Handy Cam killer?

[Zach Swena]

I know there is a lot going on at RED but here is a suggestion that I think RED should consider. Timing on when it should be designed and brought to market is up to RED but here is my suggestion as to the specs.

Please don't let this interfere with the current Scarlet/Epic production

RED already basically has all the high end market filled with the new Scarlet/Epic stuff. The only holes I see in the lineup are:

1. Between the 2/3" scarlet and S35 (addressed in other threads)
2. Low end DSLR market (I don't see any solutions here but Jim has hinted that there is another cam in the works for at least part of the DSLR specific stuff)
3. Low end camcorder section (what i would like to discuss here in this thread)

Why should RED make a cam for this market? Isn't RED just a high end company?

Well the whole 3k for under 3k thing wouldn't be considered high end.

I see a big lackluster with the current HD cams in the sub $1K range. Poor video performance and junkie lenses.

What I would suggest.

A small rugged cam that could be used on small RC aircraft, underwater pics, and other applications where even the 2/3" scarlet would be to big.

Cut down the 2/3" sensor to reduce cost to around 2.5K-2.6K this would be able to produce pristine full HD 1920 but not 2K. One place to reduce cost.

Most HD camcorders only have 10x zoom. Put a 40x built in zoom lens.

Include a 2.5" hard drive bay. Mount a laptop hard drive in a canister that redirects the SATA port to the side and mount like the old mini DV tapes. Make it so you can just swap out drives. Adapter for CF or SD cards.

Have a touch pad on the top of the cam for lens controls. The finger could be moved across the touch pad just like the dial on a real lens and when you got to the edge of the pad it would keep zooming or focusing at the same rate as the finger was moved. Customizable settings including all the normal automatic control type modes.

Interface with Firewire 800, USB 3.0 and SATA to computer.

Waterproof controls and built in LCD touch screen. RUGGED.

All in a small palm sized package.

2.6K res
40x zoom lens
touch pad lens controls
2.5" removable HDD bay SATA and PCI-E (so the drive itself can be removed from housing)
CF/SD slot
Firewire 800, USB 3.0 and SATA to computer
Water proof for diving under water use down to 100M
Shock resistant drop proof
LCD touch screen


I know that this is a lot to ask for at under or around $1K but I think if the geeks at RED think about it enough than they can figure out a way to do it.

This would be a mass produced camera for poor soccer moms and special applications for movie production when 1920HD is the output res.

 

[harjotsingh]

the red is not for weddings or birthday parties. Why would you need a 2k + camera where that much data is not needed. Plus there is no way red can produce cameras for 1k because the only way you can do this is to produce millions of cameras and buy all the ccd or sensors(touchscreens....) at one time so it wont cost extra. Right now red should and is a camera for film makers. I wish they could because i would buy ten them.

 

[Gualbert]

Darn... some people and their ideas... Wonder if anybody knows what it takes to run a full company: research, development, testing, procurement, quality, reliability labs, manufacturing, consumer department, distribution, advertising, inventory, returns management... and so on and so forth the list goes on... and for how much you said? $1,000? If you find such a company please do share! Thanks!

 

[Pietro Impagliazzo]

40x zoom lens

Do you know how big, long and large a zoom lens like this would be?

Perhaps not much for 1/8" chips...

:clown2:

Touch screen is a consumer gimmick, it would get all oily and nasty all the time on field usage. Not good.

 

[Sander de Regt]

the red is not for weddings or birthday parties

No, but when they first announced Scarlet they were suggesting soccer moms would want those as well. So it may not be for weddings, but it sure is for soccer practice!

 

[Stu Mannion]

The R&D to make a tiny camera or any consumer camera is HUGE! Lots of time and money - almost an impossibility for a new player in this market. All the interfaces, ergonomic design and details that go into these little cameras that then sell at very aggressive prices makes it extremely hard. Part of the reason I think Red steered away from the soccer mom market - tiny margins and huge infrastructure needed.

 

[Petr Dvorak]

I dont buy anything without embedded coffe maker and rocket launcher!

 

[Radoslav Karapetkov]

Zach,

You already got the right kind of poll [3k s35mm].

Why keep spawning these?

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

the red is not for weddings or birthday parties.

It's not? I respectfully disagree with you, sir...

 

[Miklos Konczol]

SORRY, but this topic is utopistic ...

"2.6K res
40x zoom lens
touch pad lens controls
2.5" removable HDD bay SATA and PCI-E (so the drive itself can be removed from housing)
CF/SD slot
Firewire 800, USB 3.0 and SATA to computer
Water proof for diving under water use down to 100M
Shock resistant drop proof
LCD touch screen"

all for consumer cam price ....ca 1000 USD????


would be nice to delete.

 

[Petr Dvorak]

yep time to change pills

 

[Zach Swena]

Ok Please realise that this is just a deposit of wild ideas that I thought I would put down for RED to think about in the future!!!

I know that these are big requirements and I don't expect RED to make one of these before 2009-2010 time frame... I just know that RED has been known to make some designs that are pretty crazy. The poll is just to see if there would be interest for this kind of cam. If this is too outlandish than just delete this thread and archive it for later use when technology advances.

This thread was not meant to be as serious as the other threads.

BTW this might still be marketable at the $1500 range... I don't know.

 

[Gualbert]

far away in the future perhaps... when the USS Enterprise is orbiting the earth I'm sure...

If you work for the Corporate world you know it is not any time soon... so why even mention it?