Gregory Irwin

Hi Luke, It's a personal decision. Both systems have their benefits and cost the same. For me, as a professional focus puller, the Light Ranger reduced my focus pulling instincts to a playing a video game. Just keep the green bars over the subject. Besides keeping shots sharp, our main duty is to help tell the story. For me, the LR is too distracting to do that. The Cine RT is a brilliant tool that takes the Cinetape to a whole new level of performance. I really like using it and I much prefer it over the LR. The Cine RT is way more simple to set up and is way less fussy than the LR even though the most obvious difference is the Cine RT does not have auto focus. That's fine by me! The biggest difference between the CRT and the Cinetape is that it's wireless and does not have a clumsy display to have to find a place for on the camera. The display/control unit is next to you and you can change settings at will - even when you're rolling. Anyway, the Cine RT works great for me. I hope this helps you with your decision! G

And 7 stops of ND! 😉 G

This is my set up: Small HD 1303 shown with Cine RT Base Unit and Preston HU III. And yes, even a portable fan for the hot summer days! G

I’ve tried many and for me the best is the Small HD 1303. It has the size yet light weight and all of the tools one would need to be successful. G

Cinematography Electronics makes and sells the Cinetape and Cine RT makes and sells the Focus Bug.

I second that recommendation! My company owns both the Cine RT and the Cinetape and the Cine RT blows everything else away. We should also include the Preston Light Ranger in the conversation but I'm not a fan of it. G

There’s one thing I’ll say about this Venice... I walk onto the set and I can’t see my hand in front of my face it’s so dimly lit but the exposure and the image is clear as day! Unbelievable! This camera is remarkable at 1600 EI at a 2500 base. G

Whenever you get the pleasure and privilege of being the first to use new technology, it’s a blessing and a curse. You have bragging rights but you are the Guinea Pig and must learn to deal with the good and bad. G

I believe you Robin but I don’t believe that Sony is ignorant towards this lag issue. They don’t want this out there to preserve sales. We have 3 Venice cameras and another show that was prepping along side of us has 3 Sony Venice cameras and all six lagged. The chief tech from Otto Nemenz, who is extremely reputable, has been working with Sony to rectify the problem. G

Sony recognizes the issue but currently doesn’t have a fix for it. It’s not just in the EVF, it’s on all monitors. The delay is only visual not recorded. There’s also a circuit board issue that if you do not have the current upgraded boards that are in short supply but in high demand, the camera can simply die at any moment. It could last an entire schedule without incident or it could go out within the first hour of using. Let’s face it. The Venice is new technology and needs to go through its growing pains to become efficient. Hopefully Sony will figure it out. G

Our rental house is Otto Nemenz and they have tricked out their Venice cameras very well. Another issue I have with the Sony Venice that I didn’t mention earlier is the visual lag time. There is a noticeable delay of about 2 frames in the “normal” mode and worse, about a 3-4 frame delay in the Rialto mode. It affects the operating and focus pulling timing. Annoying! G

It’s pretty easy over here Phil. Once the word “liability “ is stated, producers are willing. G

I wanted to expand on the post that mentioned Haskell’s “Who Needs Sleep”. Sadly, towards the end of the documentary, there is a funeral for camera operator, Michael Stone. I was at that funeral and Michael was the second member of my team and a close friend to die due to hours worked. He worked too many hours that night and paid the ultimate price driving home. This issue of excessive work hours is close to my heart. I am very vocal about it at work. I always insist on a courtesy hotel room provided by production for people who are too tired to drive home. There was even a time on an out of control (hours-wise) HBO show I did, I informed the First AD that at 14 hours, I was going home. I didn’t care if the camera was rolling - I was getting into my car and leaving. I told him that I wouldn’t be a participant in putting exhausted crew members onto the freeway after a most likely 20 hour day. The result? I wasn’t fired and we wrapped at 14 hours! That trend continued on that show for the remainder of it. As for rotating crews in order to keep filming, that doesn’t work for several reasons. The most obvious is that the director can’t go on for that long and neither can the actors. As for crew members, certain departments theoretically could rotate out but none of the frontline crew could ever do that. This would include the camera department, the assistant directors, continuity and I’m sure others I’m not mentioning here. G

It’s a good camera as far as it goes. The DP likes the dynamic range, I like the internal NDs and the weight is good. The issue is these cameras are getting so small that the real estate to mount accessories to make it a cinematic camera is limited. The end result is having to add cages and power distribution boxes to accommodate these accessories that make the camera heavier and bigger than advertised. This by no means limited to the Venice. G

Yes and yes. Sony Venice. G