How do you take a fresh approach to common design?

The cinema camera is in perpetual evolution; the truck-sized steel film blimps of yesteryear have scaled down to fit into the palm of a single human hand. Stanley Kubrick achieved docu-style realism in his first documentary and narrative films by using a Bell & Howell Eyemo, which could load a 100ft reel of 35mm film--just enough to capture a little over 1 minute of footage. We can only imagine what he would have done with modern digital technology.

RED Digital Cinema President Jared Land hinted at a product called Komodo on REDUser nearly a year ago, and as the months have gone by, he’s slowly revealed that RED® KOMODO™ will be a new species in the constantly evolving chain of camera design:


6K. 2lbs. Built-in touchscreen monitor. $6k.

Incredible, especially when you consider that the original 10lb, 4K RED ONE first shipped in 2007 (without a monitor) at a cost of $17,500. RED KOMODO is built for the new generation of ever-mobile cinematographers: minimalist design, high resolution, ultra-lightweight, and so compact that you can wrap your hands around the entire body. Stick on the batteries, slap on a lens, load a card, et voilà!—RED KOMODO becomes the ultimate all-in-one, run-and-gun imaging machine.

Our team at SmallHD decided to put pen-to-paper and take an equally fresh approach to redesign and scale-down our most popular product to coincide with KOMODO’s smaller body…

 

Introducing the 5” Focus Pro Series:

Both Focus Pro (far left) and Focus Pro OLED (far right) have identical i/o features and camera control options.

Lighter, stronger, enhanced functionality, and stylized to complement the aesthetics of RED KOMODO, the Focus Pro will allow operators to capture images with increased accuracy and speed. Focus Pro Series will offer bright, daylight-viewable LCD & OLED touchscreen options and an additional Hinge Mount for 180° tilting.

Camera Control for KOMODO will enable access to RED KOMODO’s menu settings and operations (available as an upgrade kit as early as September 2020). At launch, Focus Pro will arrive with Camera Control for DSMC2 (DSMC2 Kits only), as well as the new SmallHD OS4 Software which touts an improved UI, new Page Tools, and increased responsiveness.

Improved physical design elements include:

  • A rugged aluminum chassis in lieu of the typical plastic unibody
  • 5-pin Lemo Connector for USB Camera Control
  • A more robust 2-pin Battery Holster
  • Total weight of just over .5lbs

And YES, the 5” Focus Pro Series can be used with any other SDI compatible camera on the market.

 

The Eames’ belief that products should be elegant, functional, and strong still holds true; RED KOMODO and Focus Pro are paired to meet the design expectations of all serious cinematographers. And for those who will argue that smaller and faster aren’t always better--well, feel free to discuss with Kubrick in the cinema afterlife.

More Focus Pro info to come. Stay tuned.

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