RED has announced a new flagship sensor, the Monstro 8K VV, which will be sold in combination with the company’s existing Weapon camera to create the new Weapon 8K VV, via Engadget. The new camera will cost $79,500, which puts this so far above the consumer price bracket that it’s almost laughable. Practicality aside, it’s still an impressive piece of technology for pros.
According to RED, the new Monstro sensor can record video at up to 8K resolution and 60 fps, take 35.4-megapixel stills, and offer “17+ stops of dynamic range.” The sensor itself is the same size as the now-defunct RED Dragon 8K VV, measuring in at 40.96 x 21.60 mm.
Video at up to 8K resolution and 60 fps
If you’re looking to pick one up for yourself, you’ll have to wait a bit, though. RED will begin offering the Monstro 8K VV sensors to customers who were still waiting for their orders of the Red Dragon 8K VV model to ship first. It will open up the process to new orders sometime in early 2018.
Look, chances are that you will never even see a RED camera in person, much less contemplate the idea of purchasing one. So why should you care? Well, because the company’s high-end, pro-level gear is still important in the overall technological landscape by pushing the envelope of camera technology forward in a way that might impact the cameras you do buy in some way down the line. Or, more likely, someone will probably use a RED camera to film the next big summer blockbuster.
If nothing else, that $80,000 price tag at least makes the upcoming $1,200 RED Hydrogen smartphone seem almost reasonable in comparison.