I have and chose the Mavo Edge 8K but that’s because it was better for my needs. If I shot Canon RF cameras I would’ve chosen RED without question as it would make more sense to do so. They have some overlap in capability but I the the V-Raptor XL is more of a direct competitor. The spec sheet in many ways favor the RED camera IMO. The price definitely favors Kinefinity. IQ is a push and comes down to the individual. I prefer Edge because it looks closer to an Arri in rendering while RED looks more modern and contrasty like many hybrids… but much nicer
My biggest factors for choosing the Edge were the following - the image quality, resolution flexibility, built-in variable eND, price, greater mount flexibility, ProRes workflow, PCI SSD media, ability to grow with the camera as I improve, uniqueness, etc. As an aside one of my cousin’s bought the V-Raptor a few months after I got the Edge and it works out well for him. I’ve handled it once the V-Raptor is slightly heavier body wise but once you put them in working order they’re close depending on how you kit them out. The Red has had some significant updates that make them close now then last fall for me and perhaps if choosing today is perhaps make a different choice… or not.
Either are capable of excellent results but if it’s a business decision then don’t make the emotional choice. If the RED name helps the perception of your business then go that direction IMO.
As much as I recommend the Edge to all that can afford it there are still some rough areas where Kinefinity as a company is lacking. Outside of Jerome and a few others, support leaves a lot to be desired for working professionals. Dates are regularly missed for updates and the updates seem to be slow. The app is non-functioning for me and needs to be fixed ASAP to just work seamlessly. At this point I’m considering getting any of the new monitoring options from Accsoon or Atomos to be able to monitor feed remotely for clients. I can appreciate waiting to get features correct but when you’re the new guy you have to overcome new guy perceptions. I understand RED has a reputation for over promising and regularly missing dates as well. There’s a huge Red support network and ecosystem out there from fellow users and front facing company spokespeople. Kinefinity seemingly went more silent after the Edge releases to where we hardly get updates from the company outside of Kinefinity Europe which seems to be doing the majority of heavy lifting for the company. The Kinefinity US presence is decent but it could still be stronger IMO. I’m hoping all of this will happen soon though
This isn’t a criticism of the company but rather an observation. I’m really happy with the camera and have no regrets. I have a super short list of improvements and updates I’d like to see addressed… and most are supposed to be in the new firmware. It would be reassuring to hear from the top management more frequently and not just from the dealer networks that double as brand ambassadors IMO. People want to be reassured of their $10K+ investments and know the company is behind the customer and the products for the long term. I think they are really close and I’m glad Kinefinity doesn’t seem to be taking a race to the bottom approach despite a few complicated reviews from people that don’t have a use case for a camera that isn’t a hybrid. Again no shade but there are a number of people that I would’ve like to see Kinefinity approach for promotional material like people that owned them for years and did reviews back when the brand was relatively unknown.