The RED is here, DSMC is here, DSLR executives crying in their offices!
As we mentioned last night, we did not know what to expect from RED, because as the Mr RED said "everything had changed" from what was previously announced as a development notice.
Certainly the announcements of 5D MkII and D90 started the hybridization wars, so perhaps it's no surprise now that both new RED cameras are hybrids, they are what RED calls DSMC, digital still and motion camera. The "a" in "and" is invisible :)
This is going to be a long post, so this is a good time to start brewing a medium-size pot of coffee :-)
Executive Summary
RED has announced a number of new products that are very modular, and can do moving pictures (video) and stills (photography). Their line-up has two tiers, Scarlet and Epic. Epic is the more advanced and expensive line.
Sensor sizes start at the familiar 2/3" (remember all the 2004-era prosumers like the Minolta A2, Sony F828, Olympus C8080?). Other sensor sizes? 35mm full frame (FF35), 645, 617, as well as S35, which is 30x15mm. See the two tables below for more geeky details.
The sensors at 35mm full frame and above are 6 micron, while the S35 is 5.4 micron. The smaller 2/3" sensor has 3.2 micron pixels.
As far as megapixels:
- the 35mm full frame sensor has 24-megapixels (hello Sony Alpha A900)
- the 645 sensor has 65 megapixels
- the 617 sensor has 261 megapixels
- the 2/3" sensor has an anti-climactic 4.9 megapixels
The Mythical-Modular is here, and it's not by Nikon
There were rumors (or perhaps rumorized wishful thinking) over and over about a Nikon modular system, but none of that saw the light of day. But now there is a modular system and it is really modular. You pick and match, plug and play! The call it "obsolescence obsolete".
Maybe this is the kick in the face the "SLR Traditionalists" need to break out of their (r)evolutionary freeze?
SENSORS and MODELS
There is a vast variety of sensor sizes available going from small to HUGE and wide. The smaller is the prosumer-2004 favorite size of 2/3" and the larger is the Epic 617 that is 186x56mm. There are eight different sensor-model combos listed at the moment. Yes, eight. They use five different sensors, plus of course the existing RED ONE sensor. Here they are:
| Model | Sensor | Size (mm) | Pixel Size | Stills (MP) | Motion | Max fps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet 2/3" | Mysterium-X | 10.1x5.35 | 3.2 micron | 4.9mp | 3K | 120fps |
| RED ONE | Mysterium | 24.4x13.7 | 5.4 micron | 9.4mp | 4K | 30fps |
| Scarlet S35 | Mysterium-X | 30x15 | 5.4 micron | 13.8mp | 5K | 30fps |
| Epic S35 | Mysterium-X | 30x15 | 5.4 micron | 13.8mp | 5K | 100fps |
| Scarlet FF35 | Monstro | 36x24 | 6 micron | 24MP | 6K | 30fps |
| Epic FF35 | Monstro | 36x24 | 6 micron | 24MP | 6K | 100fps |
| Epic 645 | Monstro | 56x42 | 6 micron | 65mp | 9K | 50fps |
| Epic 617 | Monstro | 186x56 | 6 micron | 261mp | 28K | 25fps |
RED CONFIGURATIONS
Now that we covered the different sensor sizes and options, let's look at some of the planned (and estimated) commercial configurations. The following are "CPU" options. RED calls it "pick your brain". Please note that the prices below are for the "brain only". Oh this is modular, isn't it? :-) It's like building a PC, only more expensive! Please note that both prices and availability are estimates.
| Sensor | Availability | Price | Video | Mounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet 2/3" Myst-X | Fall 2009 | TBD | 3K, 120fps | Fixed 8X lens |
| Scarlet 2/3" Myst-X | Summer/Fall 2009 | $2500 | 3K, 120fps | mini-red mount B4 mount C-mount |
| Scarlet S35 Myst-X | Spring/Summer 2009 | $7000 | 5K, 30fps | RED mount PL-Mount Canon mount Nikon mount |
| Epic S35 Myst-X | Summer/Fall 2009 | $28000 | 5K, 100fps | RED mount PL-Mount Canon mount Nikon mount |
| Scarlet FF35 Monstro | Winter 2009 | $12000 | 6K, 30fps | RED mount Canon mount Nikon mount |
| Epic FF35 Monstro | Winter 2009 | $35000 | 6K, 100fps | RED mount Canon mount Nikon mount |
| EPIC 645 Monstro | Spring 2010 | $45,000 | 9K, 50fps | RED mount Medium format mount Mamiya mount |
| EPIC 617 Monstro | spring 2010 | $55,000 | 28K, 25fps | RED 617 Mount Linhof mount Alpa mount |
MODULAR, what are the modules?
- SENSORS: Five different sizes, see above tables for details
- LENS MOUNTS: RED, PL, Nikon, Canon, etc
- STORAGE: internal memory, CF, SSD, wireless, ethernet
- MONITORING: 2.4" LCD, 4.8" LCD, BombEVF, RED-LCD, RED-EVF, various video outputs (up to 1080p)
- BATTERIES: 12V, battery module, RED BRICK
- REMOTE: master/slave, up to 100ft
- GRIP: They call it "REDHandle" with battery and extra button that can be user-defined
RAW
REDCODE RAW is the format, and it offers lossless compression.
Coverage on the Net
- Official RED forums
- In-depth discussion at PDN Pulse
- Engadget
- The RED buzz made the front page of TechMeme.com
- Better than "archaic Japanese non-modular DSLRs" says a veteran dpreview forum user.
- Eolake blog
- A vigorous discussion in the dpreview News forum
- Discussion at MetaFilter
- more coming up
Sensor Sizes
