a non-HDRx scarlet for the other 50%

[Elsie N]

Hmmm. The problem with Scarlet getting so expensive......... that extra grand might buy me another whole camera.

And you, as decision maker, must decide.

 

[Billy Barber]

I was afraid you were going to say that.

 

[Elsie N]

The good news is that even if you decide to get another brand of camera, you can still migrate to one of the RED products later on if they are still ahead of the rest. Good luck be on ye.

 

[Leo Sardello]

I was afraid you were going to say that.

What else is there to say?

A grand will already buy you another camera (of lesser quality), and if that fits your needs better because you want to do a multi-multi cam shoot, then uh… yay.

 

[Billy Barber]

Yeah but...a Scarlet without HDRx is not exactly "of lesser quality" than a Scarlet with HDRx. Why can't it be an option?

 

[Elsie N]

Yeah but...a Scarlet without HDRx™ is not exactly "of lesser quality" than a Scarlet with HDRx™. Why can't it be an option?

I have to disagree. The Scarlet without the HDRx is an obsolete RED camera the minute it is released. HDRx is IMO the most important feature of the camera. I'm not an expert in anything, but there are many on this board who are. Read what they are saying. Let it sink in. And know that a Scarlet without the HDRx capability (boards and ASICs) will be worth less in a few years (my guess is about 10 to 30 cents on the dollar) while the HDRx capable Scarlet will hold from 60 to 80 percent of it's purchase price. I think the best approach would be to wait a few extra months or however long it takes to raise the money for the difference, than to rush into buying something that will give you buyer's remorse when it soaks in that you could have had the HDRx camera by waiting. This is no time for impulse buying, again, IMO.

 

[Tom Lowe]

No. This is like asking for a Canon DSLR that cannot shoot RAW for $100 less.

 

[Michael Olsen]

The problem with Scarlet getting so expensive is the possibility (growing more remote with each passing day) of being able to afford to buy or rent several Scarlets for a shoot the way Shane Hurlbut does with that camera 'who must not be named' from the company that starts with a C and ends in a N and has an ONO in the middle.

CONON? Sorry...I had to!

He goes out with something like thirty of those suckers. Leave a camera on a Steadicam for the day, put one in a tree and leave it there for the day, etc. The way things are going...

Well, I'd say this is one of those points where people simply have to think about budget and what they need to best convey the story or the message that they are trying to get across. Given a fixed amount of money, the choice here is essentially between:

1) Relatively few cameras that produce gorgeous imagery in terms of resolution, DR, and "feel".

2) Many more cameras that produce generally subpar imagery in terms of resolution, DR, and "feel".

Personally, I could care less if I have cameras duct taped to every vertical surface within 50 feet of the scene. I'd rather just have a few which are carefully positioned to get the shots I want.

However, if having the extra ten points of view gets the story or message across and is necessary, the choice is simple - either one needs to use a greater quantity of cheaper cameras or find some way to increase the budget.

Now...I want to see some of the stuff shot with these 30-camera setups. I wonder how many of those cameras actually get used in the final reel...perhaps this is just a way to skip some parts of pre-production. Why bother storyboarding if you can just shoot it from 20 angles at once anyway?

 

[Leo Sardello]

Yeah but...a Scarlet without HDRx™ is not exactly "of lesser quality" than a Scarlet with HDRx™. Why can't it be an option?

Nor would it cost a grand, so I have to admit I don’t get it. :mellow:
As to why it can’t be an option, I would think that not having two products separated by only $1000 and a few features would be clear reason enough, but I’m sure that won’t satisfy many people. Barring that it’s now become pretty clear that RED considers HDRx to be important enough to include in all their offerings.

 

[Billy Barber]

My misspelling (whew-almost spelled it with one 's') and lack of clarity aside there may be a slightly different question worth asking here.
Does anyone foresee a day where on a standing set there are no camera set ups? Hidden in the set dressing are a number of boxes with a sensor, a lens and some leads. Scenes are pre lit and the "cameras" are small enough to either not be seen or easily erased in post. Actors treat the shoot as a live theatre performance but it looks like a carefully done single camera production. The efficiency of a soap with the look of a well shot film.

 

[Radoslav Karapetkov]

Try to calculate the potential savings from lighting cost, lens selection and what not. :hat:

 

[Ethan Cooper]

The difference between Red & other camera manufactures:
We're allowed to peek behind the curtain during conceptualizing, development, testing, & production. (for better or worse)

The similarity between Red & other camera manufactures:
They're a business & have to make $$ to survive. They'll charge whatever they feel is fair market value for their product & we can either afford to pay that or not.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Try to calculate the potential savings from lighting cost, lens selection and what not. :hat:

If I no longer have to put heavy ND gel on windows for corporate interviews, then the HDRx addition just paid for itself in the first few months on that alone. Gelling windows = time and money. That's only one situation where the extra DR is worth it. I'm totally perplexed by all the people who think they don't want it.

No more variable ND filter in front of the lens or fast iris changes when going between indoor and outdoor in a run-n-gun situation.

 

[Elsie N]

I... or fast iris changes when going between indoor and outdoor...

That's the one that kills me. No way (for me) to keep continuity in that situation. I end up chopping up the timeline and usually just delete the transition segment. This will make storytelling much easier than cutting the clip then taking a closeup out of the 4k image to act as a transition.