KOMODO....

[Grant Smucker]

It's been awhile since a significant Komdo update. If shipping is still set for end of year, I'd think we'd be close to an official announcement. Any update on timeline?

I've been optimistic but at this point it seems like it will be a wait... Based on the Raven launch, I'm guessing it will be a long while until these start trickling out...

 

[Ryan Genova]

I've been optimistic but at this point it seems like it will be a wait... Based on the Raven launch, I'm guessing it will be a long while until these start trickling out...

I was hopeful for a sooner launch also with new information trickling out fairly regularly, but now I feel like the teaser images and spec tidbits were just to coincide with the Pocket 6K and S1H launches and Z-Cam announcements. It's been quiet for a bit now and it's starting to feel like we may have quite awhile before we see the Komodo ship.

 

[Curren Sheldon]

I was hopeful for a sooner launch also with new information trickling out fairly regularly, but now I feel like the teaser images and spec tidbits were just to coincide with the Pocket 6K and S1H launches and Z-Cam announcements. It's been quiet for a bit now and it's starting to feel like we may have quite awhile before we see the Komodo ship.

Yea it's starting to look that way. Still holding out hope for an announcement and pre-order this year and a somewhat early delivery in 2020. But we'll see.

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

Other than HDRX the frame averaging and summing features are very useful as well, for time lapses and cleaner lowlight recordings. Those features obviously require higher framerates as well.

This kind of thinking is not as prevalent as it should be, IMO. I'd like to see frame averaging as a feature. Of course, the larger the sensor, the less you need this kind of thing. But not everyone wants a larger sensor, for various reasons.

 

[Mike P.]

This kind of thinking is not as prevalent as it should be, IMO. I'd like to see frame averaging as a feature. Of course, the larger the sensor, the less you need this kind of thing. But not everyone wants a larger sensor, for various reasons.

Frame Averaging and Frame Summing have been around since DSMC1 (they can also have motion artifacts but usually not as easily as HDRX). And again, is dictated by the max frame rate (needs to be at least double to have two frames to combine/compare).

 

[Jarred Land]

I was hopeful for a sooner launch also with new information trickling out fairly regularly, but now I feel like the teaser images and spec tidbits were just to coincide with the Pocket 6K and S1H launches and Z-Cam announcements. It's been quiet for a bit now and it's starting to feel like we may have quite awhile before we see the Komodo ship.

Nope... I’ve been very transparent along the way and very very clear that we are in field testing mode the last few months and will be for another few months. Timing of the releases were not to distract from anyone... it was because people were literally shooting features on Komodo And it was showing up on social media with incorrect info so I got ahead of it. . I would love to think that I had a magic hammer that could convince Soderbergh to wait to schedule his film the same week as the BM camera which I had no idea about and I had no idea Zcam announced anything at that time either ... and S1H? I am not targeting Komodo to that market at all....

There is no ship date for Komodo yet... we are still changing things. As I said before, it’s done when it’s done but I am happy to release specs as they get locked down.

 

[Nathan L Collett]

Nope... I’ve been very transparent along the way and very very clear that we are in field testing mode the last few months and will be for another few months. Timing of the releases were not to distract from anyone... it was because people were literally shooting features on Komodo And it was showing up on social media with incorrect info so I got ahead of it. . I would love to think that I had a magic hammer that could convince Soderbergh to wait to schedule his film the same week as the BM camera which I had no idea about and I had no idea Zcam announced anything at that time either ... and S1H? I am not targeting Komodo to that market at all....

There is no ship date for Komodo yet... we are still changing things. As I said before, it’s done when it’s done but I am happy to release specs as they get locked down.

awesome. glad lots of testing and thought going into this. this is great. patience pays.

 

[Christoffer Glans]

I am not targeting Komodo to that market at all....

So, which market is it targeted at? I understand that the concept for Komodo was done way before both Z Cam and BM released news about their cameras, but what exactly does Komodo bring that they don't? And after a while, these companies might even release even more powerful options to the market right when Komodo is ready and shipped, so I'm still wondering what market Komodo is for? Is Komodo targeted at those who want more reliability? Better compressed RAW? Better color science? Better DR? What's the cutting edge philosophy for this camera?

If specs are still being changed, then I don't think BM and Z Cam releases should be brushed off so easily. It almost sounds like Komodo is targeted at a market that is somehow disconnected from the actual cameras in existence. Like expecting people to pay a certain price for something that wants to exist on its own without competition when the fact of the matter is that the competition really exists at this price-point level.

I would urge Red to meet the expected specs of the market and then be ahead of the game instead of trying to exist in some limbo market that is disconnected both from the top-tier models and low-tier ones. Just make the camera the best out there for this price-point, full stop. All else feels like playing the market, relying more on customer loyalty, pushing marketing narratives etc.

 

[David Rasberry]

I have been playing with RCX, IPP2, and 6k/5k footage samples posted on Red.com If Komodo is at least on par with current RED image quality, it will be head and shoulders above Z-cam and BM in many ways. Image coherence, texture, and motion quality are noticeably superior, not to mention the color science.
I have played a bit with Braw samples too and so far am not impressed.
The only samples of any Z-cam footage posted for viewing on their website show motion artifacts that I find unacceptable. Would not trade my Bolex for one. Resolution is just a number.

 

[Ryan Genova]

... and S1H? I am not targeting Komodo to that market at all....

I'm not saying that the Komodo magically appeared out of nowhere right at the release of competition, I realize that new technology requires years of R&D. It just seemed that the first news and teasers about it happened to coincide with these events and then kind of died down now, which I'm not saying is a necessarily a bad thing. I mean, that's exactly what I would do if I were in charge of a company.

I have no doubts that the Komodo's image and color science will far surpass what the S1H can produce. In my opinion, even Panasonic's high end offerings like the Varicam don't look as good as any Red, but it's difficult to imagine that there's not some overlap in the market for both cameras (both are small bodies with (presumably) large sensors, can shoot 6K RAW (if only ProRes RAW externally), have modern lens mounts, wide dynamic range, remote control via smartphone). It's reasonable to assume that the Komodo's image will also surpass the Pocket 6K and the Z-Cam, which look to be quite crippled by its codec and RAW limitations, but the fact remains that these cameras also share many specs with the Komodo as well (and the Z-Cams are even in a similar body).

So what's the difference in who Komodo is marketed to? Is it all about the PDAF? Maybe the other cameras I mention aren't going to be used to shoot features for HBOMax, and maybe ideally that's the type of thing Komodo is marketed for, but at the price point we're all speculating about and unless there's something crucial we don't know yet, this thing would certainly be on the radar for anyone interested in a Pocket 6K, Z-Cam, S1, S1H.

 

[Ryan Genova]

If Komodo is at least on par with current RED image quality, it will be head and shoulders above Z-cam and BM in many ways. Image coherence, texture, and motion quality are noticeably superior, not to mention the color science.

RED image quality is already head and shoulders above a lot of other professional options: Varicam, Sony, Canon, yet people for whatever reason still choose to shoot on those and they are still competition and still in the same market.

 

[Gregory Karydis]

Nope... I’ve been very transparent along the way and very very clear that we are in field testing mode the last few months and will be for another few months. Timing of the releases were not to distract from anyone... it was because people were literally shooting features on Komodo And it was showing up on social media with incorrect info so I got ahead of it. . I would love to think that I had a magic hammer that could convince Soderbergh to wait to schedule his film the same week as the BM camera which I had no idea about and I had no idea Zcam announced anything at that time either ... and S1H? I am not targeting Komodo to that market at all....

There is no ship date for Komodo yet... we are still changing things. As I said before, it’s done when it’s done but I am happy to release specs as they get locked down.

Shoot... :/
There's goes the most popular conspiracy theory this side of the Area 51 fence... :yesnod:
Thanks Jarred for the update!
Early on, I learned to appreciate the wait and love the occasional teases.
RED things come to those who wait!!!

...what market Komodo is for? Is Komodo targeted at those who want more reliability? Better compressed RAW? Better color science? Better DR?

My guess is, all of the above + some hidden gems specific to Komodo

In my mind, Komodo cameras should be bought in multiples...

Of course there will be some overlap with the recent camera releases mentioned, in the same way that some youtubers and bloggers choose to use a RED DSMC2 instead of a smartphone or point & shoot to do their vlogging, but in many cases where people can also use a Komodo, it will be like swatting a fly with a Tie-Fighter. Equally deadly, but overkill...

 

[Steve DiMaggio]

186 pages, facebook and insta posts, stil have no idea what this is? a camera? a less expensive camera?

steve

 

[Rakesh Malik]

186 pages, facebook and insta posts, stil have no idea what this is? a camera? a less expensive camera?

steve

Well, we've known for quite some time that it is, in fact, a camera...

 

[David Rasberry]

Well, we've known for quite some time that it is, in fact, a camera...

:laugh::001_cool:

 

[Jarred Land]

I'm not saying that the Komodo magically appeared out of nowhere right at the release of competition, I realize that new technology requires years of R&D. It just seemed that the first news and teasers about it happened to coincide with these events and then kind of died down now, which I'm not saying is a necessarily a bad thing. I mean, that's exactly what I would do if I were in charge of a company.

I have no doubts that the Komodo's image and color science will far surpass what the S1H can produce. In my opinion, even Panasonic's high end offerings like the Varicam don't look as good as any Red, but it's difficult to imagine that there's not some overlap in the market for both cameras (both are small bodies with (presumably) large sensors, can shoot 6K RAW (if only ProRes RAW externally), have modern lens mounts, wide dynamic range, remote control via smartphone). It's reasonable to assume that the Komodo's image will also surpass the Pocket 6K and the Z-Cam, which look to be quite crippled by its codec and RAW limitations, but the fact remains that these cameras also share many specs with the Komodo as well (and the Z-Cams are even in a similar body).

So what's the difference in who Komodo is marketed to? Is it all about the PDAF? Maybe the other cameras I mention aren't going to be used to shoot features for HBOMax, and maybe ideally that's the type of thing Komodo is marketed for, but at the price point we're all speculating about and unless there's something crucial we don't know yet, this thing would certainly be on the radar for anyone interested in a Pocket 6K, Z-Cam, S1, S1H.

I started teasing Komodo well before any of those events Even if you just go to my very first post in this very thread and read it again http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?177459-KOMODO , I tell you the same thing, exactly what is happening and exactly what to expect. And that was at a time when there was any other camera news. Zcam was 3 months earlier at Nab, BM was almost a month later and I think the Sh1 a few weeks after that. All while our cameras are in the hands of people shooting them and that is what I was showing, just like I said I would in that post.

I do understand the confusion though, and we are responsible for most of that.

Along the way Komodo inherited the Hydrogen program, which of course was indeed targeted at that market, so there is a natural absorption.. and confusion. . The price and size also throws it down in that market.. but it is not why Komodo was born. I've said it many times, but Komodo is a complimentary camera. Of course... I said that about the Raven as well, which was created for gimbals and drones, which grew into an entire other thing as a lot of customers that use it as their main camera or a gateway camera or even as their only camera.


Komodo really is a professional camera. I know everyone hates that word and it's one of the most over-used terms in existence even by us but Komodo really was designed and created to fill a hole in our existing working professional market. Our sensor team.. and yes, we have our own sensor team, created this sensor to solve a specific problem.

BM has higher frame rates, the SH1 has a bigger physical sensor, Z-Cam is cheap, But Komodo will take a better image than all of them in the type of situations that it was designed for.

So when you ask who is its market, it is actually harder to answer than you would imagine. ... Its first and foremost for our existing customers. And then probably anyone who shoots a lot of action. And then perhaps it fits into an entirely new market.

 

[Colton John McLaughlin]

Thank you so much for all the info and clarification Jarred! Also thank you for responding to me a few pages back

I do have 3 more questions now if you are possibly able to answer:

Is it confirmed that CFast cards are CFast2.0 or CFExpress?

Will RED be making their own CF cards?

Will Canon RF lenses retain the ability to use their new control ring to change camera settings on the Komodo?

Thank you again!

 

[Jarred Land]

Thank you so much for all the info and clarification Jarred! Also thank you for responding to me a few pages back

I do have 3 more questions now if you are possibly able to answer:

Is it confirmed that CFast cards are CFast2.0 or CFExpress?

Will RED be making their own CF cards?

Will Canon RF lenses retain the ability to use their new control ring to change camera settings on the Komodo?

Thank you again!

Cfast and they will accept any 3rd party Cfast cards that are fast enough. We will likely sell whichever one we test to be the most reliable .

Canon RF control ring is on the EF adapter only.. which is awesome.

 

[Colton John McLaughlin]

Amazing news! Looking forward to getting my hands on one as soon as possible! :001_tt1: Just bought an EOS R and some new lenses in preparation for Komodo!

 

[Jarred Land]

Amazing news! Looking forward to getting my hands on one as soon as possible! :001_tt1: Just bought an EOS R and some new lenses in preparation for Komodo!

Canon really did a great job with the RF program. The adapters are stellar.. the lenses are insane. the 85mm 1.2 rf is my new favorite lens.