From the camera that kicked the industry's door down to the latest flagship, here's every RED body. What it shoots, what it needs, and the stuff the spec sheet won't tell you.
The one that started a war
RED ONE (2007)
The original troublemaker. The camera that made Hollywood look up from their Panavision catalogs and say "wait, what?"
- Sensor: Mysterium (the Mysterium-X upgrade came later)
- Resolution: 4K (4096 × 2304)
- SDI Output: HD-SDI only (1.5G)
- The Deal: Jim Jannard basically walked into Hollywood, said "4K for under $20K," and half the industry called him crazy while the other half started writing checks. He wasn't crazy.
These are ancient relics now. Cool for the shelf, a nightmare for production. Parts are scarce, support is limited, and the workflow feels like it was designed by someone who hated editors.
The DSMC era: RED gets serious
RED EPIC (2010)
The camera that actually made it into Hollywood trailers.
- Sensor: Mysterium-X (5K)
- Resolution: Up to 5K
- SDI Output: HD-SDI, 3G-SDI capable
- The Deal: Smaller, lighter, modular. This is when RED stopped being "that weird startup" and started being "that camera on every other A-list shoot."
RED SCARLET (2011)
EPIC's budget-conscious sibling.
- Sensor: Mysterium-X (capped at 4K)
- Resolution: 4K max
- SDI Output: HD-SDI, 3G-SDI
- The Deal: Same sensor as the EPIC, but with artificial speed bumps. RED's first run at a lower price point. It worked okay. Felt like driving a sports car with the governor still on.
RED EPIC DRAGON (2013)
The dynamic range king.
- Sensor: Dragon (6K)
- Resolution: 6K (6144 × 3160)
- SDI Output: 3G-SDI
- The Deal: 16.5-plus stops of dynamic range. This sensor is what made RED the go-to for high-end narrative. DPs fell for the latitude, colorists for the footage, and accounting for the price-to-performance.
RED SCARLET DRAGON (2014)
Dragon sensor, Scarlet price tag.
- Sensor: Dragon (capped at 5K)
- Resolution: 5K max
- SDI Output: 3G-SDI
- The Deal: A solid value play if full 6K wasn't on your requirements list.
The DSMC2 generation: refinement mode
RED WEAPON (2015)
The rebrand that came with real upgrades.
- Sensor: Dragon (6K) or Helium (8K)
- Resolution: Up to 8K with Helium
- SDI Output: 3G-SDI
- The Deal: Better cooling, better build, better ergonomics. This is when RED cameras stopped feeling like prototypes and started feeling like tools you could trust on day 47 of a 60-day shoot.
RED RAVEN (2016)
RED's attempt to grab the lower market.
- Sensor: Dragon (4.5K)
- Resolution: 4.5K
- SDI Output: 3G-SDI
- The Deal: Controversial from day one. Too limited for the price, too RED for the budget market. Discontinued quickly. The camera equivalent of a concept car that maybe shouldn't have shipped.
RED EPIC-W (2016)
Helium sensor in the EPIC body.
- Sensor: Helium (8K S35)
- Resolution: 8K (8192 × 4320)
- SDI Output: 3G-SDI
- The Deal: 8K in Super 35. The resolution arms race was officially on, and RED fired the opening shot.
RED MONSTRO (2017)
Full frame. Finally.
- Sensor: Monstro (8K VV/Full Frame)
- Resolution: 8K (8192 × 4320) Vista Vision
- SDI Output: 3G-SDI
- The Deal: RED's first full-frame sensor. Stunning images, stunning day rate. The Monstro is the camera that made people get why large format mattered for motion, not just for stills.
RED GEMINI (2018)
The night-vision specialist.
- Sensor: Gemini (5K S35, dual ISO)
- Resolution: 5K
- SDI Output: 3G-SDI
- The Deal: Dual native ISO at 800 and 3200. Suddenly RED was viable for available-light work, documentary, anything where you couldn't control every photon hitting the sensor. A real opening for shooters who don't live on controlled soundstages.
The DSMC3 era: where we are now
RED KOMODO (2020)
The little camera that ate everybody's lunch.
- Sensor: Global shutter (6K S35)
- Resolution: 6K
- SDI Output: 12G-SDI
- The Deal: Global shutter, Canon RF mount, compact body, aggressive price. The KOMODO made a market segment that didn't really exist before it. All of a sudden owner-operators who couldn't justify a full RED rig were shooting RED, and rental houses couldn't keep them on the shelf.
RED V-RAPTOR (2021)
The new flagship.
- Sensor: VV (8K Full Frame)
- Resolution: 8K (8192 × 4320)
- SDI Output: 12G-SDI (dual outputs)
- The Deal: 120fps at 8K, with global shutter available. This is RED's current crown jewel, and it pulls all of it off in a body that doesn't need its own grip truck.
RED V-RAPTOR [X] (2022)
V-RAPTOR with the limiters removed.
- Sensor: VV (8K Full Frame)
- Resolution: 8K
- SDI Output: 12G-SDI (dual outputs)
- The Deal: Higher frame rates and a beefier build. (Internal ND is the XL version, not this cube body.) The [X] is for the people who looked at the V-RAPTOR and just said "more."
RED KOMODO-X (2023)
KOMODO all grown up.
- Sensor: Global shutter (6K S35)
- Resolution: 6K
- SDI Output: 12G-SDI
- The Deal: Everything the original KOMODO should have been. Better build, better I/O, better cooling. If the KOMODO was the prototype that shipped, the KOMODO-X is the finished product.
Quick reference
| Camera | Max Resolution | SDI Type | Era |
| RED ONE | 4K | HD-SDI (1.5G) | Legacy |
| EPIC/SCARLET | 5K/4K | 3G-SDI | DSMC |
| DRAGON variants | 6K | 3G-SDI | DSMC |
| WEAPON/EPIC-W | 8K | 3G-SDI | DSMC2 |
| MONSTRO/GEMINI | 8K/5K | 3G-SDI | DSMC2 |
| KOMODO | 6K | 12G-SDI | DSMC3 |
| V-RAPTOR | 8K | 12G-SDI | DSMC3 |
What this means for your cables
Here's the part people get wrong: the DSMC2 bodies, WEAPON through GEMINI and MONSTRO included, only put out 3G-SDI. RED's 12G-SDI era starts with DSMC3: KOMODO, V-RAPTOR, KOMODO-X. So if you're running a DSMC3 body, you need 12G cable to keep up. Buying cable today? Buy 12G anyway. It's backward compatible with every 3G RED you'll ever touch.
And if somebody hands you a RED ONE on a job? Smile politely, ask if they've got anything built in the last decade, and check your rate.
Think I missed an obscure variant? Some limited-edition body RED shipped 14 of? Let me know. I collect this stuff like baseball cards.
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