RED has started to deliver on its promise to add native Canon RF lens support for Komodo. With firmware version 1.4.0, it brings several improvements including autofocus for RF lenses in beta. The key word being "beta."
Since the black version has been released there's been a lot of praise for the camera from users and for good reason. The images are stunning, the body is small, and the price is very competitive from a company that we are used to seeing hit above the $10,000 mark for their DSMC2 brains. If you haven't read our interview with DP Tim Daust, it's a must-read.
The price point alone should stir the competition. Who knows, maybe after ARRI releases its new Super 35 camera next year, we could see them enter the sub-$10K arena. Wishful thinking, but man oh man. Take my freakin' money if they do. #Stonks
Even with some features being a work in progress, Komodo has already been certified by Netflix. Support for RF lenses brings it one step closer for those who rely on autofocus as part of their workflow.
It's RED's first jump into AF, so it's new territory. That said, we never saw Komodo as a camera that you would use AF on. It's a cinema camera and it begs you to mount manual lenses. Having RF autofocus and lens communication will be a bonus when out of beta. That said, AF is already available for EF lenses. Plus, there aren't that many affordable RF lenses available. Outside the two Canon kit lenses (24-105mm 24-240mm), you're looking at price points around $2,000. Only Canon's RF 35mm and RF 50mm are below $500 and they also have affordable 600mm and 800mm lenses but video shooters won't lean on those. Laowa, Meike, and Irix offer RF lenses, but many are waiting for Sigma to announce its RF lens series.
It's why right now most are attaching the more affordable EF lenses using the included EF-EOS R adapter, or another adapter for PL lenses altogether. And if you're Jason Momoa, it's Leica glass.
But if for some reason you've been waiting for native RF lenses to be supported to pull the trigger, this is good news. One thing to point out about the firmware is that the lens control ring and focus range switch are not supported but will be in the future. Check out the full list of improvements below.
Komodo 1.4.0 Firmware
- Added Canon RF lens support (BETA)
- Added Angelbird ARRI AV Pro 256GB CFast card support
- Added Camera type and build number to RCP2
- Added Ethernet Zeroconf (Local-Link IP address) support
- Fixed slow load of large R3D clip in Playback
- Fixed out of sync clip index in Playback playlist
- Fixed Factory Reset to delete camera presets
- Fixed USB tethering with iOS 14
- Fixed KOMODO Link Adapter interfering with CFast card detection
- Fixed user calibration with genlock enabled
- Fixed incorrect Image Stabilization UI status on boot
- Fixed intermittent snowy SDI image
- Fixed ‘Unapproved Battery’ error message running with DC
- Fixed Web UI Multi Action Menu buttons (LUT, CDL, Preset)
- Fixed AF window size on format change
- Fixed intermittent reboot hang
- Fixed SDI ST-352 payload for all Color Space and Gamma settings
- AF Improvements
Do you own a Komodo? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
