Red cameras encroach on Canon, Hasselblad turf

The Red cameras come with a lot of not-so-cheap accessories.

(Credit: Red Digital Cinema Camera)

Red Digital Cinema Camera, a new maker of high-end digital movie cameras, is expanding its turf closer to traditional camera makers such as Canon and Hasselblad.

On Thursday, Red announced a new range of modular camera designs that it plans to deliver mostly over the coming year and a half that can take not just high-resolution video but also still images. The move comes just as Canon and Nikon have begun adding video support to their SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras.

Red hopes to ship a large-format camera sensor in 2010.

(Credit: Red Digital Cinema Camera)

Various new models from Red will be able to accept lenses from Canon, Nikon, and Mamiya, a move that could make them a more serious possibility for professional photographers, but the prices--thousands of dollars to tens of thousands--restrict this equipment to a very small market.

Certainly Red's new cameras will never be as widely used as video-enabled SLRs costing less than $3,000. But Red, if it can deliver on its promised road map, holds the potential now of shaking up professional markets. Its original Red One video camera did, winning high-profile accolades from Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson among others for its ability to outdo film.

What's unclear is how well cinematographers used to video will take to still imagery and photographers will take to video, but the two realms are certainly growing ever closer in the consumer market.

High-end sensors
The models come with a variety of high-end sensors: a 24-megapixel chip the size of the 36x24mm full-frame sensors in the top-end cameras from Nikon and Canon; a 65-megapixel 56x42mm sensor competitive with those in medium-format digital cameras; and one large "617" format sensor that measures a whopping 186x56mm and whose 28,000x9,334 pixel resolution comes to 261 megapixels.

Red divides these new camera models into two lines, the more compact Scarlet models and the more powerful Epic models that can reach higher frame rates with high-resolution sensors. Also accompanying are a wide range of cinematography accessories such as a 1,080p LCD video monitor, an input-output module, lens mounts, battery packs, and wireless controllers. One fascinating combination: a harness that sports a pair of cameras for shooting 3D movies.

Red has a line of lenses for its cameras.

(Credit: Red Digital Cinema Camera)

With the models, Red is trying to establish a new category called "digital still and motion cameras" (DSMC). Whether it will succeed with the jargon is anyone's guess, but the technology certainly is coming: Nikon's new midrange D90 became the first SLR camera that can shoot video, too, and Canon's higher-end full-frame EOS 5D Mark II is about to ship.

The 5D Mark II can shoot 1080p video, but Red's cameras record at higher resolutions geared for digital movie projection systems.

One area where digital photography has wrestled with film is in dynamic range--the difference between light and dark areas. With poor dynamic range, dark areas disappear into black murk and bright areas wash out. Red boasts of a wide range, though, with its full-frame, medium-format, and large-format Monstro-brand sensors all producing 16-bit data spanning more than 13 stops of dynamic range. The cameras shoot video or still images using a raw image format that accommodates the data.

The rest of the industry will have time to adapt to Red's arrival. Its first Scarlet models are due in the spring or summer of 2009. The full-frame models--the $12,000 Scarlet FF35 and the $35,000 Epic FF35--are due in the winter of 2009. The medium-format Epic 645 and large-format Epic 617 are due in the spring of 2010.

For fuller details and specifications, check Red's Scarlet and Epic site.

The new Red cameras can be mounted in a double configuration for shooting 3D movies.

(Credit: Red Digital Cinema Camera)

[sandor_f]

I would state the *opposite* of this article. Red and the digital video world should be on their toes as high-end, 20+ MP digital SLRs start to include 1080p video for under $5000.

With a multitude of lens available, digital SLRs are quickly moving to take indy market share away from Red and the like. There seems to be quicker development, quicker time to market, and rather working to bring prices down, digital SLRs already have a relatively low price compared to digital video, so the mere addition of 30 fps 1080p video to a 20+ MP dSLR stomps largely in the indy motion picture market.

As an indy, why pay $12,000 for 24 MP when you can pay $3000?


the digital video world better act quickly against the movement of the digital still world.

[Citizen_Z]

Just for clarification the $12,000 24 megapixel still (DSMC as RED says) camera from RED is a different animal. While the 20MP Canon shoots 20MP stills the video is only 1920x1080 or essentially a 2 megapixel moving image, Yes it is HD which is great but the RED shoots 24MP stills AND a 24MP full motion video. So while the still image might be comparable the moving image is light years apart.

Even the $2,500 RED has a moving image that has more than twice the resolution of HD, and that camera can do that at 120 frames a second with bursts of 180 frames a second, and it shoots that RAW! You can literally make a feature film with all of the RED cameras.

[Galaxy5]

The large format back looks exciting. Anything to free us from the tyranny of BetterLight. :-)

[Galaxy5]

"One area where digital photography has wrestled with film is in dynamic range--the difference between light and dark areas. With poor dynamic range, dark areas disappear into black murk and bright areas wash out. "

Maybe against negative film, which can range 7EVs or so of effective range, but even most decent point and shoot cameras today can capture 7+ EVs of dynamic range. I've never seen a color reversal film (even Fuji Duplicating Film) that holds more than six stops of range.

Is the Red 4x5 back a scanning back, or a one-shot? A scanning back wouldn't be any great shakes, but a one-shot large format back would set large format digital on its ear.

[jimothyGator]

It's clearly not a scanning back, as this sensor can also be used to shoot video.

[oldmanangry]

This story is really inverted. Red is in danger from Nikon, Canon, et. al. Not the other way around? It's like saying that Ferrari is going to encroach on Ford because it is making a Ferrari that costs only 10 times more than the Ford GT. Huh?

Maybe we're just being unfair. It's just a badly written headline...

[alegr]

Looks like days of silver halide film are counted even in the big cinematography. The film was costing obscene amounts of money.

I remember heated discussions whether digital will ever replace film in pro still photo. Now it no more a matter of dispute.

I'm curious to see if there will be 3D technologies for home theater.

[Citizen_Z]

The article is interesting. If you could only see what a frame grab from a RED ONE looks like next to the highest end DSLR you can find you would know how great the quality of the images are that they are currently producing. What you are talking about in this article is sensor technology a generation or two beyond what RED has now.

For all the people that think RED is can't compete with the big boys, you are crazy! RED has the technology and brainpower to compete with ANYBODY! The infrastructure to deliver the products to meet demand? We will see.

[oldmacdev]

If you look at the "4K Workflow" section of Red's own website, you will soon realize that 95% of the material being produced on the current 4K cameras is being distributed at 1080p or smaller. Most of the questions, issues and discussion concern how to deal with the unwieldy file sizes. The first step is almost always "Convert to 1080p.."

I think Canon and Nikon are right. If you want a 1080p production, shoot, edit and distribute 1080p. The Japanese camera are 1/3 the weight of the Red camera. Though weight is not that much of a concern if you are shooting the next "Lord of the Rings", it is for a still photographer trying to steady a hand held shot. Why not a high quality, high dynamic range, RAW 1080p camera?

I hope you were talking about the new sensors when you said they produce 16-bit data. The current ones do, but only 12 bits are meaningful, and the shadow detail is noisy.

[Mister C]

Wow meaningful and enlightened discourse about real technology issues instead of the M$ good/bad crap.

Thanks guys (and girls) I learn more with every comment. As a digital photography newbie your insight and comments are much appreciated!

[count_schemula]

"I think Canon and Nikon are right. If you want a 1080p production, shoot, edit and distribute 1080p."

I disagree. The reason to shoot a larger frame is for post compositing and to have extra pixels for color correction. It's easier and better to create effects and compositing on a larger frame (more detail, hide mistakes and blemishes) and of course, output 1080p as the final step.

[Fil0403]

I prefer a Mercedes-Benz.