DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Which is the right RED for you? Find out in this Monstro vs Helium vs Gemini side-by-side comparison

Jun 5, 2018 by John Aldred Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

RED recently simplified its camera lineup to three separate product lines. Monstro, Helium and Gemini. But how do the three new systems all stack up against each other? That’s what Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and filmmaker Vincent Laforet wanted to find out. So, he got all three cameras and took them out to compare them side-by-side and see for himself where the limits were.

You may look at this post and think “I’ll never own a RED camera, why should I care?” but Vincent’s message here is clear. It’s not that we all need RED cameras, or to show off his fancy cameras. It’s to demonstrate that we all need to test our camera’s limitations. We need to know what those limits are, where and how we can push them, and when we definitely can’t.

https://vimeo.com/273153412

For Vincent’s work, he’s come to rely on the family of RED cameras, due to their high resolution and dynamic range with RAW capabilities. It allows him so many options with a wide range of latitude in post to shoot scenes that just aren’t possible with most other cameras. This comparison was designed to help test the limits of the three different lines in RED’s range and see where they started to fail, and how they can fit into Vincent’s workflow.

The new Gemini camera looks extremely impressive. While it doesn’t offer the 8K resolution of the Helium and Monstro, it does offer an incredible ISO performance, without sacrificing dynamic range during daylight shooting. As you can see from the shot above, it has no problem handling extremely bright sunlight along with backlit subjects and environments. Subjects and environments that would be practically silhouettes on a DSLR or mirrorless camera.

At ISO 800, all three cameras show impeccable quality, as we’d expect, even completely ungraded. Standing in dark shadow, the subject still holds plenty of detail against the bright sky in the background above. On ramping up the ISO, though, the 8K Helium starts to exhibit a noticeable of noise at ISO3200. Even the Monstro looks like it’s just starting to go, while the Gemini looks as clean as ever.

Even when taken up all the way to ISO12800, the Gemini looks very clean. But out of all the test, the one that’s most impressive is this one, a room lit only by candles at ISO6400. This test really shows off the Gemini’s ISO capabilities.

There’s no way I’d be able to get that much detail inside without blowing out the lights from the outside or the flames of the candles on video with my cameras.

All three truly are insane cameras. But with price tags starting at $19,400 going all the way up to $54,500, one would hope so.

Again, while Vincent’s video does serve a purpose for anybody interested in seeing how RED’s current lineup stands, it does offer insight for the rest of us. Testing the capabilities of our gear, knowing exactly where its limits are is the only way we can really push ourselves. If we’re constantly worried about taking things too far because of something we read online without actually trying it, then we’re always going to be limiting ourselves.

I mean, why wouldn’t you try to push your equipment beyond what you read online and see what it’s capable of? If you’ve already got the gear, what does it cost you except for a little time? And your kit might actually surprise you.

[via ISO1200]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

This totally unfair comparison pits the Panasonic GH5 II up against the RED Gemini 5K 10-year-old 2K cine camera goes up against 8K smartphone camera in this side-by-side comparison The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K goes up against the GH5 in this side-by-side video comparison The Godox V1 goes head-to-head with the Profoto A1 in this side-by-side comparison

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: Cinema Camera, red, Red Cinema, Vincent Laforet

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Olympus launches a special blue edition Pen E-PL9
Taking a photo of something makes you forget it more easily, study finds »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy