The RED ONE camera allows three different compression choices, defined as REDCODE™28, REDCODE™36 and REDCODE™42. Given the various resolution choices of 2K, 3K, 4K and 4.5K, the following is a list of maximum available frame rates possible with CF, RED-RAID and RED-RAM drives:
REDCODE™28 2K 2:1
RED 8GB CF - 100 fps
RED 16GB CF - 120 fps
RED-DRIVE - 120 fps
RED-RAM - 120 fps
REDCODE™28 2K 16:9
RED 8GB CF - 100 fps
RED 16GB CF - 100 fps
RED-DRIVE - 100 fps
RED-RAM - 100 fps
REDCODE™28 2K ANA
RED 8GB CF - 120 fps
RED 16GB CF - 120 fps
RED-DRIVE - 120 fps
The RED ONE camera currently offers 3 solutions for recording.
First, and recommended as the most reliable, bullet-proof and dependable solution, is recording directly to compact flash, using the RED CF Module, an internal recording solution that adds $500 to the cost of the body. This solution is so viable that RED builds every body with this option in place. In addition to providing the best recording solution, it also allows the best method for uploading firmware builds for the camera. Recording times for a RED 8GB CF card run between 4 and 5 minutes, depending on resolution and compression, roughly the equivalent of a 400' film reel. Introduced concurrently with Build 16 was the 16GB card, doubling the performance in recording time of the 8GB card.
The second solution is the RED DRIVE (RAID) which comprises two 320GB drives in a RAID 0 configuration. This solution provides over 5 hours of 4K/24 fps record time (again, dependent on compression).
The third solution is RED RAM, a Solid State drive technology, offering the combined advantage of shock proof, robust design with long recording time. The current capacity of RED RAM is 128GB, affording over half an hour of 4K/24 ...
RED strongly recommends the use of RED branded 8GB and 16GB cards. RED has tested virtually all high speed 8GB cards and put their name on the best performance product, while developing their own 16GB card. Due to the tremendous amount of data being written to these cards, it is only the very highest speed cards that can handle the data stream.
The RED One camera allows for a variety of capture options. They are as follows:
2K 2:1 2048x1024
2K 16:9 2048x1152
2K Anamorphic 1382x1152
3K 2:1 3072x1536
3K 16:9 3072x1728
3K Anamorphic 2074x1728
4K 2:1 4096x2048
4K 16:9 4096x2304
4K HD 3840x2160
4K Anamorphic 2764x2304
4.5K 4480x1920
1080P is available as a playback output only, through the HD-SDI Dual Port and HDMI port.
The EVF video output is 1280 x 720 Progressive, the LCD video output is 1024 x 600. 720P can be tapped from the HDMI and HD-SDI ports, while HD-SDI Dual Port and HDMI will provide 1080P output in playback only.
Build 16 has offered the ability to custom define many of the control buttons on the RED One. These include the two user buttons on the side of the camera, as well as the ABC buttons to the left of the rear display. Two additional user buttons on the EVF as well as one button on the LCD can also be defined.
When shooting with the RED One, one is always benefited in shooting at 4K, which offers the highest legacy resolution possible, as well as offering the user the option of choosing a lower resolution finish with all the DOF control of full sensor recording. When choosing 2K or 3K acquisition, the RED sensor is "windowed", that is to say, a smaller area of the sensor is used, creating less selective focus, but having the advantage of allowing higher frame rates and longer recording times.
Shooting 2K "scaled" means that the 4K area of the sensor is sampled and downrezed, or scaled, to 2K to enable a 2K recording with 4K DOF (depth of field). Scaled capture is not available on the RED One. Because scaling is processor intensive, requiring full sensor scan and de-interpolation, there is no frame rate increase with scaled technology. The beauty of shooting 4K originals is the ability to scale in post to any res necessary, 3K, 2K, 1080P, 720P, all with 4K DOF.
Although it is tempting to ascribe MB/sec. to the three compression choices, they simply represent a rough value to the compression, which varies as a function of the image complexity and detail. Traditional shooting would be well suited to REDCODE 28, while REDCODE 36 or REDCODE 42, using less compression, would be beneficial for high detail or complex scenes. It's also important to note that these figures are megaBYTES per second, not megaBITS per second. As an example, HDV is a format that provides 25Mb/sec (megabits per second) while the RED ONE runs, as a default 4K, at roughly 28 MB/sec (megabytes per second), which is equivalent to 224 Mb/sec. (megabits per second), almost 10 times the amount of information as HDV.
There are three compression settings on the RED ONE, REDCODE 28, REDCODE 36 and REDCODE 42.
REDCODE is the magic codec that compresses 4K RED RAW into a manageable file size that can be recorded on any media from a compact flash card to a spinning drive. Without REDCODE, a 4K 24 fps information stream approaches two gigabytes per second.
RED has engineered the RED ONE to be capable of extraordinary performance, thanks to its sophisticated FPGA design. Although more expensive in nature to build, the system allows for re-programming, which allows capabilities to be added through firmware builds. With each build, the RED ONE becomes more feature-rich and exceeds the abilities originally imagined for it.
With the implementation of Build 21, the current Release Build, RED has exceeded the expectations of what people thought the RED One was capable of, bringing a lower compression codec (REDCODE 42) and a higher 4.5K Wide Screen recording capability. Adding new color science, exposure control and a long list of features and capabilities, the RED One continues to evolve, with each release becoming a more formidable tool. Future builds will continue to fine tune, increase performance and solve new challenges, while always being free of charge and part of the experience for the RED ONE owner.