Is RED for us?

[Martinsvideo]

With the big announcement on the 13th I hope someone takes a little time to advise us here.

This is my first post here. Great user group BTW.

Been following RED for quite awhile now, and I have read many posts over the months where people wanting to get into RED are either confused or afraid of the camera or more importantly the workflow is to complicated and asked why isn't there a "starter booklet" or something like that to get them going. This user group answered, because each work flow is different and such a book was impossible. Be specific of your needs and we can help.

Well, we're not afraid. We love change & the bleeding edge and we're out doing our homework now.

So here it goes.....

We're a full service Graphic Design company in Houston for 18yrs and have been shooting video the past 3yrs. We do mostly corporate work, training on vehicles, product usage, safety etc., and web driven ads. We want to expand into TV commercials. We do other things also but that seems to be the direction we're going in. We DO NOT produce feature films. We are not Indies.

Current Hardware, camera etc. you can see on our profile. Pretty hefty.

We just finished a 6mo. project for CAT / Mitsubishi and I'm hopeful another one is coming 1st Qtr. next year.

Were looking to upgrade to a much better camera the Sony PDW700 XDCAM HD. The reviews are great. BUT, by the time you get the lenses and other stuff we'll have probably 45-50k in the thing and still not shooting as good as RED for nearly the same money.

We want to deliver the very best product to our clients and having plenty of growing room. We're sold on RED but we're not sure if it's the type of camera for us. Right now, when we shoot it's on auto focus and when we pan or zoom it stays with the subject. The client is very pleased with the quality we just did. But I want to kick it up more and open other doors.

So with this big announcement coming, I'm thinking Scarlet...maybe. And I don't know if our current hardware is beefy enough & FCP for our NLE.

This should be enough SPECIFIC info to start with.

We really appreciate any time you could spend to reply.

Do you all think that RED is for us?

thx

 

[Lexicon]

If you have the know how, patience, and resources to utilize the camera, yes. Otherwise, no, it's not for you.

 

[Stuart English]

Red-evf

Red-evf

For a graphics company, I can't think of a better camera...

 

[Martinsvideo]

Well, we've been in the business for 18yrs. and have a solid digital background and a very good understanding of content delivery. "Resources to utilize the camera", not sure what you mean by that. Patience...absolutely yes.

 

[Johan Pabon]

Buying a new camera is allways difficult. On the one hand there you've got creative and technical ambitions and on the other you need a market to make sure you make your money with it. Both ambitions are important.
I see you've got the Letus Extreme.... Did you use it and did you like it? Should allready answer some of your questions.

 

[Martinsvideo]

We have the market. It's all about giving our clients better & better.

Love the Letus for small commercials when DOF is important. Great little piece of hardware and we have several primes & EOS lenses that we use with it.
BUT, we didn't use it for the CAT training project because it wasn't appropriate. We needed full focus all the time as we shot different driving & safety techniques Not DOF film feel. These vehicles move fast and we we're constantly panning & zooming with one person on the camera. That why we're not sure RED is for us from a camera point of view. Can RED stay in focus (or auto) or another way on a wide shot while you're filming this kind of technique?

 

[Larry McKee]

Martin, you may need more than one camera. The TV commercials where you have total control would be a great place for the RED One. The CAT videos where you are panning and zooming with the camera set to auto focus and auto iris may be a bit of a challenge to shoot with the RED. Not that it can't be done, you just will need a good 1st AC you can dance with.

If the Scarlet has a dependable auto focus, it may be a better choice for you. Have to wait to see what the new specs are before we will know for sure.

 

[Jaime Vallés]

After the 13th, I feel you'll know a lot better if RED One or Scarlet is better suited for your purposes. I'd wait at least until then before making a purchasing decision. Only a couple more days to go!

 

[Martinsvideo]

Yeah, I was planning on waiting to what what breaks on the 13th. But if the new RED can do what I want it to do for our purposes, I wanted to get in the order door right away so I don't have to wait 6mo. for the order to ship. We'll see what happens.

More posts please. That would be good for us to make this decision.

Thanks evryone. Thanks Larry.

 

[David Morgan]

Heya,

Chaos Films here in Houston. If you'd like to see the camera first hand, I'd be glad to make some time to come out with my kit. I've just recently gotten it, so I'm still gathering the last of my gear, and I'd be the first one to tell you I'm still learning the camera...but beside all that I'd be more than happy to at least let you see it in person.

Shoot me a PM if your interested.

 

[fde101]

With the possible exception of storage (depending on how much footage you need to store), it certainly looks like your computer should be adequate for working with footage from the Scarlet (or the One).

 

[Jaime Vallés]

I wanted to get in the order door right away so I don't have to wait 6mo. for the order to ship. We'll see what happens.

Actually, RED just announced that there is no more delay in order processing. If you order the camera today and pay for it ASAP, you should receive it in a matter of days, not weeks.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Martinsvideo,

It looks like you do much of the same stuff I do. I also do lots of corporate stuff that takes me out into the field with heavy construction, demolition, etc.. I think the RED One would serve you well for most tasks. But there is no one camera that will work in every situation. Your example of the CAT project just shows that it takes really good operators with the right tools to get good results. And it may even make more sense to have a camera with more auto capabilities. Perhaps this is where Scarlet could be a good fit for you? We'll find out soon.

Your systems will work with RED footage, but you may find that renders and transcodes can be a bit slow without some more powerful systems (or really just more systems) crunching away at times.

Post workflow isn't as bad as a lot of critics make it out to be. In fact post and the general operation of this camera are rather simple. I often see people who come from a HD workflow try to over-complicate the whole RED process. If you understand the basics of photography and lenses and have a fair idea how to deal with RAW image data, you will be fine. Provided you can read a histogram and pull focus.

I always recommend a demo session or a couple days rental with the camera for people who are seriously considering a RED One. Get familiar with the camera, accessories, etc.. Get a better feel for what you would need for your kit.

 

[Larry McKee]

David, I see you named your camera "Stormbringer." Funny, that's what I named one of my Harleys years ago. Seemed like I got wet every time I rode that bike.