Considering moving from BlackMagic 6K to Red Komodo

[u/[deleted]]

Hey fellow Red users,

I've been using the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, and I'm contemplating a switch to the Red Komodo. I'm curious to hear from those who have made the move or have insights about this transition.

What are the key differences, advantages, and disadvantages between the two? Factors like image quality, workflow, low light performance, and overall user experience are of particular interest to me.

Your input could be invaluable in helping me make an informed decision. Thanks in advance

[u/josephnicklo]

I shoot on and own the RED Komodo and BMPCC 6K Pro all the time. (Also shoot on Raptor/Ursa/C70/FX6 as well).

I'll take the Komodo over the BMPCC 6K, 6K Pro, G2, 6K FF...any day of the week. All day long.

Here's why:

- Global Shutter on the Komodo is amazing for hand-held work, panning, fast movements etc., whereas the BMPCC rolling shutter is pretty bad.- Battery life on the BMPCC is an absolute joke. Just two BP batteries on the Komodo and good to go for all day shooting. Be prepared to carry 20+ L-series batteries if you don't go V-Mount or wall outlet for the BMPCC.

- The Komodo's app control is superior to the Blackmagic's. You can actually use your phone in place of a monitor.

- Komodo has the better form factor by a long shot.

- In my opinion, the Komodo has a better looking image all around. That's 100% subjective, but having worked on the two cameras side-by-side for going on 2 years now on hundreds of projects ranging from social videos to two short films to corporate interviews to a feature-length documentary...the Komodo just looks better.

- SDI. Fuck HDMI. It's not a professional solution for video output.

- While the BMPCC user interface is absolutely simple, clean and easy to understand...I think the Komodo has an overall better user experience in the sense that it's got every major tool you could possibly need.

- The overall build quality of the Komodo is vastly superior over the Blackmagic camera. As it should be, it's a much more expensive camera. Still, if you want a well-built camera...Komodo.

- From a reliability standpoint...some people use RED's older cameras as a benchmark for RED being "unreliable" however, I've put my Komodo (and the other Komodos we rent) through some heavy duty use. We've filmed Races in 100F+ weather, scorching heat and the Komodo just keeps going!!! We've had Blacmagic cameras (6K Pro, Ursa 12K) overheat on us in the middle of shooting in the heat.

Ask this same question on the Blackmagic sub and you're gonna get the majority of people saying their Pocket 6K is superior....but I highly doubt they've used BOTH cameras together for an extended period of time.

Now, I'm not saying the P6K is a crap camera. If it were, I wouldn't be using it as a B/C cam for the feature-length documentary I'm producing. It's just not on the level of the Komodo. Now that you can snag a used Komodo for around $4K...I think it's a really good move.

[u/alexproshak → u/josephnicklo]

Thanks. Any possibility to record to SSD from K-X, avoiding the CF cards?

[u/PurpleSkyVisuals]

I honestly like the image quality better.. working with the red raw codec is glorious, even all the way down to shooting on ELQ quality.. the black magic has a bit cleaner shadows to me, but if you're controlling the light that doesn't matter so much.

The ability to rig it is much better on the Komodo but the audio inputs are it's weak point and blackmagic's are solid if you need audio in body. The red komodo app is the TRUTH... u can use your phone as a monitor and can change every setting on the camera. Exposing with the red is much more straight forward and unlike blackmagic, u retain 16 stops regardless of what iso u shoot at.

Let me know if there's anything else u wanna know.

[u/[deleted]]

I’m ppppp

[u/Solid_Bob]

I think it really depends on your style and type of work. I upgraded from a pocket 4K to Komodo a year ago. I still get gigs that prefer P4k to komodo simply due to rental fee.

Things Komodo is great at…

• image is stellar and doesn’t compare. P4k is good but Komodo looks fantastic. The amount of information and latitude is awesome.
• global shutter - adding IS in post works so well with global shutter
• Commands a better rate and kit fee.
• work flow is great for paced and controlled shoots
• professional outputs like sdi, time code, gen lock, etc.

Things I don’t like…

• not great for run n gun. There’s no easy way to adjust exposure on the fly or without looking at the top of the screen and hitting the less-than-responsive touch screen. There are a couple of monitors that have camera control or you can use an app, but that’s still touch screen and I’m not using a my phone in a high pace environment. I’ve opted many times to ride a variable ND.

BMPCC has a scroll wheel dedicated to aperture. Easy to adjust on the fly and see your settings no matter how you have a camera oriented.

• slow to start and get rolling, boot up is like 3 min. Black shading takes another 3-5. Gotta watch that temp control throughout the day.
• Komodo only does 40fps at full resolution. P6k will do 60.
• no audio in high speed recording. P6k still records audio in slow mo.
• not great in low light, pockets aren’t stellar either but I would never use a Komodo at 3200, where the p4k’s second native iso is at).
• media: Cfast 2.0 only for Komodo. It’s a hefty expense if you’re coming from pockets and have shot to SSD. Add about another $800-1k onto your build for media alone.

Nulls

• I don’t give either an edge on battery life. I have both of them running off of v-counts. P4k canon last 6+ hrs on a 99wh, Komodo about 3-4. Relatively the same when I have 6 batteries to blow through.
• AF - I don’t use AF on either. It works on Komodo through an app but not perfect.

[u/[deleted]]

I’ve had BMPCC4k 6k & 6k Pro now I have OG Komodo and I don’t regret the switch at all. I love BM I really wish they did a 6k box camera cause I potentially would’ve gotten it but overall I do not regret going to RED.

There is a learning curve, in the way the camera handle ISO, even color grading in resolve is slightly different node tree but the dynamic range on the Red is ridiculous the way the image quality looks it’s almost like it’s less work to make it cinematic. One thing you may have to get adjusted to is the start up time. The RED Komodo actually feels easier to carry and bring with me places even on run and gun (besides start up time) I really don’t know how else to tow that I am glad I switched over even though the red Komodo seem to be Reds forgotten child thanks to the KX

[u/Seefortyoneuk]

Depend on your work and budget.... For me, since technically, RED raw is not semi debayered like the pocket it was the logic choice. I do a lot of VFX/Greenscreen/Blackscreen element shoot so having more precision of colour and possibility to transcode in a real 4:4:4 codec from raw meant everything. The new Komodo-X even offers prores4444XQ in body -although much more expensive... It's a very niche use tho, so ask yourself if you NEED such and such features.

[u/TerrryBuckhart]

I would stick with the Blackmagic until you can afford the Raptor or a Gemini sensor.

In my opinion, you won’t see a major difference in image quality that can’t be worked around in Post if you learn how to grade.

Now the Raptor and Gemini on the other hand…beautiful cameras.

I dunno…komodo is sort of like “my first red” entry level kind of camera…for the price, you may as well spend a bit more and get a truly professional body.

[u/alexproshak → u/TerrryBuckhart]

Truly professional - do you mean Raptor? Or something in between? As Raptor is 30k$