Last Updated on 12/05/2012 by Chris Gampat
Hey cinema dudes and dudettes, get ready to cry just a little bit! NoFilmSchool tells us that RED will end production of their cinema lenses soon in an official statement by the company’s Jim Jannard. If you know anyone that is RED certified, you’ll know that those specialists love RED’s lenses. They’re often described as better than buttery smooth; so at least to us, it makes no sense as to why they’re killing one of their own products when they’re still much more affordable than anyone else’s lenses out there.
There has also been much talk about the new Red Dragon sensor though; and Jannard came straight out and said that it cannot be compared to 35mm film anymore, but instead 65mm film. Jannard claims that it has more resolution than both formats, when scanned at 4K; which is probably true knowing RED. And despite the fact that the company is capable of doing some awesome things and even wowing the industry in an economic recession, we’re quite amazed at how much Jannard toots their own horn. In a couple of quotes, Jannard commented on the industry and their competition, saying:
“How is it that RED could enter the cinema camera market 7 years ago and now about 50% of the released features are “Shot on RED”?
How is it that Canon owned the professional stills market 3 years ago and now Nikon is handing them their @ss?
How did Arri convert all the old-school film guys to the Alexa?
Sensors, baby. Sensors.
Apparently Canon is married to old sensor fab technology. The Nikon D800 scores 95 on the DXO sensor scale. The brand new Canon 5D MKIII… 82. Really? That can’t be good.
Arri has a great sensor program… although a bit down on resolution from our point of view. 🙂
Enter the RED Dragon. This is sensor technology that makes all the big guys want to put on their helmets.
So how did Canon get so lost? Who are the camera companies that recognize that sensors are 90+% of a digital camera? Who is investing in sensor technology?
In order…
RED
Arri
Sony
the rest…”
Of course there are other factors that matter in this highly competitive and fast changing market. Who will upgrade the sensor in your existing camera instead of making you buy a new camera?
No matter what your answers are to these questions… it is all coming down to who has the best sensor program. Sensors matter. Side note… film is officially dead.
We really have to wonder though, because not long ago RED announced price cuts on cameras, and then quite literally cut them in half. Additionally, the BBC still doesn’t use the RED. Nonetheless, I really have to applaud RED for their innovation and for being a standing bastion in American Manufacturing. To that end though, nearly everything that Jannard has said is true so far.