New Cinema Cameras of 2020: A Comprehensive Breakdown
Every year camera owners, rental houses, and producers everywhere hold their breath waiting for new camera releases to drop so they can get their hands on them and find out if they’re worth purchasing or renting.
With the big releases last year, some might be expecting nothing to catch their radar, but you’d be wrong. There’s some pretty cool cinema cameras due to be released in 2020 and they might be worth upgrading to.
With the current state of things, it’s doubtful that NAB will take place with the Coronavirus hysteria in full swing. So many will not have the chance to see these new releases first hand and test them out.
That’s where this blog comes in!
Below, you’ll be able to ‘read’ about these new cameras and gain more insight into what they offer.
Let’s get it!
RED Komodo 6K
Of course mega-diva Michael Bay gets to play around with the Komodo while the rest of us peasants twiddle our thumbs (jk). But nonetheless, we’re hearing good things about this little monster. A lot of people thought that because of the price point (rumored to land somewhere around 5K-6K) that this camera wouldn’t be worth their time. You’d be wrong though. This little guy packs a lot of punch with it’s global shutter mode that allows you to capture action frames with no motion blur. Not something you’d expect from a camera of this size.
Also surprising is it’s Anamorphic support which you wouldn’t expect with cameras in this price range, which means there’s a possible option to record REDcode RAW. And say goodbye to having to drop thousands for red mags, you can now record your data to C-Fast cards.
With this camera not being a part of the DSMC2 or DSMC3 models, you might be thinking, where does it fall? Well, at the moment it’s kind of in a league of its own.
This camera doesn’t have the crop factor that was a downside with the Red Raven which gave you tons of noise in undesirable lighting situations. That’s largely due to the fact that the Komodo’s sensor is said to measure 27.03mm x 14.25mm (6144 x 3240) which is larger than most S35 sensors.
Rumored to record 6K at 40 fps with no crop and 6K Widescreen at 50 fps in any mode (global shutter). I’m assuming you’ll be able to access higher frames rates in 4K. Another key feature others are excited about is its ability to support phase-detect autofocus with certain lens mounts. Those are some pretty impressive attributes! I can’t wait till the test footage drops.
New Arri S35 4K Camera (with no official title as of yet)
Seems weird that Arri would prematurely announce that they’re releasing a new camera during the first half of 2020 and they don’t even have a name for it yet, but nonetheless they did. And I’m sure many people that were considering buying the Alexa Mini LF, but were on the fence because of the price, are now reconsidering and waiting to hear more about this mysterious camera that is to be unveiled this year.
It’s likely that the camera is going to be a 4K S35 option between the original Alexa Mini and the Mini LF. And if I had to guess, the housing is probably smaller to compete with the Komodo and Z cam.
With zero details available, Arri has said that a true native sensor is in store and from the sounds of it is already gearing up to be an option for those looking for an upgrade from the Alexa Mini that allows them to use the full sensor along with they’re S35 lens package at a price that doesn’t break the bank.
I’m excited to see what they’ve got in store for us. Let the demystification commence!
Is That it?
Unfortunately for this year, that’s all we have to look forward to in the way of new cinema cameras. There were a lot of cool cameras that hit the market last year so a lull is expected to follow, but there’s still some unveiling to take place and some cool new products to test in 2020.
Check the Rumor Roundup here to find out a bit more information about the Red Komodo 6K:
