Christoffer Glans
Well-known member
Because the Komodo is placed in this mid-range section of cameras. ZCam, Pocket, rumored Sony and Komodo are all within a mid-range section right under the high-end cameras like Alexa Mini LF, Helium, Monstro, Gemini, Sony Venice etc.
How is Komodo in a different market than the Pocket 6K? Helium, Monstro and Gemini is a different market, if Komodo isn't a direct competition with the higher line-up, then what is it in a competition with? Komodo and BM's Pocket 6K share a lot in specs and price, so does Komodo with the ZCam's.
How can you verify anything about the sensor when no info has been released? Fast boot time is not secondary, not for his kind of camera. Being able to have a camera prepped, handheld, doc-style turn on and shoot is a feature that radically change how you can use the camera. Do you think that professional still cameras handle boot times as a "secondary" feature? Boot times on Red cameras have always been a downside, almost always forcing a hot-swap solution on a fast paced set. But if boot times are minimal, you can go for hours without having to keep feeding power to the camera. If you're outside, in a place where you have limited battery supplies and power options, to be able to have the camera turned off and ready instead of always on when looking for moments to shoot is a powerful feature. Just because you don't shoot like this, doesn't mean that such a feature is irrelevant.
Soderbergh shot his last two movies on iPhones, how do you classify that choice? It's Soderbergh who officially shoots with the Komodo now. The Pocket 6K is only a toy in the hands of incompetence. Most footage from it has a teal/orange LUT slapped on and looks like shit, but give the camera to a professional cinematographer and it will do wonders. This whole "brand" or "expensive" level equipment-idea of what defines to be a professional is so old that I'm surprised it's still around.
Here's what's important to professionals: Footage acquisition quality, acquisition color science, compatibility with industry standard equipment/cables/wireless, built quality, reliability and ease of use.
All camera companies does better or worse within these areas and Red is not different. Where BM doesn't deliver in built quality it exceels in ease of use and speed.
So, what is a "toy"? How do you define a "toy" in this age of cameras? The BM pocket would have easily outperformed the iPhones used on Unsane and High Flying Bird, so is it still a "toy" for dreamers?
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The Komodo exist at this range of cameras, a range that is slowly getting closer to the specs of what we consider highest end cinema cameras. So the Komodo will be judged by how it performs against the current and upcoming cameras at this range. If it delivers over-priced performance compared to the competitors, no one but blind fans will buy them. If it exceeds and delivers a low priced powerhouse, no one will care for any other camera in this range. This is why I urge Red to really seriously take a look at the competition and consider even disrupting their own high-end lineup. Because it's not at all like at the highest end range where you choose whatever you want and prices are so high across the board that differences between camera pricing becomes neglectable. Pocket 6K is not a "toy", neither will Komodo be. But at a $3500 higher price-range it certainly must deliver far more than what the Pocket 6K does, otherwise it will fail completely among the one's who work within this range of camera pricing.
thanx. Edited now.