Cinelux Nexa-Mag for Red DSMC1 and DSMC2 cinema cameras published

The British-red-specific camera accessory manufacturer Cinelux has just published an interesting product that was explicitly developed for Red DSMC1 and DSMC2 cinema cameras: The Nexa-MAG. Available in two sizes, 480 GB and 960 GB, claim these alternatives to be faster, with a longer SSD life, better heat management and a design that makes it easier to insert/remove the camera. So let's take a closer look at this!

In 2021, Red moved from the DSMC2 to the DSMC3 ecosystem with the start of the V-raptor (or 2020, if you look at the Komodo, but that's another debate). With this third generation of cameras, the American manufacturer of American Cinema Camera slowly stopped manufacturing and supported its previous second and first generation camera. In fact, some of the cameras, advertisements, memory options or accessories can no longer be bought or repaired.

As early as 2019, Jinni Tech, based in Great Britain, played some waves on the Internet by publishing Red Mini-Mag-Teardown videos. This long debate and polemics caused a drop in price of red proprietary storage solutions. Even though storage solutions from third-party providers for red cameras are still a complex topic, Cinelux exposes it with a new product: the NEXA-MAG.

Cinelux Nexa-MAG functions

The Cinelux NEXA-MAG is a CNC aluminum SSD drive that was specially made for red DSMC1 and DSMC2 cinema cameras. It is available in two capacities: 480 GB and 960 GB. According to the company, it uses “ultra-cool-running Toshiba components” and is written up to 3,000 TB.

If you have ever shot with a red DSMC1/DSMC2 camera, you probably remember how hot the mini-MAG can be. To improve heat management, Cinelux uses thermal pads with high conductivity in its drives. A drive that runs cool and has improved the transmission speeds. With regard to the speed, Nexa-MAG is 25% faster than a mini-MAG with reading speeds of up to 570 MB/s, which maximizes the restrictions of SATA III.

With regard to the design, Cinelux created only a few outbursts in the top of the drive, which should make it much easier and more convenient to charge/unload them in your camera and the handling of it. After all, the NEXA-MAG is slightly larger and thicker than a regular mini-MAG that, according to companies, “ensures a closer, more stable fit”.

Price and availability

The Cinelux Nexa-MAG is now pre-ordered and should start shipping in mid-May. The 480 GB version costs 545 US dollars, and the 960 -GB version costs 795 US dollars. During the pre -order period, you can get a 30% discount that ends when the first 100 drives are sold or after 8 weeks (May 15), depending on what comes first.

You can find more information here from Cinelux. Here you will find the Cinelux website.

What do you think about this alternative to Red Mini-Mag? Would it be worth the upgrade compared to red drives? Do not hesitate to tell us in the comments below!