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camera review January 27, 2021
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High-res footage has a new standard: A look at the RED Komodo 6K camera

The RED Komodo 6K: an all-around high-resolution cinema camera for which nothing has been sacrificed despite its compact size. 

Are you a beginning videographer overwhelmed by the sheer amount of cameras on the market right now? We get it.

Cinema cameras are real investments and committing to a model can be daunting. That’s not even looking at the endless number of accessories.

Luckily RED digital camera, the brand behind cameras used for “The Hobbit” and Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2,” released the perfect product. The Komodo 6K is the perfect cinema camera for any beginning videographer looking to make serious moves.  

Features of the RED Komodo 6k cinema camera

Initially designed as a crash cam, the Komodo has grown beyond that narrow characterization. 

Users commented that they’d like to use the Komodo as a B or C, and in some cases even a main camera. RED listened. 

The Komodo 6k cinema camera, released late 2020, features a global shutter, 6k resolution, stabilization, and an RF-style lens mount.

It features RED’s innovative image capture technology seen in its previous cinema cameras. Komodo 6k stands out in one big thing: it’s tiny. 

With high-resolution, the RED Komodo is perfect for beginner videographers

The Komodo 6k is the smallest camera RED has ever produced, yet its high-resolution features are not left behind. Because of its compact size, the Komodo is ideal for videographers that are just starting and are still figuring out their preferred set-up, location, and style of shooting.

The camera being four by four by four, with a weight of just 2.1 pounds means it’s possible to shoot whenever and wherever.

This small, light camera means that you have more flexibility when shooting; instead of lugging along a massive cinema camera, with the Komodo 6k, you’re free to experiment with angles and perspectives. 

The cinema camera’s small size hasn’t been detrimental to its image quality. You can record up to 6K at 40 fps, 5K at 48 fps, 4K at 60 fps, and 2K at 120 fps in REDCODE RAW. Shooting in RAW means having the most flexibility in post-production. 

The camera’s global shutter sensor guarantees crisp images even when shooting fast-moving scenes. Combine that with the camera’s minimal weight and size, and you have the perfect gadget for trips, adventures, and impromptu antics. 

The RED Komodo 6k is a cinema camera made to make your life easier

The Komodo 6k has very intuitive controls. A touch screen on top of the camera makes changing settings and checking footage easy. Through the integrated 2.4/5 GHz WiFi, you can also link your Android or IOS to control the camera and watch a preview on your personal device. 

The Komodo 6k has dual battery slots that allow you to shoot up to 3 hours of footage. The batteries are hotly swappable which means that it runs down one battery at a time; once one dies, it switches to the second battery while you can charge the one that ran out.  

The camera does not come with dual card slots. This can be annoying if you’re planning to shoot for a long time as this would mean that you’d have to carry a decent amount of cards on you while shooting.

While ideally, you would have to carry as little extra equipment as possible, being forced to carry extra cards can be a positive thing. By switching to different cards, you minimize the risk of your one card getting corrupted and you losing all your footage. 

The RED cinema world

The camera also serves as an entry point into the RED cinema world. Where before the RED cameras only supported first-party accessories, the Komodo 6k works with some Sony lenses.

The Komodo 6k creates the potential for a whole series of third-party accessories. The camera comes with a mechanical EF adaptor which allows you to use certain Canon and Sony lenses. 

Despite the steep price tag of $5,995, the camera is currently sold out on the RED website.

Having to wait a month or two before getting it might be a good thing; it’ll allow you time to figure out projects, shoots, and goals to hit once you get your hands on the Komodo 6k.

The small size and light weight mean the cinema camera is ready for any experimental shoots you imagine. The question is: are you?

Sony Alpha a7iii
camera review January 25, 2021
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Are you team Sony Alpha? How the a7iii changed videography

When the new and renovated Sony a7iii camera came out in 2018, the reviews really underestimated its performance. Still, team Sony Alpha continues to impress with its high-quality cameras.

The new mirrorless camera was known to be a “basic” camera model. The camera, however, not only holds the same features that the A9 did at a fraction of the price. But, it also turns out to be the perfect camera for videographers in the making. 

Are you team Sony alpha? Here is our comprehensive review of the Sony a7iii camera.

How does Sony’s a7iii work for photography?

For photography, the camera is excellent. It has a 24MP sensor that boasts 15 stops of dynamic range and ISO from 100 to 51,200 (expandable to 50-204,800). And it holds the same AF features including 693 phase-detection AF points, covering 93% of the frame as the A9.

The a7iii has 24 MegaPixels, a perfect update from its predecessor, and an amazing dynamic range allowing the user to cover details at a low ISO. Its high ISO capabilities are amazing as well.

And, according to a review written on shot kit’s webpage, “the Sony A7 III actually scored better in low light than its brothers the A7RIII and A7SII over at DxO Mark.”

Now, let’s review the Sony a7iii camera’s videography.

In review, the Sony a7iii camera is perfect for video

Once you get past the complicated menu of the a7iii, you will learn that the camera has great features for videography if you know them well. 

Thus, our review of the video side of the Sony a7iii must first begin by explaining key features of the camera.

First, although the camera allows for recording video files in any mode by hitting the record button, you’ll need to switch the dial to movie mode to see an LCD overlay that relates to movie settings.

Then, set the exposure mode to manual exposure. This will allow you to fully control the exposure. 

The camera also offers 4 different file formats, allowing you to choose to capture incredible details at XAVC S 4K, XAVC S HD, or AVCHD. 

And don’t let its size trick you. It is commonly known that the smaller the machine gets, so do the LCD Screens. But the LCD in the a7iii is set to display 4:3 imagery, and when it switches to movie mode, the LCD changes to 16:9. 

More video details of the SONY a7iii camera

Also, with small screen, focusing becomes an issue. However, the a7iii has a focus assistant and peaking feature. This allows for further capturing details on the move and at whatever light you have. 

The camera has complete audio settings. It allows removing the visualization by turning the audio level off but keeping the sound on.

And it has complete marker settings that can turn on the 2.35:1 aspect ratio guide, for those who intend on cropping their footage or applying a letterbox in post production.

Finally, there is a wide variety of recording settings that you can set to fit what you are working on. Like all other video cameras, the a7iii allows you to adjust the color profile to accommodate post-production needs.

Under the profile section, you will see ten pre-built profiles that you can adjust:

  • PP1: Example setting using [Movie] gamma
  • PP2: Example setting using [Still] gamma
  • PP3: Example setting of natural color tone using the [ITU709] gamma
  • PP4: Example setting of a color tone faithful to the ITU709 standard
  • PP5: Example setting using [Cine1] gamma
  • PP6: Example setting using [Cine2] gamma
  • PP7: Example setting using [S-Log2] gamma
  • PP8: Example setting using [S-Log3] gamma and the [S-Gamut3.Cine] under [Color Mode].
  • PP9: Example setting using [S-Log3] gamma and the [S-Gamut3] under [Color Mode].
  • PP10: Example setting using [HLG2] gamma and the [BT.2020] under [Color Mode].

Team Sony Alpha is changing the world of videography

It comes as a great surprise that a 5.0 x 3.8 x 2.9 camera can hold so many features.

Not only does the a7iii offer the perfect formats for whatever videos you want to shoot, but it also has Eye AF actions, that will allow you to capture unpredicted movements without micro-adjusting the camera position.

It comes with an additional dual memory card slot, which is always appreciated by working professionals. Also, more than 5 axes for image stabilization and an amazing level of customization.

And it all comes at a price lower than $2,000. There is no better investment.

So are you a member of Team Alpha? Sony’s cameras are only getting better, and the a7iii is no exception. Get to creating.