RED V-Raptor [X], First Thoughts (I'm IMPRESSED)

[@Abdi_Mohamed_]

I had no idea that a additional dynamic range stop is that huge of a difference. this video really opened my eyes.

[@storyministry]

Super helpful video, very informative! Good job Nick!

[@nick_salazar]

Thanks!!

[@cogmission1]

Thank you for this review! I subscribed due to an affinity with your allegiance to technical understandings, and love of cinematic quality. I am no where near your level (in fact, I'm just getting started), but I want to ground myself in actual facts and technical know-how - and have selected (after a bout with the GH5, S1H, A7siii, and A1), to anchor myself in RED technology (especially since they have so graciously made their lineup [financially] accessible for the mere mortal!!). LOL...

[@nick_salazar]

Thanks for the kind words! There are some very strong opinions about cinema gear, and that's fine. I tend to believe that strong opinions make for strong art. If there's a camera brand that makes your heart sing, then that's wonderful! You're more likely to make great art with it. For me, RED is so great because their very existence has pushed the other big players (ARRI and Sony) to up their game as well. Without the original RED One and its progeny, the cinema world would not be where it is today. We would likely not even have the Alexa without the RED. Anyway, thanks for subscribing and I hope to have more fun stuff to share soon!

[@cogmission1]

@@nick_salazar Good points! Looking forward to your future posts!

[@florubenberger]

Smart marketing move from red to disable HDRx on the dsmc3 series just to sell it as a innovation the next generation of DOPs. Sadly the physical limitations of this concept haven't changed, though

[@nick_salazar]

That's not accurate. The fact that we're on global shutter now means the artifacts from blended exposures are reduced. Whether the camera is moving or the subject is moving, readout speed (even the very fast readout from RED sensors) will cause artifacts when blending subsequent exposures. Those artifacts will still exist, but they will pop up less often.

[@florubenberger]

A global shutter will provide a better starting point than a rolling shutter, but sadly doesn't change the involved math and the physics behind blending frames together @@nick_salazar

[@florubenberger]

A global shutter will provide a better starting point than a rolling shutter, but sadly doesn't change the involved math and physics behind blending frames together @@nick_salazar

[@RepaireroftheBreach]

My understanding is that the RaptorX sensor doesnt grab the additional highlights because of the global shutter, but because they record additional frames between the usable frames and the extra frames grab highlight detail and then its merged into the intended frames in post. So it takes extra data and extra frames to pull off. So if you want those 3 extra stops you have to shoot twice as much data. I wish it was due to advancements in the sensor so it wouldnt require the additional trouble, but in some situations where you know you need it, it could definitely help. I wonder when AI will be integrated to analyze the frames and interpolate the data missing from clipped highlights :) Or better yet-an even better sensor :)

[@nick_salazar]

You're correct that it's a double exposure (I clarified this in the second video) - but the global shutter helps reduce artifacts based on a blended exposure. So you're not wrong, but it's still true that global shutter helps here.

[@KAMEL_MAZIAD_PRODUCTION]

Im between first people the folow u . You have good future in youtube . Continue good look . Kamel (From lebanon )

[@errol3184]

Cine D says 13 stops...and ONE extra w/ recovery. From what I gathered, quality of recovered footage is not good enough for whole subjects but rather to un-clip something in the background or a smaller detail in the frame.

[@nick_salazar]

This is why SNR and latitude tests are so important to understanding the overall picture. Don’t be fooled by a single number. A V-Raptor will give you MUCH more latitude than a compact mirrorless, especially in the shadows.

[@frannyfranman]

I wonder if it’s going to have drawbacks similar to HDR-X

[@nick_salazar]

From the early information from RED itself and independent folks who have gotten their hands on the camera ... it sounds like it's a similar process, but much improved from HDRX. It's a double exposure, so for very fast-moving subjects you could encounter ghosting. RED also says you would want to disable it for critical sync issues like shooting on an LED wall. It's not the same as just having those stops fully accessible as they are on the ALEV III and ALEV IV sensors from ARRI. And in truth, RED is selling it as "insurance" or " use in extreme situations" type of thing. They're being careful not to oversell it (which honestly, I might have done here in this video). But in truth, I think that for MOST kinds of shooting, it will be awesome to have. I plan to leave it on most of the time, and then either use it in post when it makes sense, or not. The increase in data rate doesn't bug me too much, I just keep 5-10 TB on my computer on a fast NVME array until it fills up, then I offload to long-term storage.

[@dav]

I’m upgrading mine as well (second week). For me, it’s the global shutter, dynamic range and the subtle cooler “red” look. My wallet is crying over the upgrade cost though, which alone is over the cost of a Komodo X. Great video, very informative, well earned your third sub 👍

[@robinert8858]

how did i get here at 9 aubscribers??? great job man!

[@nick_salazar]

I have subscribers? Hahaha.

[@erosefilms]

I’m upgrading mine also

[@bluechipstudios]

The dynamic range of the Raptor without X is already top of the notch, certainly it becomes better with the X package. I can not justify the price for this upgrade, maybe when RED manage to introduce a very good autofocus, it’s still not reliable .

[@MrVrob8]

Will the new HDR mode be viewable on monitor while shooting or will we need to "trust it"?

[@nick_salazar]

It's viewable! And it changes your false color to correctly show where you're clipping now with the additional stops. Apparently it's a pretty big "wow" moment when you see that switched on for the first time (assuming it's a shot that benefits from it).

[@MrVrob8]

@@nick_salazar Oh! Well that's a pretty thing then!

[@nick_salazar]

@@MrVrob8 as soon as this Golem can get hands on The Precious, I'll post lots more about it. I'm probably over-hyped and over-hyping it, but I look forward to finding out how much so. I'll post plenty more once I have it in hand. Slightly more info posted here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWa8o6iwf9SXhtk

[@frankanore]

The one question I will ask though is: The great Hollywood OSCAR-winning movies that were made digitally within the last 10 years were they made with cameras with these new features? Yet they shot all possible conditions. Craft over gear!

[@nick_salazar]

Well, with that attitude we should all stop caring about the tools we use and just shoot everything on smartphones. My perspective is different from yours. For me, there’s no conflict of craft over gear, gear over craft, etc. They are intertwined, and all part of the art form of visual storytelling. Understanding how the technology improves is part of learning and advancing the art.

[@MonigMedia]

Arri and Sony, your move

[@nick_salazar]

To be fair, ARRI is already the boss here, and their sensor is the GOAT. It would be cool to see ALEV IV move into full-frame sizes. It would be cool to see ARRI make an even more compact camera with the same image quality. But they don't have to, as they're already the king of cinema cameras. Sony has gone a different way, the Burano will definitely be a compelling option for a lot of people. It doesn't have the dynamic range, but it has some other features a lot of people will like (internal ND combined with stabilization, redundant memory slots, class-leading autofocus, traditional eyepiece and control handle, etc etc). The REAL WINNER here ... is all of us. We have more options, and more power in our hands than anyone has in the history of cinema. For me, the V-Raptor [X] looks like nearly the perfect camera, or at least the most perfect for now. Watch this space :-)

[@coin777]

Your face is very beautyfied

[@robertruffo2134]

Not correct. It really depends on what ISO you light for. If you light/expose Reds for higher ISOs (its' all RAW, so which ISO you choose while shooting is irrelevant) then you have less latitude in the shadows, and more in the highlights.

[@nick_salazar]

What you say is true of any RAW footage. The V-Raptor has about 13 stops at SNR 2, which is mapped to favor the shadows at ISO 800, but you’re correct that as with any camera if you turn up the gain you change where those stops map relative to middle gray. Once we add the EH stops, V-Raptor X will map very close to how Alexa 35 maps, plus or minus 1/3 stop or so. I’m not sure what you’re arguing with here.

[@cogmission1]

@@nick_salazar I think he's confusing your statements about the EH mode and how it only adds to the sensitivity in the upper (highlight) range - with the way ISO "brackets" it's range, centered over the configured middle gray point. I could be wrong, but I believe he's collapsing the two concepts.

[@nick_salazar]

@@cogmission1 yeah I'm not sure what he's getting at. I did try to put a warning in the video that I could be wrong about anything ... but if this guy is pointing out something I've said wrong, I'm not understanding him.

[@cogmission1]

@@nick_salazar Hopefully, he'll let us know where he's at now that you've responded... ?

[@chaochewei6213]

Love live king Arri Alexa