It's been almost 3 months since RED's showing at NAB -- which included new products as well as camera sensor upgrades being performed right on the show floor -- but where are the cameras with the new DRGAON sensors? Jarred mentioned in the forum that they've had to redesign an internal power supply, and this has affected their color science (which they are still working on). Either way, after months of promises, when might we see the fire-breathing beast -- and will it be anytime in the near future?
Jim Jannard has spoken in the forum for the first time since late May -- mainly for those people (im)patiently waiting for upgrades:
The Dragon is near...
The Dragon is late... but worth the wait.
Plus:
I have to say that the skies have parted and the sun is shining... finally.
Some forum members have seen the cameras running in person -- so this isn't just a bit of smoke and mirrors -- and we've also seen the EPIC DRAGON working in a photo recently:
As ambiguous as the statements above are, it can only mean that at the very least, we should be getting some footage very soon, which is one of the main things holding some folks back from pulling the trigger (or even considering this a contender in the first place). Those without a dog in the fight might wonder why so much time is spent on so very few details, but there is no question that what RED does affects every other company in the industry. Sony's F55, a global shutter CMOS sensor camera with 14 stops of latitude, would have cost $100,000 just a few years ago, but thanks to steep competition from companies like RED, you can get one for under $40K.
The latest and greatest is always nice, but it's easy to forget that you can still get some pretty spectacular results with what's available right now. Here's the trailer for Ridley Scott's new film The Counselor, which was shot on EPIC:
And here is Stalingrad, a film from Russia shot on EPICs and SCARLETs:
Finally, in other RED news, if you're one of the few who've ordered a REDRAY player, you can now control the device with the new iOS app called REDcommand. Jarred also mentioned that an Android version is coming (and if I had a REDRAY and 4K TV, I would still be left out with my Nokia Lumia 920).
So when do you think we'll see footage from DRAGON? How about working cameras in the field? Do you think it will deliver on its promised stats?
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