Since it was announced a few months ago, the budget-friendly (relatively speaking here) RED Raven has been on the radar for many indie filmmakers and production crews, for good reason. Boasting a dynamic range of 16.5 stops and a max resolution of 4.5K, for a body-only cost of $5950, it's easy to see why. The film here was shot exclusively with the Raven camera.
As the most compact RED camera made to date (and weighing about 3.5lbs), many future owners can see themselves using this for aerial work, on jibs, gimbals, and in other places where every inch and every pound of weight matters, as does the ability to get an amazingly high quality image. The Raven comes equipped with the RED DRAGON sensor, which was the first camera sensor to score over 100 on the DxOMark sensor score.
From the above video's YouTube description:
Shot completely on a RED RAVEN fitted with the new Zeiss Milvus lenses, “Carrion” showcases the versatility and capture capabilities of the camera through stunning images shot in an array of lighting conditions and frame rates.
Even if you might not opt for the Zeiss Milvus lenses, completing your RED package will still put you into five-figure territory. RED has two kit offerings, a Jetpack package for using on accessories like drones, and a Base I/O package, both coming in at just under $10,000.
Here's a rundown of specs taken from RED's website:
SENSOR - 9.9 Megapixel RED DRAGON®
PIXEL ARRAY - 4608 (h) x 2160 (v)
SENSOR SIZE - 23.04 mm (h) x 10.8 mm (v) x 25.45 mm (d)
DYNAMIC RANGE - 16.5+ stops
S/N RATIO - 80 dBRECORDING FRAME RATES:
4.5K (4608 × 2160) up to 120 fps
3K (3072 × 1620) up to 160 fps
2K (2048 × 1080) up to 240 fpsREDCODE® COMPRESSION:
3:1 maximum available REDCODE for 4.5K (4608 × 2160) at 24 fps
8:1 maximum available REDCODE for 4.5K (4608 × 2160) at 60 fps
15:1 maximum available REDCODE for 4.5K (4608 × 2160) at 120 fpsREDCODE RAW ACQUISITION FORMATS:
4.5K (4608 × 2160), 2.4:1 (4608 × 1944)
4K (4096 × 2160), 2:1 (4096 × 2048), 2.4:1 (4096 × 1728), UHD/16:9 (3840 × 2160)
3K (3072 × 1620), 2:1 (3072 × 1536), 2.4:1 (3072 × 1296), 16:9 (2880 × 1620), 3:2 (2880 × 1920)
2K (2048 × 1080), 2:1 (2048 × 1024), 2.4:1 (2048 × 864), 16:9 (1920 × 1080), 3:2 (1920 × 1280)
So what do you think? Are you going to be putting down a deposit for the latest RED has to offer? If so, RED is accepting deposits of $500 to pre-order the RED Raven.
Pretty good bang for the buck! Can't wait to get mine!
Quite impressive....Novice Question: Does this benefit the viewer when watching video on a Web Browser, there own HD TV or in the Movie Theater? Thanks.
The primary purpose of these kinds of cameras is to make things easier during production. A modular rig allows for fast customizations, while the raw files are designed to give lots of latitude in post processing. A video made with a DSLR will look pretty similar when viewed at normal web resolutions, it would just be more of a pain for the videographers and editors to use a DSLR. Of course, the high resolution files also allow for crisper video when used on larger, ultra HD displays, but those are still fairly uncommon. However, the large image does allow for some cropping ability if you're not playing it at 4.5k, so editors can have more freedom with digital stabilization and zoom effects.
With the really high end cameras, their cost comes from the time they save on set. If it allows someone to better do their job and avoid spending extra hours working around limitations, that equates to thousands of dollars saved that day. Someone who isn't doing as big a production may be better off with a less pricey camera and a little more elbow grease, though this new RED may be a happy medium similar to the Blackmagic URSA.
I would love to see a comparison from a sony setup, DSLR setup and a this RED EPIC, all in the similar ranges of cost for the full setup.
Suffers from softness on a 5K screen