RED is about to launch a new variant of the Komodo 6K Cinema Camera and has teased the official announcement on Instagram.
Being a tad long in the tooth by comparison to the company’s 8K models, the Komodo is generally considered to be a secondary camera.
But now with Komodo-X, RED looks to up the Komodo’s game to a primary role with a host of new features.
Image Credit – Jarred Land
News of the RED Komodo X broke during the Carlos Quintero podcast live stream when RED Fire Chief Jarred Land called in to provide a little clarity of what RED has in store for Komodo.
Land explained that Komodo was initially designed as a backup camera, which led Komodo fans to want far more from the 6K “small little cube.”
“I clicked on the live stream and you started saying some of the requests for it and I thought they were a leaked spec!” Land says.
“I thought ‘Oh shit, what does Carlos know that nobody else knows?’”
“We made Komodo really for the best “crash cam” possible, and not as an A cam,” stated Land during the live stream.
“We probably would’ve done a lot differently to take it to an A cam.” Land went on to state that increased interest in Komodo made RED realize that it could be a primary camera with the right improvements, while not sacrificing features like the S35 image sensor or a global shutter, that makes Komodo special.
Land started to speak about a new Komodo as an inevitability, but then became more guarded so as to not give anything away.
“If there was a new Komodo, it would bridge the gap between a “crash cam” and something more for those wanting to use it as an A-Cam. Theoretically.”
View this post on Instagram
A few days later, Land went on the Scott Balkum podcast to fill in the blanks even more stating that a Komodo-X could be positioned as a next-level RED that could offer users a transitionary platform from a mirrorless camera workflow to a more cinematic one.
He then posted an interesting shot of the Komodo-X on Instagram with a video clip of a female fox marking her territory on a Komodo X brain. Land quipped “Never ask a fox to participate in a camera leak.”
By the looks of it, the Komodo-X variant will likely keep the Super 35 image sensor and global shutter (which Land states are difficult to go back from once you’ve tried it).
Komodo X will also have improved audio recording capability, and offer frame rates that are somewhere between the current Komodo and a V-Raptor 8K camera.
The camera will also record to faster media like CFExpress cards, have a locking RF mount ring, and offer various expansion modules including a V-mount back for battery power and pass thru cable connections.
There will also be a larger top screen which could slightly increase the size of the camera in order to balance the aesthetic.
Though Land stated he prefers the current size of the Komodo and how it fits in the hand, leading to speculation a Komodo-X would be longer and not necessarily taller and wider.
The front-mounted record button has also returned.
The announcement has been teased for May 16, 2023, with a rumored price of around $10,000, which is about 40% greater than the current Komodo MSRP of $5995.
Land does state, however, that they have no idea of a price at this point, so the final list price could be far different.
And while not in production just yet, the Komodo-X will likely ship by the latter half of 2023.
[source: Red Shark News]
Order links:
- RED DIGITAL CINEMA KOMODO 6K Digital Cinema Camera, Canon RF (B&H)
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