RED Digital Cinema has officially announced their new PRODUCTION MODULE, adding it to their growing list of bolt-on camera expansions for the DSMC2, which finally addresses the lack of XLR sockets, in a relatively compact form factor, complete with an integrated battery plate, for $4750.
RED DSMC2 Production Module (V-Lock)
The Behemoth of the REDVOLT Expander
Previously, if RED users wanted XLR connectivity for their DSMC2 camera — and didn’t want to buy into third-party accessories — they had to purchase the DSMC2 REDVOLT Expander, which was not only large and heavy, but required a separate battery plate of your choosing (at additional cost, size and weight), as well as one of the now obsolete REDVOLT batteries to power it. Not ideal.
Hey guys, whatever happened to “obsolescence obsolete”?…
RED DSMC2 REDVOLT Expander
Alternative Solutions for XLR Connectivity
Other alternative solutions included (and still include) the all-inclusive Teradek OMod XLR2 for $2,799 or the relatively inexpensive RED DSMC2 V-Lock I/O Expander for $1,900 and an XLR Breakout Box, such as the Wooden Camera A-Box for $199 at the cost of no phantom power. The latter, of which, I see myself using for the foreseeable future, until the RED fanboy in me can no longer hold back, and somehow manages to justify spending nearly four-thousand-pounds on something that probably won’t see as much use as I’m already trying to convince myself it will.
Teradek OMOD XLR2
Production Kit Bundle
For an additional $1750, RED are also offering a “Production Kit” bundle, which includes the Production Module, a Production Top Plate, and Production Top Handle; all for $6,500.
RED DSMC2 Production Kit (V-Lock)
Feature Set and Shipping Dates
For the full list of features included in the new Production Module, please see below:
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?172429-Announcing-the-RED-DSMC2-PRODUCTION-MODULE
The ship date is expected to be sometime in January, in V-Lock iteration only, with an Anton Bauer version planned for release later in the year.
Final Thoughts
If you absolutely, positively, HAVE to capture sound in-camera, into a DSMC2, it is a pain in the backside. Just ask anyone who owns a RED camera. There are many workarounds and solutions, but no perfect answer. Is the Production Module everything we RED users have been waiting for? Perhaps. But my initial thoughts, after seeing that $4750 price tag, have left me feeling less enthused.
What do you think about RED’s new addition to the DSMC2 accessory line-up? Comment below.
