Hi there,
I am in a lucky position of choosing my camera for the next documentary shooting and I do not have to look on the budget too much.
So here are my thoughts:
I think about shooting with the epic.
The only concerns are the bad low light performance and the huge data.
I have shot several documentaries with the Red One before. I love it... besides the low light issue. But that was even with the old chip. So I am wondering whether the "new" one improves the performance a lot.
I am not worried that the red cameras are not as much of a typical documentary cameras and are less handy than a c300 for example.
The shootings will be mostly outside in daylight but it also may include few scenes in the night/evening with campfires and headlights as the only light sources.
My alternative would be a f3 or c300 with external recording to get more than 4:2:0 etc.
...or maybe even the f55 if it is available on time.
We will shoot for several months.
I am happy to get some feedback and thoughts,
Thank you

It sounds like the right fit to me. I think (and I'm sure you know) the RAW workflow makes the file size issue worth it. Stay around 9:1 to save space if needed. Find out exactly what you need accessory and power wise for your average interview. If it's still compact and manageable you'll be happy. You'll love the dynamic range of the 5K chip.

Hi there, thanks for the replies,
This time I plan to shoot with the epic and record 4:2:2 10 bit on the aja kit pro mini. It's a very long shooting over several months and shooting everything in RAW would just produce this insane amount of TBs. The low light scenes and the high speed sequences, I will shoot in RAW of course. The main reason for the epic is its great picture. I am sure a C300 also could do the job but it just doesn't look that great and the c300 is expensive for its 8 bit, the 720high speed and its video look. Also the producer wants to invest "in the future" and so far the epic seems the best choice, especially with the new chip.(and the F55 still not available)
I just hope I won't loose too much of the look by the external recording. Any experience with this? (of course I am loosing all the nice advantages of RAW...)
thanx

I don't have much experience with external devices. I have an AJA Ki Pro unit, but I've only used it a few times. My workflow on the Epic has been totally RAW from camera and into Premiere CS6. When I get a chance, I'll take some shots recording to both the AJA recorder and internal REDMag at higher compression ratio, 18:1.

Best of luck with your documentary!

Thanks a lot Nick, let me know how it looks like!

hey Andrew,...yeah it's kind of weird of not using the RAW with the epic, I agree. But four months of shootings(not everyday but it depends on how the story evolves) will produce a huge amount of footage. With 8:1 it's probably around 300 mins for a TB, which means 2 TB with a single backup. As I said a C300 or a F3 could do the job, but the producer plans to shoot other feature movies, also fiction so the epic seems still to be the best option.
Good point with the fan. I have shoot several documentaries with the Red One but luckily you can adjust the fan settings. The shooting will be in Thailand which means it will be pretty hot most of the time...
We will decide within the next two weeks or so and start shooting asap.

Yes the heat could be an issue but as long the camera does not refuse working it should be ok. I filmed with a 7D on the same location before and it did overheat at some point.
So far I did not have this problem with the Reds besides the loud fan. I need to hit at least international broadcasting standards. Recording externally on the c300, f3 or sf700 for example makes the setup even (at least) as big as the one with the epic. If you compare prices, you easily come to the conclusion c300 vs scarlet, but then why not getting epic right away. Battery-wise it should be fine with any of these cameras.
Yeah, more thinking, head scratching and comparing ahead. I can also see why you suggest the c300+sf700, Mathias...

There will be a decision at some point soon. I will let you know! Thanks for the helpful responses!

Its certainly a tricky question. I own an Epic, which I love to shoot with, but if you are not going RAW then you could be using any camera. Heat is an issue, but that said I have never had my camera over heat in Australian summers. If you are run and gunning or moving around a lot data back up in the field will be an issue on any camera, but the amount of data a Red generates increases that issue.