The first Komodo was born as a valid need to replace GoPro cameras. RED Digital Cinema’s goal was to develop an action/crash cam that can be utilized for the big screen. Of course, there’s GoPro. However, investigations showed that the GoPro couldn’t hold on to the big screen (movie theater). In fact, the audience could notice a significant reduction in image quality when the shot/sequence passed 20 frames captured by GoPro. Thus, a small and affordable camera needed to be developed.
The intention was to build a camera that can shoot compressed raw, has a big sensor, and can integrate into professional industry standard workflow. Hence, the Komodo was born. Defined as Baby Dragon, the camera gained traction, and was (and still is) one of the best-selling cameras of RED Digital Cinema, since it allowed onset usage that other DSMC2 cameras couldn’t give, at an affordable price.
Source: RED Komodo-X: From Crash-Cam to a Mini DSMC3 – YMCinema – News & Insights on Digital Cinema