RED Digital Cinema has announced the V-RAPTOR ST, its latest flagship 8K cinema camera that can record REDCODE RAW video at up to 120fps. The $24,5000 cinema camera, which features a Canon RF lens mount, is the first in RED’s new DSMC3 generation of cameras and manages to pack a lot of features in a relatively compact form factor.
At the heart of the V-RAPTOR ST is an 8K VV 35.4-megapixel CMOS sensor (8192 x 4320 pixels) that measures 40.96mm (1.61”) x 21.60mm (.85”) and is capable of capturing over 17 stops of dynamic range. In front of the sensor is a Canon RF lens mount with RF lens support and support for other lenses, including Canon EF mount lenses, when used with compatible adapters.
The camera can record RED’s 16-bit REDCODE RAW codec at 120 frames per second (fps) at 8K 17:9 (8192 x 4320 pixels) and up to 600fps if resolution is dropped down to 2K 2.4:1 (2048 x 864 pixels). Data is pushed to compatible CFexpress media cards at up to 800MB/s (that’s nearly a gigabyte a second).
The camera is constructed of an aluminum allo, which helps it keep its weight at just over 4lbs (1.8kg) and has a V-Lock batter interface specifically optimized for Micro V-Lock batteries. It can, of course, be powered by other sources via its 11–17V 6-pin DC-IN connection.
A size comparison between the V-RAPTOR ST (right) compared to the KOMODO 6K (left).
Other ports include two 4K 12G-SDI outputs and an XLR audio interface with phantom power via adapter. There will also be wireless connectivity, which can transmit a 1080p live preview video over 2.4Ghz/5Ghz Wi-Fi for composing shots. An integrated 2.4” LCD display is used to navigate the menu and view the current settings and connections.
The V-RAPTOR ST also works with Android and iOS devices via Wi-Fi or over USB-C. In addition to controlling the camera’s settings wirelessly, compatible mobile devices can also be used as a liveview display.
This is everything included in the $30K V-RAPTOR ST ‘Starter Kit.’
The V-RAPTOR ST starts at $24,500 for the camera body only. A ‘Starter Pack,’ which includes the V-RAPTOR ST camera body, DSMC3 RED Touch 7” LCD display, a RED Pro CFExpress 660GB card and reader, two REDVOLT Micro-V batteries, a RED Compact Dual V-Lock charger, two V-RAPTOR Wing Grips and a RED EXT-to-Timecode cable (3’) is also available for $29.579.99.
You can find out more and, if your pockets are deep enough, secure your order on RED’s website.