Actioncam RED Edition Part I Review

Introduction

Before I begin, I want to give special thanks to Steve Gibby and Ken Corben of GibCOR for inviting me to L.A.R.T, (Los Angeles Area RED Test). I have been envious of Steve for the last couple of months because he had something I desired in his possession. He had the very first Actioncam specifically configured to work with the RED camera. He was saving it for LA.R.T. and quite fortuitously Brian Goff, the creator of the Actioncam himself, decided to fly all the way from Switzerland to demonstrate it. Usually when talks of camera stabilizers come up, there are different companies that come to my mind like the Steadicam and Glidecam. About a year ago, Brian made an announcement on the REDuser forum about the launch of a stabilizer that would utilize the Red components such as the LCD and basic production pack (Rods and Cradle). Fast forward to L.A.R.T. and the day finally came when I not only saw it in action but had the opportunity to actually fly it. I was so impressed that I ended up taking it home with me. Thank you Brian and Steve.

Pricing

The price is perhaps the most compelling reason to consider the Actioncam (besides being a great stabilizer), especially if you are a RED owner. I love the idea that you can use your existing Red components (gear you are likely to own anyway as a RED owner) such as the RED lcd and the RED basic production pack for counter balancing purposes. To get a comparable rig that can handle the weight of a fully configured RED, you will be looking at spending 20,000-30,000 if not more. As mentioned in my GROUP BUY post, the Actioncam is listed at $9,900.00 until 12/31/07 and will be $11,900.00 starting 01/01/08 due to the weak US dollar. The price includes the vest, arm, shaft with camera baseplate, euro allen wrench set, and mounting bracket that works on a c-stand. You can view pics of these items below. The price does not include the case, which is optional, however, it is recommended to purchase the cases since they will serve as excellent shipping cases that will come configured to house the vest and Actioncam unit.

Actioncam Red Edition includes:

- RED edition sled; (w/o Monitor)
- Zero-g Arm (11-41 lb Load spring packs)
- Back mounted vest (for loads up to 50lbs)
- Dovetail plate
- Dynamic Spin & Docking Bracket
- RED Power Cable
- Allen wrench set
- Owner's Manual

Part II of my review will be coming in a couple of weeks featuring more rig pics. Very soon, however, through Gibcor's L.A.R.T. test, you will be able to see the footage Brian shot with the Red Edition Actioncam. I will be posting footage of my own in part II of my review.

(photos by Tonaci Tran)