GEAR
REDKOMODO
for more power, we had a Bebob V98 Micro V-Lock battery and the Wooden Camera V-Mount plate, which also has D-Tap sockets to power an external monitor. At the bottomwe attached the Red Expander Module, which gives more options for mounting, as well as genlock, BNC, time code and four-pin control sockets. On the top, we bolted the Red Outrigger Handle, which has a start button and makes the camera much easier to handhold. We also has the Komodo Link Adaptor to give USB-C control – ideal for connecting the camera to a smart device. But this doesn’t work at the same time as the Outrigger Handle as there is only one set of connector pins. To the top of this we added the GDU Monitor Mount, to which we fixed the SmallHD Focus Pro OLED screen. And at the front we used the Canon EF-EOS to RF lens adapter to allow use of ED lenses. With cables, a single 512GB card and card reader plus a V-Mount battery charger, that little lot added up to around £4500/$4800 at current street prices. And you still don’t have any NDs or XLR inputs, so suddenly the six-grand Red is actually over ten. Of course, you might already own a proportion of this kit, but it is something to be aware of. All this kit also adds to the weight of the camera but does increase its usability significantly. Keep in mind that when you fix a quality cine prime to the front, the whole package increases in weight hugely. Fully rigged up, it’s best for use on a tripod. Or you could actually strip it right down to little more than a box with a lens on the front and use it handheld or on a gimbal, monitored via a smartphone. It’s a truly flexible camera that
ABOVE Using an accessory plate allows a large-capacity battery to power the camera for an all-day shoot
THE VERDICT If you work on top-end movie production and have been looking for a small, affordable B or C camera to match your Red DSMC2 A cameras, then the Komodo is the answer to your dreams. If you’ve always wanted to become part of the Red family, with a camera you can afford to own rather than just renting for one-off jobs, then the Red Komodo is the machine you have been waiting for. As long as you understand the body-only price is only the start of the money you will have to spend to make a truly usable system. The image quality is fantastic, the lack of rolling shutter issues are unique to this camera at this price point and it can be fully rigged up like a cinema camera or stripped back. And it will soon have phase detection AF to make it usable for run-and-gun documentary work. Lack of XLR audio inputs and controls may be an issue for some, as well as lack of built-in ND filters, but here are workarounds for this, such as lens mounts that have NDs built in. Or you can just use traditional ND or variable NDs
on the front of the lens. Those few niggles aside, it’s a great camera at a great price that should last for years and that allows you into the Red ecosystem.
More information
red.com cvp.com
HOW IT RATES
Features: 9 No XLR audio, ND or IBIS, but does have a global shutter Performance: 10 Stunning 6K from an incredibly robust Raw file Handling: 8 Body is light but needs rigging up tomake it work Value formoney: 9 The most affordable Red cinema camera ever PROMOVIEMAKER OVERALL RATING: 9/10 An AF Red with global shutter for six grand Pros: Global shutter, Raw image quality, that Red name Cons: Missing some useful cinema cam features
offers fantastic performance, stunning R3D Raw output, no rolling shutter issues and the
BELOW The global shutter means even fast-spinning wind turbines are captured accurately with no jello
prestige of owning a Red camera. All for a price that’s more affordable than any other Red.
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