RED

[patrickh]

There is a small company out there that has made new style video digicameras for pros. They are now promising some kind of digi body to handle Nikon/Canon etc lenses with a "breakthrough" sensor/software module. Sort of interesting:
http://www.red.com/


patrickh

[Fotal]

I've not heard too much from them, do they have a "large" user base?

I remember the big spalsh they made anonncing they cams but then things have been quiet.

[patrickh]

They claim more than 3000 users


patrickh

[gcrimmins]

Yeah, Red is an interesting company with the potential to stir things up in the DSLR world. They company is only a few years old but their first camera, the Red One digital cinema camera, apparently caused quite a stir in the movie industry. There are already feature films shot with Red cameras. I've heard good things about the cameras, but that the editing workflow can be a real hassle. While inexpensive by cinema standards, Red's cameras and accessories are quite expensive by DSLR standards. Not that they couldn't make a less-expensive camera.

So the President of Red said that in early 2009 they are going to announce a new camera that shoots high resolution stills and videos that will make DSLR's obsolete. He also said that anyone who is excited about the video and still capability of the D70 or the EOS-5D Mk II will be blown away by the new Red camera. (That said, Vincent LaFloret said in his blog that the 5D MkII video is much better than the Red One (which is a couple years old) in low light.) My guess is that what Red has planned is an interchangeable-lens camera that isn't an SLR, but has a high-resolution electronic viewfinder. That would likely allow a very fast frame rate for still photos. I also wouldn't be surprised if they offer their own line of lenses plus fully functional adapters for lenses from other companies, such as Canon or Nikon. I don't know if Red really has any hope of playing with the big boys, but it will be interesting to see how things play out.

--Geoff