RED Komodo X , I Was Afraid To Review This Camera

[@JoshFeliciano]

I skipped the OG Komodo because of the frame rates and bought a Dragon DSMC2, later on I sold it and picked up a new Komodo X is the best dynamic range I've ever had, also I've been using a Canon 0.71 speedbooster man... a full frame Komodo x is mindblowing

[@KofiYeboah]

I haven’t boosted mine yet, but even at s35 it looks great!

[@cubul32]

Get metabones t cine 0.71 if you use a follow focus, you can attach it to the baseplate.

[@cammackey]

Great realistic coverage on ownership and operating the red system 🔥

[@KofiYeboah]

Thanks brother 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@scottievee330]

Fair enough. All good. Always chase an image. Never chase a brand name. I’ve only shot on one brand. It was fine. Do your best to make it look good no matter what is in your hand or on the tripod. Great channel.

[@KofiYeboah]

I’m of the mind of enjoy technology, love Sony? Go for it Love Nikon ? Fk it go for it Red , run it up!

[@JonathanPalfrey]

That’s a really good point about how the excitement and enthusiasm for a new camera or kit comes across to clients. It’s easy to dismiss new gear as a fault of consumerism however just like people, location and experiences it too can inspire us to create new and better things.

[@KofiYeboah]

That’s what I’m saying !!!!

[@robsquad_films]

Note that the OG Komodo still boots up faster. I wish it had the other upgrades though

[@demojoys]

Colors looking fire Kofi. Im looking to invest in the NiSi ATHENA PL mount to eventually use a red but also have a speedboster for PL to E-mount for my Sony Cam's.

[@KofiYeboah]

I still gotta give those a shot !

[@chrismcduffiephoto]

Solid review here. I recently upgraded from the OG Komodo which served me well for 2 years. The pre-amps alone were worth the upgrade for me, and everything else is nice icing on the cake (RF lock, DR, frame rates, media, AF- which is really really solid in beta, etc.)

[@KofiYeboah]

Absolutely they did a great job with the upgrade 🔥🔥

[@jonathanl7883]

People on the internet get so weird when their favorite KZbinrs switch cameras. Like people - get a life! Lol. Who cares if people switch cameras. Worry about being creative on your shoots vs what gear other people are using. As a FT editor for over 10 years, I’ve edited everything from million dollar commercials to low budget social ads for TikTok, and some of the most boring material I’ve ever seen was shot on 100k Alexa’s, while some of the most exciting ads where shot on BM, etc. A nice camera is useless if you aren’t creative, while even a 3k camera can produce incredible and inspiring work if you actually try and think outside the box. Great video as always!

[@KofiYeboah]

Guys speaking facts Thank you man !

[@baekmedier]

I was looking in to RED Komodo X instead of c70 and R5c. The biggest problem is that what the mayority of the work I do is long form interviews with two angles.. 2 x RED Komodo X is a little much.. and media and so on and so on. But the new firmware with the autofocus upgrades for the B cam is intriguing.

[@theoblivious2]

Another great video, and the constant mention of "you might not need this, everyone's needs and budgets are different" is always a good reminder. At my full-time we shoot on C300 mkii's and OG Red Komodos which have worked decent (especially the C300s, you don't need a lot of work to make those look good and the large amount of inputs) but for my freelance outside of work I fight between a KX and a V-Raptor VV. Large price jumps (especially with B&H doing a holiday discount on the KX Production Pack) between the KX and V-Raptor will probably nudge me towards a KX, but this video and your other ones help on that journey. Keep it up brother!

[@KofiYeboah]

I’m glad it can help! End of the day, use whatever works for you, and the rest will fall into place 🙏🏾

[@welldone8235]

my dude, don't sugarcoat it, Red is a client magnet, I know that first hand, and there is nothing red can do that FX3 can't, or even much cheaper s5iix, but I feel you, R3D is a magic, and that's the only thing that keeps red floating

[@KofiYeboah]

Not ENTIRELY true, KX can run a proper anamorphic support, time code via BNC instead of needing an additional cable, locking mount, global shutter, v mounts without needing additional accessories , and a mobile app that doesn’t suck lol Red is only a client magnet to people who have Red kinda money, cheaper clients might WANT a red on set, but that doesn’t mean they’re booking when they see the quote 😅 S5ii and S5iiX are great, actually had them on loan from Panasonic from July - October, I wouldn’t replace it with the Komodo X at all 😅

[@donovanmalcolm2270]

Hey man, great video, but one question for a middle budget cine camera setup. I know they are kinda til very different, especially one of them, but should I look for the RED Komodo 6K / X, the DJI Ronin 4D-8K or wait for the Sony FX9 Mark II? Or do you have any recommendations which will be a good investment for a middle budget? Because also, dear Sony is not giving us RAW…

[@theowlfromduolingo7982]

Great video. The length is also good imo - not too short and not too long and in depth. It would be great if you add timestamps.

[@gurugamer8632]

What is the sensor size for RED Komodo X and how does it compare with Panasonic AU EVA1?

[@phrasalsyntax]

Nice analysis as usual Kofi. Any plans to get your hands and eventually make a review of the new Black Magic Cinema Camera 6K FF? It sits on a different budget and it has its downsides (ergonomics, slow rolling shutter, not a low light camera, lacks AF) but the images coming out of it are quite impressive, very cinematic (the roll-off of the highlights is Alexa like). You are one of the best out there making non-scientific camera comparisons and seem to be very knowledgeable about the technical aspects of digital image making, so I would be very curious to know your thoughts if you have the chance to play with the BMCC 6K FF and compare it with other cameras, like the FX3, or, why not, the RED Komodo-X.

[@KofiYeboah]

Thank you man ! Actually hopefully ! I’m trying to get my hands on one for when I go to Ghana in a couple weeks !

The only thin that keeps me from switching systems is the mount, i invested too much into the e-mount. Which was a big mistake, in the future i will only invest in pl mount lenses then i can make these system switches way easier

[@KofiYeboah]

If it’s something that doesn’t suit your needs, I think maybe sticking to what you have is awesome too, tons of stuff dropping !

@@KofiYeboah it suits my needs! That is the difficult thing, my mounts and existing lenses are a limiting factor. If red still had changeable mounts and would offer e mount like kinefinity or dji i think i would already have the komodo

[@agnieszkapajor8990]

Considering getting one and needed to hear this, thanks for your honesty.

[@KofiYeboah]

No problem 👍

[@davidvar]

Thank you so much! What do you use to mount your Mic?

[@KofiYeboah]

Just a small rig XLR mount to a cold shoe!

[@davidvar]

@@KofiYeboah thank you!

[@evertonbolton762]

Great informative video, covered so much and kept me locked in.💯

[@KofiYeboah]

Glad it helped!!

[@BenjiSelby]

I appreciate how you have a diverse experience with different camera systems. This was a cool conversation about gear and it’s helpful when it comes to considering gear 👌🏾

[@KofiYeboah]

I’m glad it helped !!

[@elarrioguajardo208]

Appreciate the work you put in and that you're not trying to tell people that you NEED this camera and that we're in an era where almost all cameras these days are phenomenal in their own way. Even the non exclusively video focused cameras are excellent these days! This was a reply in an older comment I made but felt it could be it's own comment!

[@KofiYeboah]

So nice he said it twice 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@elarrioguajardo208]

@@KofiYeboah Thanks! 🤣🤣🤣🤗🤗🤗

[@theqrm]

Fantastic review. Thorough and engaging

[@KofiYeboah]

Thank you kindly!

[@elarrioguajardo208]

This will absolutely be a good watch!

[@KofiYeboah]

Hopefully it is!

[@elarrioguajardo208]

@@KofiYeboah it was and is! Appreciate the work you put in and that you're not trying to tell people that you NEED this camera and that we're in an era where almost all cameras these days are phenomenal in their own way. Even the non the exclusively video focused cameras are excellent these days!

[@JasperMeddockProductions]

Super well spoken and informative my man! 🙏🙌

[@KofiYeboah]

Glad you think so!🙏🏾🙏🏾🫡thanks

[@iceprofilms]

Thank you so much ! So grateful

[@KofiYeboah]

Thanks !

[@JustWhatINeed83]

Hi Kofi, great reviews as always. Curious on the Nisi filter do you have a motor that runs the VND and if so which one do you use? I think I saw on a Nisi video they used the PDMOVIE MOTOR MINI Bluetooth Motor for LIVE AIR 2, 2S, and 3.

[@KofiYeboah]

I haven’t tried!

[@Techno_Rama]

Great authentic video, Kofi. It is obvious you care about your viewers. That's all that matters to me. I just subscribed to give you a bit of support, even though I am a Sony fanboy.

[@KofiYeboah]

Ahah I still have hella Sony gear, this is just another tool, thank you man 🙏🏾

[@christophrcolon]

Just found your channel because of this video. SUBSCRIBED for sure! Any tips for someone looking to get into cinema cameras from mirrorless (R5/R5C)? Is this a good first jump? How difficult is the storage issue when shooting with this?

[@KofiYeboah]

I think if you’re okay rigging it for better battery, you’ll do great!

[@JustinPorterMedia]

Love your take bro. 🥹🔥🔥

[@KofiYeboah]

Thank you homie !!

[@clivefd]

Does the red have a catalyst Prepare equivalent? On the fx6 and have my eyes on the red Kx

[@KofiYeboah]

It does, I forget what it’s called as I don’t think I’ve used it much ahah

[@TravJBarnett]

You’re a beast no matter the camera 🫡🔥 really informative video

[@KofiYeboah]

Thank you homie 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@workinprogress2077]

Great video as always. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't comparing the fx6 to a red camera a raw vs not raw argument? for many pros buying a blackmagic camera with is not real raw but close enough for most people. I get the feeling that red cameras are like buying a expensive sports car that you drive to the store for grocery shopping. It also seems like nobody wants to rent cameras anymore, matbe buy a used older red camera and then when you need the newest and best then rent?

[@KofiYeboah]

Not exactly, I think there’s more talking points between cameras, but I’d say for ME getting a red wasnt a necessity 😅

[@workinprogress2077]

@@KofiYeboah There is some comfort of owning the camera vs renting so I get it. It just seems that owning the camera is the only option offered up by youtuber gear reviewers

[@KofiYeboah]

@@workinprogress2077not exactly true, I’ve seen more than one video suggesting renting, I have a video dedicated on renting a camera, that said, not everyone has access to a rental shop, especially if you’re not in the US and Canada !

[@workinprogress2077]

Also, are you shooting short docs or narrative. Canada Council for the Arts is waiting for you to ask them for money.😀..., You would need artistic non-commercial work on your reel but its there when you ready. It's not a small amount of money either...

[@KofiYeboah]

@@workinprogress2077haha my brother is a grant writer! I’ve just never gotten around to it 😅

[@JuanMoralesCreative]

Great video dude! Amazing insight as always.

[@KofiYeboah]

Ayy respects my g 🙏🏾

[@Bo_Hazem]

With the new A9 III killer features like taking out "less-lit" frames via AI from videos, something that RED doesn't have which is mostly old-school fully manual, what are your thoughts? I personally think A9 III a better camera to most at that pricetag, you still have superior compressed RAW videos with the X though. It's rumored that the sensor might head to the next FX9 II.

[@KofiYeboah]

The A9iii doesn’t at all stray me from the KX imho ( I actually got to use the a9iii last week) Cool camera, but I don’t think it’s viable as a production camera unless you’re by yourself or a very very small crew imo

[@Bo_Hazem]

@@KofiYeboah Solid points.To me I can't buy a camera with no weather sealing as a wildlife filmmaker/photographer, but that's something outside your interest. Greetings.

[@superfly13161205]

⁠​⁠@@Bo_Hazem Was just reading your comment…actually the Red s35 cameras such as the Helium and now the s35 Raptor/Rhino are and have been for many years, THE most popular cameras for professional wildlife and nature docs not to mention wilderness adventure stuff like climbing Everest. Not trying to criticize…obviously if you feel you need weather sealing on a camera, always supportive of people doing what makes them feel good…but not only is that not the choice of the majority of pros, “weather sealing”, especially in humid environments is usually fairly shoddy even without the considerations of changing lenses and cards and having cables plugged into ports, etc. Anyway, just a bit of info there. Wildlife stuff is some of the most beautiful and fun stuff to work on in the entire profession. Keep up the good work.

[@Bo_Hazem]

@@superfly13161205 Thank you for your amazing input! Forgot to say "budget/solo" filmmakers there. I'm still amateur but made a film called "Dhofari Biting Midge: Foe and Friend" and published it on youtube on my little production company channel, iGRA. Had to do some crazy extensions up to 58mm to push for a total of 7x magnification on my A7SIII. Filming at 4K@60-120fps to slow it down I was using between 2,000-12,800 ISO during the overcast day with a 65W studio light mounted on camera few inches away and it was still under exposed by -3 to -2. That combo with f/8-16 was an equivalent of around f/80-150! Overall, despite being shaky, I managed to film it relatively clear at 4K and 60-120fps vs BBC which was 1080p or 720p at around 15fps (you can find it as well on youtube"! So yes, tools give you an edge and do matter.😄Next gonna be about honeybees maybe ready by next summer. So far I spend my "teacher" income into it and my wedding/other works to serve my passion which made me refuse selling the all rights to national tv to make it available to everyone.

[@SuLu_XD]

I'm gonna be honest, I feel like there's mostly just hype around the Komodo systems. There's so many compromises you need to make regarding cropping and frame rates, weird RED fuckery, no internal filters and you need more to rig it out as a usable handheld rig. I can't deny that global shutter and raw make a difference, but I feel like 99% of the people I see talking about "I switched to Komodo/X" they aren't doing anything that even remotely benefits from that and are just making their lives harder in order to say "I shoot RED". I am becoming less and less of a camera nerd and more into lenses because there are so many cameras capable of producing an amazing image. Unless you're sending footage to a VFX house, 16 bit raw is such overkill. Not saying this about you specifically and I don't know exactly how you shoot or use your gear, but I feel like I had to say this somewhere 😂

[@KofiYeboah]

Kinda depends, I mean do you NEED a RED, nope, for the same reasons why you don’t NEED say a Tesla, has nice features, you won’t die without it, but if someone has the means to get one , awesome!

[@SuLu_XD]

@@KofiYeboah I totally agree! I guess what I'm trying to say is that the added features the Komodo/X have are actually things that just end up being redundant or making workflow more difficult for a lot of people that talk about "why they switched to Komodo". I think the KX is a great camera if you're working with at least a small crew on set and for support, but it irks me when people try to put it in the same box as a camera that's clearly designed for solo run and gun shooting. Like it's a fantastic camera, but let's not pretend it's something it's not!

[@KofiYeboah]

@@SuLu_XD honestly, the KX doesn’t need much more than you’d get from most other cinema cameras (v mount battery, monitor and top handle with a nato rail isn’t unique to the Komodo x) That said, unfortunately imaging devices are fair game to be compared to each other, I wouldn’t hold too much emotions to what someone else does with their camera choices 😅

[@SuLu_XD]

@@KofiYeboah LOL yeah I usually don't care at all but I kinda just hate RED for what they've done to the camera industry regarding internal raw, and then like you mention, so many people try to sell you these cameras in reviews. I just felt like I needed to vent somewhere and you've always kept it honest on your channel so it seemed like a decent place to finally let it all out 😂

[@superfly13161205]

@@SuLu_XD Just a +1 that Komodo’s are very easy to work with solo, work awesome on gimbals and the files you get show a legitimate quality difference. One more quick thing, opinions vary on Red and people like to hate on this internal raw patent, but ask anyone in the industry and they will tell you every single independent film maker owes a huge debt to Red for fighting at the forefront to make high quality, digital cinema cameras accessible to the indie world. Before Red it was all Arri and it cost as much as a house to buy a camera IF they would even sell you one. Red was the genesis of a movement that proved there was a huge group of people that wanted access to high quality tools to make their visions a reality. And canon and Nikon and Blackmagic and shitty brands like Zcams responded. Now we are all fortunate to have a plethora of choices and to be able to engage in conversations like this.

[@claudianreyn4529]

You don't have to justify anything. If it's the best system, it is what it is, it doesn't matter if one can buy it or now or can justify the investment. Of course a bigger investment must be justified by bigger profits somehow.

[@MSMImage]

Love it! Still rocking with the FX6. Solid review bro! "What's your favorite camera you've ever used?" Answer: The next camera.

[@KofiYeboah]

Lol I like that line 😂

[@OfficiallyOToole]

Bro, I'm here for the FX30, but I'm totally here for other reviews as well! Keep crushing it!

[@KofiYeboah]

Thanks my friend 🙏🏾

[@LOMISFILM]

Honest & awesome review, as usual, my man. RIP my bank account, 2024. 🤷‍♂

[@KofiYeboah]

Haha if you’ll kill your bank account, save your money

[@TomxshawYT]

Great review dude!

[@KofiYeboah]

Thanks a lot homie 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@RedShade_Studios]

Glad you reviewed this, but one thing i always wonder is why no one talks about red as a company during these reviews. Fantastic cameras, with company behavior that holds back the entire industry, tramples over new companies, and is anti-consumer in its policies

[@DarrinRigo]

Kofi posts a video. I watch. Them's the rules.

[@KofiYeboah]

Thank you broski 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@GlobalShutterNY]

Is it better to NOT record in RAW and downsample the full sensor to get a 4K image using ProRes? I love the FX30 image and think it punches above its' class a bit because it is a downsampled 6K sensor (in fact testing has shown that the FX30 resolution is a little bit better than the FX3 just for that reason - and less moire as well). The advantage of RAW seems to be if you really miss exposure and WB - but if you are close a 4:2:2 12bit compressed 6K image might be better in post than an uncompressed non-downsampled 4K. Thoughts??

[@KofiYeboah]

If you like the end product, it honestly won’t matter what I say ahah 😅 Realistically the only person who’s going to notice is the person working on the footage, so it’s kinda like anything’s goes

[@GlobalShutterNY]

I think we have reached that point where almost any camera sensor can do the job- lighting/lenses/camerawork/post ultimately make the difference in the final look. The Red name is great - and that probably helps book clients who want a 'pro' (of course you were a Pro in your Sony days too!) Kind of like the 'Hasselblad' name on the still side! @@KofiYeboah

[@superfly13161205]

⁠​⁠@@GlobalShutterNY The down sampling is an interesting thought, but ultimately, I would choose the Red R3D 16 bit raw codec every time. (BTW, Pro Res 422 is 10 bit, not 12) True Raw codecs, of which there are only three (R3D, ArriRaw and CDNG) have much more to offer than just exposure and WB…it is gamma, white point, debayer settings, color matrix, tonal adjustments and noise reduction and the freedom of a much deeper “digital negative” than a 10 bit codec. Another quick point, when you watch movies and or shows, are you looking for sharpness? That is what downsampling is going to give you by taking 6k pixels and compressing on down to a beautiful image. The reason I ask is that the most Popular camera for features and the one most high-end DP’s use is ARRI…the lowest resolution of any cinema camera because they have the largest pixel pitch. But those big pixels make some gorgeous images. I guess my point being having more pixels with less flexibility isn’t something I would want. But there are a ton of filmmakers who only shoot in ProRes. Of course there are people that still think you can color grade in Premiere Pro, so who knows???

[@GlobalShutterNY]

@@superfly13161205 Interesting about the ProRes only being 10bit- I didn’t realize that! Def not saying that ‘sharper’ is better- the Arri image is I believe fantastic because of the dynamic range of its’ sensors (the Arri Mini is I believe native 3.2K- not Netflix approved!) Downsampling does help to reduce the sensor noise- one of the reasons the FX30 looks better at ISO 3200 or 4000 than it ‘should’.

[@aronisvisions]

Great video!!!

[@KofiYeboah]

Thank you!!

[@TLFILMS]

thx for the review

[@KofiYeboah]

Thanks for watching 👊🏾

[@JaymesMedia]

If you buy a high quality camera, you should use the best possible image quality you can get out of that camera.

[@KofiYeboah]

Yup! Or try to if you’re into that

[@superfly13161205]

Just found you…really dig your style and how you present information. I am a Red user (Gemini, Komodo and Raptor). But I am also a colorist and you talking about putting Sony luts on R3D footage really made me cringe. 😢 Not only is that a poor coloring process that can break footage, but as a person with an audience who views you as an expert, it propagates this dangerous and foolish belief among many young video people that a LUT is the same thing as actual color grading and any LUT can be put on any type of footage. And that is just not true. So off they go buying worthless LUT packs and sticking things on incorrect footage, not grading in wide gamut spaces and basically crippling their projects and their careers. It’s like someone telling a kid who is starting out that you can actually color grade in Premiere Pro…it hurts people. Anyway, apologies for the novel. I am a fan and I respect the quality of what you are doing here.

[@KofiYeboah]

I think since your new to the channel, I’m going to say I constantly tell people I’m not a colorist, nor do I think Luts replace a colorist, there’s a 101% agreement from me that with footage like R3D, it’s likely best to have colorist skills, what I did mean though, is when not having the resources to have a colorist, using a lut workflow as a stop gap measure helped me out , Also to be fair, I don’t know many novices picking up $10,000 Red cameras 😅

[@AondeVamos]

Absolutly awesome. I wish I could afford a Komodo, but I am brazilian 😅

[@KofiYeboah]

But the camera you can afford :)!

[@don-xl]

@KofiYeboah Hey, if the RED gets you more bread, then hey, why get in your own way? 💵 But I want to pose to you this: which woud you prefer on a personal note, the RED system, mainly Komodo, or Sony, in particular FX6?

[@KofiYeboah]

Whichever fits what i want a shoot ! Somethings I want the kx, some an fx6 would work, some the fx30, he’ll, I have an fx3 for my Ghana trip, it depends , there’s no “one camera fits all” when you have a choice

[@don-xl]

@@KofiYeboah Makes sense. I think I've become a bit brand heavy, only because I have had very little complaints on my end with the equipment I use. Thanks for the insight and answering. As always, you know I have to ask you about soundtrack. Any info on the song at 0:34??? Thanks for the review and commentary Bro

[@ShadelessDen]

Oh man…now look what I have to buy….😮😮😮

[@KofiYeboah]

Watch to the end You don’t have to do anything

[@ShadelessDen]

@@KofiYeboahwill do!

[@johnpatricklim4509]

You mean a Nikon Red Komodo X....

[@KofiYeboah]

Sure let’s go with that lol

[@hhankx]

Funny watching a bunch of gas addicts talk about not being an addict. Al of these influencers getting komodos and will tell you that you don’t need a komodo

[@KofiYeboah]

Would you prefer I spin the opposite and say you DO need one? Just asking 🤷🏾‍♂️?

[@chleepy]

@@KofiYeboaheveryone should just get a burano tbh, good budget option

[@KofiYeboah]

@@chleepy I robbed a bank a lil while ago, probbaly a good idea to rinse the cash