When I first heard the announcement of a new, lower-price-point RED Komodo camera in development, I was skeptical. However, I was pleasantly surprised to start seeing very impressive footage come out online last month. After our own tests, I can confirm that, for all intents and purposes, this sensor is better than the Dragon sensor. It performs better in low-light, and as such, retains more accurate colors in underexposure situations. When compared to a Helium sensor, it seems to hold more neutral tones in low exposures. Even against the dual-native ISO beast that is the Gemini, it holds its own.
So where are the sacrifices then? If the Komodo is a 6k resolution s35 sensor with 16bit raw, AND it’s great in low-light, why is it only $6,000? My best guess would be the limitations in frame rate options. As you’ll see in the video we posted above, the Komodo is limited to 40fps in 6k 16:9. In order to get higher frame rates, you’ll need to either crop in on your format from 16:9 to, say, 2.4:1, which gets you up to 50fps. 120fps is only accomplished at 1080p. This might not sound like a huge deal until you remember that with RED cameras, dropping resolution actually crops in on the sensor size, drastically reducing overall image quality. If we compare that to my $4,000 Panasonic S1H, it also shoots 120fps in 1080p, however it has a pixel for pixel mode that downsamples the full frame sensor instead of cropping in on it, giving you the entire sensor to work with.
So if frame rates are a huge factor for you, the Komodo probably isn’t the right camera. But if you mostly shoot standard frame rates and you’re looking for a camera that shoots high resolution raw images with heaps of dynamic range without breaking the bank, the Komodo is the best option on the market.
The GDU Derringer handle on a RED Komodo. As you can see, there’s only enough room for 3 fingers. Your pinky just hangs off the bottom.
Another incredible feature is the wifi antenna that allows you to send a wireless video signal to your tablets and mobile devices. This makes it incredible as a crash cam or gimbal cam, not to mention it’s super small size and low weight. However, you’ll notice that once you mount a side handle, monitor, lens, lens adapter, and batteries, it gets quite heavy quite fast. We recommend going with a large side handle that allows you to wrap your thumb all the way around it, unlike the GDU Derringer handle we used in this video. The GDU handle seems to be designed to use two at once, one on each side. But it’s too small to get your pinky finger on it, and the thumb just rests on top making it impossible to get a firm grip. I think that was the main reason the test footage had as much shake as it did.
Speaking of camera shake, another very high-end feature that the Komodo has is a global shutter. This reduces jittery motion in the frame, making handheld shots look much more cinematic. This is also another reason that it’s such a good crash cam.
Taking a look at the footage on the computer, you’ll find it edits just like any other RED footage. It has internal IPP2, and can switch back to Legacy if desired. The REC709 gamma curve in IPP2 looks quite logarithmic right out of camera and it seems to need more work to bring back the color and contrast in comparison to the Legacy Scarlet-W I used to own. REC709 also seems to be about a stop darker than REDGamma, so although the waveforms look good I always find myself increasing the exposure setting by 1 in the metadata. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear the scratch audio was way cleaner than I expected.
These are all just my initial reactions to my first look at the Komodo. This preliminary test shoot was just the beginning. Over the next few months, Neuway Media has a couple more camera tests planned as well as a few short films to put the Komodo through its paces. Stay tuned for more footage very soon, and thanks for reading!