RED and ARRI Rental Co-Develop Custom V-RAPTOR XL for Use With DNA Glass

Camera News

by Francesco AndreolaJanuary 24^th, 2024

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Jarred Land, President and Co-Owner at RED Digital Cinema, has recently posted a picture of a special V-RAPTOR XL camera that was designed in partnership with ARRI Rental. This unusual collaboration between the two brands aims at supporting the vision of cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth on the production of the upcoming Tron: Ares movie.

Reading RED and ARRI in the same sentence is probably one of those things you never thought you would experience in your lifetime. However, as surprising as it may be, I personally never really considered the two brands to be direct competitors.

Although some of their products may seem to overlap, the two companies produce “different tools for different jobs” and even seem willing to shake hands to push the art of filmmaking forward. Let’s take a closer look!

RED x ARRI Rental V-RAPTOR XL

The picture of the RED x ARRI Rental camera was posted on social media by RED’s President Jarred Land. As you can tell, the most obvious difference with the standard black V-RAPTOR XL is the custom grey finish with a large TRON logo at the front.

According to Land, the camera was made specifically to be paired with ARRI Rental DNA glass. However, it’s not clear whether he refers to the Prime DNA lenses or the DNA LF set. Both series are exclusively available for rent through ARRI Rental’s facilities and represent a carefully balanced combination of modern mechanics and vintage look.

However, the Prime DNA covers the huge ALEXA 65 sensor, while the DNA LF lenses are “limited” to large-format coverage. On top of that, these exclusive lenses come with an ARRI LPL mount, while the standard V-RAPTOR XL only features an interchangeable PL/EF lens mount, so a technical point of agreement was definitely required here.

Lastly, while the standard V-RAPTOR XL features either an 8K S35 or an 8K Vista Vision sensor, Land does not mention if any modification in sensor technology was required on RED’s side or if the company had to accommodate specific lens data workflows.

While there’s still some “mystery” surrounding the details of this collaboration, it’s nice to see the two companies united under the same roof.

What do you think of this collaboration between RED and ARRI Rental? What custom features do you think this camera has? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!