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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

What became of the Weapon 8K VV Dragon Bodies?

B

Bill Stengel

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Out of sheer curiosity, I searched the first 8K effort, the Dragon-sensored Weapon VV camera, on Reduser but to almost no avail. Are they still out in the wild? Did Red buy them all back? I thought it odd that Reduser returned practically zero hits given how much hype and discussion there was surrounding that camera.
 
I suspect Phil Holland knows where 2 of them went....
 
So many questions

So many questions

Its an interesting point that the few Dragon 8K sensors did go to Panavision. I wonder if there are still DXLs that are Dragon equipped or Panavision retro fitted these with Monstro sensors? Did anyone ever get the chance to compare the two 8K sensors ? I assume the modern FW updates for Monstro still take these original Dragon 8K sensors into account?
 
For the very few of us early on the Dragon 8K VV bus, RED offered "a cross grade" eventually to Monstro, as mentioned the sensors were very hard to physically make and pass QC. I actually held off on that cross grade for an additional month as I tested tested Monstro versus Dragon, but the proof was in the pudding as well as some of the processing gains, improved acurancy/subjective aesthetics still slightly different, and in camera IPP2, etc. Technical stuff aside, still a gorgeous sensor and Dragon is still one of my favs. My particular path was upgrading my Helium 8K S35 to Monstro, testing hardcore for about a month against Dragon 8K VV after the upgrade process, then eventually making the sensible call of having both cameras be Monstro to have matched sensors. I more or less have specialized in large format 8K since that time as I'm pretty damn into the VistaVision format and those of you who have been around forever know my love for it on the film side of things.

I posted a few side by sides here that tell part of the story:
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?165811-RED-Monstro-Dynamic-Range-Examined

Panavision gobbled up a bunch of them on DXL, DXL2 is Monstro and PV has been slowly upgrading over to DXL2 as well as cameras come off productions. I'm certain some are still around in that world, though most are DXL2 at this point and certainly anything new is the DXL2 hardware and Monstro sensor.

Honestly, the hardest camera tests I ever did especially since I was so fond of Dragon 8K VV. Filmed with it in over a dozen countries and shot some gorgeous material, but the increased amount of color and shear power to sneak out more shadow detail was really clear with Monstro. Pretty important since the bulk of my work over these last few years has also been destined for HDR finishes.
 
The effort and development that went into that sensor and its system is insane for what amounted to such a low yield!
I’m continually fascinated at how much RED - a comparatively miniscule player servicing an even smaller market - has done in terms of sensor development compared to Sony or Canon or Nikon.
 
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