Gemini vs Dragon X 6k

[Brendan H]

Trying to decide between the Red Gemini or Dragon-x 6k sensor. I really like the extra light sensitivity of the Gemini, however Dragon-x 6k is $5,000 cheaper and more resolution for re-framing. Does anyone have side by side comparison of the Gemini and Dragon-X with IPP-2? How is the low light performance on the Dragon-X? Dynamic range vs the Gemini? I'm looking specifically for color, noise and dynamic range difference between the two.



Any help would be massively appreciated, I've been doing research for a couple months now. Once the sensor is decided i'm going to pull the trigger.

 

[Alex Lubensky]

I’d go Gemini definitely. It’s much cleaner in lower sensor area even on iso 800 (-5 looks as clean as -2 on Dragon), what makes the DR much more usable. Otherwise it’s a matter of taste between the sensors.

 

[Nick Gardner]

Both good, I prefer the Gemini.

Nick

 

[Brendan H]

I’d go Gemini definitely. It’s much cleaner in lower sensor area even on iso 800 (-5 looks as clean as -2 on Dragon), what makes the DR much more usable. Otherwise it’s a matter of taste between the sensors.

Thank you for the input, how does Dragon-x compare to Helium? Some of the low light tests I've seen with Helium seems very impressive.

 

[Brendan H]

Both good, I prefer the Gemini.

Nick

Any particular reason why?

Thanks!

 

[Aaron Almquist]

I'd personally go with Dragon X. As a current SW owner I have a Canon C200 for when I need to shoot in uncontrolled low light environments. Now if I'm shooting on a controlled set for a dimly lit scene I don't know why anyone is shooting over the lowest possible ISO on any camera, including RED.

 

[Drew Thomas]

Gemini personally. Having used all the current dsmc2 line up, it is my favorite of all reds. Great lowlight performer, and I honestly think it has got the best DR out of any red, especially in the highlights. Coming from Alexa, it feels the most similar in performance. One man's opinion though.

 

[Brendan H]

Gemini personally. Having used all the current dsmc2 line up, it is my favorite of all reds. Great lowlight performer, and I honestly think it has got the best DR out of any red, especially in the highlights. Coming from Alexa, it feels the most similar in performance. One man's opinion though.

I've never used an Alexa, but all the footage I've seen has really impressed me. Is it mainly the highlights are color of the Gemini that resembles the Alex?

 

[Brendan H]

I'd personally go with Dragon X. As a current SW owner I have a Canon C200 for when I need to shoot in uncontrolled low light environments. Now if I'm shooting on a controlled set for a dimly lit scene I don't know why anyone is shooting over the lowest possible ISO on any camera, including RED.

What makes the Dragon-X special to you? Have you used a Gemini?

 

[Nick Morrison]

Gemini is def the better choice.

 

[Nick Gardner]

Any particular reason why?

It's mainly a matter of taste, but I like the color out of the box better on Gemini, just feels more natural. To quote a DIT nerd friend "The pixels are more gooder on Gemini". It certainly is nice to be able to shoot at 3200 ISO with basically no noise penalty compared to dragon. I found that come in handy on big night exteriors. Even if you have bigger HMIs, it sure is faster to use smaller, lighter instruments and run less power. Last movie we started off doing night exteriors with A 4k, a 2500 and then 1.2s. By the end of the movie we were using almost all LEDs just because we could and it was easier.

Nick

 

[Aaron Green]

One thing to keep in mind also is what type of lenses do you own. The Gemini has a larger sensor than S35 so there’s some vignetting on certain lenses. I love my Dragon X but I think I’d trade 6k for dual ISO and 1.3x crop.

 

[Nick Gardner]

Gemini at 5k and dragon at 6k are basically the same sized chip.

Nick

 

[Brendan H]

One thing to keep in mind also is what type of lenses do you own. The Gemini has a larger sensor than S35 so there’s some vignetting on certain lenses. I love my Dragon X but I think I’d trade 6k for dual ISO and 1.3x crop.

Currently film with Sony mirrorless, so I own Sony glass. I plan to get the Canon 16-35 f2.8 FF and the 70-200mm, I'm also heavily considering the Tokina cine 16-28mm. From what I've seen I really like the look, however all my current filters are for smaller lenses and it makes more sense short-term to go with the photo glass.

Lowlight capabilities are super nice, one of the reason why I love my Sony mirrorless. I love the look of Red cameras!

 

[Brendan H]

It's mainly a matter of taste, but I like the color out of the box better on Gemini, just feels more natural. To quote a DIT nerd friend "The pixels are more gooder on Gemini". It certainly is nice to be able to shoot at 3200 ISO with basically no noise penalty compared to dragon. I found that come in handy on big night exteriors. Even if you have bigger HMIs, it sure is faster to use smaller, lighter instruments and run less power. Last movie we started off doing night exteriors with A 4k, a 2500 and then 1.2s. By the end of the movie we were using almost all LEDs just because we could and it was easier.

Nick

hahaha, thank you for your input Nick. Right now i'm heavily leaning Gemini!

 

[Mike McEntire]

Gemini for sure!

 

[Nick Morrison]

Gemini at 5k and dragon at 6k are basically the same sized chip.

Nick

But nice advantage for Gemini is the sensor is taller (18mm vs 16mm), and custom tailored for shooting anamorphic. Outside of Monstro, its the only RED sensor that gets this tall.

 

[Brendan H]

Very true!

 

[Nick Gardner]

But nice advantage for Gemini is the sensor is taller

Absolutely. My response was just to the suggestion that lenses that covered 6k dragon wouldn't cover 5k gemini, when in reality you are equally screwed ;-)

Nick

 

[Aaron Almquist]

What makes the Dragon-X special to you? Have you used a Gemini?

For my work personally I shoot at the lowest possible ISO for the cleanest image and utilize the resolution for re-framing. I light most everything I shoot so using a dual-gain sensor at a lower resolution doesn't make much sense for me.