The First Komodo Out in the Wild

[Brian Roberts]

Hi guys...Dragon-X 6K owner and first time poster here.

Thank you Phil for all of your testing. The Komodo really does look like a nice piece of kit. At first I was interested in it being a Bcam to my Dragon, but after reading through about a dozen pages of this thread, I'm now starting to wonder if RED will effectively cannibalize their dales of Dragons. Perhaps there's something I'm missing, but the Komodo by comparison seems to be at least as much camera (more so in a couple areas) but in a smaller, less costly package. Sure, you don't get the DSMC2 upgradability, and at the moment lack a tiny bit of connectivity, but...am I missing something? What would inspire someone to purchase DragonX over Komodo?:sosp:

 

[Darius Lyles]

At this point you go larger to DSMC2 for frame rates, compression ratios, resolution options and a more production ready cam. Although the Komodo appears to have the ability to be built out as a production ready power.

 

[Phil Holland]

Phil seems like the Loawa has much more "character" and less contrast than the DZO. Can you elaborate anymore on the DZO?

I'd agree with that, the OOOM has more classic vibe, but still pretty modern. The DZOs are a bit cleaner, but due to their compact nature have a bit more distortion on the wide end as well.

Harder questions to ask about these honestly. For about the same price you get 1 zoom with a broad range in a larger form factor, or 2 zooms with more range when combined and shorter/smaller individually.

Price-wise, both are really alarmingly good deals. I mean nearest competition is twice the price and then it's the rehoused stuff that's not parfocal.

I do think the Sigma 18-35mm is a good choice and even shorter in length physically and focal range. I have the Tokina 50-135mm here as well, if they have their mid-range zoom done this would be a super spicy battle. Their 11-20 though is gold and seems to be the goto solution on the wider side if you need it. Not seeing much overlap there.

Hi guys...Dragon-X 6K owner and first time poster here.

Thank you Phil for all of your testing. The Komodo really does look like a nice piece of kit. At first I was interested in it being a Bcam to my Dragon, but after reading through about a dozen pages of this thread, I'm now starting to wonder if RED will effectively cannibalize their dales of Dragons. Perhaps there's something I'm missing, but the Komodo by comparison seems to be at least as much camera (more so in a couple areas) but in a smaller, less costly package. Sure, you don't get the DSMC2 upgradability, and at the moment lack a tiny bit of connectivity, but...am I missing something? What would inspire someone to purchase DragonX over Komodo?:sosp:

It's natural I guess to have some worry, I've already had chats with people who thought their RED XXXXXX camera would be obsolete with Komodo coming out, that just isn't where the camera is positioned. I'll give you the hottest take I can and likely the more realistic perspective. I think Komodo squarely is positioned to not cannibalize their other cameras. I know this because, we'll take your camera for instance, you have a larger Dragon sensor with just over 2X the frame rates as well as more features in the camera itself. Interchangeable mounts, OLPFs, modules, cable-less monitors, dual record, etc. The frame rates are the big one really on a functional basis and primary function.

A deeply personal take, if you got a DSMC Scarlet-X laying around, it's pretty long in the tooth when it comes squarely to specs in comparison, but that was a previous generation to even DSMC2. And I strongly think Dragon, Gemini, Helium, Monstro, and yes Komodo are more advanced sensors, color, and dynamic range than Mysterium-X. I've also been saying that since I got to test Dragon out though originally. 5K Epic MX, same deal, more fully featured, but missing out on the recent good tech that has improved image quality even.

Komodo really is more positioned to be a utility camera for most RED owners with notable resolutions being hit as well as doing some things that DSMC2 cams don't do, like global shutter. The host of people who haven't been able to afford the larger RED cams though will certainly tap into it as an A-Camera. If I'm shooting a movie tomorrow, still likely going with Monstro and probably Komodo for when I need to duct tape a camera to a guy's head and push him out a plane or crash into something.

Komodo is very good, exceptional for the price actually. But I don't think it's taking over the DSMC2 offerings. Now if it did have about 75% of the features of your Dragon however, well that would be a different situation. Then again, the camera would be bigger and more expensive for sure if that was the case.

 

[Jake Wilganowski]

Care to quickly compare/contrast the DZO to the tokina 50-135, price not being a factor? Thanks

I'd agree with that, the OOOM has more classic vibe, but still pretty modern. The DZOs are a bit cleaner, but due to their compact nature have a bit more distortion on the wide end as well.

Harder questions to ask about these honestly. For about the same price you get 1 zoom with a broad range in a larger form factor, or 2 zooms with more range when combined and shorter/smaller individually.

Price-wise, both are really alarmingly good deals. I mean nearest competition is twice the price and then it's the rehoused stuff that's not parfocal.

I do think the Sigma 18-35mm is a good choice and even shorter in length physically and focal range. I have the Tokina 50-135mm here as well, if they have their mid-range zoom done this would be a super spicy battle. Their 11-20 though is gold and seems to be the goto solution on the wider side if you need it. Not seeing much overlap there.




It's natural I guess to have some worry, I've already had chats with people who thought their RED XXXXXX camera would be obsolete with Komodo coming out, that just isn't where the camera is positioned. I'll give you the hottest take I can and likely the more realistic perspective. I think Komodo squarely is positioned to not cannibalize their other cameras. I know this because, we'll take your camera for instance, you have a larger Dragon sensor with just over 2X the frame rates as well as more features in the camera itself. Interchangeable mounts, OLPFs, modules, cable-less monitors, dual record, etc. The frame rates are the big one really on a functional basis and primary function.

A deeply personal take, if you got a DSMC Scarlet-X laying around, it's pretty long in the tooth when it comes squarely to specs in comparison, but that was a previous generation to even DSMC2. And I strongly think Dragon, Gemini, Helium, Monstro, and yes Komodo are more advanced sensors, color, and dynamic range than Mysterium-X. I've also been saying that since I got to test Dragon out though originally. 5K Epic MX, same deal, more fully featured, but missing out on the recent good tech that has improved image quality even.

Komodo really is more positioned to be a utility camera for most RED owners with notable resolutions being hit as well as doing some things that DSMC2 cams don't do, like global shutter. The host of people who haven't been able to afford the larger RED cams though will certainly tap into it as an A-Camera. If I'm shooting a movie tomorrow, still likely going with Monstro and probably Komodo for when I need to duct tape a camera to a guy's head and push him out a plane or crash into something.

Komodo is very good, exceptional for the price actually. But I don't think it's taking over the DSMC2 offerings. Now if it did have about 75% of the features of your Dragon however, well that would be a different situation. Then again, the camera would be bigger and more expensive for sure if that was the case.

 

[Ben Hensley]

I just had a thought pop in my mind this morning. How resilient is the komodo top screen? Like would some tempered glass screen protector make sense? Or would be fine long term.

 

[Jiri Vrozina]

Me. Komodo. Zeiss CP.3 35mm. Crazy Grade.

This is how I've essentially looked for the last 5 months.

is KOMODO for stills?

 

[William Cheung]

I love the white ones. They are really cool. But $900 more than the general version.

 

[Phil Holland]

Ahoy there lads and ladies,

Thought I'd jump in as I've been a bit swamped as of late.

There was a new beta dropped for Komodo recently, made a fast little gram on it:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEiabioHA3p/

I'll chat about some of the notable updates.

REDCODE RAW - HQ, MQ, and now LQ

RED added LQ to this build, again it's beta, so maybe more tweaking. But it appears all three have been tweaked further. Some have been looking for more ratio support as HQ and MQ were only in camera for a long while for the early beta releases. But to give you some idea of the range.

On my 1TB Angelbird CFast 2.0 cards at 6K 24p:
- HQ = 1 hour
- MQ = 1 hour, 37 minutes
- LQ = 2 hours, 35 minutes

So yeah. Don't know if RED has this locked yet, but there's the long roll times some were hoping for. I need to do some side by sides, and much like before I wouldn't shoot mega high frequency detail with a high compression ratio if visual fidelity of of the upmost priority, most get that and roll HQ or MQ already.


SDI Overlays

Yay. Finally having status and info on screen in familiar ways is back again. Super nice to have this now. I felt a bit naked without it.


Magnify

Magnify is now in camera, another yay! Komodo's Magnify is radically different than DSMC2 which tells you a lot really. It's an instant punch in. You can punch in on the LCD or SDI or both. Then you drag your finger on the LCD to where you want to focus on. And you can record with it enabled if that's needed. Big high fives here. I'm sure more features will come to this, but this "feels" so right. And I think once touch LCD, phone, or whatever solutions are incoming it's sort of a mischief managed situation.


Video Tools Pane

Now pressing the RAW Meters on the LCD loads up the Video Tools Pane. Nice to have these at your fingertips and you can toggle what goes out to the LCD or SDI right from here. Exposure, Video Check, Peaking, etc. It's in my gram. Very slick.


Audio Pane

Similarly Audio Pane is a one stop shop to control audio goodies. Again, very nice.


Pre-Record

Yep, it's in there now. Up to 30 seconds of pre-roll. I don't use this much, but I know Natural History peeps love it bunches.


So yeah, big update and more than those quick nuggets. I'm on my 2nd shoot as we are continuing to adapt to the pandemic. Things are slowly picking up more and more with major productions already being live or even once again shut down depending on circumstances. Weird times indeed stateside. We've been having weekly Zoom calls with filmmakers all over the states and even world occasionally to hear how things are going in each person's unique circumstances and it does seem a lot of peeps have grabbed work in the last month and are taking the appropriate precautions with protocols or safety officers.

Just a quick update, but more somewhat soon.

 

[Phil Holland]

Whelp one more surprise.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEu950fnoDd/

That right there is Komodo being controlled through the SmallHD Focus Pro SDI. A new prototype arrive with the cable ports where I like them, hence the rather Terminator-vibe going on here. A very early look, but this is exactly what I've been hoping for really. Combined with the latest beta firmware that dropped with Magnify and all that Komodo is feeling a bit more whole when it comes to just shooting convenience related things.

In the video I'm changing REDCODE RAW Compression, triggering Record, and selecting a LUT via the camera menu though the SmallHD.

I will say, using the SmallHD in tandem with the LCD is pretty neat, mentioned it early, but now with the touch interface things are shaping up. Using the Focus or Exposure Tools on the LCD and having the monitor dedicated to picture is becoming something I'm real fond of.

I'm knee deep in prep for next week's shoot, but this was a nice Friday surprise to poke around with.

 

[Nathaniel Haban]

How is the brightness on the new SmallHD? I thought I'd seen the nits were a bit lacking, and curious your thoughts on if it makes a viable monitor for outdoor shooting.

 

[Phil Holland]

How is the brightness on the new SmallHD? I thought I'd seen the nits were a bit lacking, and curious your thoughts on if it makes a viable monitor for outdoor shooting.

It's not a high bright for sure, but I was outside with it earlier and I could use it.

 

[Patrick Tresch]

Is there a thread where we can see the spec of the camera?

I need to know wich memory card is used and the minimum speed.

Patrick

 

[Phil Holland]

Been a hot minute! Wrapped a couple shoots, but mostly what I'm writing about is this weekend's adventures.

Two things going on in this image.

First, that's the CoreSWX V-Mount plate for Komodo. At the moment it stands uniquely as the only V-Mount plate that transmits battery charge information to the camera. Well built, compact, and slides right into the dual BP Mount. Paired here with the 98Wh Nano batts.

Second up, it's no secret now, but the beta Android release of RED Control dropped over the weekend and I took this moment to test out IOS and Android phones. First observation, generational hardware does play a factor in expected range and latency. That's to be expected because that's how it works, but overall pretty damn low latency. Bizarre to walk off with the monitor and be connected wirelessly, certainly useful. I like the larger phones for this, I think the iPhone 12 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy Note S20 are pretty slick in terms of screen size, image quality, and hardware to get the best wireless performance.

I'm using the Wooden Camera Arca top plate and have been testing about a dozen phone mounts for just this application. This is the Ulanzi one here, which is I'd say the most robust on the market as of now.

What's missing in this equation, and I don't have one to test just yet, is the RED Link. That adds the USB Type-C port to Komodo via the top pogos to get you hard lined in. I suspect that will be even lower latency and likely higher quality image feed. Hopefully just shy of the immediate SDI monitoring out.

 

[M Harvey]

Two things going on in this image.

Thanks-- very useful info!

Didn't realize that the other v-mount solutions don't pass through battery information. The design of the Tilta appeals to me, but when we're talking about a camera uniquely suited to remote operation...

 

[Phil Holland]

Thanks-- very useful info!

Didn't realize that the other v-mount solutions don't pass through battery information. The design of the Tilta appeals to me, but when we're talking about a camera uniquely suited to remote operation...

Yes. I do find it a bit insane utilizing a DJI RS2 with Komodo and an AF lens that it possible to have a shot fully track and autofocus on you. That was the other part of what I was testing this weekend. Still refining the kit and adapters, but it's a full remote setup that can be managed via apps. And for the savvy, across the world.

 

[vincent kardasik]

Whelp one more surprise.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEu950fnoDd/

That right there is Komodo being controlled through the SmallHD Focus Pro SDI. A new prototype arrive with the cable ports where I like them, hence the rather Terminator-vibe going on here. A very early look, but this is exactly what I've been hoping for really. Combined with the latest beta firmware that dropped with Magnify and all that Komodo is feeling a bit more whole when it comes to just shooting convenience related things.

In the video I'm changing REDCODE RAW Compression, triggering Record, and selecting a LUT via the camera menu though the SmallHD.

I will say, using the SmallHD in tandem with the LCD is pretty neat, mentioned it early, but now with the touch interface things are shaping up. Using the Focus or Exposure Tools on the LCD and having the monitor dedicated to picture is becoming something I'm real fond of.

I'm knee deep in prep for next week's shoot, but this was a nice Friday surprise to poke around with.

It looks great!
Phil, can we control the camera via the Small HD by connecting it to the Ext port? Or do we need another external box to make the most out of the Red Protocol?

 

[Phil Holland]

It looks great!
Phil, can we control the camera via the Small HD by connecting it to the Ext port? Or do we need another external box to make the most out of the Red Protocol?

Nope. Just need the SmallHD SDI Pro, Cine 7, or the recently announced/released Indie 7 with the correct Komodo cable to the EXT port. If you are using the Wooden Camera B-Box, they have a separate cable for that.

Very easy and pretty simple interface. Once in the monitor and all is plugged in, just select Komodo camera control and you're good to go.

Komodo. The camera of a million monitoring options.

In my kit for monitoring I have:
- SmallHD Cine 7
- SmallHD Focus Pro SDI
- RED Hydrogen One (will likely grab a spare iPhone or something just for this kit)
- Bolt 4K

As always with me, at least 2X of every cable just in case of chaos.

I'll be adding RED Link into that mix and likely will always live on the camera, but I need to dive into it first.

 

[vincent kardasik]

Nope. Just need the SmallHD SDI Pro, Cine 7, or the recently announced/released Indie 7 with the correct Komodo cable to the EXT port. If you are using the Wooden Camera B-Box, they have a separate cable for that.

Very easy and pretty simple interface. Once in the monitor and all is plugged in, just select Komodo camera control and you're good to go.

Komodo. The camera of a million monitoring options.

In my kit for monitoring I have:
- SmallHD Cine 7
- SmallHD Focus Pro SDI
- RED Hydrogen One (will likely grab a spare iPhone or something just for this kit)
- Bolt 4K

As always with me, at least 2X of every cable just in case of chaos.

I'll be adding RED Link into that mix and likely will always live on the camera, but I need to dive into it first.

Good to know, thanks again Phil for sharing all this.