Diving into a new camera system

Dan Beecham · Issue 81, Nov/Dec 2014 · pp. 35–40

Products mentioned: Sony F55, RED Epic, Gates housing, DaVinci Resolve, Sony RawViewer, R5 RAW Recorder, Sony PD-150, Sony F900, Sony F900R, Sony Z1, Sony EX-1, Sony EX-3

The decision to take the leap into a new camera system is always a daunting one. As an underwater cameraman this is the case even more so, as getting into a new camera system involves a financial commitment that is probably double that of a camera operator shooting on land due to the costs of underwater housings. Generally speaking underwater housings do not retain their value well at all – with this in mind you can see just how daunting making the decision of which camera to buy can be. When the time came for me to invest in a 4K-camera system, the two choices at the time were the RED Epic, or the newcomer – the Sony F55. Many others exist today. I was to be purchasing the system with business partner Charles Maxwell, an Emmy award-winning veteran underwater-cameraman. I had been shooting with the Red Epic for a major client for around a year or so when we decided to partner up and buy …