Technical questions regarding the Red Epic & C300

[Krisztian Nagy]

Hi everyone!

 

I'd have two technical questions to anyone who's got a few minutes to spare:

 

I've recently wrapped a short psych-thriller shot on the Epic and I'm planning to pick up some inserts (two close ups on objects) in the following weeks. The problem is that I won't have access to the Epic anymore but I'll be able to use the C300 for the purpose. We shot 5K RAW using Canon primes and as far as I know the C300 has a 2K sensor? I'm planning to go for a 2K compression anyway so I'm wondering if anyone thinks the C300 image quality might stand out much and what you think are some important things to keep in mind while shooting the inserts (any special settings to be aware of) and working on the footage in post?

 

Also, in post, how much can I "zoom in" on the 5K RAW images (i.e. to make a close-up somewhat tighter) if I'm planning to go for the aforementioned 2K compression? Logically I'd assume that I have 3K of "quality to lose", is that correct?

Thanks!
Krisz

[David Mullen ASC]

How much you can zoom in depends on a lot of factors, it's not just controlled by the size of the original frame.

 

Also keep in mind that you are finishing to 2K RGB from a 5K raw original, you wouldn't want to start with a 2K raw size if you have to end up at 2K RGB, I mean, in an ideal world -- 3K raw and higher is better than 2K raw if you have to end up at 2K RGB.

 

If you plan on cropping 5K raw files, just make sure you convert them to 5K RGB and crop that before finishing them at 2K RGB, don't convert from 5K raw to 2K RGB and then crop.

 

I think the Canon C300 sensor is 4K, it's the same sensor as in the C500. I think the C300 is limited to recording 1080P HD from its 4K sensor.

[Krisztian Nagy]

Hmm I think I understand, so does this mean that I'm not actually able to shoot 4K (or even 2K for that matter) with the C300? In other words it might not be an ideal camera to use for the inserts? Also, thanks for the advice on cropping 5K, I'll keep it in mind!

[Krisztian Nagy]

I'll actually have a person who'll be doing those visual adjustments for me, though I was hoping to be somewhat familiar with the process by the time we start doing it, would you mind explaining those factors that zooming in depends on, just briefly?

[David Mullen ASC]

How much you can enlarge depends on how contrasty the original is (higher contrast shots look sharper), how much detail the eye needs to see (wide shots need more detail in them), how sharp the lens was (shots done wide-open are likely to be softer than ones where you stopped down a little), how much noise the original frame had, etc. Not every shot was recorded with the theoretical maximum image detail possible. And it also depends on how soft the final image can look -- a close-up of an actress probably can be softer than a wide-shot of a cityscape, for example.

[Krisztian Nagy]

I see, thanks a lot!