The Red: It looks like a machine gun because its made to kill film
by Matt
Over at Indie4k Chris Kenny has an excellent post about the Red Digital camera’s 4k workflow. For those of you who haven’t heard about this camera, visit the website .
The Red is a very strange looking camera, but it may very well be one of the most advanced camera’s on the market. It contains features that literally mock the Varicam, and even give the Dalsa origin (an insanely powerful, but so expensive its rarely used camera) a run for its money. The varicam is way more expensive, and the Dalsa workflow is much much more complex. With Chris Kenny’s article, I’m starting to believe that film doesn’t have much time left.
For those of you who know nothing about the camera let me give you an overview:
- 4k resoultion - That is 4 times even the higher end 1080p HDTV resolution. Film doesn’t technically have a “resolution” in terms of pixels…but if you were to estimate it, 4k is pretty close.
- 35mm sensor - The sensor is a full sized 35mm CCD. It uses 35mm lenses. This means that the depth of field you would get on 35mm film is the same as you get on this camera. Your lens options range all the way from very cheap Nikkor still photo lenses, all the way to film lenses that cost more than the camera.
- 60fps - For killer slow motion (without resorting to tricks like time remaping) you need 60fps. Only panasonic’s varicam and HVX200 can compete with this, and the varicam is twice the price.
The Red camera retail price is $17,500, but honestly that isn’t the “real” price. That’s pretty much just for the most basic component. For the total package that you’d really need to shoot, it will probably come out to around $50,000. Still, for those who can afford it, or if the rental houses pick it up, that is quite a deal for an “film killer” with such an easy post workflow.
For any independent filmmaker who’s on a budget, they should consider the RED camera. It does rent for about the same as a film camera. But you will be saving in the post. It’s not the camera for every project, but it’s a good tool to add.
http://www.rogermorse.com