The new RED KOMODO X | Worth the upgrade for Underwater Filming?! 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@BurhanMuntasser]

Questions for you please: 1. What about stabilization and auto-focus in the X, does it have either? 2. What brand/type of lenses do/can you use with the camera? Thank you for sharing, it was very educational (even though I don't do video)

[@MatthiasLebo]

No worries mate and thanks for your questions... 1. No, it doesn't have IBIS. Auto-focus is available but it's nowhere close as good as it is on let's say modern cameras from Sony or Canon. 2. It has an RF mount which can be changed to a PL mount. So the choices are pretty much endless. From your normal Mirrorless zoom-lenses to primes to even cinema glass you can put pretty much anything on this camera.

[@asierfilms]

thanks !

[@MatthiasLebo]

You're welcome 😊

[@brams-dive-channel]

Hi Matthias, interesting video, thanks! I do have a few questions. What about low light performance? The "X" seems to be better at it. Might be a (big) plus underwater. A general question about diving with a Red camera: I understand blackshading is required/ adviced, when there is a significant temperature difference. How does this work underwater, when temperatures can vary widely, depending on depth? Do you ever have to go through the calibration process during the dive? And if so: does this bother you?

[@MatthiasLebo]

Hey buddy, Good questions. Yes, the KOMODO-X is supposed to be slightly better in low light and to have 0.5 stops of extra dynamic range, which is certainly not a bad thing to have when filming underwater. But to bee honest, I haven't been in many situations where I found the original KOMODO was performing very badly in terms of low light capabilities. Yes, black-shading is an important part in the preparation process to get the best possible results from the sensor. The way I do this is to do a black-shading every time before a dive. The temperature of the camera is actually not changing that much during a dive, since the steel housing is helping to keep the temperature more or less stable inside the housing. If im diving in tropical waters, 26 degrees and warmer, I turn on the camera, let it run for about 15 minutes (inside the housing, covered with a towel) to have the sensor become warmer and then I perform the black-shading. That way I account for the warmer water temperatures and the lower heat dissipation through the housing. In colder waters, I let it run for fewer minutes before performing the black-shading. And when I'm diving here in Switzerland, where the water is typically less then 15 degrees, I turn it on and perform the black-shading right away as the colder water will help dissipate the heat the camera is producing while running inside the housing. This has worked quite well for me so far and I have never had to redo the black-shading underwater, which by the way is not recommended by RED and GATES.

[@janinacooper4199]

Interesting video as always, thank you.:-)

[@MatthiasLebo]

You're welcome Janina 😊

[@i.amreis]

Hey Matthias, awesome video and very insightful. upgrading my rig from Gemini to the new Komodo-X as well and studying some housing options. Do you know if the current Gates Deep Komodo housing can fit the new komodoX?

[@MatthiasLebo]

Not yet. Gates is developing a conversion kit that will make you able to use that housing with the new Komodo-X. But it's not out yet and I don't know when that's going to be the case.

[@davidquateman8785]

do you use red filters on the lens and blue filters on the lights? I have gotten mixed answers from other gates shooters about whether or not to use red filters on the lens on red cameras, and how to handle WB in open water- most i've asked say they don't use filters on red.

[@MatthiasLebo]

It really depends not he situation I would say, and I have shot both underwater, with and without red filters. The 16-bit R3D RAW image is really special and - as you know - gives you so much leeway to work with the footage in post and manipulate it. So in most situations you are going to be fine without a red filter on your lens. But this means you'll have to put more work into postproduction, as opposed to using a red filter and “getting it right“ in camera. If you want to use a red filter, go with a very weak one so you're not blocking out too much ambient light (the Komodo is by no means a low light monster 😉). Regarding the ambient light filters (blue filters), I would use them whenever you shoot wide angle, to be able to get a consistent white balance throughout your frame. Hope this is helpful?

[@deeppassionfreediving]

Thank you for the input Matthias. I have a question regarding inbody stabilisation. I remember when gh5s was released, one of the arguments defending missing stabilisation was that for film makers the inbody stabilisation is counter productive, especially when using with gimbals amd other stabilizers. But my question is - if I have a properly balanced system, is IBIS really making any difference?

[@MatthiasLebo]

IBIS can still make a difference, even if you have a very well balanced system. With water movement and moving the camera around while filming and not just capturing a static shot, IBIS can be beneficial. But it's less crucial than on land.

[@deeppassionfreediving]

@@MatthiasLebo thank you for the reply