RED Digital Cinema Camera Company has revealed the RAVEN, its first professional camera for low-budget filming. It will cost $5,950, including just the ‘body’, and $10,000 for the whole complete package. They will begin shipping in February 2016.
According to a RED press release, “the announcement reflects RED’s ongoing commitment to the belief that cinema-quality creative tools should not be in the hands of a few—they should be available to all professional shooters.”
Unveiling technical specs, the RED RAVEN will weigh 3.5 lbs, will be equipped with a 4K sensor, will be capable of record up to 120 frames per second at that quality, and could be used as a drone.
“Whether shooting for documentaries, online content creation, indie filmmaking, or with drones and gimbals—RED RAVEN’s durable, lightweight construction is ideal for any situation”, says the press release.
Jarred Land, RED’s CEO, said to Peta Pixel, “RED RAVEN is a new category in our line up. It’s a younger, hungrier, more ‘spirited’ member of the RED family with a bit of a chip on its shoulder, ready to take on the entire sub-$10k market with images that users will be incredibly proud of”.
From sunglasses to cameras
Red Digital Cinema Camera Company, located in California, was founded in 1999 by Jim Jannard. Jannard had made a big fortune with his line of Oakley glasses, and despite the fact that he had no experience in the movie business, he decided to create the company, according to Technology Review.
Schilowitz, first RED employee and spokesman of the 400-person company, said to Technology Review that his “interest in cameras was a logical extension of Jannard’s Oakley business, which also sold prescription glasses and protective goggles for athletes. Jim is obsessed with the way the world sees things.”
The first RED model was introduced in 2007, and immediately attracted the attention of filmmakers like Peter Jackson and Steven Soderbergh. RED professional cameras are famous for shooting tons of movies, like Jurassic World, The Great Gatsby, The Hobbit, and Transformers.
Source: RED