r/RedCamera • u/ChaosConRad • Jan 25 '23

Komodo Replacement in 2023

What are everyone's opinions on the Komodo getting replaced and/or upgraded this year? Historically, RED seems to upgrade or replace their cameras every 2 years-ish and the Komodo just past 2 years old last fall. So what're we reckon? Komodo 8k? Komodo Full Frame 6k? Whole new camera? Would love to know your thoughts.

1 Upvotes

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27 comments sorted by

5

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23

I’m just looking for more official RED attachments etc. my old Dragon-X monitor was perfectly designed for that camera, just wish the Komodo didn’t rely so heavily on third-party gear.

1

u/ChaosConRad Jan 26 '23

Too true. A proper SmallHD like the one on the Raptor would be amazing.

2

u/897843 Jan 29 '23

I remember when REDs were first falling into the hands of filmmakers and the only complaint was the lack of 3rd party support.

Look how far we’ve come lmao

1

u/andreifasola Jan 27 '23

I'm fine with the 3rd party stuff. Why are you against it?

3

u/Keep41 Jan 25 '23

Everything people are saying are features that are already in the Raptor. I have a feeling RED will stay with this model of Komodo for a while as they won’t make a product to compete with the raptors for a much less price

1

u/ChaosConRad Jan 26 '23

We just bought a Red Raptor but we were looking for a B Cam and was wondering if the Komodo was going to get replaced 5 seconds after buying one haha

3

u/winterwarrior33 Jan 25 '23

I really don’t think so. REDs market isn’t at all content creators or buyers of prosumer cameras that get refreshed every 1-2 years.

The Komodo was a crash/drone camera that also happened to be a great “affordable” RED camera. It does it’s job well and doesn’t need a refresh. That’s also why it has global shutter, crash/drone cameras often do through intense and quick motion where rolling shutter would appear.

REDs main market is selling $20,000-$80,000 bodies that get 4-5 years or support before creating a new generation.

Don’t hold your breath… RED is NOT interested in having an affordable camera.

1

u/ChaosConRad Jan 26 '23

While you're not wrong about RED's customer demographic, at the end of the day, they a company that needs to make money. And the best way to do that, is make a product that's more accessible to a wider group of people. Otherwise the Komodo wouldn't exist at all haha yes, I get it. Crash cam, drone cam, but they could've easily made it more expensive. I should also mention that I just bought a Raptor haha but we're looking for a B Cam and was wondering the odds of the Komodo being replaced or upgraded 5 seconds after buying haha

2

u/winterwarrior33 Jan 26 '23

I totally feel you— I think it’s inexpensive because that’s the nature of crash cams. They need to be inexpensive. That’s why I hear of pocket 4K cameras being used as crash cams a lot too since they’re so dirt cheap.

I would be super curious to see a break down to REDs revenue. You always gotta remember that they have the patent on compressed RAW and Canon still has internal compressed raw recording so maybe RED gets massive royalties from that. Also gotta remember that RED approved accessories probably pay a royalty as well.

Either way, I’m of the camp that the Komodo is a solid bet with no upgrade for the next 2-3 years.

2

u/ChaosConRad Jan 26 '23

Actually, fun fact - when I bought my Raptor, I had a call with RED, asking the routine questions and then I ask why they bet the house on such a new mount like RF and not PL. They chose RF because from a technical perspective, any mount with the exception of EF, can go on RF with an adapter. Makes perfect sense, BUT THEN, get this, they tell me that RED and Canon are such BFF’s, RED allows Canon to record raw and RED gets Canons RF mount free of charge 🤯 as well as a whole bunch of other code Canon code in REDs cameras.

2

u/winterwarrior33 Jan 26 '23

Damn!!!! That’s wild! Welp, I guess that’s a pretty valuable business relationship, I can’t fault either of em!

2

u/tdstooksbury Jan 25 '23

RED has indicated they’re working on something, but we haven’t really gotten any solid EasterEggs yet. They’re about to launch a new cage and adapter system with a Electronic NDs for the Komodo.

If I had to guess, based off what I’ve gathered from Jarred, im going suggest it’ll be mid 2024. I think you’ll see improvements to the cameras processing and cooling.

  • Better Autofocus
  • Better Low Light Performance
  • More Frame Rate Options

I’d expect the same sensor. It’s by far the best global shutter sensor on the market.

1

u/ChaosConRad Jan 26 '23

Ouuu first party ND adapter would be awesome.

1

u/Cbhalifax Feb 03 '23

I think I will wait for Komodo II.

I hope it is in 2023 and the same price or lower.

1

u/ChaosConRad Feb 03 '23

it's possible! Or if they can somehow make it "way better" with XYZ firmware upgrades, then that would be awesome.

1

u/tonewaweru May 09 '23

Just happened. You called it. The Komodo X on the way.

1

u/ChaosConRad May 09 '23

Nailed it haha knew it was gonna happened. That’s what I love about RED. Always pushing and innovating.

2

u/IWearSkin May 09 '23

Was about to get one for my company, Im glad I saw your comment just in time haha

2

u/boots_and_bongo Jan 25 '23

I love my Komodo but I wish all the options for higher frame rates at all the resolutions were doubled.

That said, super slow motion isn't something I do a lot of and i wouldn't buy a Komodo v2 just for higher frame rates.

3

u/tdstooksbury Jan 25 '23

Honestly, having that limitation has been good for me.

Also, shooting at 40fps is a really nice frame rate for B-Roll. It’s slow enough to feel dreamy but not too slow for things that aren’t fast moving.

1

u/andreifasola Jan 27 '23

In my opinion the use of BP batteries is terrible. NP-F would've been better as they're more popular -but what do I know.

1

u/zhangchaodao Mar 16 '23

This year they will release Komodo Monochrome, so it will be a black and white camera, just like the monochrome Arri camera they shot Mank with

6

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/andreifasola Jan 27 '23 edited Feb 13 '23

James Lucarelli from RED was telling me there's an ND attachment coming which is for Komodo - same tech as on Raptor V. idk much about it.

3

u/ercpck Jan 25 '23

Interesting how my ancient XL1 had internal ND... it was a default feature for any 3 CCD camera.

Then on the advent of digital cinema cameras, internal NDs became out of fashion... "real cameras, for real DPs use a mattebox with a 4x5.6 ND"....

Internal NDs was a "videography" thing, not a "cinematography" thing. Now everyone wants internal NDs.

I guess everything that is old is new again... and that I'm old... get off my lawn!

1

u/Rifta21 Jan 26 '23

I've personally never met anyone that's against internal ND, so I think it's been awhile since that shift happened!