The RED ONE offers a variety of choices when it comes to lens options by virtue of its interchangeable PL lens mount. All PL mount lenses are compatible and capable of covering the full sensor area. With a Canon or Nikon mount adapter (replacing the removable PL mount), one can use traditional Canon and Nikon 35mm still camera lenses and also have full sensor coverage. S16 lenses with PL mounts may also be used, but for use with 2K recording only, as the coverage will be insufficient for full sensor. With RED's PL to B4 Mount adaptor, standard 2/3" video lenses may be used with the RED ONE, also with a 2K windowed sensor.

There are many excellent tripods available for the RED ONE made by O'Connor, Cartoni, Miller and Sachtler, just to name a few. RED recommends, at minimum, a fluid head capable of supporting a minimum of 40lbs., such as an O'Connor 1030HD PRO. Optimum would be a head capable of greater load, such as the O'Connor 2060HD.

We understand that US West Coast rental houses have standardized on 15mm, but RED has chosen 19mm as a standard, primarily due to the robustness and strength that it offers, in addition to its acceptance as the new standard on US East Coast and Europe. We have provided the option of using 15mm systems with our 15mm rod adaptor and our 15mm ARRI Plate.

The Base Production Pack comes with a Shoulder Dovetail support for use on the shoulder and that configuration may also be used on a tripod for fixed camera support, as 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 threads are provided. For a more rigid and stable attachment on tripod (for panning and camera movement), the RED Cheeseplate is recommended.

The Base Production Pack is a support and rail system for the RED ONE, enabling the camera to be supported by the shoulder, attached to a tripod for stationary support and allowing all additional accessories to be attached to the camera. The Pack consists of the following individual pieces:
RED Bottom Plate
RED Shoulder Dovetail
RED Universal Mount
RED Top Mount
RED Top Handle
RED Handle (Rt.)
RED Cradle
RED 18" Rods (2)
Individually priced, the package would add up to $2760, but the entire Base Production Pack sells for only $1250 complete. For run and gun hand held work, you could add an additional RED Handle (Lt.) and RED Handle Mount. For a more robust top support, add a Top Handle Extension and for the optimum in versatility, additional Top Mounts, Universal Mounts, Side Handles and 12" or 24" Rods may be added. These, for the ability to add EVFs and LCDs, as well as many other attachment configurations.

This is actually a loaded question because the camera is only the tip of the iceberg, when considering the need for tripods, microphones, lighting and post workflow solutions. But to get the camera up and running, at minimum, would require a RED ONE body, a lens, a monitor, a power source and recording media. The cost of a Basic Package, the minimum kit required for a working RED ONE would be $30,000. In its most basic configuration a RED ONE package would consist of the following:

RED ONE body               $17,500
Base Production Pack       $ 1,250
RED 18-50 T3 lens          $ 6,500
RED Power Pack             $ 1,450
RED LCD                    $ 1,700
RED CF Module              $   500
RED CF card (4)            $ ...  

Buyers must obtain a Return Merchandise Authorization (“RMA”) prior to the return of any product. Cameras may only be returned for refund within ten (10) days of original delivery by Red. If the factory seal on the product has been broken, returned product for refund is subject to a restocking fee. More information can be found in RED's Terms and Conditions .

There is currently no extended warranty available for the RED ONE.

Any non-original buyer may send the camera into an Authorized RED Service Center for evaluation ($500 fee) and RED will provide a quotation for Re-Certification. The cost of the Re-Certification will be a function of any repairs or costs incurred and will provide the customer a 90 day warranty.

The RED ONE warranty is non-transferable. The warranty is valid only for the original buyer of the camera.

4K digital cinema files can be film recorded and prints made to be projected using a traditional film projector or the files can be loaded onto a digital recorder and projected using a 4K video projector. The 4K proxies can also be viewed as 2K Quicktimes on a high resolution computer monitor. In RED's future, RED 4K (RED RAY) players will set the standard for 4K delivery.

The RED ONE warranty is one year and covers both parts and labor for that period.

The RED ONE draws 75 watts of power and consumes a RED Brick battery (140 Wh.) in approximately 2 hours, this in either standby or recording mode.

The sensor is actually sealed and protected by an optical Low Pass Filter (OLPF) which can be cleaned using a traditional DSLR sensor cleaning kit.

Beyond the obvious advantage of cost savings with the elimination of film and processing, both consumable products, it is the benefit of being able to watch dailies immediately, in real time, that make shooting digital such a superior experience. In adding the extraordinarily high quality of 4K capture and at such an affordable price, RED has tipped the scales for the industry.

Most 35 mm film outs that have gone through a scanning process have been scanned at 2K, or one quarter the resolution of 4K. Only extremely high content VFX work is generally scanned as high as 4K. Viewers that see RED footage for the first time either describe the quality as 65 mm film or "grainless 35". More pragmatically, it is the elimination of the cost of film and processing that make the RED ONE so economically attractive, in addition to its extraordinary quality.

4K refers to the horizontal measurement of the RED ONE sensor as being over 4000 pixels wide at 4520 x 2540. At 4K 2:1 the RED ONE captures a frame 4096 x 2048, at 4K 16:9, the frame is 4096 x 2304 pixels. This area would cover 4 separate HD frames at 1920 x 1080 each.

RED does not record video, which is defined as an RGB signal. Think of the RED ONE as a RAW recording DSLR that shoots as high as 120 fps at 2K (30 fps at 4K). The RED ONE can, however, output converted RGB video to its EVF, LCD, HD SDI and HDMI monitor outputs.

Because the RED ONE is a Digital Cinema camera (and not an HD video camera), the list of competitors is a short one. Cinema, or film based, cameras offer resolution rated at about 3K. The RED ONE, at 4K, provides approximately 3.2K resolution, based on the slight hit of an optical low pass filter (OLPF) used to reduce the effect of aliasing. It is RED's considered opinion that, going forward, a system must have at least 3K resolution to meet the demand of 4K projection technologies, now being promised by many of the major projector manufacturers. Digital cameras offered by many of RED's "competitors", such as Sony, Arri and others, only provide, at best, 2K, and most, only High Definition, which is just not enough information to be scaled to 4K projection.

It is safe to say that RED's biggest competition comes from film, and as the sensor technology continues to improve, while film's days of progress are numbered, the promise of digital acquisition will be realized. The advantage film has currently is one of dynamic range. With each generation of RED sensor development, the gap becomes narrower and narrower.

HD cams come in many flavors, recording anywhere from 720P resolution to as high as 1080P, using anything from a standard definition sensor with interpolation to a true 1920 x 1080 pixel sensor. In the very highest quality HD cams, the RGB signal is not subsampled, offering the best HD quality at 4:4:4 (HDCAM SR). Typically, the chroma is subsampled at 4:2:2 RGB (DVCPRO HD) and 4:2:0 (HDV). Effectively, where HD leaves off, the RED One begins, offering 2K, 3K and 4K recording options. RED uses a sensor measured at 4520 x 2540 pixels, more than 4 times the number of pixels of the very best HD cam and records the signal as a RAW input, similar to a DSLR, with no color subsampling. All information travels in a single channel, as opposed to three separate RGB channels. Where a video camera requires the setting of white balance, color and gain before recording, these are all adjustments that can be made to a RAW recording after the fact, thus making the process of capture all the easier. The greatest benefit to the cinematographer is the fact that the sensor on a RED One is Super 35 sized at 24.4mm x ...

The RED One records a RAW signal off of the sensor so the color saturation can be removed in post production. The RED One offers the ability to remove color in-camera in the recording metadata, so that when it is brought into post, the image is in black and white. It is important to note that the REDCODE signal in the camera is RAW and untouched by color or gain adjustment in camera.

Don't laugh, it gets asked. The RED ONE is a Digital Cinema camera recording digital information to a recording media, either hard drive or flash based drive. There is a provision via the CF Module (a highly recommended recording solution) to record directly to Compact Flash internally in the camera with no external drive required. Each 8GB card records the equivalent of a 400' film reel, approximately 4-5 minutes, depending on compression settings.

The tripod screw threads of the camera are 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 X2, while the Base Plate, Top mounts and Side handles attach with 1/4-20 hex screws.

Pin-out information is included in the operation manual of the RED ONE. A copy can be requested through our customer service department at rep@red.com.

RED will provide CAD drawings on request on an individual basis, based on authorization from our design department.

The RED One body only is roughly the size of a bread box, 12.02" tip to tip, 6.34" tall and 5.20" wide.

The weight of a RED ONE body is 10lbs. The standard 18-50 RED lens is an additional 2.5 lbs. Fully configured with battery pack, viewfinder, media recorder, matte box, rail system, et al, the RED ONE package can weigh as much as 30 lbs.

The RED One body is cast aluminum. No plastic is used in the manufacture of a RED One.

All design and engineering for the RED ONE is located in Southern California, with manufacture and assembly currently in Singapore.

The founder of RED is Jim Jannard, founder and past owner of Oakley, a multi-billion dollar sunglass and apparel manufacturer. It was Jim's passion for imaging technology and a search for his ultimate camera that led to him starting a company to build the camera that he couldn't buy. It was Jim's plan to challenge the normal conventions of planned obsolescence in today's technology. RED was created by the perfect storm of Passion, Resources and Technological Advance.