Robert Hofmeyr
Well-known member
Where has this been pointed out? I'm currently relying on an isolator, so I'd be interested to know if they are not effective.
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The lack of monitor
- Thread starter Christoffer Glans
- Start date
Where has this been pointed out? I'm currently relying on an isolator, so I'd be interested to know if they are not effective.
Alexander.M
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I think most people would love a cable-less monitor for the Komodo like the DSMC2 cameras. It doesn't help that SmallHD discontinued their smaller 5" Focus Pro OLED with KOMODO touch control. Does anyone know why they were discontinued so quickly?
Alexander Thomson
Well-known member
Christoffer,
Let me first say that your idea is a valid one, and is actually quite brilliant. There's certainly value in having a native, BP-powered cableless monitor that mounts right on top, and lets you use your outrigger handle as well.
From a product manufacturing background, I offer two potential hypotheses of why this product hasn't been released, or even announced:
1) COVID supply chain constraints have forced RED to focus on the core products that allow its ecosystem to function.
There are several great 5" and 7" monitors, including some that have a touchscreen capable of Komodo control built-in. We can tell with the co-branded accessories for V-Raptor/DSMC3 that RED is continuing to move away from trying to supply every piece of the rig. With these supply chain constraints, it's not unheard of to experience anywhere from 50% to 500% PPV (price purchase variance) -- for example, a popular Texas Instruments 12G SDI chip has tripled in price in the past two years, and currently has a 66 week lead time that continues to climb. As much as RED may want to put out a product like that, they're almost certainly unable to build it. Or build it affordably. Finally, saying they're working on such a monitor might disturb their 3rd party hardware relationships. I wouldn't be buying SmallHD, OSEE, or PortKeys monitors if I knew a RED branded solution was down the road.
2) They may not want to.
They might not want to dedicate the R&D money/time in making a Komodo-specific monitor solution, instead leaning on their 3rd party hardware partners to develop great solutions that work on Komodo, as well as other cameras. We see a key hint with V-Raptor's companion display: It's compatible with V-Raptor and future DSMC3-class cameras, but not Komodo.
V-Raptor didn't get its own monitor. It got a monitor that will be compatible with more cameras down the road. Komodo came out right in the middle of the COVID supply chain shortages, so the fact that it was released at all blows my mind.
With that said, we've seen SmallHD discontinue its 5" Focus monitors, which were great for Komodo. It's possible those displays are being kept for a Komodo specific monitor, or more likely, those 5" panels are temporarily unavailable. Or the chips are 3x the cost. Or they can't make it for the same price anymore.
The point being, your idea is a good one. But its non-existence is a definite consequence of the unique manufacturing reality we're living in. Combine that with a grown-up RED company that waits to announce their upcoming gear, and it looks like the unicorn monitor that would be perfect for Komodo, might not see the light of day for up to a year.
Now would be a good time for an old school "heh heh heh..." from the man himself
Let me first say that your idea is a valid one, and is actually quite brilliant. There's certainly value in having a native, BP-powered cableless monitor that mounts right on top, and lets you use your outrigger handle as well.
From a product manufacturing background, I offer two potential hypotheses of why this product hasn't been released, or even announced:
1) COVID supply chain constraints have forced RED to focus on the core products that allow its ecosystem to function.
There are several great 5" and 7" monitors, including some that have a touchscreen capable of Komodo control built-in. We can tell with the co-branded accessories for V-Raptor/DSMC3 that RED is continuing to move away from trying to supply every piece of the rig. With these supply chain constraints, it's not unheard of to experience anywhere from 50% to 500% PPV (price purchase variance) -- for example, a popular Texas Instruments 12G SDI chip has tripled in price in the past two years, and currently has a 66 week lead time that continues to climb. As much as RED may want to put out a product like that, they're almost certainly unable to build it. Or build it affordably. Finally, saying they're working on such a monitor might disturb their 3rd party hardware relationships. I wouldn't be buying SmallHD, OSEE, or PortKeys monitors if I knew a RED branded solution was down the road.
2) They may not want to.
They might not want to dedicate the R&D money/time in making a Komodo-specific monitor solution, instead leaning on their 3rd party hardware partners to develop great solutions that work on Komodo, as well as other cameras. We see a key hint with V-Raptor's companion display: It's compatible with V-Raptor and future DSMC3-class cameras, but not Komodo.
V-Raptor didn't get its own monitor. It got a monitor that will be compatible with more cameras down the road. Komodo came out right in the middle of the COVID supply chain shortages, so the fact that it was released at all blows my mind.
With that said, we've seen SmallHD discontinue its 5" Focus monitors, which were great for Komodo. It's possible those displays are being kept for a Komodo specific monitor, or more likely, those 5" panels are temporarily unavailable. Or the chips are 3x the cost. Or they can't make it for the same price anymore.
The point being, your idea is a good one. But its non-existence is a definite consequence of the unique manufacturing reality we're living in. Combine that with a grown-up RED company that waits to announce their upcoming gear, and it looks like the unicorn monitor that would be perfect for Komodo, might not see the light of day for up to a year.
Now would be a good time for an old school "heh heh heh..." from the man himself
Jason Gorman
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This is just a guess, but as I have the both the focus OLED and the focus pro OLED (and a cine 7 lol), I’m 99% certain the focus and focus pro are the exact same monitor, just with the usb and power wired to lemo ports and using a metal case, oh and turning the battery sideways so my coreswx flat packs are worthless. I believe they were either using leftover stock of the old models, or they have stopped being able to source those parts with Covid.
The timing of when they killed it is prettt much exactly when the indie 7 launched, clearly intended as a replacement.
The OLED displays really are also quite dark, even indoors. It’s especially noticable when I switch between the cine 7 and the focus pro OLED. Almost makes me wish I got a normal focus pro… almost, but I can’t pay that for 720p lol.
I don’t quite get why they have such a hard time sourcing bright 10bit OLED panels since there are soooo many devices using em now, at least a few gotta be good enough for monitoring, especially if they do the display management.
Michael Babbish
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With peaking enabled and using traffic lights for exposure, I find it very possible to get great images while just using the top screen. It's a lot of fun to use as a casual pick-up-and-shoot camera. The screen is surprisingly bright too, visible in full sun. I just got mine and I really am enjoying playing with it. I decided to use it on a scout today actually and didn't bother bringing a monitor... and it worked out great.
If you do use the top screen only, I would consider it an 'instrument flight' where I trust peaking and my histogram/traffic lights more than my eyes.... With the intention to fix exposure and craft a look later in post.
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