Upgrade to a V RAPTOR or stick with my Monstro

[Ollie Walton]

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well.

I've been considering upgrading to the V-Raptor (not the X) from my Monstro. I've really loved working with the Monstro and have built up a solid kit and media package around it.

Lately, I’ve noticed a few good deals on Raptor brains here in the UK. With DSMC2 prices dropping sharply, I’m trying to avoid losing much more value on the Monstro.

My current Monstro has around 2.4k hours on it—it’s been well looked after, but I know high-hour bodies can be off-putting to potential buyers.

So I’m wondering: Is the Raptor a significant upgrade over the Monstro, or is it mainly about weight savings, slo-mo capability, and modern features? Part of me is just thinking long-term—whether I should move now before the Monstro becomes too difficult to sell.

Option 2 is to hold on to the Monstro, run it to the end, and use it as a B-cam. But realistically, I’m not sure how often it would get used and could end up gathering dust.

I should add—the Raptor X is about £10K more, which I can’t quite stretch to at the moment.

Has anyone here made a similar switch and been happy (or not)?
Would really appreciate any advice or experiences.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Zack Birlew]

If I were making that decision on a practical level it would just be the media options and RF mount to consider. From what I've seen, they are very close in terms of image performance and you are thinking of all the right reasons for an upgrade.

I have been keeping an eye on used RED cameras and it is also true that there are good deals on Monstro/XL and VRaptor right now, enough so that I wouldn't even really consider the other cameras. If you want to stay in the RED system lineup, I'd say the upgrade wouldn't hurt but I would weigh saving up for the X if possible, it really just depends on your business numbers and whether it makes sense.

 

[DJ Meyer]

As Zack stated the raw image quality gains if you're sitting around in a studio shooting 8k 24p in controlled lighting will be minimal.

I upgraded and this is what is better, just off top of head:

Smaller form factor
RF/Z mount options
frame rate improvement
far faster boot up / general operating QoL
DCT based .r3d instead of wavelet
better low light
CFExpress media widely available and far faster offloads
improved connectivity with wifi etc
Borderline usable autofocus
4k SDI out

Raptor-X is a bigger jump as it adds the global shutter and Extended Highlight mode

Really up to you if those improvements are worth it.

The only thing I can think of that is objectively worse in Raptor is the lack of swappable OLPF which was a neat feature. I kept the Monstro and turned it into an IR cam.