GEAR REVIEW. RED V-RAPTOR XL 8K VV
Red introduces an XL version of its flagship V-Raptor 8K VV, for those who want a bigger solution
WORDS. Robert Shepherd IMAGES. Red
R ed Digital Cinema was founded in 2005 by Jim its debut in 2007. When it was released, the groundbreaking, but now obsolete, camera captured up to 120fps at 2K resolution and 60fps at 4K resolution. The company has since evolved to become one of the most prominent, respected and august camera manufacturers in the world. Walking around Red’s London premises, it’s easy to see why. The walls are adorned with posters of the award-winning films and TV series shot with its cameras: My Octopus Teacher , The Irishman , Squid Game and The Queen’s Gambit , to name just a few. Now, in 2022, Red has upped the ante again, with the introduction of the V-Raptor XL. This new model Jannard, with its first camera – the Red One – making is an upgrade on the existing V-Raptor 8K VV and offers all the same functionality as its stablemate, plus a little bit more. GOING LARGE The USP for the XL is the fact it has additional features to make it more conducive to studios working on
large productions. Red previously had the DSMC2 range, as well as a Ranger that complemented it. The Ranger was to the DSMC2 what the XL is to the V-Raptor. In image capture and frame rate terms, it’s virtually identical apart from one major difference: the XL has built- in ND filters. Nevertheless, the XL does have some extra features not available in the original V-Raptor. It has additional I/Os and takes 24v power, but will still handle 12v and 14v batteries, too. This means, when you attach a lower-voltage battery, all the additional auxiliary power is just disabled. With more auxiliary power, there are more SDIs, which means you can have more monitors connecting to the camera at one time. A built-in Ambient Lockit module ensures the camera is capable of wirelessly syncing timecode and genlock – plus sync over PTP is possible – and there is a noticeable difference in weight.
While it’s tempting to call the V-Raptor the XL’s predecessor, Red says the two cameras are very much ‘side by side’ – the bigger version does not diminish the smaller camera. IN THE FRAME One of the key advantages the XL has over other cameras on the market is frame rates. It has 8K resolution and can shoot up to 120fps at 8K. As you crop
BIG BEAST The new V-Raptor XL is a hefty piece of kit, with lots of added extras to please fans of the original
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