RED MX IMAGES APPEAR BETTER THAN SCARLET-X

[JanneJansson]

According to Graeme from RED, the sensor is the same, only the processors are slower... And I shot as well on RED One MX and on my Scarlet X, not side by side testing, but I don't "feel" that the Scarlet is noisier.

I don't have much experience with scarlet, but I have been shooting R1MX and EPIC for some time now and EPIC is a MUCH better camera then R1MX. That said I can also say that the noise pattern on R1MX have a particular "look" that mimic film more then video noise that I sometimes get from underexposed EPIC frames. This is just my non-scientific feel and experience not any hardcore test have been done.

[Björn Benckert]

I am guessing that the EPIC-X cameras will probably have the A-grade sensors as will the RED MX cameras. I'm just curious as to what the quality difference (noise, latitude, etc) is expected to be between the A-grade sensors used in the RED MX and the EPIC-X and those that are used in the Scarlet-X, as I am noticing difference in the cameras we use.

I don't think the noise between the MX and Scarlet-X is due to the differences in the gamma being used. In the source settings or REDCINE you are able to set the footage of both cameras to equivalent gammas, etc, as this is just metadata. The RED MX (at least in the footage from the cameras we use) has an apparent quality difference to the Scarlet-X. At ISO 800 the RED MX is incredibly noise free whereas the Scarlet-X has visible noise. It seems that one would need to expose the Scarlet-X as much as a stop more (or lower the ISO) to match the noise level of the RED MX.

Again this is based on my personal observation on a 2K monitor.

Why do you say 2k monitor? Of you are to compare noise then the only way is to look at 1:1 pixel level. So Im guessing what you see is a poor downscale to fit screen our such from the two cameras, then the MX1 is easer to downscale since it has 4xHD and will probably give you a smother image for the scarlet on the other hand the numbers are not as easy to divide so then you get noise.

Open the files in photo shop and look at them zoomed in, i.e pixel to pixel size. Then the resolution of our monitor is super irrelevant so my advice is to do it on your macbook or such.

[david_winters]

I have not done side by sides tests, but the Scarlet I'm working with does appear to have higher noise (noticeable in blacks and midtones) vs R1MX. Curious to see how this thread plays out.

[Karl Krings]

hey guys, i think if there is no reliable test from a laboratory you better forget talking about all this. i think most of you using these cams the wrong way...try to make movies with intelligent stories ...and remember "tech. quality of picture is not all". basta :D - and sorry for my hard words but there are more important issues to talk about! thanks

[Jon Carr]

My Scarlet is just as noisy as the REDone MX. Epic on the other hand... All in all if you light it well, noise isn't much an issue.

[Gunleik Groven]

I don't have much experience with scarlet, but I have been shooting R1MX and EPIC for some time now and EPIC is a MUCH better camera then R1MX. (...)

This resonates very well with both the tests and practical use I have experienced...

[Rob Ruffo]

This resonates very well with both the tests and practical use I have experienced...

Gunleik I agree with you as usual. Epic is better. Scarlet, however, in my tests, no. Also, compression in Red One seems more efficient: you get better quality for less data (But I need to do more tests, this is just an impression) , but R1 does not have super-high quality compression like 5:1 - and 5:1 holds up in grading much better than anything I have ever seen.

[Rob Ruffo]

hey guys, i think if there is no reliable test from a laboratory you better forget talking about all this. i think most of you using these cams the wrong way...try to make movies with intelligent stories ...and remember "tech. quality of picture is not all". basta :D - and sorry for my hard words but there are more important issues to talk about! thanks

This is a tech forum, not a screenwriting forum. If you really think tech is irrelevant you should not be a DP or even a director, nor wasting your time on a forum like this. There are many great screenwriting and acting forums on the net. What don't you post there? BTW - the most popular and respected directors, including Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and James Cameron do not have your condescending attitude to deep technical knowledge. The makers of dreary, pretentious, poorly shot stuff that never goes anywhere do. They are the ones always talking about "truth", "moments" and "art", whereas the people actually succeeding in this business are talking about technique and craft, and learning as much as they can about them.

[Jesse Hunt]

This is a tech forum, not a screenwriting forum. If you really think tech is irrelevant you should not be a DP or even a director, nor wasting your time on a forum like this. There are many great screenwriting and acting forums on the net. What don't you post there? BTW - the most popular and respected directors, including Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and James Cameron do not have your condescending attitude to deep technical knowledge. The makers of dreary, pretentious, poorly shot stuff that never goes anywhere do. They are the ones always talking about "truth", "moments" and "art", whereas the people actually succeeding in this business are talking about technique and craft, and learning as much as they can about them.

+1 haha

[Steve Sherrick]

One must take into account all kinds of factors with this discussion. On paper, all of these cameras are running the same sensor but as we all know are being processed differently internally. I'd also argue that no two cameras within the same family are identical. This can become evident in multicamera shoots. You have the glass in front of the camera, as well as OLPFs which all contribute to a camera's personality. I think when you start comparing cameras from two different families the gap widens even further. In the end, the key is to get to know YOUR camera, identify its "personality" and maximize its performance. A lot of times we're talking about subtleties here, so it's not always night and day differences. When Epic is brought into the conversation then yes, often times we are talking big differences.