Red Digital Cinema

The Red One first introduced in 2007 was Red Digital Cinema's first production camera.[11] It captures up to 120 frames per second at 2K resolution and 60 frames per second at 4K resolution.[12] Its "Mysterium" sensor was acquisitioned for use with the proprietary RAW format called Redcode. By 2010, Red began selling upgrades to a 14 megapixel sensor called the "M-X".[13] The Red One has been reviewed as having effectively the same quality as 35mm film.[2][14] The Red One was made out of aluminum alloy, and the body alone weighs 10 lbs (4.5 kg).

It was used to shoot Che, The Informant, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In 2010, Red released the Red Epic, which was used to shoot The Amazing Spider-Man, The Hobbit, Prometheus, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Great Gatsby as well as many other feature films.

In 2009, Red began releasing new cameras with an updated form factor compared to the Red One. Designed with the goal of facilitating either still images or video, depending on the mounting setup, Red called the concept DSMC for "Digital Stills and Motion Capture".[15] The first camera released for this system was Epic-X, a professional digital stills and motion capture camera with interchangeable lens mounts. After this a new camera line called Scarlet was introduced that provided lower end specifications at a more affordable price. Initially equipped with a 5K imaging sensor, upgrades were later offered to a 6K sensor with higher dynamic range called the "Red Dragon".[16]

RED Raven camera seen at the BSC Expo 2016

The DSMC2 family of cameras was introduced in 2015 as the new form factor for all cameras up to 2020.[17] The Weapon 8K VV and Weapon 6K were the first two cameras announced within this line. They were followed by the Red Raven 4.5K and Scarlet-W 5K. Third-party capture formats, namely Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD, were made available for these cameras.[18]

In 2016, an 8K sensor called "Helium" was introduced with the two cameras Red Epic-W and Weapon 8K S35. In early January 2017, this was given the highest sensor score ever, 108, by the DxOMark website.[19] Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was the first film to be released that was shot on the Weapon. The film was shot at the camera's full 8K resolution, and featured an equivalent workflow, supplanting director David Fincher's Gone Girl as the film with the highest-resolution post-production workflow.

In 2019, Jared Land from Red announced the Red Komodo camera.[20] In 2020, Red started to ship the "beta" stormtrooper white models of the Red Komodo to customers on the waitlist. The price for the beta cameras is $6995, with the regular black shipping models for $5,995 (body only). The Komodo camera features 6K video, super 35 sensor, a Canon RF lens mount, a dual BP battery plate, and a global shutter.[21]

Red Weapon Helium 8K image showing 6K, 4K, 3K, HD and Instagram native resolution frame overlays Captured through a Canon FD 135 mm f/2.8 lens

In 2021, Red announced the Red V-Raptor camera, the current flagship model in Red's lineup of cameras, and the first camera that officially belongs to the DSMC3 family of cameras. Like the Komodo, the Red V-Raptor also has an active Canon RF lens mount, but unlike the Komodo, the V-Raptor is capable of multi-format recording.[22]

The V-Raptor features a Vistavision 8K sensor (40.96mm x 21.60mm) with the ability to crop to smaller formats like Super35. It is capable of recording full sensor 8K at 120 fps (or 150fps cropped to 2.4:1), and high frame rates of up to 600 fps in 2K. With an advertised dynamic range of 17 stops,[23] It was launched with a price tag of $24,500 (body only)[24] Red would later release the V-Raptor XL in 2022, featuring a larger body with an expanded range of ports, internal ND filter, additional aux power, interchangeable lens mount, among other features.[25]

In November 2022, Red announced the V-Raptor Rhino, a limited edition version of the V-Raptor, but featuring an 8K Super35 sensor and a light grey color scheme. It was launched with a price tag of $19,500.[26] In March 2023, the V-Raptor and V-Raptor XL S35 was launched. These cameras were identical to the previous V-Raptor and XL models and, like the V-Raptor Rhino, have Super35 sensors instead of the original Vistavision sensor.[27]

Red has offered S35 PL mount prime and zoom lenses for their cameras.

In 2017, Red announced their intentions to enter the smartphone market including planned features such as a 5.7" holographic display and integration with existing camera products.[28] On May 18, 2018, Red announced the Hydrogen One, with a release date in August 2018. Promised features included a holographic display, spatial sound, compatibility with the Red camera program, the launch of a streaming service, and modular add-ons similar to the "Moto Mods" feature of Motorola's Moto Z.[29] Especially the announced camera sensor module received attention, with Red founder Jannard claiming: "If you were shooting an 8K Weapon on set as your A camera, this could certainly be your B camera."[30]

On release, the smartphone was a critical disappointment and was even cited as a contender for the worst technology product of 2018, arising from outdated hardware and a lack of capabilities.[31] Similarly, the phone was a commercial flop, and in 2019, promised modular add-ons vanished from Red's website, with Jannard announcing the company was "currently in the middle of radically changing the Hydrogen program".[32] In late 2019, the company discontinued the product line.[33]

Red began selling its Redcine-X package for post-production workflow in 2009.[34] The process of decompressing the sensor data can be sped up with a Red Rocket accelerator card.[35] There is a downloadable SDK for working directly with the Redcode images, and another for controlling the cameras remotely.[36]

Announced in 2012, the Redray Player was the first stand-alone device capable of providing 4K content to compatible 2D or 3D displays. Using a 1TB internal drive for storage, the Redray plays 4K or HD media in the Redcode format. The player uses 12-bit 4:2:2 precision.[37] A cinema laser projector in the same family was also announced in 2012 but never released.[38]

Miami using Red Digital Cinema - 2023.