No, I’m not going to talk about film vs. digital video. That fight will last for dynasties. But just a few years ago, the digital movement took an enormous leap into ultra-impressive cinematic realms. Digital had always looked “OK”, but, as films such as Apocalypto proved, it was still just… digital, bogged with terrible low-lux pixellation and compression artifacts that just make skilled production and post-production crews gag.

In 2009, that all changed with the RED ONE. Cinematographers and producers were jolted as the standard in high definition production leapt from 1,080 (1080p) lines of horizontal resolution to 4,000 (4k). Early tests (including a short sequence directed by Peter Jackson) proved RED Cinema to be exceptional, and it has since been used on an ever increasing number of feature film, television, and commercial productions.

But hold onto your hat. Now, we've got the RED EPIC. 4k has become... 5k.

At a 5k resolution, coupled with RED's FLUT® Color Science Technology and REDCODE® with an unprecedented 13.5 stops of dynamic range, the RED EPIC's low-light abilities are unsurpassed. What does 5k resolution look like compared to a measley 1080p, or *gasp* standard definition? Check out this chart below to get an idea.

RED EPIC's 5k resolution vs. 4k, 1080p and standard definition (SD).

In working on films and commercials shot on RED, I've seen first hand the low-light tests and am floored by its lack of pixellation and exceptionally clean imagery, arguably unrivaled even by film. I'm not a cinematographer, but our Omnific DP's would chime in with their agreement. With the RED EPIC, our team can shoot at a blazing 225 frames per second for remarkable slow motion at a 2k resolution, or 120fps at a full 5k.

Anyways, I'm getting on into the technical mumbo-jumbo. The bottom line is that the RED EPIC has been released, it's powerful, shoots beautifully, and we're excited to work with it. If you'd like to talk video with our Omnific production team, give me a call at 714-850-4646, post a comment here, Tweet this, follow me on Twitter, check us out on Vimeo... You get the idea.

Here's to the future of commercial production! I'll hope to hear your feedback.