{"id":385,"date":"2008-09-15T14:10:20","date_gmt":"2008-09-15T14:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/?p=385"},"modified":"2008-09-15T14:16:22","modified_gmt":"2008-09-15T14:16:22","slug":"seeing-red","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/?p=385","title":{"rendered":"Seeing RED"},"content":{"rendered":"

You’ve probably heard of the RED ONE<\/a> video camera if you have any interest at all in making movies. It’s a revolutionary modular camera that can shoot 4096 pixel wide (4K) video at up to 30 frames per second in 12 bit RAW. Two new models, one with a larger image size and one smaller are due next year; the 5K EPIC will make shooting movies on film a thing of the past (already studios are turning to RED ONE.) SCARLET – a 3K camera – promises to be significantly more affordable.<\/p>\n

Last month, RED camera’s Jim Jannard posted a comment<\/a> about a new camera, a “DSMC (Digital Still & Motion Camera)<\/em>” to compete – or rather revolutionise – the DSLR market. Given the example of RED ONE, it will be worth waiting for – and expect to wait until around 2010 (Jannard’s post says “late 2009<\/em>“.) It is likely to offer higher resolution, faster image writes, better compression codecs than existing high-end DSLRs as well as significantly under-cutting the prices of the top-level models. It is also likely to be a modular system – even to the extent of allowing sensor upgrades. So far there are 39 forum pages of comments (and a wish list page<\/a> with more)\u00a0 if you have a day or two spare to read them; Jannard says he won’t make detailed comments until Jan 1, 2009. And there is a wish list and<\/p>\n

For some rather more concise but detailed speculation, take a look at Wired<\/a>, where they set out their wish list for the camera. One of the nicest thoughts they have is that one manifestation of it might be a camera that would “‘out-Leica’ Leica<\/em>“, giving us “a digital rangefinder camera that actually works<\/em>.” I do hope so.<\/p>\n

Leica are not quite standing still, although their\u00a0 official Photokina 2008 product announcements<\/a> on the Leica User Forum\u00a0 (you will need to register to see the details there, but doubtless they will soon be available everywhere else) don’t fill me with great excitement. Certainly they don’t live up to some of the rumours that were around.<\/p>\n

The Leica M8.2 has the new shutter and hard cover glass previously announced as an upgrade for the M8, along with a snapshot mode, quick override settings and a more robust finish. Nothing of great significance – and certainly nothing that will make the camera live up to it’s pedigree.<\/p>\n

The snapshot mode usefully includes auto ISO speed, which can also be used on other settings. Leica seem also to have responded to photographer’s complaint over insufficient detent on the main switch (we get fed up of finding we have the camera on self-timer by mistake) and also claim improved bright line frames. Although their accuracy was a feature of some earlier cameras, on the original M8 only the 35mm outline seems to give acceptable accuracy.<\/p>\n

Apart from these minor camera improvements there are some new lenses. The 21mm and 24mm f1.4 lenses seem interesting although are likely to be unaffordable when they become available in December 2008. Doubtless they will be superb performers, although I find the statement that “in the 21 mm lens, distortion is only -2,3%, and only -2.2% for the 24 mm lens, and is therefore hardly visible<\/em>” rather debatable.<\/p>\n

Personally I’d find a 21mm f2.8 with a considerably smaller size and cost very much more interesting. What Leica have still to realise is that with digital it’s better to go for a lower noise sensor than to bother\u00a0 with very wide apertures – and they also have a new Noctilux 50mm f0.95 to prove they’ve yet to get the point.<\/p>\n

The 24mm f3.8, equivalent to 32mm on a full-frame camera, is described by Leica as being “moderate cost<\/em>.” I suspect that means only around a thousand pounds, but I could be seriously underestimating.<\/p>\n

So, rather than wait for Leica to bring out the M9 (or even the M11, given how far they have to go) , I think we are now crossing our fingers for the RED M.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You’ve probably heard of the RED ONE video camera if you have any interest at all in making movies. It’s a revolutionary modular camera that can shoot 4096 pixel wide (4K) video at up to 30 frames per second in 12 bit RAW. Two new models, one with a larger image size and one smaller … Continue reading Seeing RED<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-photo-issues","category-technical"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/re-photo.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}