Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
  • 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 :)

Komodo - Weather-sealed?

R

Roland Ayala

Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2020
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Is the Komodo weather-sealed?

I haven't seen any spec or statement indicating as much, and I suspect not.

There's the video by Jason Momoa shooting in wet conditions. He also has a Focus monitor attached (not weather-sealed), so maybe he's OK chancing it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRuS8QaewH0

Thanks!

-Roland.
 
Well from the outset Komodo was positioned as a cinema crash cam - so yeah maybe Jason Mamoa was OK chancing the free Komodos he was given to shoot the RED promo film.

On the other hand the Leica lens that he's using costs 2x what the camera does...
 
"Not at all. The body has fan holes on each side for cooling."

True, but so does Panny S1-H, which is weather sealed. Albeit, the Komodo inlets are larger.

It would be great to have an official statement so no need to speculate. I previously came across a statement indicating Komodo is weather-sealed and videos like the above support this notion.

Regardless, I'll operate under the assumption that Komodo is not weather-sealed.

Thanks,

-Roland.
 
Ya, I had been under the impression that it was weather sealed, but only because I had heard random people say it was. I assume its not now. But videos like the Jason Momoa promo make me wish they would give us an official answer since some of the marketing leans towards yes.
 
The boilerplate in the operations guide:

"Avoid exposing your camera to moisture. The unit is not waterproof, so contact with water could cause permanent damage to the unit... When cleaning your camera, remember that it is not waterproof and moisture can damage electronic circuitry. Avoid exposure to temperature extremes, damp..."

Based on that I'd say that the camera isn't 'weather-sealed' in a way that RED will warranty / guaranty it.
 
If you respect the Safety Instructions (pg. vii), weather sealing shouldn't be a concern:
"INDOOR USE ONLY: This device is designed for use indoors only."
:)
 
Chris Hendrick said:
Not at all. The body has fan holes on each side for cooling.
Click to expand...

The fans and vents are part of a cooling tunnel that is sealed off from electronics on all four sides. The sides of the tunnel act as heat sinks. The electronics are not exposed.
I would say that Komodo is probably reasonably weather resistant to dust, moisture, and splashes much like a sealed DSLR, but not waterproof. The beta units have certainly been subjected to some pretty extreme weather conditions.
 
Alex Zeder said:
If you respect the Safety Instructions (pg. vii), weather sealing shouldn't be a concern:
"INDOOR USE ONLY: This device is designed for use indoors only."
:)
Click to expand...

Gotta love the CYA there :wink5: to be safe don't actually use it - it's a "crash cam" for indoor use only.

jk
 
Alex Zeder said:
Beware of the sprinkler if you're shooting crash explosions indoors!
Click to expand...

Now that you brought that up, as a spouse of an actual Fire Chief in charge of prevention and sprinkler inspections - can I bitch about a common unrealistic depiction often in movies:

The sprinklers have a liquid filled bulb at every sprinkler head that bursts and releases the water when it exceeds the temperature limit - only that particular sprinkler!!

It does NOT set off all the sprinklers if you hold a lighter on one of them. Rant over.

FYI PSA:

On the production side, I shot a side by side demonstration of a room fire - one with sprinklers and one without. The fire spread amazingly fast - like 60 seconds from starting in a trashcan and catching drapes on fire to the complete room being engulfed in flames and melting the TV set. The sprinkler version put it out as soon as it started up the drapes. Apparently a typical house can be sprinklered for $2000-3000.
 
Michael Hastings said:
The sprinklers have a liquid filled bulb at every sprinkler head that bursts and releases the water when it exceeds the temperature limit - only that particular sprinkler!!

It does NOT set off all the sprinklers if you hold a lighter on one of them. Rant over.
Click to expand...

That always bothered me!

Re: weather sealing - how sealed are the DSMC2 bodies? I've been in some pretty intense environments with mine without any particular amount of protective covering. If the Komodo is built to a similar standard, I have no reason to worry about it.
 
It sounds encouraging. This is enough for me to have peaceful mind during using it in normal environment. I hope RED could be more clear on this issue.
 
I think this is a misunderstanding from people moving from DSLRs or other video systems into the realm of cinema cameras. Weather sealing has never been a thing, that's why splash bags and water housings are used. Komodo is a cinema camera system, not a Canon 1D.
 
Fair point, but there have been statements made to the effect Komodo is weather-sealed and its ruggedized design (relative to more conventional cinecam) made the notion plausible. I think my original question was answered here, which is, is Komodo is not weather-sealed.

Thanks! :-)
 
Roland Ayala said:
Fair point, but there have been statements made to the effect Komodo is weather-sealed and its ruggedized design (relative to more conventional cinecam) made the notion plausible. I think my original question was answered here, which is, is Komodo is not weather-sealed.

Thanks! :-)
Click to expand...

Agreed. I think the marketing warrants the question. Especially with the "Go Anywhere" Jason Mamoa video/section of the Komodo page.

But ya, its definitely not weather sealed. You can see straight through the vents right out the other side of the body so lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top