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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

All quiet on the (RED)western front ...

ignition

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Lots of conversations and speculation going on in this forum but it does seem strangely absent of any official input. I'm sure the lovely folk at RED are mad busy scaling up production pipelines for Weapon upgrades and working on many wondrous things.. but unless I'm missing something, the last official RED posts on Weapon were 3+ months ago at NAB.

Most people reading this thread are likely quite a few thousand dollars down in deposits on the upgrade pathway, with significantly more on the line come fulfillment time; RED equipment has always been exceptional to me which is why I'm on the pathway myself. But I also find the absence of dialog to the community kind of exceptional in light of the commitment people have made those many months ago.

There seems a few burning questions that some official perspective on would be warmly welcomed.. I might be totally wrong but from what I've read thus far the top 4 questions (ordered by what I assume is important commercially to the user base) look something like:

1) Upgrade pathway was slated for approx Aug commencement. We understand the order for existing Dragons (ie. CF Dragons before std etc.), but how about a rough snapshot of likely start dates for each 'segment'. Assume RED has full visibility by now on production capacity and segmented preorder volumes.

2) NAB highlighted the RED branded modules and 3rd party ecosystem (excited about the O-Mods etc.); but what is that ecosystem looking like now in terms of availability. One thing that most seem passionate about (me included) is the ET side handle as a practical and important part of a lot of user's approach to shooting w/existing equipment. If everything else remains tight lipped, some perspective on the side handle issue would be warmly welcomed.

3) Understand the benefits from ProRes, body weight/form factor benefits, wireless approach. There are various perspectives on increased performance from the sensor itself as a result of the internal supporting hardware upgrades. Some confirmation on what, if any, sensor performance improvements people might see when they get their Dragon sensor back in the new Weapon body. That is, what practical image benefits might Weapon yield for those who own one and are competing against a legacy (saturated) Epic and Dragon production market.

4) 8K sensor and glass coverage; people have a lot invested in glass or are considering investment in glass. A lot of discussion on this seems to hinge on practical tests from users as pre-prod 8K VV dragons are issued, which is likely pretty close to when commitments and upgrades fall due. In developing such a sensor various tests on existing FF/MF glass must be taking place. Would love to hear some perspectives from RED on how the new sensor is performing on some of the industry standard glass. The theoretical approach to image circle and coverage isn't exactly comforting when considering $50k+ investments in glass.

Okay, hope I'm not talking out of place yet again.. :)
 
I don't have all the answers, but I can type a few words. Not official info, but info nonetheless.

1. Don't know the exact segments or shipping dates, but there are a few Weapons out there getting into some of the earliest hands.

2. Element Technica will have the V-Lock and Gold-Lock Weapon Battery Plates at Weapon's launch (really, really soon) from what I understand. Likely a couple other accessories as well. ET is still working on the Side Handle last I heard, but they and RED fully understand how important it is for shooters who leave it on their camera. My personal concern reading the ET Side Handle thread is there are a lot of folks looking for a lot of different things inside that accessory. ET's design will be smart and functional, but I really don't know of a way that everybody in that particular thread can have "everything". It's an essential bit of kit for me and I'm sure it will be smart and designed for the lighter weight Weapon body. There are very talented folks working on that particular design. OMOD/OFFHOLLYWOOD and other 3rd party developers, I have no idea when those AKS will be available. But I imagine shortly after they get the Weapons rolling out a bit.

3. So far the practical image quality benefits we know of to date are about a 1/2 stop better performance in the shadows, which is nice. There seems to be some tuning and development on the OLPF front as Jarred posted a sample image comparing the old and new stuff RED has been working on. Likely due to tech advancement and color science. One big thing is the Data Rate gains from Weapon MG and CF. From a previous Weapon shoot we saw a much better REDCODE Compression Ration for high speed recording. This is actually huge in the commercial and feature world. As for anything else? It's unknown at the moment.

4. I can help on the 8K FF coverage front. I get back in town mid-August and either have or have access to nearly every lens you can think of. I'm eager to test out coverage again. Do note that the 8K Dragon Sensor found in Weapon 8K Dragon CF is the same pixel size. So resolution per format doesn't change. Meaning what is 6K on Epic Dragon today is 6K on Weapon Dragon tomorrow. I have done a slew of coverage tests that can be found here:
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?103766-Dragon-Lens-Coverage-Information

This is all valid info when talking about Weapon and Dragon still. As for more coverage, I can say safely medium format glass will cover. I'm going to be testing out common and not-so-common FF35 glass as well when that time comes. I've made a different target to assist with lens testing so it's a bit more of an efficient process for me these days.
 
Hey Darren don't worry all is good we are just up to our necks over here ramping up getting Weapons out. Ive been sporadically posting stuff on my Facebook page and Phil has done a great job of pushing that info over here.

We just began shipping the Forged versions this week which will roll out over the next few months, then the Carbon Weapons and then the Mag.

The new side handle is going to be awesome... not quite ready to show that yet as we still are tweaking things.

Lots of things getting better, We added an additional HD-SDI out to the rear Weapon REDVOLT Pro expander module from a ton of feedback.

As you know we also snuck in 4K ProRes to the Forged / Carbon.

You probably saw the new Weapon PL mounts as well.
 
LDS protocol is not an open system and does not send exactly the same data as the I/system as I think you are saying you were told.... but the good news is we heard your requests and there has been discussion.... We've always liked ARRI.

No promises, and /i will come first, but we are listening.
Jarred what about LDS support on new PL mount, is it possible to make 3rd party PL mount with LDS support ?
 
Hey Darren don't worry all is good we are just up to our necks over here ramping up getting Weapons out. Ive been sporadically posting stuff on my Facebook page and Phil has done a great job of pushing that info over here.

We just began shipping the Forged versions this week which will roll out over the next few months, then the Carbon Weapons and then the Mag.

The new side handle is going to be awesome... not quite ready to show that yet as we still are tweaking things.

Lots of things getting better, We added an additional HD-SDI out to the rear Weapon REDVOLT Pro expander module from a ton of feedback.

As you know we also snuck in 4K ProRes to the Forged / Carbon.

You probably saw the new Weapon PL mounts as well.


What's the deal with the new PL mount?
 
What's the deal with the new PL mount?

One of the things I'm seeing RED is doing with Weapon is solving a lot of "gripes" regarding general camera size, rigging, and features.

The new Weapon PL mount for instance:
phfx_REDWeapon_newPLMount.jpg


Has 4 tabs to help unlock the mount easier. Also, if you consider that the LCD/EVF cable is no longer right next to that lens mount on Weapon and we no longer have a protruding front fan it should be much more convenient to and slightly quicker for lens swaps. It's knurled around the round part of the collar and I'm betting it's got captive bolts. Also notable is that it's all black. I'm imagining it's magnesium and titanium or steel perhaps. Just a guess though.
 
Is that new PL mount going to be compatible with Dragons? Or Weapon only?
 
Jarred we were early in line for getting the upgrades and have a feature going in September. We would LOVE to have both our Weapons going...what do you think the likelihood would be?
 
And, of course, some of us are lurking in the background to know what RED meant when they said the indie level folks wouldn't be forgottten. :-)

but all in due time.
 
And, of course, some of us are lurking in the background to know what RED meant when they said the indie level folks wouldn't be forgottten. :-)

but all in due time.


Im still happy with my Scarlet and all its given me at this point :)

I am looking forward to 4 years from now when Im finally ready to move up the ladder ;)

Till then, man Im having a sweet time with my baby.
 
One thing that I've been asking since NAB when I put down a deposit on the CF WEAPON and 8k sensor is when will new orders be filled?! I, unlike many of you, have no RED cam to enjoy in the meantime. Please, when will new orders be filled? I appreciate the feedback!
 
...You probably saw the new Weapon PL mounts as well.
Awesome, love the look and I have been fumbling a bit putting on the larger primes with the large touch connector kind of in the way, so this is all solved with the weapon. BTW I was doing some math and the 8k sensor will turn my 35mm MP anamorphic into a 25mm (it would probably be a 50$k lens which isn't even available) ... it's like WOW.
 
Yes indeed.. compatible with Dragons ( the 6K one )

So it is compatible with the Epic body? (As it's a 6k Dragon) and also with the Scarlet as it has the same lens mount?
There also maybe a confusion between what a Dragon is and what an Epic is?
Can you confirm.

Thanks


Pat
 
Lots of things getting better, We added an additional HD-SDI out to the rear Weapon REDVOLT Pro expander module from a ton of feedback.

Thanks Jarred for the update.

Please guys consider adding a PWR OUT 2pin LEMO (or 4pin) for WFF units to the JETPACK EXPANDER,
for a clean cable routing and quick move from gimbals to other platforms with just 1 cable for power to be taken care of.
 
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