Owning a RED Camera | 4 Year Review With The Red Komodo

[@marklholloway]

Komodo OG and KX owner here.. Appreciate your honesty and feedback. A lot of KZbinrs hyped up the Komodo in the beginning until the novelty wore off. They realized Red cameras are best utilized on set with a crew, big or small, not for solo ops, which is most of them. I’ve watched so many ‘Tubers buy, sell, and go upside down with all the camera options that they’ve lost touch of what they’re really after. I have no plans to sell my cameras anytime soon. Love them all ❤

[@dreschervisuals]

For sure . I won’t argue it’s harder when shooting alone, but you do get accustomed to it and it becomes a bit less of a chore .

[@YouTube_can_ESAD]

Local 600 Cinematographer here and have never had a problem operating any of My various RED Camera/Phantom Camera packages as a solo operator. Maybe personal skills are the factor and you clearly don’t posses them.

[@dreschervisuals]

@@KZbin_can_ESAD yeah I’d assume a union DP would have less trouble using the camera on a solo shoot, however the camera price point is going to allow a variety of content producers to use the camera .

[@marklholloway]

@@KZbin_can_ESADI was referring to the YT creators. I’ve been shooting on Komodo and KX for several years both solo and for virtual productions.

[@GizmoMaxx]

@@marklhollowayWell said M8 !

[@danbrockettDOP]

Appreciate your honesty. After listening to your experience, you have reinforced that I'll never own a RED. I've shot with rented/borrowed from RED REDs three times, (I was the editor for HD Video Pro at the time) all in LA and each time, RED had to send out a driver with a replacement camera because of software and firmware issues. I don't put up with unreliable cameras in production, the stakes are far too high. I prefer shooting Arri and they are definitely more reliable but most of my shoots are not that budget level so it's FX9/6/3 and C300 MKIII most of the time. Rock on.

[@dreschervisuals]

It's been a wild ride! Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your experience as well.

[@cogmission1]

This is very annoying. The Komodo is known to have issues that are just part of being the first camera of a certain type or model. It's a Global Shutter camera which was an awesome offering at the time, especially for $6K. The app is not good on the Komodo, but is very smooth on the Komodo X - maybe it has something to do with the processing power? But now they have the V-Raptor X which has better dynamic range than the Arri Alexa 35, and is industry leading in that it is the first large format Global Shutter camera. That's the high end.

[@jmanchester]

Komodo owner here. Love the camera and purchased mine back when they first came out as well. I was leaning toward a C500 Mark II but decided on Komodo because of price. Love shooting with it, love the form factor, but I will say the one think that I wasn't a huge fan of was not having a monitor from RED packaged with it. Obviously not a deal breaker but would have loved to have a compatible monitor so less cables to worry about. I feel that there are so many cameras that are SO good but there will always be negatives. Find what works best and go with it. Like the video, Subbed!

[@dreschervisuals]

Well said and agreed! There are plenty of pros for the Komodo which make it hard for me to justify selling it. I went through several external monitors and sizes before settling on the 702 touch, which one do you prefer?

[@jmanchester]

@@dreschervisuals I have the original Small HD Focus Pro that was made for the Komodo. It’s good and does the job. I’ve looked to go a little bigger but never really made up my mind on which monitor I wanted to upgrade to.

[@dreschervisuals]

@@jmanchester sounds like you made a solid choice right out the gate! I tried portkeys and atomos for a bit both had serious color inaccuracy and the Portkeys UI was just a bit of a headache.

[@GabrielDaniels.]

I’m in ATL will buy it for 4k right now

[@ProfoundProductions]

Had 2 full size Reds with Cine lenses, Ronin 2, etc. Never again, Sony FX3s now with G Master lenses. No more focus pullers, huge gimbal rigs, or having to do shade calibrations. The only problem is now that cameras are so great and cheap, too many people are in the business dragging all of the budgets down.

[@the_black_douglas9041]

Excellent vid! Subbed 😊 As a very old editor (who shoots a bit nowadays) who has for decades looked at and grumbled about footage other people have shot, I have come to love the vision from the Red Komodo. I think it comes down to the global shutter. And I believe the global shutter look is just one of those imaging things that goes to work on the viewer’s perception subconsciously as pleasing because that is how human vision works as well. The vision you shot of the runner is a lovely example. From people I have spoken with who have a komodo, the global shutter particularly helps with anamorphics and movement. I have a Lumix S5iiX (don’t laugh) which has better anamorphic support than any other mirrorless body, and a lot of big cameras. BUT the sensor read out is so slow that rolling shutter just wrecks anamorphic if you are shooting anything other than a static shot on sticks. If I lived in Atlanta, I might’ve made an offer on your kit!

[@dreschervisuals]

@@the_black_douglas9041 great insight , definitely won’t be laughing at the S5iiX I’ve personally always been a fan of Panasonic color science !

[@jamescook5931]

Which has better image quality the c400 or the red Komodo x. Which camera do you prefer?

[@dreschervisuals]

@@jamescook5931 I haven’t used the KX . Personally leaning on the C400 as the next upgrade for us due to variety of internal codecs , noise reduction and ND . R3D is epic but can slow down workflow which dents margins on lower budget projects

[@dustinschmidtphoto]

Nice video! Although I'd say that regarding the RF mount, since RF is a bayonet mount it's always going to have a bit of play compared to a locking mount like PL, LPL, locking EF (an option on C500 II or C300 III) or locking E mount like on the FX9. This is an issue on all bayonet mounts, not just Red's.

[@dreschervisuals]

@@dustinschmidtphoto Thanks for the support! And yes that is correct, however the level of play was not considered “acceptable” as you can see the iris was going CRAZY! The minor play on the mount now is far from concern but I agree on the massive advantages of locking mounts .

[@josephasghar]

Zcam user here, rolling my eyes at these negatives.

[@dreschervisuals]

lol Zcam is underrated! Jealous of the END option you can purchase!

[@pixsturefilms]

What agencies do you recommend to work with?

[@dreschervisuals]

Building relationships with agencies takes time. I'd recommend connecting with ones that you feel have the most compatibility with your skillset and work your way into becoming a vendor. Some may have projects they want you to bid on right away, and others may take a year or longer to reach out but when they do get ready to grind!

[@joniantipatrea]

That mma fighter! What's his name again?

[@dreschervisuals]

@@joniantipatrea Stephen Thompson (Wonderboy)!

[@Kori_INJN]

Heard the price went down by $3000

[@dreschervisuals]

The KX did! Pretty aggressive price change for a camera that has been out for 15 months. The OG Komodo which is what I am speaking about in this video was lowered by $1K which is going to make the used market even more competitive!

[@andersistbesser]

So in conclusion: red is a great camera but i will never buy one again😂

[@dreschervisuals]

@@andersistbesser it was a journey we are glad we took, but wouldn’t care to take it again 😜

[@NoSuRReNDeR001]

KOMODO is NOT INDICTAVE of the RED LOOK - Komodo LOOKS NOTHING like any other RED and NOT in a good way.... so if your first EXPERENCE is KOMODO your perception of Red footage IS WAY WAY WAY wrong. This camera DOESNT represent the image achievable by PROPER Dsmc2 Red cameras as was the standard upon its release.

[@dreschervisuals]

I've been shooting with RED cameras since 2012. I'm aware of the differences. If you want to have a conversations about which camera is better, start matching prices. Yeah the Gemini is great, but the brain used is the price of a Komodo nearly 10 years later.

[@memcrew1]

What are the differences between the Komodo, KomodoX and Dsmc2 reds, in regards to the images?

[@dreschervisuals]

@@memcrew1 DSMC2 has a difference sensor and color science . I agree it’s a look many grew quite fond of including myself . This however can all be replicated with proper post processing but that’s easier said than done at times .

[@videosuperhighway7655]

I was never a fan of Red cameras. The reliability and color science. Canon,Arri etc.. are rock solid in terms of reliability/color science etc...

[@dreschervisuals]

What camera or cameras do you primarily use now? Thoughts on the c400?

[@videosuperhighway7655]

@@dreschervisuals I use an ARRI Classic that I got really cheap and rent everything else. Depreciation is insane on the equipment and better to buy used or rent and let the other guy take the hit. The C400 looks really interesting do not know too much about it but Canon are rock solid reliable.

[@Barnabas87]

@@dreschervisualshow long does it take to black shade?

[@dreschervisuals]

@@Barnabas87 2-3 minutes on average, but If the temperature change is dramatic it may take double that .

[@high-endspeedway]

Red V raptor is probably the best camera out right now