Comparison

RED Tools vs DXL Control

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

RED Tools

This app assists filmmakers and camera operators with camera setup by providing tools for crop factor, recording time, flicker-free video, depth of field, panning speed, and exposure. It offers customizable settings for various shooting situations and RED camera systems.

Highlights
  • Crop factor preview
  • R3D recording time evaluation
  • Flicker-free video calculation
  • Depth of field estimation
  • Panning speed guidance
  • Exposure assistance
Features
Read full description

RED Tools is a convenient reference tool designed for use by filmmakers and camera operators to outline best practices in camera set-up for a variety of shooting situations. Each tool is customizable based on a selected RED camera and sensor type. Standard film formats are also included for comparison. RED Tools is also included in the RED Control app, which also provides free, full-featured camera control and video streaming for RED’s latest DSMC3 products. TOOLS INCLUDED: CROP FACTOR Preview how a given focal length will appear depending on resolution setting and sensor type. Illustration depicts viewable area relative to a traditional 35 mm stills photography sensor by default, but other reference sensors are selectable within the drop-down menu. R3D RECORDING TIME Evaluate the video data rate and available recording time based on your RED camera settings. This can help you understand media requirements and production costs in advance of a shoot. FLICKER FREE VIDEO Find a flicker-free shutter speed and frame rate combination when shooting under artificial lighting. DEPTH OF FIELD Understand how various camera settings influence depth of field. PANNING SPEED Estimate the panning speed where judder will likely become too pronounced. The goal is to provide a more accessible tool than the charts and tables commonly referenced in cinematography manuals. It uses the standard rule of thumb that camera panning should not cause objects to transit the entire horizontal extent of an image in any less than seven seconds. EXPOSURE Assist with exposure when one camera setting has to change. Example usage scenarios include when a higher frame rate needs to be used for slow motion, when the T-stop has to change for depth of field, or when the shutter angle has to change to minimize flickering in artificial light. NIKKOR Z Lens Coverage Use this tool to understand how NIKKOR Z lenses will look on your RED Z Mount camera bodies. The tool shows the extent the light will fall off at different sensor formats, and if any hard vignetting occurs.

About

DXL Control

Read full description

DXL Control gives users total menu and feature control of a Panavision Millennium DXL camera when connected to camera's Wifi network. With DXL Control, menus are mirrored from the camera directly to your iPhone and allow for the control of all on-camera menus and features including: format settings, record trigger, color transforms, histogram, and color correction. It is always recommended to use a router on set (infrastructure mode) instead of the Ad Hoc network to improve connection performance. For more information, contact: dxl@panavision.com www.foolcolor.net/foolcontrol_iOS

Screenshots

RED Tools4 screens
DXL Control4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: DXL Control at every 3 months against RED Tools's every 21 months. DXL Control also leads on iOS requirement (9.3 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RED Tools ships an update every 21 months, DXL Control every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
RED Tools versus DXL Control: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRED ToolsDXL Control
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.69.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRED Digital CinemaMikael Lubtchansky

In-app purchases

None

RED Tools

No in-app purchases

None

DXL Control

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RED Tools free?
RED Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DXL Control free?
DXL Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do RED Tools or DXL Control have ads?
Neither RED Tools nor DXL Control shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RED Tools or DXL Control?
RED Tools ships an update every 21 months, and DXL Control every 3 months. Most recently, RED Tools was updated on September 19, 2026 and DXL Control on September 10, 2026.

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