Saw this earlier today... it looks awesome! They actually screened a film this year at TIFF -- Toronto International Film Festival that was shot using one of these camera's from RED.
I suspected they'd have something completely modular like this in store, but I'm quite frankly blown away by the depth of it all though.
Dynamic range still appears to be the weakest link in the chain though, they're suggesting 11+ stops on their new S35mm sensor, but that's only one stop more than they claim for their old S35mm sensor, and most reports I've heard give that about 8 stops at the most.
The 13+ stops on their 35mm (still-frame sized) sounds better, but it won't accept PL-mount glass.
It would be great if Nikon struck back on this, but this thing is honestly too expensive to compete (even with it's great video capabilities). Don't get me wrong though, its still pretty darn cool.
It's not impressive until you see a result out of the camera.
The "brain" component alone will be $12,000 for a full frame Scarlet and $35,000 for a full frame Epic. And that doesn't count power supplies, storage, lenses, lens mounts, etc.
It had darned well perform well at those prices.
Besides, imagine shooting with this thing. I could see it as a studio camera maybe....but this is not a camera that you could shoot candids, fast-moving sports or even a moving model with.
And it's all vaporware anyway. And I bet in this recession, some of this stuff never gets produced.
I think this concept is the DSLR killer. Maybe not instantly, but in a longer run. The traditional SLR will disappear and hybrid camera’s (motion and still) will become mainstream. Today you already see this with the leading camera companies. Red is no different, only they come from the other direction, … and do it better.
They create a precedent with their modular system. This is great for us, because companies must compete and can’t force us to throw away our old camera’s when a new product arrives. I would love to replace my D200 sensor for a 24MP version for $500, … but no it’s not possible. Maybe more companies will go to a modular system.
Thank you RED.
Personally, I’m also a bit sad. The art of photography will go away. Producers will film a model with e.g. 24 or 100 frames a second and simply choose one frame from the film for print. But then again, maybe Cinematography is cool also.
This will never kill the DSLR. It will kill the Film Industry though. In Film, they still use film. If this flies, this will minimize their costs and produce better images. Upgradable, etc.
Although I was working numbers on the storage, these cameras shoot raw.
261MP RAW @ 25 fps = roughly 5GB/s
300GB/min
18TB/h.
Hard drives are about to get a lot bigger with 617 format
Edit: Ah, I see, REDCODE RAW Compression *sigh of relief*
Yes, it's the REDCODE RAW compression that makes this doable. The 617 will still make monster files though :-) I don't think high speed shooting takes anything away from photography, but instead opens up new possibilities and new creative opportunities. The primary skill of a photographer is not their ability to use a camera, but their ability to be creative.
zoetmb wrote:
The "brain" component alone will be $12,000 for a full frame Scarlet and $35,000 for a full frame Epic. And that doesn't count power supplies, storage, lenses, lens mounts, etc.
It had darned well perform well at those prices.
At those price ranges though it's sooo much more affordable for a start up film company than a Panavision. For $16,000 you can basically own your own versus renting a traditional camera. That's going to appeal to some people.
I wonder how Red is doing these days though. I don't think they're a really high volume manufacturer.
We're doing just fine, thanks. We're all very excited about the new products and are working very hard on them right now. I hope you get to enjoy what we come up with.
Jammy Straub wrote:
I wonder how Red is doing these days though. I don't think they're a really high volume manufacturer.
Actually Jammy they're a very high volume manufacturer. I'm not aware of any 35mm (equivalent) camera that's ever been produced in as high a volume as the Red One already has been.
GraemeNattress wrote:
We're doing just fine, thanks. We're all very excited about the new products and are working very hard on them right now. I hope you get to enjoy what we come up with.
Graeme
Graeme, you guys are on FM now?! Wow, you really are everywhere on the internet!
