An honest question for the Red Scarlet audience like me.

[Nick D]

Is the RED Scarlet 2/3” really a “B” Cam or a “B”ait and Switch Cam ?

THE BAIT.

Who am I? I’m a nobody with $3000 and lots of patience to shoot my personal HD film project for the last 2 years... Since Red’s NAB 2008 announcement, I’ve legitimately waited patiently to hand over my $3000 to Red for the first Scarlet Fixed 2/3” since that announcement instead of to Canon, JVC, Sony or Panasonic. I have spent hundreds of hours reading the Red moderated forums for every new announcement about the Red Scarlet in the meantime, and been disappointed more often than not at the supposedly “TRANSPARENT” process of waiting for a new “game changer” camera, which “DOESN’T” apparently include realistic launch dates or pricing in their transparency. When product didn’t release in 2009, I bought a Red T-shirt instead and now even that has faded and worn badly…

On the other hand, I have had the pleasure of owning one of the first Sony DCR-VX1000 for $3200, so I know what it’s like to go from wishing for to working overnight with a great camcorder. I know lots of others had this experience with the Canon interchangeable lens DV camcorders and more recently with the Sony EX line. Now, years later the successful Sony EX3 has been released, followed by the 1080p video capable Canon 5D Mark II, then the 7D, I have a sinking feeling Red has recently been up to something less innocent than legitimate product delays of the Scarlet for THEIR benefit!

So how did the premise of a “game changer” camcorder in 2008 turn into a con game in 2009, with lots of free press in the meanwhile?

THE SWITCH.

10 disappointing changes in Red’s actions over 2009 and 2010 have indicated they have clearly intentionally engaged in false advertising with the Red Scarlet pricing, specifications and release dates…

1. Most obviously, the new estimated MSRP of $4750 before shipping for the Scarlet fixed kit. They claim the features were updated to better compete with the DSLR movement (more specifically Canon), but I see no change in their proposed resolution or frame rates. (I speculate that the Canon 5D Mark II turned out to be far superior to the Scarlet test unit, so they went back to the drawing board and invented the ASIC delay or as they call it - everything is “subject to change” according to Jim Jannard. We here in the Midwest USA call it “false advertising”…)

2. To actually make the Red Scarlet useable at the higher data rates or 120 fps, you will need an extra $2000. The basic starting camera kit really costs $6750 unless you want to shoot only 24p or lower the data rate. (It’s for the Red SSD module, adaptor and reader or whatever Red invents when you finish reading the 1000+ pages of fine print in their forums. Besides- what other options do you have out there once they got your first five grand? Maybe a discontinued $399 Sanyo consumer 60p camcorder?)

3. Red “admitted” to yet ANOTHER launch delay yesterday (Feb 13th, 2010) to get the Scarlet “right”, which means the Scarlet won’t be available until “late summer” 2010 at the earliest for first orders! (Haven’t we heard this 3 times already? When does it become false advertising, even to Red One fans?)

4. Red has announced and continues to develop and release products for the new EPIC and Red One prior to the Scarlet, mostly lenses at $4250 and above! (If you have a check for the Red One or Epic at $17,500 or more, to the front of the line- you will be served now)

5. Red recently removed the “OTHER CAMERA” section from their forum since they supposedly “weren’t pleased” with recent Red One comparisons to other manufacturer’s less expensive equipment by legitimate Red Users and Scarlet waiters such as myself! (Aren’t Red One vs. Film shootouts what allowed Red to gain prominence in the first place? Seems hypocritical now that the table’s turned…)

6. Red has now resorted to bashing the Canon 5D in their forums by comparing it to the new Mysterium–X sensor from an insufficient resolution perspective… AFTER REMOVING the other cameras discussion in their forum, yet it makes no direct comparison between the Scarlet 2/3”, Sony EX1 or EX3 and the Canon 7D or 5D on low light performance with better lenses …

7. Red is proclaiming that projects shot today in ANYTHING LESS THAN 4K is insufficient for future proofing new releases and revenue streams! (So does that mean the Scarlet 2/3” is DOA for “serious” videographers or film students, and 1080p 3D footage is useless for early adopters. Hmmm… cancel the World Cup 2010 now before it’s too late and heaven forbid, stop watching Avatar (I do agree on that one, but not because it was shot with Sony 1080p but because the story wasn’t in 4K detail, more like disintegrating analog beta with big-time skew)

8. Scarlet 2/3” low light performance has not been disclosed in relation to other camcorders and DSLR’s, and may INTENTIONALLY be the ultimate “SWITCH” feature. Let me explain… who stands to benefit most if the Red Scarlet has worse low light performance than a HDSLR or Sony EX? Red, of course… Red’s reply? Simply sell or keep your 8X Fixed body by buying more overpriced accessories and UPGRADE to the Scarlet S35 body for $7000 more! Either that or hire a lighting crew for your next production, you cheap Soccer moms! (No insult to meant to Futbol Moms, only cheap Soccer Moms). PLUS, now you need a new Red Pro Prime Lens for $4250 or you get no support for soft footage with a 3rd party lense! That’s $18,000 to Red when you factor in the total investment to make the kit better than a Canon 5D Mark II and get the best data and frame rates, and they could care less what you get for the 8X fixed trying to pawn it off like every other guy with a non-transferable warranty.

9. Red claiming how can you live with the dreaded compression and HD workflow for Sony, Canon, JVC and Panasonic as follows: shoot now, edit now with Premiere or Final Cut, deal with life’s realities of Compressed MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 distribution, make money now… The Red Scarlet workflow: hit the lotto and buy or rent the Red One or Epic and you must absolutely use the Red Rocket to get serious work done,- either that or stick your finger in a socket and tell me how clear the Red Scarlet picture is before compression to MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, because even Red doesn’t have a clue. (No, really, don’t do that even if Jim Jannard says to)

10. Red now announcing we all were once were blind and now we can see! We just need to put on our good Red glasses on and see the light waved by Leo DiCaprio… Make no mistake, the Red Scarlet is more like the Titanic than the Arc of the Lost Covenant ( no insult meant to Leo or God). Let’s be realistic, the Scarlet will never look like that footage at 1080p under similar lighting conditions with the stock lense or who’ll buy the Epic?


OUR SOLUTION:

Here’s my proposal: Why don’t 5000 of us all chip in $1 each and postage to buy only one Scarlet Fixed kit and pass it around for 2 years to beta test and benchmark it against our existing and new gear, from you to Philip Bloom to Rodney Charters to Vincent LaForet to Rick McCallum to Steve Weiss and everyone in between and finally me! We’ll sign it and ebay it off, donating the proceeds to my favorite “under-compensated videographer trying to catch a break” charity after that…

Can I find 4999 other volunteers to join me? Will you join me?

I’m the nameless nobody Red thinks it can walk all over, and I don’t want to be the April fool again this April at NAB 2010...

 

[Andrew Wilding]

It must have been an exceedingly rough Valentine's day, huh?

 

[Nick D]

Actually, great day with the family.

Just looking for a little honesty from my favorite DSMC company this Valentine's Day. Where's the love? ...

 

[Andrew Wilding]

I think they have been very honest. Incredibly honest actually. But you assume that what they say are lies and conspiracies - that they have "invented" the Asic issue as an outright lie to buy themselves time (or something along those line.) Do you only believe that something is "the truth" when it falls perfectly inline with your (potentially) far fetched beliefs?

 

[Andrew Wilding]

And no one is forcing you to buy red pro primes or a red rocket or any of the other products that Red makes. The fact of the matter is that Red makes equipment that performs with the big boys for a fraction of the cost. And for the record, these cameras aren't made for people who take issue with lighting there films! These are cameras that are in the league of 35MM FILM CAMERAS. For PEANUTS. Why dont you go and spend your 3000 on a 7D now. If you believe that the 7D is high enough quality for you, than IT IS. Buy one. If you are satisfied with only the highest quality, and dont believe that HDSLRs are even remotely appropriate for filmmaking, than drop the money on a red one, or get some patience and wait for the scarlet. This company is trying to make filmmaking tools, PROFFESIONAL FILM MAKING TOOLS, that are inexpensive and available to all. No one else is doing this. Don't be ungrateful. Give them some time to get things right, or go somewhere else with your money.

 

[Jason Ramsey]

Most of the points in your post are based on speculation and opinion rather than supported by any relevan fact. Or, stating a vague fact, or one that has little to do with the conclusion that you then draw which is based on further speculation/opinion.

b/c of that, it is kind of difficult to objectively respond to your post, as it is built largely around common intellectually-dishonest debated tactics...

i.e.
questioning the motives of the opponent, citing irrelevant facts or logic, hearsay, vagueness, etc.

For example, you state that they raised the price and claim to have added features. You imply that they have not added features b/c the framerates and resolution have stayed the same. However, there is a very clear list of features and functionality that have been added to Scarlet since it's original announcement. Most notably it evolving into part of a larger DSMC system, and continuing on with the list viewable on reduser and red.com from the nov. 30th announcement. You then conclude on that point by stating your own self-admitted speculation that the 5d was better and RED must have concocted a tale about their ASIC so that they could go back and redesign it.

And, it continues with points 2 - 10

No offense, but all I see here is speculative, opinion based conclusions that are supported by typical "debate" tactics rather than fact.

People (not singling you out, but people from all camps) tend to get to emotionally invested in this stuff when they don't need to be, and then folks end up arguing about irrelevant speculative blah...

I think your first mistake was sitting on 3 grand for two years waiting for a "dream" camera. I would hope in that time you've been furthering your skill set and gaining experience, b/c all the stuff you hopefully have learned in the last two years about filmmaking (from study and actual experience) will be a far more important factor in your long term success or failure than the camera(s) you ultimately choose to shoot on.

I'm not trying to attack you, but if you are going to come out and accuse someone of false advertising, I would think it best to do so using information that is relevant and objective, rather than speculative, opinion based, and intellectually dishonest.

---

For the record, I keep hearing this talk about the reasons why people assume that reduser has closed down the "other cameras" forum. The title of this forum is pretty self-evident, but...

REDuser exists with the primary objectives of being a platform to establish an on-going dialog between RED and it's customers as well as to be an information and networking resource for users of RED equipment and other common tools. It is not here to be (and it was never its intention) a general camera discussion forum. Landmine already has a thriving, comprehensive community for that... dvxuser. We don't need another one, and there are plenty of other options out there for that as well if one is seeking that type of community...

News was slow coming for a while from RED and new toys were coming out and discussion of them was starting to spread around the entire board and focus was being lost. People needed an outlet and it was understandable at the time. So, the other cameras section was created to house that stuff in one convenient location, rather than letting it pollute completely unrelated threads with endless measuring contests, etc. News from RED is dropping now, as their program is really starting to move forward pretty quickly now with the release of the MX sensor upgrade program, and so, naturally, REDuser is shifting its focus back towards that, and away from a sub-forum of a sub-forum that didn't exist until relatively recently in the first place, and tended to bring out the worst in people.

A section that didn't even exist before a few months ago on this forum, and people are drawing all kinds of wild conclusions about the motives behind its closing. The motives are pretty simple. REDuser is getting back to basics, and serving its primary mission statement. As being the ultimate news, information, and networking resource for users of RED Camera's. If someone wants to discuss other cameras, they should do so on a community that provides that infrastructure, and does so in a much more comprehensive manner then a sub-forum of a sub-forum on reduser ever will... like dvxuser, or dvinfo, etc. If you are shooting RED and 7D and have a question, that is something that is relevant to this community. Far better options out there on the internet for discussing the 7d, or 5d or <flavor of the month>, so I don't see what the big deal is about the removal of a sub-sub-forum.

later,
Jaosn

 

[Dane Brehm]

So if RED had never been invented/Created what else would you have been bitching about? Does Sony have a SONYUSER.net or Panasonics.net for there users to sit and complain or praise their every move? Beggers can't be choosers.

1. First things first If it weren't for REDs creating the Market BIG camera manufacturer's wouldn't have been motivated to create camera's like the 5D or EX3 would still be $8K for 8bit 24p/1080.

2. I don't know about you, but I would rather wait a year (or 2) longer to get it right. I don't know about you but I spent a year nearly every week changing my story about what was working or not working on the Original RedOne. I don't want another "beta" camera system.

3. Yeah Scarlet is smaller and cost more then originally expected but I don't understand why any professional who owns/operates a camera would want the same manufacturer to create an obsolete model within a year. These are professional tools with professional investment not just a toy for a hack Wedding Videographer to show off? There still using XL2s or EX1s even.

4. Believe me EPIC isn't going to be widely available till Fall 2010/Winter2010 with Scarlet shortly behind.

5. This is a private company. You have no idea how much it takes to make /negotiate with vendors for part prices. Engineers have to invent the technology not just look it up on Wikipedia and say Oh thats how you do it. Do you know how to DeBayer a 12bit RAW BAYER PATTERN? Hints its not called half-high everywhere else

6. I started with a PD-100, the 150,then XL2, DVX, HVX, F900, Varicam and now a Red for almost 2 years. Not only were you still shooting Standard Def not 4 years ago before Jim Jannard had the BALLS to Sell his majority stake in Oakley to make YOU a 4K (3.2K) camera for less then $100,000. Your dreaming.

7. Shit Happens. People make choices. A wise man said "If your gonna do something, do it right". Take all the time you need as long as its done right.

8. Do you know what ASIC means? When you get a chance try to Operate and Export something on a Phantom Camera. You got it easy!

I don't mean to be negative its just people forget that 2 years ago they were barely using a DVX and now that they have access to RED they bitch about how long it takes to create the camera system from Body, Sensor, Ergonomics, workflow, tech support, delivery etc. Almost ungrateful

Go buy a 7D till Scarlet comes out I'm sure you'll make your money back.

Goodluck,

-
Dane

 

[Nick D]

I have no disagreement when it came to the Red One development and beta fixes. And I am not poor - I do have the money in cash for two Scarlet fixed or the S35 requiring SSD (over $10K) and the Sony EX or new Canon coming.

And here's the kicker: I don't care if Red EVER releases the Red Scarlet or not, but think they need to treat potential Red Scarlet clients such as myself as existing Red users with real projects, budgets and reasonable timeframes measured in months, not years. Either that, or have a concept page like auto manufacturers, and let people dream of the future be it next year or never...

I mixed both sarcasm and honesty in my post and feel you are missing the point...
I am exclusively talking about the Marketing Ethics (bad press for Scarlet = good free press for Red), and I have no desire for the broadcast Industry to follow this pattern of pre-announcing alpha to beta product without being extremely clear about pricepoints and delivery dates.

IF Red is truly sincere in transparency, I think an honest starting point would be removing the Red Scarlet and Red Ray 2009 ( a little late for that) from the Homepage products until they have working product to show with a reasonable ship date (like 90 days or less).

Best wishes.

 

[Jason Ramsey]

but think they need to treat potential Red Scarlet clients such as myself as existing Red users with real projects, budgets and reasonable timeframes measured in months, not years.

Sounds like you would be more comfortable with the more "traditional", much more closed development process of one of the big players. Nothing wrong with that. No surprises for you at least... peace of mind, I guess, b/c all the surprises take place behind the scenes rather than out in the open like many of them do here... most recently the ASIC issue (unless of course you believe that the ASIC issue was a conspiracy... that's another discussion entirely though )

RED does things differently. It's not for everyone. There is nothing wrong if you don't groove with their style of open development and grassroots marketing. But it doesn't mean it = conspiracies and false advertising...

later,
Jason

 

[Steve Das]

It's a new camera company trying to make cutting edge technology cameras..you're
being naive not to expect delays. Some of this stuff has never been done before...period...let alone at their price points.

 

[Tonaci Tran]

"but think they need to treat potential Red Scarlet clients such as myself as existing Red users with real projects, budgets and reasonable timeframes measured in months, not years."

"have clearly intentionally engaged in false advertising with the Red Scarlet pricing, specifications and release dates…"

You are sooo off base. Jim has said time and again (it is even posted at the bottom of Red's website):

"Specifications, prices and delivery dates are subject to change. Count on it. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone with a bad attitude."

Where is the false advertising?

 

[Nick D]

Please note that my original post was altered without my consent.

Item #8. actually originally reads: " ... Simply sell or keep your 8X Fixed body by buying more overpriced accessories and UPGRADE to the Scarlet S35 body for $7000 more! Either that or hire a lighting crew for your next production, you cheap Soccer moms! (No insult to meant to Futbol Moms, only cheap Soccer Moms). PLUS, now you need a new Red Pro Prime Lens for $4250 or you get no support for soft footage with a 3rd party lense! That’s $18,000 to Red when you factor in the total investment to make the kit better than a Canon 5D Mark II and get the best data and frame rates, and they could care less what you get for the 8X fixed trying to pawn it off like every other guy with a non-transferable warranty."

I hope "hoochie" moms are not offended by someone else's modification...

 

[Nick D]

It happened again!

Since when does Soccer Mom = Hoochie Mama?

 

[Nick D]

Why does the Red Forum keep changing "S-O-C-C-E-R M-O-M" to Hoochie Mama?

 

[Jason Ramsey]

b/c reduser doesn't like that word

 

[Stephen Gentle]

I really can't believe some of the things being said here - is this a joke or something? If not, here is some answers from my perspective:

1. Most obviously, the new estimated MSRP of $4750 before shipping for the Scarlet fixed kit. They claim the features were updated to better compete with the DSLR movement (more specifically Canon), but I see no change in their proposed resolution or frame rates. (I speculate that the Canon 5D Mark II turned out to be far superior to the Scarlet test unit, so they went back to the drawing board and invented the ASIC delay or as they call it - everything is “subject to change” according to Jim Jannard. We here in the Midwest USA call it “false advertising”…)

We all know how current SLRs are at shooting video (alising, moire, soft footage at 1080p) so I'm not going to bother talking about how silly it is to think Scarlet could be worse, so moving right along -

Why don't you try designing and fabricating some custom silicon with a few hundred million transistors on it and 29 (!) metal interconnect layers (a lot of chips I've seen inside have around five or six), and see how many respins it takes you... Remember that this is a massively complex undertaking, and a very expensive too - a typical custom ASIC costs upwards of $2 million to develop.

Really, it comes down to the fact that RED announced an idea for a product, with the words that it and its price were 'subject to change - count on it'. They did not make any promises on delivery dates or specs - just gave us their best guess at it. Now the camera is far better for a mild price rise. There is no way that anybody could see that as false advertising - that could only be true if they'd taken reservations and didn't deliver, or released a camera and said it was much better than it was.

2. To actually make the Red Scarlet useable at the higher data rates or 120 fps, you will need an extra $2000. The basic starting camera kit really costs $6750 unless you want to shoot only 24p or lower the data rate. (It’s for the Red SSD module, adaptor and reader or whatever Red invents when you finish reading the 1000+ pages of fine print in their forums. Besides- what other options do you have out there once they got your first five grand? Maybe a discontinued $399 Sanyo consumer 60p camcorder?)

This is a professional camera - that has been stressed from the beginning. I assure you that to most people here the fact that additional accessories would be required to take full advantage is pretty obvious... But that being said, I don't see any reason the RED Drive ($900) wouldn't be able to shoot a decent range of frame rates. This is not some marketing ploy - it's basic information theory...

4. Red has announced and continues to develop and release products for the new EPIC and Red One prior to the Scarlet, mostly lenses at $4250 and above! (If you have a check for the Red One or Epic at $17,500 or more, to the front of the line- you will be served now)

I think that RED is a much bigger company than you think - they do have the ability to make more than one thing at once. And anyway, some things, like their optics design, may be licensed from other companies.

7. Red is proclaiming that projects shot today in ANYTHING LESS THAN 4K is insufficient for future proofing new releases and revenue streams! (So does that mean the Scarlet 2/3” is DOA for “serious” videographers or film students, and 1080p 3D footage is useless for early adopters. Hmmm… cancel the World Cup 2010 now before it’s too late and heaven forbid, stop watching Avatar (I do agree on that one, but not because it was shot with Sony 1080p but because the story wasn’t in 4K detail, more like disintegrating analog beta with big-time skew)

RED are aiming this sentiment at the people shooting with cameras like the F35 (which is a $200,000+ camera)... These are people that are making really big budget projects that won't look anywhere near as good as they could have in the cinema in ten years. Scarlet 2/3" is still a damn good camera though for a myriad of other uses though.

Think about it this way - 16mm is great, and awesome for shooting student films, TV and so on. But you wouldn't want to use it for a big budget film shoot unless you wanted a very specific look.

8. Scarlet 2/3” low light performance has not been disclosed in relation to other camcorders and DSLR’s, and may INTENTIONALLY be the ultimate “SWITCH” feature. Let me explain… who stands to benefit most if the Red Scarlet has worse low light performance than a HDSLR or Sony EX? Red, of course… Red’s reply? Simply sell or keep your 8X Fixed body by buying more overpriced accessories and UPGRADE to the Scarlet S35 body for $7000 more!

Scarlet uses the same Mysterium-X sensor as the RED ONE upgrade and the upcoming EPIC s35 camera. Although the sensor has a higher pixel density, it should perform similarly in low light. And nobody would buy it unless it was a decent camera, so your idea that they're making a crappy camera to make people upgrade is just stupid.

Your post just gets a bit retarded from this point on, so I think that's enough from me...

 

[John Fairstein]

Need facts and analysis, not sarcasm.

 

[Marc Wielage]

So how did the premise of a “game changer” camcorder in 2008 turn into a con game in 2009, with lots of free press in the meanwhile?

Nick brings up some genuine issues. But bear in mind, a lot of this is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. If Red rushes the Scarlet out and it's full of bugs, they'll get yelled out for not doing enough R&D; if they take their time and do it right, they get yelled at for being late.

There's nothing preventing you from buying something else now, doing your project, and then when the Scarlet does ship, check it out and see if it's better than your existing camera. If it is, sell the latter and buy a Scarlet.

This is no different than waiting for a new Mac or a new car or anything else. You can wait a lifetime for things to get perfect, or you can just jump in and go for it now -- buyer's remorse be damned.

Maybe the best recourse is not to buy anything at all right now, and just rent what you need, get your project done in a reasonable amount of time, and save your money. It'll still be a valuable experience in the long run.

 

[Jeff Coatney]

Nick, I feel your pain. I posted my impressions of how much Scarlet has changed yesterday after Red day. Its a couple of posts back. The indigenous personnel are growing restless with regard to Scarlet!

I worked on a proprietary, highly specialized digital imaging system many years ago. It was a very high-end system capable of ultra high resolution and it was designed to replace a very large format, very costly film system. I was the internal project lead and I made sure the contractors were spending the program's money in a smart way and giving the organization that employed me a system that worked and operated at a sufficiently advanced technical level that would keep its capabilities current for the desired life-span. I say this only to preface that I am familiar with the technical challenges and the amount of engineering, R&D, and systems integration work that Red Digital Camera is currently facing.

I lived in Florida during this period and while I don't put myself in their technical shoes, I knew and worked with engineers and personnel from NASA, DARPA, DoD, Office of Naval Intelligence, The RAND Corporation, Lockheed-Martin, Los Alamos National Laboratory, fellow Developers from Kodak Advanced Imaging, Nikon and Polaroid. I say this not to "name drop", but to explain my background a little bit so that my comments can be taken in the context of your choice. Either I am a crackpot to be ignored or a fanboy or just another a-hole with an opinion its completely up to you.

IMHO, Red is facing some very serious obstacles that they are knocking aside one by one. Heat management could be a culprit. I very pointedly asked Jim to characterize what they're facing: is the problem the limit of the technology, or is it the way the technology is implemented in the form factor? Jim answered less like a product developer and more like a CEO, but his answer was revealing none-the-less. If the heat generated from the system is a factor, then I've seen their solution and it is probably the best option. Keep in mind that the kind of heat we're talking about has the potential to delaminate the motherboard. It can also fry the ASIC or any myriad components. Its also localized in the brain. I'm not saying that they have a heat issue, I'm repeating what Jim said some of the factors are that come into play when making a 5K at 100fps digital camera. I think the biggest issue is building the 29 layer ASIC. You don't know if you have a failure on each unit until its done and you test it, then if you confirm its bad, its not entirely clear when in the build process the failure occurred. Jim has committed to high volume inventories, so he may have to make three or four times the number of chips to satisfy demand. This drives up costs. I for one appreciate his commitment to his customers by offering us the full-value trade-in credit for Epic.

The fact that they can overcome these technical barriers is a testament to the deep well of tech talent they have amassed which is fueled by Jim Jannard's focus, drive and business acumen. Jim is pure rebel. He may well be the original "unhappy camper" and he's waited like the rest of us for a viable digital motion picture camera. The problem is (and continues to be) that getting the sensor, the software, the heat management system, the frame rates, the resolution, the form factor and an efficient file format together in one place at the same time is almost impossible. To do it affordably IS impossible for 99.99% of the governments, militaries, defense contractors, corporations and lottery winners in the world. But its more than just funding.

Red bypassed and or leap-frogged every player in the camera industry. Established and entrenched companies like Arri, Sony, Panasonic and Panavision should have created what we all wanted: a professional digital 35mm 4K motion picture camera-- but they didn't. They ignored the warnings of history, they ignored the onslaught of digital technology as it utterly swept aside the analog world in the late 1970's and early 1980's. The chief technology officer at Polaroid laughed in my face in the mid 90's when I asked him what the company's plan was to deal with the emerging digital camera market. So this is the world the much lauded legacy players lived in, which is all the more fascinating now when I see so many people lavish such loyalty on them. In my opinion they dropped the ball big time when they could have OWNED digital cinema if they only acted when it mattered. So who picks up the ball and runs with it? The guy that started Oakley. A Photographer that's waited like the rest of us to get a viable 35mm digital movie camera. Only this guy is willing to do something about it. Still, no one takes him and his Team seriously, however, and development still lags behind at the legacy player's camps.

 

[Jeff Coatney]

So Red now controls the field. This has an effect: Red is not trying to replace Arri or Panavision, Red's target is Kodak. Red One is a Kodak and Fuji killer. Arri and Panavision are just the delivery vehicles. 1080p is not the target, either: 4K is the target. This is the viable alternative to film in the form of a digital 35mm motion picture camera. 1080p is in Red's cross hairs because 4K has always been the primary resolution target from day one. But in order for 4K to take hold, 1080p has to give ground. Since Red's principle market is replacing 35mm film, the first battlefield is in acquisition, post and the DI suite.

While technical innovation eluded the legacy player's camera divisions, the digital tsunami struck their organizations in other ways: via film scanning and film recorders-- which are in fact digital cameras of a sort, yet they write to the medium of film. With the information on the film negative now digitized, it made sense to use it losslessly through to the coloring and DI process, only to regurgitate it back to a photochemical emulsion at the end. Economic forces conspired with the speed and processing power available at the time and you get the 2K finish which was perfectly acceptable when going to film.

But Red One replaces film, processing, telecine-- that's three cottage industries down in one fell swoop. Red One replaces Tape - that's another foot full of toes stepped on by the folks from Orange county - take away Sony and Panasonic. Add Digital projection and you take out the last vestiges of film plus every photochemical lab in town. In less than five years, digital technology has cut a swath through this company town's industrial heart. The next prisoner to be handed a blindfold is the Post House. Rapid propagation of file-based digital cameras kills the industrial infrastructure of Hollywood. This is the upside. And not solely the fault of Jim Jannard or his customers. Digital innovations have been chipping away at the movies for twenty years.

Downside: the global economic collapse, coupled with Red's rapid expansion creates a perfect storm of conditions for Red's slow-paced competitors. Development is expensive. Arri introduces new cameras, yet they fall precipitously short of the 4K goal that Red set as the state-of-the-art benchmark that the entire industry should march towards. The propagation of 4K projectors to the tune of 12,000 in north America within the next three years and Red's control of the market makes 4K acquisition the defacto standard for theatrical exhibition of non 3D, digital content in this market. Faced with the one certainty of the digital revolution: "you cannot scale up your resolution", Red's competitors must solve the 4K question before they field their product. Anyone that competes with Red must provide better or equal results in the following areas: resolution, color, dynamic range, workflow. The problem is that the pace of innovation that Red has set is nearly impossible to predict and this is known among its competitors.

We are at a kind of bizarre stasis point. With Red's commitment to 4K, all the company's development efforts are pushed in the direction of Epic first. 5K at 100fps is the seminal benchmark for the product launch. When Epic ships: it must be capable under certain circumstances of hitting 5K at 100fps. This is the flag ship product. This product both captures the acquisition market handily and forces Post Houses to conform to the Red post model. This is Red's chance to correct mistakes introduced with Red One, namely, allowing the end user to participate in the product's shake down. This only caused a wellspring of FUD to foolishly erode confidence in the camera, with the added result of causing Red's competitors to enter the economic crisis overconfident of their position in the market. They only had to best the Red One and they're back to being number one, they thought. This is where the FUDsters did Red the biggest favor in the whole wide world: namely, by trying to undermine Red's reputation as a serious camera, and lavishing undeserved brand loyalty towards their favorite camera systems, they led Red's competitors to believe that their own development programs were sound, when in fact they are probably behind the curve somewhat. Do they move forward with a model that may be obsolete when Epic ships? Or do they wait to see what Red does before they chart their course?

With Scarlet, Red is in direct competition with Sony and Panasonic. Here's where the delays have helped the eventual Scarlet user: from NAB 2007, Red has pushed their sensor development program, most likely using targeted milestones of resolution, dynamic range, frame rates. We know Scarlet is a 2/3" sensor, currently set at 3K. Now back to the viability of 2K for a minute: while it is true that a 4K world awaits us in 3 to 5 years, a true 2K camera, in the hands of the prosumer, has a lifespan of at least 7 years. Within this seven year time frame, Scarlet 2/3" will increase resolution through sensor upgrades and the secret ingredient of RedCode will become increasingly more efficient. To ensure the camera's viability for this as yet unmeasured product cycle, Red has to cram the little beast with as many advances as they can to ensure a upgrade path that won't break the customer. Enter the 29 layer ASIC and the additional board stack.

Had Red launched the Scarlet at the end of 2007 or Spring of 2008, the innovation on the camera would have plateaued and the cameras would have hit the street at basically the beginning of the biggest economic crisis since the depression. Instead, either by luck or by design, Red held onto the Scarlet and allowed development to continue. Now the Scarlet is a better camera, incorporating the new color science at the get-go and it will hit the street as a supremely viable professional/prosumer tool, landing on the street just as the economy is on its very slow positive trajectory.

As for false advertising: there is no case to be made, because Red has not accepted payment for the product, nor shipped any units. The added caveat: "specs and delivery dates are subject to change: count on it" provides all the wiggle room they need. But one thing's for sure: very soon, probably before another christmas tree gets lit, you'll be shooting with your Scarlet.