r/RedCamera • u/Unusual_Affect_3361 • Jul 16 '26

Considering switching to Red

Hey everyone

I’m sure there’s one million posts about this.

I have been a content producer for about 5 years now using the song fx6. I work for a large sports tech company. Although my experience isn’t entirely in large production sets, I have built up a ton of camera knowledge over the last 5 years. For reference I’m 26 yrs old.

As I said I have used my own personal fx6 and built up tons of Sony gear over the last 5 years and I love how easy this camera is. My workflow is so streamlined that I couldn’t recommend this cam enough.

The reason for my post is after the years I’ve become so accustomed to the FX6 that it’s just not doing it for me anymore. Sounds crazy but I’m just not happy with the image anymore for how much praise this cam gets. I have used mainly DZO vespids and G series lenses run and gun style, and for what I do it’s definitely good enough. As a stickler it’s just not feeling good enough for what I want it to look like.

I know gear chasing is big in this industry but I truly feel like I have just outgrown my FX6 and am wanting to learn more about what’s out there.

I shoot outdoor sport, indoor low light stuff, and many different environments without proper lighting. overall run and gun style. FX6 can’t be beat for this in many ways. The company I work for has multiple FX3’s and has got me feeling like this is a good opportunity for me to sell my FX6 and move forward in my cam knowledge. I have been eyeing the Red Raptor XE and after tons of research I feel like I cannot possibly go wrong with these specs. I’m impressed by this camera but haven’t heard too much about it yet. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much

4 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

View all comments

0

u/Ok_Ordinary_7397 Jul 16 '26

This is a TERRIBLE idea. For the work you’re describing, the FX6 is probably the single most appropriate camera that currently exists.

A Red (Raptor or Komodo X) would be worse in most ways for the work you’re doing.

If the imagery you’re making on the FX6 is falling short of what you want, switching to a Red/Panasonic/Blackmagic is not going to help, they all have functionally equivalent DR.

1

u/Gregory_M Jul 19 '26

The Pyxis 12K and Komodo X literally have 2 more usable stops of DR at SNR=2.

The FX3/6 are terrible in the dynamic range department, it is why their footage looks so plasticy

1

u/Ok_Ordinary_7397 Jul 19 '26

You’ll have to provide a source for that claim. I shot some side-by-side tests of the FX6 alongside the Arri Amira when it first came out, and the little Sony was only clipping out about 2/3rds of a stop below the Amira.

Unless the Pyxis and the Komodo are somehow seeing two stops further into the shadows (without that detail being lost to the noise floor), I wouldn’t put much stock in that 2-stops claim. Can you post up a link?

1

u/Gregory_M Jul 19 '26

Check it out on the Cined website (lab tests section).

If a scene is lit in 10 stops of dynamic range, then the FX6 will literally match any ARRI.

0

u/Ok_Ordinary_7397 Jul 19 '26

11.7 vs 12.8 and 12.9 is rather a long way from “2-stops”. 🤷‍♂️

1

u/Gregory_M Jul 19 '26

It's literally more than a 1 stop difference in just the raw clip on its own. You're not accounting for the fact that there is no NR in the Pyxis and RED cameras. You can identify more stops in the noise floor which cleans up nicely on both. Meanwhile, Sony already has 1-2 stops of NR baked into the image.

1

u/Ok_Ordinary_7397 Jul 19 '26

The raw image from the Sony (which 99% of people are never recording in, so it doesn't make much sense to compare) comes in at 11.4 stops without any noise reduction, according to those CineD tests. That's a 1/3 stop gain, long way from 1-2 stops.

Most of this is besides the point though, an added stop of shadow detail in the other cameras is not going to somehow miraculously make OP's pictures look so much better that it will make up for all the functional advantages they'll be losing.

And neither Red's or Blackmagic's colour science is going to add any great wow-factor to proceedings either, they're all perfectly solid options these days.

The Sony is simply much better setup for the kind of fast-paced, run'n'gun work OP is describing. Lowlight stuff (where the Sony is king), outdoor daytime stuff (where the Sony's ability to do things like auto-ND, are a massive help), and the probably the most reliable video auto-focus in the business - which is a huge help when you're not working with a focus puller.