram can be easily adapted to by shooters used to zebra, and they can shoot as rapidly as they are accustomed to, well, no doubt, having zebra would be redundant.

Waveform would be unbelievably useful for most stationary and semi-stationary shooting genres and environments, but in run n' gun environments an easy to read histogram or zebra would be the ticket.

Gibby
RED #8
www.cut4.tv
www.4umat.com
 
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Gibby said:
A histogram and waveform monitor are very welcome news for certain types of shooting environments and genres. I think it would be a good idea to include zebra also. Many RED adopters will arrive from mobile shooting backgrounds where zebra is used for rapid shooting environments - where stopping to analyze a histogram or waveform monitor is simply not practical.

But, if the histogram can be easily adapted to by shooters used to zebra, and they can shoot as rapidly as they are accustomed to, well, no doubt, having zebra would be redundant.

Waveform would be unbelievably useful for most stationary and semi-stationary shooting genres and environments, but in run n' gun environments an easy to read histogram or zebra would be the ticket.

Gibby
RED #8
www.cut4.tv
www.4umat.com
Click to expand...
A histogram and waveform monitor as second monitor? Or working into @lcd itself?
 
Emanuel,

I have no direct knowledge of this, but my impression is that RED's histogram and waveform will be available on the on-board screen and also be available for output to a second monitor. It would make good sense to have a choice of having it available to either one, or both at the same time.

Gibby
RED #8
www.cut4.tv
www.4umat.com
 
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