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| Category: | Industry News |
Release of the DSLR killer? - Red's Digital Still and Motion Camera is said to be the camera that will change the way we think about capturing images.
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Jargon Buster: Off
There's a lot of talk online about RED's new modular camera system. ePHOTOzine previously reported on the CEO of the company, Jim Jannard announcing plans to release a Digital Still and Motion Camera (DSMC) and now the company have released the pictures and specifications of the new system.
RED have said: "Scarlet and EPIC are the DNA of Red's new DSMC system. Using a DSMC allows you to shoot no-compromise still or motion images with the same camera. Well actually with over a trillion different cameras. Configure your camera to handle like a DSLR... or a cinema camera... or anything you can imagine."
You select a "brain" which is either the Scarlet Professional or EPIC Master Professional and from there you start to configure your camera. Sensor sizes begin at 2/3" and finish at 6x17cm and as technology advances you don't need to buy a new camera instead you just change the brain. Still image resolutions are said to range from 4.9MP to a huge 261Mp but this does come at a cost. The Scarlet brain alone ranges from $2,500 to $12,000 and the Epic starts at $28,000 and rises to $55,000. On top of this you have to buy your various components which could include Reds new lenses or if you want to save a little bit of cash, you can use your old Nikon and Canon ones with a special adaptor.
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Red are heralding the DSMC as the "obsolescence to obsolete", no longer is there a reason to buy a new camera. If this is true we shall have to wait and see.
Jim previously said that more information about the 5D Mark II killer would be announced at the start of 2009 and ePHOTOzine are contacting RED for more information.
You can see the full specifications on Red's website.
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Comments
Its quite a departure for a driving school to move into digital imaging! ....
Normally kit dosent interest me one bit ... this system could change that ... the prospect of shooting in widescreen at ISO 25 gets me quite moist ... of course the chances of me ever affording a RED keyring is quite remote so no breath holding from me ...
If anybody can provide a digital solution to all dumped 35 mm SLRs , It woul save sentimental as well a junkpile all over the World,
It will come down in price everything does except for nintendo DS, Then what will canon and nikon do , they'll have to drop there prices , bring it on.
It will be interesting to see how well this camera system handles, just looking at the pictures - it looks a bit chunky and clumbersome to me!
With regards to the 6x17 sensor, just think of the file size it would produce and the necessary computing power you would need to post process the file.
If this does take off for Red, I can't see Canon, Nikon and Sony wanting to be left behind. Interesting times a head I think!
Why can't manufacturers make a body which can have sufficient number of data and control lines and wizzo processor (or two) and have plug in sensors, perhaps the size of CF cards so you can simply plug in the new sensor to the existing body. They could even produce plug in processors too (ala self build pc's). This might allow us to continue using the same camera bodies for at leat a couple of sensor size upgrades.
That way it should be cheaper and less electronics to be binned = better and greener all around!
Me thinks the technology exists to do this now (just as we've moved from internal memory to plug in cards) but the manufacturers are profiteering.
Stuart
I can see it now!!
The wonderous plugin super sensor Only $300.00
Tools for changing sensor $1000.00
Labour for changing sensor $10.00
Somehow I just don't see it as being viable for the average "joe" to swap out sensors, as I feel the sensor will get more sensetive in times to come.
The people who buy this equipment are already spending thousands on bodies each year anyway. Sure not as much but the parts of RED are interchangeable so if a parts fails, replace that bit. Essentially, the camera won't ever need replacing so in the long run should save you money.
Allan_S,
Get your point - just another way to milk the millions, although we used to have in body memory only - we've now got the plug in memory card - you wouldn't need the installation tool or to get anyone else to do it for a similarly designed sensor array. It's perfectly feasible. In fact it would be feasible to be able to keep the same body for a number of upgrades.
The Red idea is a good one but what we want / need is an upgradeable body based on the existing type which would appear to be more easily wielded than the beasty above.
The manufacturers just don't want to do it 'cos they want to keep selling new bodies.
Stuart
This the way the press will go. Being able to grab a shot from a stream of images. The press photographer being replaced by a lowly paid graduate or someome who will work for peanuts.
This niche has long been held up by the import taxes levid by the EU on pixels dimesnions over a certain size.
As for photography in general I see more motion picture options on the new cameras replacing motor drives.
I said this was the way it would go over 30 years ago when I was in the photo trade.
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