I don’t usually write about price drops, but RED Cinema and Nikon today announced a major one I think is worth the ink.
This week has been heavy on gear announcements and reviews for me. And, if you’ve been following my articles over the years, you’ll know that I’m not usually the one who goes on and on about camera gear. I believe I’ve utilized the phrase “gear doesn’t matter” between 10 and 10,000 times. But, as I usually follow up with, all things are relative. And the value of a camera is directly related to your personal use case. There’s no camera cheap enough if you aren’t going to use its features. And there’s no camera too expensive if it perfectly suits your needs.
As a filmmaker, I shoot with RED cameras a lot. They have a well-earned reputation for image quality in the industry, and their REDCODE raw codec is one of the most popular in the industry. I’ve never actually owned a RED. But that was more due to financial planning than lack of desire. They were always more of a rental item for me than a product within my budget to own outright.
But things have been changing since RED and Nikon joined forces. I can’t prove this is directly a result of the acquisition, but whatever the reason, the company’s cameras have become noticeably—and thankfully—more affordable in the last year while still maintaining all the amazing performance that we’ve become accustomed to. A few months ago, they dropped the price on the Komodo-X to within a price point where I had to start considering whether it was time to trade a few things in to make it happen. And today, they made an even more dramatic move to reduce the price of the original Komodo to a previously unheard-of entry point into the RED system.
At just $2,995, the original Komodo is now priced at a level that makes it a legitimate option for an entirely new level of filmmaker. It’s now within range of owners who might have previously opted for more budget (yet also still amazing) options like Blackmagic’s new Pyxis system. This is not to compare the two systems, rather to mention that the lower price now forces a different calculus for deciding what decision to make if you are in the market for a cinema camera.
True, this model is four years old by this point. But, it’s also still very much in use across the industry, and there’s no reason to think it will outlast its utility any time soon. Cinema cameras aren’t usually turned over as quickly as still cameras. So, buying one today, you should still be able to get a very long life of use out of the system.
True, the Komodo X does have additional features—especially if you are a high-speed shooter and want additional frame rate options. But if that isn’t you and you are just looking for the highest-quality image with the most flexible post workflow, the original Komodo is still an absolute beast with very few limitations.
One could make the argument that the price drop is just an indication that the company is clearing out old stock. Could be true. Could not be. But either way, it’s great for the customer. You’re getting a very popular cinema camera that cost $6,000 when it was first released for half the price. Plus, you’re getting it with all the most recent firmware updates applied and all the benefits of a system already well integrated into industry workflows.
I swear I didn’t sign on today to try and sell you on purchasing a RED Komodo. And my earlier point holds: there’s no camera cheap enough if it doesn’t meet your unique set of needs. But this price cut does merit additional consideration for those looking to enter the filmmaking space in earnest. Creating amazing quality with moving images is getting more and more obtainable by the minute.
