DSMC II VS DSMC III

[Adrian Weinbrecht]

Gemini VS Raptor

I just had my first hands on look at a Raptor yesterday and it's truly an evolved Red. I'm currently running 2x DSMC I Red Dragons (Epic & Scarlett) I still love the images we are getting out of these fantastic cameras, however I'd like to upgrade simply. as they are getting old (9+8 years) The Epic has just over a 1000hours. I've had no issues, touch wood.

The question is do I jump into a new Gemini, Dragon, second hand Monstro or jump straight into the Raptor ?

The Raptor looks great but it still feels like there's a a few things which need to be worked out, I'm not keen on the adaptor system for different lens mounts as there doesn't seem to be many (any?) which also carry over lens data, The V-lock only works with small V-locks unless another adapter is purchased. The Small HD Screen looks gorgeous and is super responsive but I'm not sure about the mount/data connection when compared with DSMC.

So the question is which way do I go ? Jump into DSMC II which will work immediately and for which there's a host of accessories available or Jump into a Raptor and wait for stuff to come out?

Thoughts most Welcome !

Thanking you

 

[Alex Zeder]

Option 3: wait for V-Raptor XL...? Should address most, if not all, of your concerns from what we know so far.

 

[Adrian Weinbrecht]

Alex Zeder Thanks, I'm not sure how big the XL will be, I also think it’s going to cost a lot more than a Raptor like almost double…… but I agree it does look to address many of the issues.

 

[Alex Zeder]

Let's see what the XL costs once it has a price tag. If the cost of all the extra things we would now add separately to the "base" Raptor brings the total price into the same range as the XL, it's still a fair deal. The size could even be smaller if these things are in the body instead of attached, as with a full V-mount adapter behind the micro mount. And the Raptor body being smaller than Monstro, even the XL could be a little bit smaller then. We'll see...

 

[M Harvey]

Given your current line-up, I'd wait to jump until a) we see what Raptor XL is, or b) one of your existing units goes down (knock on wood it doesn't!) and you need to replace.

I think Gemini and Monstro are both amazing cameras that anyone would be happy to own, but I imagine that they are essentially direct replacements for your existing cameras (unless full frame or low light capabilities are paramount for what you do). The difference is that Raptor's frame rate capabilities, connectivity options, and small physical size mean that it probably can accomplish jobs that your current line-up can't. If that's the case, Raptor would save you a rental or enables new possibilities.

 

[Adrian Weinbrecht]

Thanks M Harvey some good thoughts and logic to ponder !!

 

[Nick Morrison]

Id hold tight until Raptor matures a bit more. There will be more accessories, and more tweaks. Eventually I think everyone will jump to Raptor once the kinks are ironed out. Or Raptor XL.

 

[Mestizo Devon]

I thought the XL price was $40K or was that internet folklore from the FB Red groups....

 

[EG Eriksson]

I haven t had my hands on a DSMC3 body, but reading the specs I don t feel it represents a major step forward over DSMC2.

Smaller, lighter, more power efficient and with more I/Os. That would have been my wish list. DSMC3 doesn t really make a significant dent in any of them. As such it doesn t make a compelling reason for me to upgrade. Coupled that with the way DSMC2 prices are collapsing, Monstro's and Heliums are becoming more and more affordable. Obviously everyone has different usages, but for me I feel that my Gemini and the other DSMC2 sensors will be able to realise my vision for quite some time going forward.

 

[Adrian Weinbrecht]

I haven t had my hands on a DSMC3 body, but reading the specs I don t feel it represents a major step forward over DSMC2.

Smaller, lighter, more power efficient and with more I/Os. That would have been my wish list. DSMC3 doesn t really make a significant dent in any of them. As such it doesn t make a compelling reason for me to upgrade. Coupled that with the way DSMC2 prices are collapsing, Monstro's and Heliums are becoming more and more affordable. Obviously everyone has different usages, but for me I feel that my Gemini and the other DSMC2 sensors will be able to realise my vision for quite some time going forward.

Thanks EG Eriksson

I’m leaning towards picking up a Gemini and maybe a Komodo too.