In the first two posts of this series, we looked at the general specs and capabilities of the revolutionary Red One digital camera. Now we will examine how the camera records and stores images.

Firmware Builds

One of the innovations of the Red camera, in addition to the extraordinary 4,096 lines of horizontal resolution, is that it can be re-programmed as developments are made by the manufacturer. A reprogramming is known as a “firmware build.”

Firmware builds add new features and refine existing ones in such areas as recording, exposure control, and color science.  Ultimately this gives the camera capabilities beyond its original design.

Firmware builds are available to owners right off the Internet, free of charge. The camera displays its current firmware build when it boots up.

RAW

As we discussed in the previous post, the Red camera records in RAW, like a digital still camera. RAW images are uncompressed and involve no color subsampling. In essence, the raw data is all the information that the camera’s 12 megapixel sensor “sees.”

The amount of recorded data is so vast that white balance and gain are not required prior to shooting. These adjustments can be made after the fact in post-production. In fact, the only adjustment that needs to be made at the time of shooting is exposure.

Because the Red camera records RAW and there is only one data path (no RGB as in typical video recording), it is closer to a digital still camera than a video camera. Technically, it does not shoot video, which is defined as an RGB signal, but rather high speed still images. It seems strange but that’s how the manufacturer, Red Digital Cinema, views the camera.

Despite this, the signal can be converted to RGB to play on HD monitors. The camera has HD outputs for this purpose. There is no SD output.

Redcode RAW

Recode RAW is the CODEC that the Red camera uses to compress 4K clips into manageable file sizes. This allows the files to be recorded on different media including compact flash cards.

Recode RAW has two levels of compression Redcode 28 and Recode 36. Recode 28 is for recording normal scenes, while Redcode 36 uses less compression and is appropriate for highly detailed images.

Storage

The Red camera offers three way to store recordings:

1. Compact Flash Card – records up to 10 minutes

2. RAID Hard Drive – records up to 6 hours

3. Red RAM – records up to 1 hour

The first method is recommended because it is simple and dependable. It requires a RED CF module which attaches to the camera. After shooting, the flash card is easily popped out of the camera and into a computer for editing.

As of this writing, flash cards can store up to 16GB, with a 4K recording time of 10 minutes. This may not seem like much, but it is the same running time of a 35mm film magazine.

The RAID hard drive and Red RAM are viable options, but they add weight to the camera and a slightly more involved workflow when compared to the ease of handling a small flash card.

We hope this series on the Red One camera has been helpful. Red Digital Cinema has managed to democratize production by bringing an affordable Ultra HD camera to the market in much the same way Apple helped indie film editors with Final Cut Pro.

The company is in the process of designing lower and higher end cameras, along with a 4K monitor and projector. These will prove to be a treat to filmmakers at all budget levels. – Antonio Fox