DSMC2... wow...

[william howell]

We recently switched from DSMC1 (Two dragons and a scarlet) to DSMC2 (Gemini and TBD)...

While on paper we're stepping down in resolution from two 6k dragons and one 4k scarlet to one 5k gemini and TBD... The Gemini's picture is quite stunning. For stills, the tiffs I export out of Resolve are really nice/print worthy files. Now... I don't imagine that they're the best for huge wall prints 24X36 etc... but... For magazines/newspaper outlets it's more than enough.

I've only shot with the Gemini for the past 48 hours, but... wow... the form factor of DSMC2 is amazing. The camera is lighter than the Dragon, even with the 7" monitor we elected to get. The side handle feels really nice, and the addition of multiple scroll wheels is super handy. The mini-mags take an act of god to remove from the ssd reader, so there's no chance of them accidentally coming loose during a run and gun shoot. The rig feels super balanced on my monopod and even though it's lighter than the Epic bodies, it still is substantial enough to eliminate the jittery handheld motions that lighter cameras are super susceptible to.

All in all... I'm absolutely impressed with the DSMC2 design elements...

If you are a dragon owner and are on the fence about switching, take this for what it's worth... but.. I LOVED the Dragon I shot on. It was an Epic-M and I literally loved every second I shot with it... Things got a little hairy when we sent off our cameras, and I started questioning if it was worth it or not however... in the end we took the plunge into DSMC2... and from the moment I slapped a lens on the Gemini, I haven't missed one thing about the Dragon.

 

[Mestizo Devon]

Have you shot any side by side or clips in the same environment as shot with DSMC1? What are you observing as the biggest difference?

 

[william howell]

Have you shot any side by side or clips in the same environment as shot with DSMC1? What are you observing as the biggest difference?

I've used the Gemini primarily over the past couple of days in one of our large community rooms to film a robotics demo and document our summer robotics camp. I've had three years of experience with the DSMC1 cameras in this room so I'm drawing from my experience.. no direct comparisons, as we're not in possession of the dsmc1 cameras anymore.

So far, the dsmc2 has been easier to wield physically. Everything is streamlined and there are no weird cables to work around/jutting out. I know it sounds odd, but just having a streamlined body seems to make the camera far less intimidating to the subjects I'm filming. They don't seem to notice the camera as much as they did the dragon. This just makes it easier to get closer and observe the challenges each of them are facing in their given tasks.

I've extracted a few stills through resolve, opened them up in camera raw, and exported out .jpg's (our normal workflow for images) and the resulting frame grabs are completely usable for our needs.

As far as usability is concerned, the DSMC2 form factor is far more streamlined of a tool... which is what these things are... Tools... to do a job.. Red's have always been modular, but the advancements they've made in these new bodies/accessories are light years ahead of the DSMC1 line.

Remember.. I LOVED my dragon...

I just felt compelled to write about the cameras from a physical usability perspective... as opposed to a "pixel peeping" perspective...

Anyone who's considering moving away from DSMC1 can rest assured that the experience of shooting with these cameras has been astonishingly improved. That, in itself, should guarantee that you'll film better footage.