Word for Word Email
I have witnessed the testing of a new canon video DSLR here in Europe.
To keep it short: the prototype is far from being close to production. There are issues with moire (due to line skipping?). The chip itself is sealed, but the image results look very similar to a 7d. Its also the same type of moire (!) as with the 7d. Canon obviously is aware of that problem and wants to test another chip later this year (newly developed?). The body looks pretty similar to a XL 2 (with EF Mount) but maybe thats for camouflage reasons.
According to a statement from a Canon rep Canon wants to “achieve Red one 2K Quality for roughly half the price of a ready-to-use Red one” (clearly more expensive than a Red Scarlet). No AF. For now recording has been done via HDMI to a nanoflash recorder from convergent design since the new Canon codec (4:2:2) has not yet been implemented into this prototype.
CR's Take
I am not a video guy, that's why I just posted the email. I am learning pretty rapidly though.
cr
45 Comments
The 5D/7D are not video cameras; anyone trying to make a film with them knows you need to be adaptable and make compromises, all the new support rigs you see are evidence of the problem. Filmmakers/videographers want to make movies, not kludge together solutions to the problems of the form factor (BTW, I LOVE my 7D). Red addresses the need for a robust camera *form factor* for FILM-makers, not photographers. A VDLSR is just a still camera…that can shoot nice movies. Canons XL series is a video camera…but not a still camera–or an ENG camera for that matter–which is not a market canon sells cameras to.
I think canon should make XL body w/ EOS mount and APS-C sensor. Lower MPixels is fine *if* it has better noise/sensitivity in low light; *and* captures progressive HD at higher frame rates.
All it really needs for lenses are two L series full-time manual AF/IS zooms, one wide & one long (just like they have now for XL) optimized for video production (rackable focus & zoom w/silky feel). With an EOS mount there is no problem using primes. Someone will make a PL mount adapter for it (I believe there already is a PL to EOS mount now).
Indie film and event videographers don’t want ENG cameras; they like the XL. This is the market Canon must address. This is the market Red targets.
An XL form-factor camera won’t cannibalize canon DSLR sales because it targets different users, just like a DSLR doesn’t cannibalize XL sales, and Canon is in a great position to address this market because is doesn’t make ENG cameras, only lenses. It’s video cameras are “consumer” models. An XL won’t cannibalize consumer HD cameras because mom & dad won’t buy such an expensive behemoth.
It is a natural direction to move in.
What exactly is this “Red One” ?
Full frame is not really an issue. The APS-C sensor is very close to the size of 35mm film (which many photographers don’t realize is smaller than a FF still camera’s sensor). 3K is not much of an issue either. Most films shot on DSLRs today will never see the light of day on a projector that can do 3K.
The major features Canon needs to focus on are quick full-time autofocus, RAW and skew (“jello”). If they can master those three at the same price point their cameras are at now, they’ll be the darling of low-budget indy filmmakers.
The Red One is a digital video camera that shoots RAW video and costs under $20k for the body. They are currently working on a much less expensive line of cameras called Scarlet with varying specs and price points, depending on the particular model.
http://www.red.com/
I don’t see any major problems with the DSLR form factor. A lot of the support rigs and things being sold for DSLRs are far from essential. You can do a lot with nothing more than a good tripod. Yeah, you need a rail system if you want to mount a matte box, follow-focus and monitor, but the Red cameras are no better. In fact, with the exception of the fixed-lens Scarlet, Red’s cameras are really not stand-alone products. Take a look at all the add-ons for the Red One:
http://www.red.com/store