RED Weapon

Show: NAB 2015

Release date – 6K – end of 2015

Release date – 8K – “2016”

Estimated Price – Weapon 6K Carbon Fiber – US$49,500

Estimated Price – Weapon 6K Magnesium – US$34,500

Estimated Price – Weapon 8K sensor upgrade to CF body – US$20,000

Probably the biggest albeit anticipated news of NAB this year has got to be RED’s official release statement to their latest offering in the Dragon camera family, the Weapon Dragon 6K and 8K. It’s a veritable minefield of body options (carbon fibre (CF) and magnesium (MG)), sensor options (6K and 8K) frame rates and codecs.

Weapon is not just a new sensor – it’s a new, lighter, more powerful, advanced camera body with a new sensor upgrade path. The biggest new feature is the ability to record 6K raw and 2K ProRes “proxy” simultaneously onboard, which gives you “manageable” offline proxy files which should easily conform to the “online” raw files, with the same naming convention. The 6K CF supports 2K ProRes proxy recording up to 120fps while the MG body limits it to 60fps. Onboard ProRes will include such flavours as 4444XQ, 4444, 422(HQ), 422, and 422(LT) and there is an interesting “tethered streaming” option to output ProRes via Ethernet cable, while still recording raw to the camera.

Once you’ve upgraded your Epic Dragon to a Weapon Dragon 6K CF, next year you will be able to upgrade the sensor the the new 8K one. This “larger than life” sensor is bigger than Full Frame 35mm, at 40.96×21.6mm, and will be able to shoot 60fps @ FF, or up to 75fps in their WS mode. Please note the the MG body will not be powerful enough to house the 8K sensor! Only the carbon fibre body will be eligible for this upgrade.

There are many new accessories to adorn your new Weapon with – a new 7” Touch LCD, and Revolt XL module to name but two.

It’s an exciting time to be involved with the resolution wars and RED seem to be improving all the time, building product upon groundbreaking product. Yes there will be glitches and foibles, but when it works, it will surely be glorious.