There is no youtube channel making better video camera reviews than CVP. Too many "vlogger" type people claiming to be filmmakers and reviewing the same Sony and Canon cameras over and over again. CVP actually uses the cameras in true filmmaking settings and draws non-biased conclusions. Awesome stuff!
non-biased you say? Don't forget that CVP is a company that has hard sales targets and needs to steer the narrative about certain camera's. It is packaged in a "objective" looking way yes, but it's not objective by any means.
Honestly what stood out to me here is how similar the regular S6 and Komodo look in terms of image quality. You wouldn't be able to tell them apart with someone that knew how to expose and grade. Things get even more indistinguishable if you bring the F6 into the conversation, and most people don't even need the capabilities of R3D either, nor the global shutter 'benefits.' However, RED's name and marketing will reign supreme for most and warrant the huge price jump. Great review as usual!
From what I can tell.. a year later.. the prices are nearly the same. I always figured zcam was another option to blackmagic.. so seeing the zcam about the same price.. I would probably go RED. If the 8K Zcam supported global shutter, 60fps, full frame.. for the same price as the RED.. I'd be inclined to go that way.. as long as it also recorded with ProRes RAW.
I own a Z cam E2 S6, I rented the RED Komodo and I love the huge screen on top, but honestly it doesn't justify the huge price gap between the two. I personally think the Z Cam hold up to the Komodo for a fraction of the price. But people will choose RED because its a RED, if you have the money to get it, than get it, its a dope camera. But I'm happy with my Z Cam for the next few years.
I just used the komodo on a job that insisted and I'd 100% grab the z cam because of RED's annoying post workflow R3D crap brings my computer fcpx down to a crawl, otherwise the images seem VERY similar so it's just easier for me to work with Z cam
the screen isn't supposed to justify the huge price gap. The s6g is the same cost as a komodo 6k - the s6 is a great camera but it can't be compared directly to the komodo 6k for a price comparison.
I just bought the Z-cam E2-S6 for a festival documentary and the lead guy had the Red Komodo. In the end he was quite inpressed with the similairities during his post production.
Fantastic comparison. Personally, as someone who loves RAW flexibility and Resolve the only option of these two is the Komodo; however, Z-Cam's accessories are much more budget friendly. For now I think I'm going to wait. My existing camera options have served my needs up to this point, and while there are a TON of great niceties for both of these options neither check enough of my desires at this point to warrant an upgrade. Next year, come this time my situation will likely be a tad different, but hopefully by then my issues with both of these will either be resolved or a different option will show up. One box camera I've been keeping my eye on is the prototype Octopus camera as it will have swap-able sensors in addition to mounts, and not only does it have a global shutter option coming, but a full frame and up to 8k options as well. It's too soon to say, but the digital cinema camera market is certainly getting more and more exciting.
First impressions from the outdoor footage: The highlight rolloff and skin tones seem better on the KOMODO, especially when skin got close to peaking, the KOMODO just handled it that much better. After trying to use the WIFI control functionality on the R5, I'm looking at that built in antenna with more than a bit of envy. Back to color though, even when you corrected for the magenta shift it looked weird.
The new firmware 1.5 makes the Komodo quite a lot better, featuring all flavors of 6k anamorphic, RF lens control ring functionalities, offload via WiFi, live streaming, etc. I just hope it does time lapse soon, shorten the boot up time, and perhaps face detect autofocus. Haha The affordable vazen anamorphic company is making RF mounts for their existing 1.8x lenses. It sld cover 6k 4:3 anamorphic mode, if it does cover at 4:3, man!!
Wait what? The micro four thirds vazen 28mm would cover the super 35 sensor without vignette/ crop? That's awesome. So cool to think you could shoot on the full 4:3 sensor and not crop off too and bottom to get wide screen
I reserved the E2S6 and have been using it as an A-cam with 2 E2 as B/C-cam and have fallen in love with the brand. The Facebook group and Zcam team made me stay when I realized how connected to the community they were. I wanted to buy a Komodo at one point but I really want to give ZCAM a solid run. I think I can live without the global shutter for now. Maybe in a few years when I write a script I'll invest in a Global shutter! This Video made me sub! Love the work guys!
Great video. I think for the extra the Red probably wins out slightly wider frame - though accessories even for certain ports will make it much more expensive. So that being said the ZCam seems to offer a great solution I think I'd just buy the F6 instead.
I really like the unprocessed and softer looking image out of the Komodo much better. The S6G has quite a lot of sharpening and looks quite digital in comparison.
For future comparison videos it would be good to identify what lenses you’re using on each camera. Also the frame rate of the shot footage and the readout from your edit. For instance, shooting at 4K 60fps in a 24fps timeline or whatever you choose. I don’t know what you edited in or exported in but would be helpful understanding the overall process.
These are all shot and exported at 25p and the lenses across all three are the canon 24-70 2.8 ii L during the side by sides. Thanks for the feedback! Jake
Great video comparison, I'm thinking of investing in red k. What recording media are available and what are the recording times? CF cards can get pricey.....
The Z-Cam S6G is priced way too high. It’s priced essentially the same as the Red, but it lacks the reputation, or brand recognition of Red. Industry support is much better with Red. Not that it’s that important, but the Red is Netflix approved, whereas NO Z-Cam cameras are Netflix approved. I think at these prices you’d have a hard time making a case for the Z-Cam over the safer Red option. Needless to say my Komodo is on order.
I don’t understand why people argue that raw not important and too much of a hassle for cameras that are $5,000+. Most people spending this money are looking to get the absolute best image possible, and the difference between R3D and ProRes is massive.
@@shzammpatapon9865 I have used red, even the old RED one, with the overheating and stupid sound of the fan that the sound people were always complaining. In big productions we usually use Arri here. For small productions I think the F6 is a better camera despite of not having R3D. Prores is good enough for mostly all projects and the camera also has ZRaw and ProresRaw. Its full frame and interchangeable mounts and a long list of pros...
@@CVPTV Looks like that's a new feature for the handle that I just didn't know about. Really cool stuff and definitely gets around some of the annoyances of navigating Z-Cam menus. Thanks for mentioning that!
@@CVPTV Right, I just mean theres literally hundreds of videos out there from B-Roll-Bros saying, "What! This entry level camera doesn't have 2 card slots thats a DEALBREAKER FOR ME." and its like, most cameras don't have 2 card slots, yeah be nice if they did but in my 10 year carrier I've had 1 card failure and it was a card I should have tossed a long time ago, I consider the failure my own fault.
Honestly, whether that feature is a dealbreaker or not is down to that person. If its not for you great if it is for someone else, great! There are so many options either way and each camera has compromise, will just depend on what's most important to you as a filmmaker. Personally I think people capturing footage that is only happening once, documentary or wedding for example, will benefit from shooting a direct backup in camera. But some other productions may not as much, all just depends on the end users preference! Jake
The small menu screen on top of the camera, can that be used as a monitor in a worse case scenario situation like if my field monitor's HDMI port were to be damaged during a shoot?
Zcam messed up with their pricing they should have tried to get the cost down to £4300 or there abouts. Lower the price of the other units and take a hit financially to get more of a hold on the market and grab shooters who wouldn’t normally look at their brand. Going head to head with a Red like this doesn’t seem that smart in my opinion. At the bare minimum they should have collaborated with an accessory company to give you a free monitor and handle or some sort of deal that would really sway people. Both look like great cameras but I think most people will opt for the Red and slowly build there rig if they don’t have the funds. The after sale value with Red will always be high but can’t say the same for Zcam. That’s a shame.
Eh, I don't think most shooters looking at *relatively* inexpensive cameras care about global shutter (I personally do). I think Z CAM knows this and aren't necessarily "competing" with RED, this S6G is just a perfect companion to owners with any other flagship Z CAM (M4, S6, F6, etc) because it's an identical body that can share mounts & other way less expensive accessories. I have both the S6 and S6G, it's a fun duo. I pretty much only use the S6G for open gate anamorphic (6144x4096). And I can use the MFT Vazen 1.8x lenses which is something the RED can't do with its fixed RF photo lens mount. :)
This one was a fun one to shoot! All BTS out and about was shot on the 6K Pro which we reviewed last week! Let us know what you think of the KOMODO & Z CAM's down below! EDIT: RED have just released their 1.5.0 beta FW for the KOMODO which adds loads of features that we mentioned are missing in this video!! Link here - www.red.com/downloads/komodo
@@thatcherfreeman True, just mentioning it as a reference for those asking why the S6G is just as costly as the Komodo. It's a different type of sensor, and quite rare for any camera these days.
What do you mean by the Komodo having a "global shutter mode". You can't switch if the sensor reads in global or rolling, it's always reading in global shutter.
@@billiampotter The Komodo actually started off as just rolling shutter and then they added "global shutter mode" in later prototypes. Now it does global readout by default. You used to be able to switch between modes, not sure if you can anymore (rolling had more DR). Check the history on the REDUser forums. This is not new tech, Andor Zyla cameras have the same feature for instance. There's an article about how it works on Oxford Instrument's Andor website. Type in "CIS 2051 global rolling" in Google.
@@billiampotter Here's a comment from RED President Jarred Land from the forums back in 2019 "Pretty safe to say after beating on the stormtrooper all day today you can expect full sensor 6k 40fps, 6k WS @ 50fps. Which means 4k @60fps shouldn’t be a problem, but I have not actually tested that yet. And yes, that’s all in global shutter mode."
The RED Komodo is the one to get. The name alone will help book clients. Most clients do not know the model of cameras but will recognize the name RED. Also, the RED will have better support and info due to its market saturation with professionals. It is an American company. While the Z CAM company might be run by great people and have great cameras it does have a major issue. Any company based in China will be controlled by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) and are unpredictable. The Chinese people are great but the CCP government is evil and dangerous. They commit atrocities to their own people and others all over the world. More people should call out their evil and support the freedom of the innocent Chinese people that are slaves to the CCP. Just look at what they have done to Hong Kong that has been viewed by the public. Now imagine what happens to the dissenters that are disappeared by the CCP.
There is no youtube channel making better video camera reviews than CVP. Too many "vlogger" type people claiming to be filmmakers and reviewing the same Sony and Canon cameras over and over again. CVP actually uses the cameras in true filmmaking settings and draws non-biased conclusions. Awesome stuff!
non-biased you say? Don't forget that CVP is a company that has hard sales targets and needs to steer the narrative about certain camera's. It is packaged in a "objective" looking way yes, but it's not objective by any means.
Honestly what stood out to me here is how similar the regular S6 and Komodo look in terms of image quality. You wouldn't be able to tell them apart with someone that knew how to expose and grade. Things get even more indistinguishable if you bring the F6 into the conversation, and most people don't even need the capabilities of R3D either, nor the global shutter 'benefits.' However, RED's name and marketing will reign supreme for most and warrant the huge price jump. Great review as usual!
From what I can tell.. a year later.. the prices are nearly the same. I always figured zcam was another option to blackmagic.. so seeing the zcam about the same price.. I would probably go RED. If the 8K Zcam supported global shutter, 60fps, full frame.. for the same price as the RED.. I'd be inclined to go that way.. as long as it also recorded with ProRes RAW.
I own a Z cam E2 S6, I rented the RED Komodo and I love the huge screen on top, but honestly it doesn't justify the huge price gap between the two. I personally think the Z Cam hold up to the Komodo for a fraction of the price. But people will choose RED because its a RED, if you have the money to get it, than get it, its a dope camera. But I'm happy with my Z Cam for the next few years.
I just used the komodo on a job that insisted and I'd 100% grab the z cam because of RED's annoying post workflow R3D crap brings my computer fcpx down to a crawl, otherwise the images seem VERY similar so it's just easier for me to work with Z cam
the screen isn't supposed to justify the huge price gap. The s6g is the same cost as a komodo 6k - the s6 is a great camera but it can't be compared directly to the komodo 6k for a price comparison.
@@JamesSallabim and costumer support and warranty you need to ship your camera to china for rma
I just bought the Z-cam E2-S6 for a festival documentary and the lead guy had the Red Komodo. In the end he was quite inpressed with the similairities during his post production.
Fantastic comparison. Personally, as someone who loves RAW flexibility and Resolve the only option of these two is the Komodo; however, Z-Cam's accessories are much more budget friendly. For now I think I'm going to wait. My existing camera options have served my needs up to this point, and while there are a TON of great niceties for both of these options neither check enough of my desires at this point to warrant an upgrade. Next year, come this time my situation will likely be a tad different, but hopefully by then my issues with both of these will either be resolved or a different option will show up. One box camera I've been keeping my eye on is the prototype Octopus camera as it will have swap-able sensors in addition to mounts, and not only does it have a global shutter option coming, but a full frame and up to 8k options as well. It's too soon to say, but the digital cinema camera market is certainly getting more and more exciting.
First impressions from the outdoor footage: The highlight rolloff and skin tones seem better on the KOMODO, especially when skin got close to peaking, the KOMODO just handled it that much better. After trying to use the WIFI control functionality on the R5, I'm looking at that built in antenna with more than a bit of envy. Back to color though, even when you corrected for the magenta shift it looked weird.
How does this channel NOT have at least 100K subs? Amazing work as always
It's a hidden gem.
Would you rather have 100k random youtubers or a single award winning director liking your video?
Thank you! This was the comparison I was waiting on.
I can't get enough CVP videos
For my needs, I think I would go with the Red Komodo, especially sense it has good autofocus. Being a one man band, I think the Komodo is a good fit.
The new firmware 1.5 makes the Komodo quite a lot better, featuring all flavors of 6k anamorphic, RF lens control ring functionalities, offload via WiFi, live streaming, etc. I just hope it does time lapse soon, shorten the boot up time, and perhaps face detect autofocus. Haha
The affordable vazen anamorphic company is making RF mounts for their existing 1.8x lenses. It sld cover 6k 4:3 anamorphic mode, if it does cover at 4:3, man!!
Yeah the update addresses many of the things I've wanted to see in the KOMODO! Excited to test the new features! Jake
Great work as always~ can’t wait to watch your new videos 😃
Wait what? The micro four thirds vazen 28mm would cover the super 35 sensor without vignette/ crop? That's awesome.
So cool to think you could shoot on the full 4:3 sensor and not crop off too and bottom to get wide screen
@@cinialvespow1054 yes indeed. I’m using the vazen on my Komodo and it’s very usable. Although there’s a slight vignette but it’s acceptable.
Is the global shutter the only reason why the S6G is $3800 more than the S6? I don't see much of a difference between them.
I reserved the E2S6 and have been using it as an A-cam with 2 E2 as B/C-cam and have fallen in love with the brand. The Facebook group and Zcam team made me stay when I realized how connected to the community they were. I wanted to buy a Komodo at one point but I really want to give ZCAM a solid run. I think I can live without the global shutter for now. Maybe in a few years when I write a script I'll invest in a Global shutter! This Video made me sub! Love the work guys!
Watching so many Komodo videos whilst I wait for my preorder 😭
M buying s6 tomorrow.. But it's for me us nearest replacement for red komodo.. I wanted red.. Hope Z does magic for me and red for u ..
ME 2
Great overview. I have the Atomos Shinobi monitor, which also works well with the ZCAMs.
This is such a thorough comparison. Thank you so much.
Fantastic review.
Great video. I think for the extra the Red probably wins out slightly wider frame - though accessories even for certain ports will make it much more expensive. So that being said the ZCam seems to offer a great solution I think I'd just buy the F6 instead.
They're actually the exact same price on B&H
RED Komodo---- $5,995.00
Z CAM E2-S6G ---$5,995.00
Zraw not being supported natively in DR is a big bummer almost bought one!
best reviews on the web. Thank you :)
Thanks for watching Chris! Jake
I really like the unprocessed and softer looking image out of the Komodo much better. The S6G has quite a lot of sharpening and looks quite digital in comparison.
I'm glad I bought the s6
Anyone know the rolling shutter speed of the E2 S6? it is a Sony sensor. Sorry if I missed this in the video
I love that proper cinema cameras are finally becoming more available to the common person
Thanks for the effort, these reviews are very helpful
Glad you like them! Jake
@3:18 how many battles do you think were fought in this forest?
The s6 is hands down the best bargain here, despite not having the global shutter, the value is mindblowing!!
For future comparison videos it would be good to identify what lenses you’re using on each camera. Also the frame rate of the shot footage and the readout from your edit. For instance, shooting at 4K 60fps in a 24fps timeline or whatever you choose. I don’t know what you edited in or exported in but would be helpful understanding the overall process.
These are all shot and exported at 25p and the lenses across all three are the canon 24-70 2.8 ii L during the side by sides. Thanks for the feedback! Jake
I'm sorry... but the beans into the coffee reminded me of the morning after the bar last weekend
Great video comparison, I'm thinking of investing in red k. What recording media are available and what are the recording times? CF cards can get pricey.....
Thanks! According to the review Z-CAM S6G has an OLPF filter(as well is KOMODO), but what about cheaper S6 (not global shutter version)?
Jeezzzz Not a human making a better comparison video on youtube. Lol CVP!!!
Thank you!! Jake
Superb video comparison!
Thanks for watching! Jake
it should be interesting to compare the S6G to the BMPC4
Great review, super detailed thanks, but none of these cameras impress me, don't know why just images look dross.
Anyone knows when the S6G is dropping in the UK?
Why would you buy a S6G when you can get a Komodo for not much more?
The Z-Cam S6G is priced way too high. It’s priced essentially the same as the Red, but it lacks the reputation, or brand recognition of Red. Industry support is much better with Red. Not that it’s that important, but the Red is Netflix approved, whereas NO Z-Cam cameras are Netflix approved.
I think at these prices you’d have a hard time making a case for the Z-Cam over the safer Red option.
Needless to say my Komodo is on order.
Netflix approval is irrelevant for most when you read into what that actually means
would love to see you guys do these tests to an Alexa
I would love to do a full in-depth review like we normally do of an extremely high end camera, hopefully we get the chance to this year! Jake
@@CVPTV that’s legit big news. Hope it happens! 🤞
What's there to test? There are already thousands of Alexa tests out there. ALEV sensor is still kicking ass since 2009
I don’t understand why people argue that raw not important and too much of a hassle for cameras that are $5,000+. Most people spending this money are looking to get the absolute best image possible, and the difference between R3D and ProRes is massive.
Z CAM also has a cheaper global shutter camera. I am not sure how popular it is.
I think he's referring to the E2G which is cheaper than these. Jake
For that price I just prefer the F6.
you have never rent a red camera i presume. everyone just want that r3d raw. it's so buttery smooth
@@shzammpatapon9865 I have used red, even the old RED one, with the overheating and stupid sound of the fan that the sound people were always complaining. In big productions we usually use Arri here. For small productions I think the F6 is a better camera despite of not having R3D. Prores is good enough for mostly all projects and the camera also has ZRaw and ProresRaw. Its full frame and interchangeable mounts and a long list of pros...
@@RayadoRolloTV then stop talking nonsense.
Anyone else sees the judder? Must be RUclips messing with transcoding 😆
Yeah I see it on almost all youtube videos. Really annoying.
How'd you set up the clutch handle to navigate the menus of the zcam camera?
You have to set it up on a computer using RVLVR's software. Jake
@@CVPTV Looks like that's a new feature for the handle that I just didn't know about. Really cool stuff and definitely gets around some of the annoyances of navigating Z-Cam menus. Thanks for mentioning that!
Love me some "Shutter Sensors"
One card slot eh? and people moan about Canon and Sony having one slot all day long but when RED and Z CAM do it its no big deal.
Trust me, people complain about it with these cameras and other cine cameras with only single card slots. Jake
@@CVPTV Right, I just mean theres literally hundreds of videos out there from B-Roll-Bros saying, "What! This entry level camera doesn't have 2 card slots thats a DEALBREAKER FOR ME." and its like, most cameras don't have 2 card slots, yeah be nice if they did but in my 10 year carrier I've had 1 card failure and it was a card I should have tossed a long time ago, I consider the failure my own fault.
Honestly, whether that feature is a dealbreaker or not is down to that person. If its not for you great if it is for someone else, great! There are so many options either way and each camera has compromise, will just depend on what's most important to you as a filmmaker. Personally I think people capturing footage that is only happening once, documentary or wedding for example, will benefit from shooting a direct backup in camera. But some other productions may not as much, all just depends on the end users preference! Jake
@@CVPTV Z CAM does make it pretty easy to record externally
Yes but you'd have to record to an external recorder over a USB-C SSD as you can shoot internally and via USB-C simultaneously. Jake
The small menu screen on top of the camera, can that be used as a monitor in a worse case scenario situation like if my field monitor's HDMI port were to be damaged during a shoot?
Yeah you May, Though it is really really hard to nail focus lol
It’s not worth the risk if you’re on a job. Even with focus assist it’s hard to see.
Zcam messed up with their pricing they should have tried to get the cost down to £4300 or there abouts. Lower the price of the other units and take a hit financially to get more of a hold on the market and grab shooters who wouldn’t normally look at their brand.
Going head to head with a Red like this doesn’t seem that smart in my opinion. At the bare minimum they should have collaborated with an accessory company to give you a free monitor and handle or some sort of deal that would really sway people.
Both look like great cameras but I think most people will opt for the Red and slowly build there rig if they don’t have the funds. The after sale value with Red will always be high but can’t say the same for Zcam.
That’s a shame.
Eh, I don't think most shooters looking at *relatively* inexpensive cameras care about global shutter (I personally do). I think Z CAM knows this and aren't necessarily "competing" with RED, this S6G is just a perfect companion to owners with any other flagship Z CAM (M4, S6, F6, etc) because it's an identical body that can share mounts & other way less expensive accessories. I have both the S6 and S6G, it's a fun duo. I pretty much only use the S6G for open gate anamorphic (6144x4096). And I can use the MFT Vazen 1.8x lenses which is something the RED can't do with its fixed RF photo lens mount. :)
Where did you buy the S6G and for how much? I can't find it anywhere.
We sell Z Cam's and this is our demo unit. Jake
Description is missing plz add.
What part is missing sorry?
Plz check the time code
5.52
10.00
10.31
19.59
@@CVPTV Plz check the time code
5.52
10.00
10.31
19.59
I disagree with your not using ZRAW. There are huge advantage to using ZRAW vs working with prores.
There is of course places to use ZRAW, but ProRes is much easier to work with for most people. Jake
This one was a fun one to shoot! All BTS out and about was shot on the 6K Pro which we reviewed last week! Let us know what you think of the KOMODO & Z CAM's down below!
EDIT: RED have just released their 1.5.0 beta FW for the KOMODO which adds loads of features that we mentioned are missing in this video!! Link here - www.red.com/downloads/komodo
i feel like zcam is too much work workflow wise
No not at all
Hi : )
Hello!
The S6G has a true global shutter sensor. The Komodo has a "global shutter mode."
If there's no jello, what difference does it make?
@@thatcherfreeman True, just mentioning it as a reference for those asking why the S6G is just as costly as the Komodo. It's a different type of sensor, and quite rare for any camera these days.
What do you mean by the Komodo having a "global shutter mode". You can't switch if the sensor reads in global or rolling, it's always reading in global shutter.
@@billiampotter The Komodo actually started off as just rolling shutter and then they added "global shutter mode" in later prototypes. Now it does global readout by default. You used to be able to switch between modes, not sure if you can anymore (rolling had more DR). Check the history on the REDUser forums. This is not new tech, Andor Zyla cameras have the same feature for instance. There's an article about how it works on Oxford Instrument's Andor website. Type in "CIS 2051 global rolling" in Google.
@@billiampotter Here's a comment from RED President Jarred Land from the forums back in 2019 "Pretty safe to say after beating on the stormtrooper all day today you can expect full sensor 6k 40fps, 6k WS @ 50fps. Which means 4k @60fps shouldn’t be a problem, but I have not actually tested that yet. And yes, that’s all in global shutter mode."
The RED Komodo is the one to get. The name alone will help book clients. Most clients do not know the model of cameras but will recognize the name RED. Also, the RED will have better support and info due to its market saturation with professionals. It is an American company.
While the Z CAM company might be run by great people and have great cameras it does have a major issue. Any company based in China will be controlled by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) and are unpredictable. The Chinese people are great but the CCP government is evil and dangerous. They commit atrocities to their own people and others all over the world. More people should call out their evil and support the freedom of the innocent Chinese people that are slaves to the CCP. Just look at what they have done to Hong Kong that has been viewed by the public. Now imagine what happens to the dissenters that are disappeared by the CCP.
what a bunch of BS!
LMFAO ok buddy