2013 begins with lots of buzz around new cameras from Red Digital Cinema and Panavision.
First up is new info on Red’s still forthcoming Dragon CMOS image sensor for the Epic. According to a Reduser.net announcement from Red Fire Chief Jarred Land on New Year’s Eve, a prototype Dragon sensor has exhibited an unprecedented amount of dynamic range in test images taken through a “really, really expensive engineering lens.” Land posted a (highly compressed) JPG image that seemed to show the Dragon capturing 19 or perhaps a full 20 stops of dynamic range from a 21-stop test chart. What’s more, Land said the image in question was taken at 6K resolution and at over 80 frames per second. If production models of the sensor perform like that in real-world circumstances, the Epic Dragon promises to be an incredible piece of gear.
And Panavision is getting back into the digital camera game with a new camera body sporting a 65mm-equivalent sensor size for compatibility with 65mm lenses. A prototype is expected within the next six months.