I always imagine the possibilities. Being able to do whatever I dream. The problem is that my dreams are more like fantasies created by kids from watching to many cartoons growing up. I ofttimes live in a world where the skies are so blue that the color cannot be reproduced by any solution available today. Don’t even ask me about the clouds. To document and or story board the multitude of ideas bumping around in my head will take a lifetime. I am a photographer by love and with the advent of cinema dslr’s I am extremely excited about my new workflow.
We are at war and it’s not just one. There is the internal fight between Canon and Canon as well as the external fight between Canon and Red. (When I think about it, it’s kind of funny. Canon and Hasselblad used to do battle too!) The war comes in the form of our cameras for the absolute position of supreme rule over all things imaging. We are artists starving to show the work we create either to self or public. We create for the love of creating. The tools we utilize builds upon the old adding new and desirable features to stimulate our workflow and creative prowess. As a public we ask for things. Sooner or later, what we ask for comes to fruition in the form of an object completely out doing its competition. This is where the problem comes from. These tools we use to create carries a certain expectation backed by the name of companies with a long standing history to produce a product with proper functionality and vitality.
I am a Canon guy. When I dove head first into the art of photography in 2005 my first camera was a Canon 10D, six months later I bought the 20D, 1 month after I picked up the Hasselblad H1 and Leaf Aptus 22 digital back, within that same month I bought a Canon 1Ds MK2. Thats a lot of cameras to purchase within a year. But for me they all served different purposes. I sold the 10D to a buddy looking to learn about photography and my 1Ds MK2 was stolen on a shoot. Thats when I learned about proper ways to insure your gear. I went through Statefarm Insurance to cover all of my lighting and photographic stuff. I was distraught after the loss of my Mark 2. 8k down the drain. I was so trusting then. Fast forward 4 years. My 20d is functioning superbly with it’s Digic 2 engine chugging 8 megapixel images without effort. My Hasselblad H1 Leaf digital is so temperamental. I wish it had more functionality than it does. But again it serves its purpose Even though I am rocking a 22 megapixel medium format camera I patiently waited for the next 5d to make waves. With all the rumors floating around dealing with specs and processor I was already sold. Again what we ask for, companies will develop for a price. With the 5D Mark 2 the price was right. Full Frame 35mm HD video 24p/30p/60p oh my Digic 4 processor and 22 megapixels, extreme light sensitivity. This camera was going to be a monster. So began the wait, visits to Canon Rumors and UK commercial photography – Northlight Images became a daily ritual. To have that camera was to have a tool that would redesign my workflow into something that I craved for years. I was so excited. Then it came, Nikon released their D90 with HD 720p and a frame rate of 24. Big grins came across the faces of many in anticipation of Canons response. I knew the monster was about to be set free. Hundreds of people were on the waiting list at Penn Camera, but I had my back up family owned camera shop I’d go to tucked away in the heart of Falls Church, VA. Dominion Camera & Photo Lab is my knight in shinning armor when it comes to getting the Canon bodies I need. They also sell Nikon stuff too.
Then the announcement was made. The rumored camera finally made real. Excitement was in the air but the specs didn’t match up to our expectations. No manual control! No 24p! Hey what’s going on here! I bought the camera anyway. Functionality that was to be included would be later available through firmware update. OK, I will continue to wait and use the camera for my fashion, beauty and portrait work. No worries.
A firmware update was about to be released. Again all the forums lit up like a Christmas tree from the speculation of manual control and 24p. Did we get what we wanted? Yes and no. Manual control was the first. Very exciting but we still felt slighted. We have to have the film look! Again I continued to wait. Not using the camera for its added purpose of video. That’s when a I took more notice of RED and it’s forthcoming Scarlet and Epic modular solutions. From the design to the spec’d functionality. 1 million configurations and it shoots at 6k.
What a monster. My initial thought was “Why didn’t Canon do this first?” I already knew the answer, but the question still had to be posed. Canon is a HUGE company. They have products in development that only the top-dogs know about that will revolutionize the industry as we know it. But they are out to make money. So when you think about it, to now include video functionality for their dslr’s after they noticed what consumers were doing was a business move on there end . Even with the the inclusion of that feature it was still considered a taste. Canon did not really know how this new feature would have been received. Its like the case with Apple and their software leaks here and there to the torrents. What better way to evaluate impact with consumers and end-users than to give them crumbs. Inexpensive bites followed by surveys on what can be done to make the mixture better. This is business 101 people!
Red was and still is a small tight-nit group with ginormous goals. Goals and ideas they follow through on. They also have a following in which they keep in strong contact with. That alone makes them a stark contender for the best imaging solution.
I am a full believer in the underdog. Again look at Apple vs. Microsoft. Everyone knows I am an Apple guy! Yes their products cost more, but you definitely know what you are getting. A product that lasts for years and is supported by updates that improve functionality and software integration. I did buy Snow Leopard and it does ROCK!
I believe RED follows a similar work ethic. Build something that works and functions better than anything else on the market, ensure stability, be attentive and they will love you for it. Remember the difference between smaller companies and big ones is communication and a belief in how these corporations think consumers will approach their product!
Vogue Republic 