We have been happy RED users since 2007 and it is our camera of choice for many things, especially interviews. In fact, we have gotten so spoiled by the 4K image that we seldom change framing during the shoot – instead relying on re-framing in post. Even when we are finishing in 1080P we have can go from cowboy (waist to top of head) to a medium close-up with no (ZERO) image loss. It is super cool.
Now enters the DLSR and AF100 and other large sensor cameras. Sure you can get great depth of field, but so far everything in this arena brings compromise. In the case of the DSLR’s you have moire, poor audio recording and zero audio monitoring, and inferior h264 codec. The AF100 fares better on the audio front – working like a conventional video camera but still lacking on the recording format with AVCHD compression. NOTE: We are expecting our Atomos Ninja recorders in a few days so we will see how that enhances the recording capability.
Here is a frame grab from a recent interview we did for a corporate client. I lit it using a Litepanel 1×1 flood as a key, a Litepanel 1×1 spot as a hair/edge light, a window (cloudy day) as a fill, and a dedo projector for the background pattern. The shoot was for a one-time use as a meeting and no potential for repurposing into future programs and the result met our needs.