Why I bought a $50,000 RED Camera for Underwater Cinematography

If you’ve been following my work lately you have probably seen that I’ve recently invested quite a bit into a new camera system. This is the RED Raptor system, and while I probably should have used the money on a down payment for a house, I’d like to share why I decided to invest the money into a RED instead.
Usually these sorts of videos on youtube dive straight into talking about image quality and frame rates, and RED Code RAW Recording, and while that gets me all very hot and bothered, it has very little to do with why I actually bought one.
-- Cinematographer Bio --
Tom Park is an accomplished underwater cinematographer and director, with over a decade of experience working in the underwater film industry. Tom has worked on a variety of projects, from short form docu-series to commercials and brand campaigns, for clients such as The National Gallery of Victoria, Tourism & Events Queensland, Destination NSW, The Smithsonian, and his work has been recognised with awards from film festivals around the world.
Tom is known for his technical expertise in working with underwater cameras and equipment, as well as his creative vision in capturing the beauty and uniqueness of the underwater world. He is passionate about ocean conservation and using his art to raise awareness about the importance of protecting marine ecosystems.
If you are looking for a dedicated underwater cinematographer in your documentary film crew, or are a brand looking to create an unforgettable marketing campaign, Tom has the skills and experience to help you bring your vision to life.
For more visit my website: www.tomparkfilms.com
or find my work on socials at tomsunderwaterphotography
For business enquires only, please shoot me a message at [e-mail]

[@jimmycarthy7431]

An insane camera! Congrats on the new rig and style of work!

[@TomPark]

Thank you mate! It’s epic - can’t wait to share more about the gigs we’re currently working on with it!

[@MatthiasLebo]

Welcome to the RED team mate. 🤙🏻 Good to see you're stepping it up. Surely the right way to go. Like for you, owning a RED system for underwater (in my case RED KOMODO & GATES) has opened many doors for me too. It's not all about the gear, but it is a little bit... 😉

[@TomPark]

Thank you Matthias, love your work mate. Stoked with the RED, and super impressed with the image underwater! It’s definitely not all about the gear, until a certain point where gear matters a whole lot! (In addition to skills of course!) Glad to hear you’re getting good with with your red!

[@ALifeWithoutBreath]

I'm just getting into the world of underwater filmmaking and I think I'd enjoy doing a project with (professional) mermaids. 🧜🏻‍♀☺ RAW video was the obvious choice for me, too. Especially because I'm familiar with those charts that detail how water absorbs light. My setup is somewhat humbler than yours. I use a Canon R5 which, being a nerd, I have owned since before I started my own company. Canon's RAW implementation is somewhat less elegant but right now I'm doing post and the advantages are undeniable. It'd be nice if I you could transcode the taxing Canon Cinema RAW into a more manageable format like ProRes RAW. But I hear RED has the patent on using compressed RAW video... and won't allow something like that. 😅😉 That's really the only gripe I have. And anyway, bigger equipment would make transport even more impractical than it already is. So right now I'm in this wonderful place where I don't have any G.A.S. at all. I love it! ☺

[@TomPark]

Great to meet, and thats epic to hear you're getting into this world! It's an endlessly deep world of filmmaking! I've seen loads of awesome films in that style, and they always look so good - hope you get the chance soon! The Canon R5 is a great rig! I know plenty of UW shooters running the R5 and R5C and they're doing some great work. The RAW pipeline is definitely quite different to RED's, but it still holds a number of the advantages - namely being increased flexibility in post production. Underwater colour is everything, and RAW is such a useful tool to have to assist where required. Without diving into the complicated politics of RAW patents, you are correct that RED has a patent on the way it handles and records its footage. Nikon somehow worked around that patent however, but I believe they pay a license to RED to use their patent tech in their new system... Anyways, the R5 is better than any Nikon for filmmaking! :p I love the no GAS occasions! Youve got a great set up that will be a top system for years to come, and transporting it around is likely already hard enough - it only gets harder haha!

[@underwaterimaging6935]

What a rig. Great video, keen to learn more about uw photography/videography from a business perspective

[@TomPark]

It's a beast! Glad you enjoyed, and theres a few videos discussing elements of this coming soon!

[@nes.torfernandez]

Good to know you’re shifting to a more technical approach for your channel cinematography speaking. I own a pocket 6k and Komodo X nauticam housing. Just considering selling one of them because is a bit overkill and I may invest on a housing for a canon R5C I’m very interested in how to get rigs that justify the use a such an expensive and professional system like the one we own. Unfortunately I haven’t found clients whiling to pay for high end productions

[@TomPark]

Thank you mate, glad you’re interested in the new approach for this channel. Dam, those are two very high end kits! Can I ask what you’re housing your Komodo-X in? Is it the Komodo or Raptor housing - and how seamlessly do you find it works in that housing? But for sure - two systems like that is a lot haha - but if they’ve got their place and lining up work then it’s all worthwhile. The R5C though is a great cam as well, worked with plenty of shooters running that setup with WACP ports. I’ve got a few videos on topics like this coming up, but for me, tourism has mostly required my Sony kit, which I have used for almost everything except campaign work. And natural history and tv has of course required the RED. I believe how you position yourself in the market and how you approach people in the industry is a huge part of it!

[@nes.torfernandez]

@@TomPark Absolutely, Tom. These are indeed very powerful cameras. I apologize for rushing my first comment, as I couldn't be as specific as I wanted to be. Currently, I own the NA-BMPCC6k housing, which I must say brings me total joy while filming, especially with the post-production workflow and the remarkable BRAW files. The downsides of a heavy and bulky setup aren't as relevant when considering the final results one can achieve with cinema cameras like this. This is why I purchased the Komodo X. Editing the 16-bit RED RAW is an incredibly pleasant experience, although I am still trying to get the hang of the camera. Even though I've used other cinema cameras before, I must admit that the Kondor X is not as simple as a mirrorless camera. As for the housing, I'm using the Salty Surf one and waiting for the GATE kit conversion to use the X with the regular GATE Komodo housing. I had the opportunity to test it, and I have decided to sell my Pocket 6k and invest in a more user-friendly yet still powerful hybrid R5C system with Nauticam, while also putting resources into the Gate housing. I'm actively seeking opportunities that can justify an investment like this. Currently, I mostly work on land with it, and I appreciate having the RF mount as well as the EF mount to use with all three systems. I'm eagerly anticipating achieving more goals, and I believe that RED will open new doors for me.

[@wildpatagoniafilms16]

Congrats on your new gear mate! Awesome! Couple of questions.. you used to own/shoot with the FX3 before getting the Raptor? How is the Raptor performing in low light? (compared with the FX3 I know the answer ), but how about compared with the Gemini? What glass you use for underwater: lens... and last question: what size dome you use? Thanks!! cheers!

[@TomPark]

Thank you, it’s an absolute weapon! That’s correct yeah, I use the Sony for gigs that don’t call for the red- a lot of tourism work, and have used it for years. The Sony is a great cam, but the red just completely blows it out of the water. Except for low light haha. The Sony is much better here. The RED does pretty well underwater 10mins after sunrise if it’s shallow enough 0-10m, and 10m+ id allow about 20-30mins after sunrise and before sunset to film. You’re still making compromises, but it does hold itself fairly well. The Sony however can film perfectly literally in the dark. I also have a WACP Conversion port on the RED, and these things are incredible. Optical perfection for underwater shooters. Ultra wide angle with macro all wrapped in one, both optically perfect, with no loss in corner sharpness and No minimum focus distance on either end. They’re pricey - but it’s the best lens I have ever used. Would recommend! Behind it I have a sigma 18-35 f1.8. There’s canon options for extended macro reach too. I do have a sigma 14mm cine prime that I was considering getting wet behind their cine domes, but honestly the WACP outperforms it anyway. Any further questions let me know! Always happy to chat gear!

[@TomPark]

Just to clarify that the wacp converts the 18-35 to an 11mm to 50mm ultra wide and macro FF equivalent

[@wildpatagoniafilms16]

@@TomPark thank you for the detailed answers! very much appreciated! Your dome is an 8"...? (glass?) cheers!

[@TomPark]

Not a problem at all! The conversion ports are actually instead of dome ports. I have the WACPc - there’s a larger one the wacp2 both are all glass :) but they operate very differently to standard glass ports - if you’re interested have a look at nauticams wacp line - they’re unreal!

[@wildpatagoniafilms16]

@@TomPark I will check the WACPc! I'd love to see a post about strobes.. mainly about positioning of the lights. Thanks again! Discovered your channel not long ago.. big fun! cheers!

[@antonschell8280]

Fucking love it Tom! Plz give me all the info you can bro! Respect, as always g!

[@ToddKortte]

Crazy. Unless you are shooting TV/Film for Hollywood its not worth it. I am an actor in Hollywood. I know cinematographers who shoot underwater episodes for CSI type of shows. Its great for controlled environment. But having that large of a setup in the ocean limits the range of shots you will be able to shoot. You don't need a big camera setup to win awards for underwater. I have won several film festivals, 5x winner of Southern California Shootout, several viral videos, several liscensed videos, and placed 4th in the World at the World Shootout in Germany....all with a GoPro. I have been diving with others who shot with RED and Ari Alexa setups and they could not capture what I did with a GoPro. Too big, bulky, and messing with settings always made them miss shots. You can't ask life underwater to reset back to 1. Hopefully you can get clients and shoot in controlled environments for commercial and film. That's where having a big setup is worth it. Love your work, hope to see some good results soon. Todd

[@TomPark]

Hey Todd, honestly I’ve experienced the opposite of this with the Red. I must admit I originally thought and expected the fluff around to be a set back, but once you get used to it it’s no different to using my FX3 underwater. The benefit however is the latitude you get with your footage, from post workflows with RED RAW and the extreme colour depth which is crazy helpful for underwater scenes where colour changes so readily. In my experience, I actually find it simpler using the RED than my Sony system, and when on wildlife shoots it’s so good to have complete control over everything, and an additional safety net with red Raw files. We’re actually shooting a doco now and have spent 8 days tracking 1 shot, and we nailed it - the red being a huge assist here in guaranteeing a good image even in the fast paced and crazy nature of the shoot. In the doco world, these beasts are super necessary - and while on land they’re a mammoth to deal with, set up, and carry around , underwater it’s actually quite simple - they’re neutrally buoyant and with a bit of practice much simpler to use than a rigged up dslr. But you’re absolutely right. Skill is everything, and a great camera doesn’t make up for an average shooter! They have their place and 99.9% of filmmakers don’t need this for standard corporate work above or underwater. And even simple set ups can capture epic footage. For docos and natural history however, it’s something that is required Anyways long comment here! TLDR, underwater I’ve actually found it pretty straightforward to use, and isn’t at all a set back when compared to other prosumer dslr and mirrorless rigs.

[@ToddKortte]

@@TomPark Awesome! Can't wait to see the results. Colors for underwater have always fascinated me. I have worked on so many test with white balance, RAW, color profiles, lights, kelvin colors on lights, filters, no filters, ambient light reading, visibility changes on dives and sunlight, a cloud goes past the sun changing color, time of day changing the color of the sun, and so many color loss scenarios.....its never ending. And then I realized nobody knows the real colors underwater. Its all perception. Most nature documentaries underwater have pretty bad color compared to what it really looks like underwater. Most divers over color grade or try too hard to take all the blue out of the scene. I finally got to a point where composition and content that holds a person's attention is more valuable than a video with incredible quality and pristine colors. Value these days is in being to hold the attention of the viewer. There is little to no demand for photos these days and a very high demand for videos that capture and hold attention. So much so, that quality does not matter. Reach is #1. If you can reach viewers and hold their attention, that content is worth a lot. Anyone with a phone can capture a video in demand and make $$$$ easily from going viral. I am teaching divers how to use the GoPro underwater in hopes that we can flood social media with what we experience underwater. The more content shared, the bigger an impact we can have on the rest of the world. We need more divers sharing content online on social media. Its kind of a virtual aquarium. You get the public emotionally attached to the life in our oceans, then the life has a better chance of surviving. Hope to cross paths with you someday. Todd

[@TomPark]

A really interesting position, and absolutely from a standard marketing and content perspective i definitely agree with you. Engagement is far more important than perfecting a non-engaging scene. Of course perfect colours and engagement are the peak of both worlds. And again interesting to point out that underwater colour is all perception, as in real life it is all just blues and greens past a certain point. Documentaries and films are a bit different as they aren’t really limited by engagement like most web based marketing is. Audiences approach those things with much longer attention spans and they’re not really driven by vitality. But if vitality and social or web engagement is what you’re after then absolutely- no need for anything fancy as the animal and encounter is far more important than perfecting the image quality and colours. And yes!! Can’t agree with you more. We need far far more ocean content - and honestly lately it’s been everywhere, as this is truly the only way to raise awareness on a mass scale and hopefully inspire change such that we can save our oceans! The more content the better chance we have!! You too, I hope to cross paths with you one day as well! I feel we’d have a lot to discuss!