RED cameras are widely known to have changed the film industry due to their high level of quality for an extremely low price. The price, $7,000 for the cheapest model, has enabled many independent film makers to produce cinema quality films for many years. The up and coming major Hollywood films The Amazing Spider-Man, The Hobbit, and Avatar 2 will use RED cameras.
A new accessory for RED cameras may now make boom-crane and other equipment in the film industry obsolete. Berlin based OMSTUDIOS has just announced their RED Epic camera remote controlled drone, the OM-Copter. The heart of the bot is a octo-copter, a custom-designed 8-propeller based helicopter with controllable camera gimbals. This is not the first time a camera has been put on a flying robot, but it is the first time that the camera is this level professional grade. The Om-Copter can reach a height of 150 meters in 15 minutes but is limited to the actual range the wireless signals can reach (typically 100 meters).
OMSTUDIO stated that the days of cranes and real helicopter usage for filming are numbered. I like the fact that independent film makers have the opportunity to achieve a shot they never could without renting some contraption. However, no price has been mentioned for the OM-Copter. I will have to hold my accolades for later.
Eavesdropper
