Vincent Laforet, a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, has tested the boundaries of the Gemini, Helium and the Monstro, in order to try and present a fairly but tough comparison between them and by pushing those cameras out of their comfort zone. Check out the results.
Torturing the cameras
Basically what Vincent performed is more like a “torture” tests for those cameras.
Those tests were accomplished in unfavorable conditions which means complicated production environments in the matter of light and exposure (hard light with bold shadows).
Test 1: Same model with the same lens (35mm)
This test was made to examine and compare the FOV (Field of View) in order to see the difference between the sensors. Obviously, anyone can explore the significant lager FOV with the Monstro. I was surprised by the large FOV taken from the Gemini sensor. Feel free to examine the screenshot below taken from Vincent’s video.
Test 2: Push the sensor in term of exposure: 3200 ISO as a breaking point
The goal in this test was to try and break the image and thus to explore noise boundaries.
Here are some screenshots from the test with a different ISO.
As you can see, 400 ISO was a “crystal” clean and also 800 was pretty clean. 1600 was still usable.
3200 ISO was the breaking point for the Helium and the Monstro, but not for the Gemini. Even at 12800 ISO, the Gemini was fine!
Don’t trust your eye, but look at the histogram
Vincent states something important in regard to shooting with RED cameras. He says that because of the special abilities of the camera, it’s preferred not to trust your eyes but rather utilize the histogram. It’s correct and logical to any digital format these days, especially in the color grading process. Always trust your scopes, not your eyes.
Another interesting test was performed by using a very far away and not accurate light source as a backlight, and see if the sensor got what it takes to utilize this light. Of course, this was no brainer for the Gemini which is fed perfectly from low light sources. Check out the screenshot below to explore that.
Final thoughts
There is definitely diversity in each sensor. Seems that each sensor has its own unique “personality”. The fact that RED has simplified its camera line makes it a lot easier to compare and test between them.
Watch here the full video:
https://vimeo.com/273153412
The next stage is to compare them to Alexa, Vericam, Ursa, Venice and more.
What do you think about this resemblance? What is your preferred sensor? Let us know in the comments below.
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Hey, the video ain’t available anymore?
Hi Mandar,
Thx for letting me know. unfortunately, the owner has changed the privacy setting of the video. I checked with a lot of authors as well, and the video is not available anymore. It may change though.