Komoodo Beta 1.5 finally has landed

[Christoffer Glans]

A long power press during boot does a factory reset just like it did in DSMC2. It doesn’t go back to known good firmware image - but neither did DSMC2. It will reset all user settings.

There is also a force upgrade method, again like DSMC2, which bypasses the currently installed firmware and upgrades directly from the system bootloader.

I think all of this should be in the manual. Right now there's no information about a factory reset for Komodo other than doing it through the menu. What button do we press? Holding the record button? Since we have a switch on Komodo there's nothing to be "hold" when starting up. Or do you mean holding down the record button and flip the switch?

 

[Trent Lillehaugen]

I think all of this should be in the manual. Right now there's no information about a factory reset for Komodo other than doing it through the menu. What button do we press? Holding the record button? Since we have a switch on Komodo there's nothing to be "hold" when starting up. Or do you mean holding down the record button and flip the switch?

You are absolutely right, this should be included in the manual - I will bring this up.

To perform a factory reset you press and hold the record button down and then apply power to the camera. To be safe keep the record button held until you see the "Initializing..." screen.

 

[Alex Waugh]

Any word from Jarred / RED about eventual framerate options - 1 / 2 / 4 / 22 etc? I use them a lot and my Komodo just arrived. If it's not going to get the options the other RED cameras have I'll probably have to pass it on unfortunately.

 

[Christoffer Glans]

Any word from Jarred / RED about eventual framerate options - 1 / 2 / 4 / 22 etc? I use them a lot and my Komodo just arrived. If it's not going to get the options the other RED cameras have I'll probably have to pass it on unfortunately.

I won't pass it on, but I also feel like there's so much silence on what we can expect. I mean, Red has in the past even released gear then canceling it directly after launch, so even if there are some things in upcoming firmware that won't be able to be achievable, it would help a lot to know what Red is actually trying to enable for the camera.

Like, custom framerates is one thing, but what about autofocus tracking? Will it happen? Is this being looked into? Or should we just expect the autofocus system to remain as it is even past Beta? Will we see some more settings for compression? Like VLQ (Very low quality) or is the current three-point set in stone? Will we be able to get a separate monitoring app that isn't Red Control for those who need to monitor but not control settings (which also makes it possible to have a "monitor only" mode? Will we have more resolution options in order to get 50fps at around 5K or two extra frames for getting 48fps to 50fps? Will we be able to get ProRes LQ proxies in 1080p or is that impossible?

Made a feature list in another thread where I listed all my thoughts on stuff that I think could be looked into. Some might be impossible, some might work out, but hard to know when we get almost no news or insight into any kind of roadmap.

Functionality and support
- No stuttering on the Komodo Link video feed (Would also improve stuttering on WiFi, though signal strength is harder to fix with firmware updates)
- Komodo Link support for DJI RS2 (would enable a video feed and internal focus control with the RS2 focus wheel)
- Power to focus motor (maybe not possible to get over 5v, but since a motor like the RS2 focus motor can work with 5v, it should be absolutely possible to get some kind of support for wireless focus motors to be powered from the camera, even with BP batteries)
- Power and control of focus motor from Komodo Link (if there's sufficient power from the Komodo Link port to drive a low volt focus motor, enable it to be used with the internal autofocus system to drive cine lenses)
- Official approval of the Canon 0.71x focal reducer (it works better than the Metabones, with more functionality, so approval and support for it should be a no-brainer really)
- A proper riser plate for use with rods that work with wider lenses. (The extended module is expensive and not always needed. A proper riser that gets the camera to a height that makes rod support with physically wider lenses for follow focuses work.
- Foot support for the Canon 0.71x focal reducer (included in a riser plate)
- Top rod mounting (If not a riser, then a mount for rods on the top side to attach remote focus motors.
- Faster startup sequence.

Internal
- Prores proxies (might not be possible, but if it was possible to get at least 1080p LF ProRes at the same time as R3D, that would be an enormous quality of life improvement, just as it is on the DSMC2 for editorial).
- Auto Focus with tracking (Head and eye-tracking and if it is impossible with the in-camera processor to enable such a feature, develop it for the Red Control app to do the tracking. This should be absolutely possible to implement in some form or another).
- Custom framerates (an absolute need here and real priority. While more fps is a request that gets asked over and over in absurdum and while I would welcome any possible improvement on that end, the real deal is to have custom FPS settings to enable 1-23 fps for undercranking and 26 and above for overcranking. It's just normal to have this ability on a cinema camera and an absolute need for creative application, especially through the idea that this is a crash cam... no 20-22 fps undercranking on a car mount for action? Absolutely needed).
- Focus peak and exposure check on Red Control/WiFi-Link out (Ask any focus puller who needs to work with a video feed from the camera if they would like focus peaking and exposure check on their monitor... )
- Image flip options that don't affect the recorded image.
- Preset buttons (as an example, setting a slomo preset and a normal preset that change between the two modes for fast change into overcrank when needed. Or any other setup that's needed)
- Ability to turn off the top video view and use the entire top screen as a settings view, including having histogram and other info in a larger view instead of video.
- Internal gyro metadata utility (does this even exists? Is there a gyro on Komodo? If so, pleeeeeease just enable this data to work with post stabilization, I don't know why this never gets any real attention to work with post stabilization in a post software like Resolve. Being able to just hit "camera metadata stabilization" and stabilize a shot without having to track the camera in post would be revolutionizing and no one seems to care, why?? And if it's not included in-camera, why not put such a thing in the expander module or something. I really still don't know why this can never happen and why no one understands the potential of this. Just look up SteadXP and think about that thing but way easier and automated with post-stabilization in Resolve. Especially since Red is marketing the improvements the global shutter has on post stabilization, being able to do this with the metadata is just... just do it!).
- Improved color science with IPP2. (I've made a thread about this and I would really like to see a IPP3 or rather, new transforms that work better since there are some weird stuff happening at the low end of the transforms in the Red IPP2 system. They also greatly enhance green tint on Komodo when underexposed and is why some NDs that work with DSMC2s gives a tint on Komodo.
- Improvements to compression ratios (File sizes are really big on Komodo due to the changed compression type, but we would still like to have some kind of Super LQ that is a step under LQ to give much longer recording times. And/or any type of improvements to the compression so that file sizes doesn't get as big, if possible)
- Color in outer range DR stops (as we've seen in tests, the outer range of the DR range does not have color, which can be a problem. If this is hardcoded in Komodo, it's impossible to change, but if not, maybe look into it)
- 5K at 50 fps (still missing 2 frames per second for us PALs)
- HDRx (should be possible if 48 and 50 fps is possible. If HDRx is just switching framerates between each frame, a double framerate from 24/25 fps should enable 24-25 fps HDRx feature that we have on DSMC2. Since Komodo has a stop or so less DR than the other DSMC2s, this would be extremely useful in edge case scenarios.
- More resolution options (like 3K resolutions for better framerates at less cost than going down to 2K)

Red Control
- Improved stability of video feed (priority! Stutters and freeze frames while using the Komodo Link make it unusable as a monitoring option for anything but locked-off shots. This also affects WiFi video. The video feed needs to be framerate-locked smooth outside of the normal latency)
- Autofocus tracking (if it can't be implemented in-camera, do it here)
- Customizable HUD (making personal setup of settings on the home screen)
- Vertical focus slider (Like the one on Fool Control, which is much better than the wheel for pulling focus on a phone)
- Ability to lock the application into just monitor mode (Whenever the phone moves around when shooting in full video mode it throws you out of full video mode)
- Full video mode with settings (full screen video but with settings like on regular DSMC2 monitors, even replicate that for a nostalgic feel)
- DJI RS2 interaction with Komodo Link (enable focus control and other settings through DJI RS2 focus wheel and settings through DJI control, needs a collaboration with DJI I presume)
- Focus box movement without touching the box (being able to move around the focus box for autofocus without having to have the finger on the actual box. Will help with visibility while trying to "finger track" a subject)
- Lock screen (so that putting the phone upside down doesn't flip the image. Might not be possible if it's hardcoded into the phone itself)

 

[Christopher A. Bell]

Any word from Jarred / RED about eventual framerate options - 1 / 2 / 4 / 22 etc? I use them a lot and my Komodo just arrived. If it's not going to get the options the other RED cameras have I'll probably have to pass it on unfortunately.

Not trying to bring you down, but instead be a voice of reason. As many others across many boards have said before, including myself, buy a camera for what it can do today, not what is promised (or speculated) for tomorrow.

There is a poster on another thread looking to buy two Komodo’s ASAP. Maybe you can re-sell to them.
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?186036-LOOKING-TO-PURCHASE-2-KOMODOS

 

[Christoffer Glans]

Not trying to bring you down, but instead be a voice of reason. As many others across many boards have said before, including myself, buy a camera for what it can do today, not what is promised (or speculated) for tomorrow.

There is a poster on another thread looking to buy two Komodo’s ASAP. Maybe you can re-sell to them.
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?186036-LOOKING-TO-PURCHASE-2-KOMODOS

Why on earth would custom framerates be impossible to achieve on Komodo? Not saying you mean that, but it makes no sense if it can't or it would be a major design flaw. I am pretty sure this will exist in a future firmware. The problem I think is that we don't know when and can't really plan anything if we don't have any kind of roadmap or schedule for anything.

 

[Bernardo Nielsen]

There's only two things I really want now for future firmware updates: custom frame rates and a 3K'ish crop mode to accomodate s16 lenses' image circle. I'm about to use a Canon 8-64 on a project and I'm shooting 4k and cropping on the monitor.

Already love this camera like it is, but it doesn't hurt to speak what I feel could be improved through firmware updates =)

 

[Jonathan Keane]

I'm gonna be a broken record buuuut 6k 60fps. I think its possible with 2.4:1. I want to believe!