Will Red introduce Pro Res as a recording option? Will they deliver  Scarlet? Will Jim buy Canon? Canon buy Red? Will Canon introduce the long awaited dedicated video camera based on the Canon 5D mark II large sensor? What is your guess? The clock is ticking.

Here is an article published in the Orange County Business Journal discussing a little Red innovations and the pending annoucements.

OCBJ Canon & Red announcements

Visit the Orange County Business Journal website to view the entire publication.

Well? Did RED  do it? Does the Mysterium X outshine the Mysterium, and is it worth the investment?

We decided to put it to the test and results are posted below. Here are some stills that represent the tests:

Low Light Compare - Tungsten

Mysterium on left, MX on right, both cameras at ISO 2000. You can immediately see the noise floor and additional image information.

This vehicle headlights and dusk shot is dramatic. Notice the low noise in the MX image, the better sensitivity and contrast range (ability to handle brights and darks). ISO 2000.

We exposed this scene at proper exposure and then opened up 3 stops to make the recording.  Using REDcine FLUT controls in POST we wanted to see if scene could be recovered. As you can easily see, the MX was easily recovered (look at the blown out leaves in the sky if the before and after) and would have been completely useable with some additional color correction, but the Mysterium  was missing so much information that it would have been impossible to correct. Both cameras were at ISO 800.

The video clips speak for themselves. Enjoy. Both clips are the same, We are testing out the both YouTube and Exposure Room – let me know which player works best for you.

On Exposure Room (download link available – file is 250mb)

On YouTube. Make sure you choose the 720P version and zoom to full screen for best view.

We believe the MX is worth the investment and have upgraded both of our cameras to the new MX sensor. Looking towards the future, our upgraded RED ONES will be a nice compliment to the Scarlet and the EPIC cameras.

Details for the Camera Test and the processing:

We upgraded our camera #15 to Mysterium X and held back our second camera, #16 to Mysterium. The test was conducted with gathering of some  industry friends at our OC facilities on Feb. 26, 2010. The tests were informal, yet provide valuable insight into the major differences between the Mysterium and Mysterium X sensor upgrade. The firmware is a beta release, as is the RED Cine program used to convert the R3D files to PRORES and to export snapshot TIFF images.

The process for the test was simple – the same set-up was used for each cameras series of shots. We used the same lighting, tripod, subjects and lenses. Between each test, as few minutes of time lapse and the subject movements and poses were similar, though not exact.

Our goal was to demonstrate any differences between the two sensors. We were expecting a difference in the noise floor and the contrast range. Both were evident and significant to us, see if you agree by reviewing the representative samples we provided. A log of the complete test is available here.

Both cameras set to factory defaults and black shaded before test. Shooting 4K 2:1, RED Code 42 Camera B is Serial No. 16 “Connor”, Mysterium Build 21.4.1 Camera A is Serial No. 15 “RIpley”, Mysterium X upgrade, Build 30.2.4 White balance was matched in Red Cine and all clips were set to REDcolor and REDgamma. No other corrections were made.

The R3D files were exported from REDcine as Apple Pro Res HQ, then brought into FCP. The video files were edited in Final Cut Pro using Apple Pro Res HQ and then exported as a reference file. The reference file was exported to H264 1080P using Telestream Episode. The H264 file was uploaded to web video server where they did their own conversions.

For the split screen comparisons, I exported TIFF still frames from REDcine and, using Photoshop created the split screen and text overlays. The files were exported from Photoshop as TIFF files and then converted to 80% quality JPEG files. As a reminder to all, TIFF single frame exports from the Red 4K 2:1 RAW file are 48MB each frame. The JPEG exports seen her are only 2.5MB so some details are missing as a result. If you are interested in seeing the TIFF files I can make links available on request, however, I feel the additional artifacts don’t distract from the comparative results, but always always happy to hear your thoughts on this.

Thanks to all of our colleagues that participated in the test at our Orange County facilities and share our enthusiasm for RED technology.

PS: We are happy to say that our both of our cameras are now equipped with the MX sensors and are available for rent.

The “doctors office” in the above clip is actually just a empty file cabinet, a c-stand playing the part of a coat rack, a couple of plagues from around our office and a random collection of books. Control of depth of field, along with minimal art direction and appropriate wardrobe created affordable, and instant credibility.

We recommend that you watch this in HD and in full screen. To choose HD, hit play first, then use the toggle in the control bar and select 720P, then click the 4 arrows to expand to full screen. Click the My favorite parts are the interviews with Dr. John West and the motion graphics.

UPDATE: We are proud to announce that we won another national award for this video. This one a Silver Reel from the MCAI (Media Communicators Alliance International), formally known as the ITVA.

Tech notes: Shot on RED ONE, 4K, 24fps, RED 18-85, 18-50, 50-150.  Post was done in FCP with the proxies, then online via RED cine in FCP. Color timing was done with Colorista.

My friend Micheal Cioni at Lightiron Digital shot some comparative tests that technically show the differences between the sensors in various light conditions. We hope our tests show the real world equivalent.

Note our tests are just to understand the differences between the sensors, as it is us obvious by now that the upgrade is a no brainer decision for most RED ONE owners.

Depending on our job schedule, immediately after the test we will be sending in our second camera, #16 for the upgrade and will be the only house in the area with two RED cameras upgraded to Mysterium X. Hoorah.

If you want to shoot any tests drop us a line.

This shoot was a great example of using the right resources to be economical, efficient and professional. A proper scout, load in and pre-light on Friday helped to make the Monday shoot go extra smooth and reminded us all about the benefits of being prepared.

Most of the shoot was directed interview style (our preference with non-professional talent), however, we used a prompter for a one scene. As an aside, our new prompter worked well and we were able to divert the usual expense of hiring an outside tech and gear towards acquiring the additional assets we needed to add another prompter to our arsenal. Also, the budget didn’t allow for makeup, but since we had high profile executive talent, Jamie stepped in an did a brilliant job with the “powder kit”.

The proof is in the pudding as they say. Here is a frame grab from our shoot.

Click to see larger JPEG version

Tip: To add production value, we added background elements to add interest. The painting in the background was suspended with fishing line off a c-stand. Gotta love good depth of field control!

What we used for the shoot: RED ONE Camera, SN#15 RIPLEY, Red Drive, Red 18-85 zoom, Kinoflo & Arri lights. Project stat: No filters, 24FPS, 4K, ISO 320

Best wishes,

The VRi Crew!

The day after delivery, we wasted no time and I was lucky enough to be invited to be part of some initial testing that was organized at Chapman College by Brook Willard, and Evin Grant. Jared Land even made an appearance, dropping off a lens for us to play with. Now that I think of it, I guess Scott Webster (#23) and I (#15 & #16) were invited because we had the cameras!

Behind the scenes of RED shooting, September 1st at Chapman Studios in Orange, California.