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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Announcing WEAPON DRAGON 6k Magnesium

Well that was an easy decision after looking at the specs. Looking forward to a few more great years with Epic Dragon and then we'll see where things go in the camera industry and go from there.

Looking forward to all the accessories that are going to flood the market over the next year! Totally relieved I didn't jump on the mini REDMags bandwagon.
 
Well that was an easy decision after looking at the specs. Looking forward to a few more great years with Epic Dragon and then we'll see where things go in the camera industry and go from there.

Yes it seems it is definitely just a body upgrade.
 
I was confused on this point as well (and still may be) but it sounds like the $5,000 accessory credit only being good during NAB is for NEW Weapon purchases, not upgrades.

Yep, you're right. Those who are upgrading an existing camera at a later date still get the accessories credit.
 
The silver lining in all of this...only people that NEED the ProRes will pay the premium. So it looks like current Dragon (as long as the price stays the same in the store) shouldn't lose nearly as much value.

From where I stand, the Dragon is now the best value if you're just looking for performance vs. cost.
 
I'm really disappointed with this news. I became a Red owner because I like the camera, it's affordable, and because of the upgrade program. They just forced the MX to Dragon upgrade by announcing they are discontinuing the upgrade program in the summer,

knowing they have a new camera around the corner. Now they are devaluing the worth of the Dragon 50%?? Their next step will most likely be to discontinue the Epic Dragon to the Weapon upgrade -- forcing another upgrade. Their marketing tactics have grown

unfair and dishonest, in my opinion. The cost of the Weapon seems pretty comparable to an Alexa, so this better be one hell of a camera. If the math works out, I would certainly consider dropping Red all together and switching to Alexa.
 
Weapon looks like a renters dream....but owners with an Epic Dragon look they have a similar engine under the hood, even if less streamlined/ergonomic, etc...

i don't even think there's an improvement in ergonomics, no more side handle and being able to power the camera with Redvolts for small setups without buying a bulky rear module for over $4k.

It's essentially the same camera. No significant bump in frame rates is a big downer for me personally.

I can see a lot of owner operators and independent filmmakers who made up most of the Red market, dropping out from the upgrade path and perhaps abandoning Red platform all together.

I really don't see where Red is going with this. They are losing the independents, while high end market is still being dominated by ARRI.
I'm confused.
 
i don't even think there's an improvement in ergonomics, no more side handle and being able to power the camera with Redvolts for small setups without buying a bulky rear module for over $4k.

It's essentially the same camera. No significant bump in frame rates is a big downer for me personally.

I can see a lot of owner operators and independent filmmakers who made up most of the Red market, dropping out from the upgrade path and perhaps abandoning Red platform all together.

I really don't see where Red is going with this. They are losing the independents, while high end market is still being dominated by ARRI.
I'm confused.

Well put.
 
I'm really disappointed with this news. I became a Red owner because I like the camera, it's affordable, and because of the upgrade program. They just forced the MX to Dragon upgrade by announcing they are discontinuing the upgrade program in the summer,

knowing they have a new camera around the corner. Now they are devaluing the worth of the Dragon 50%?? Their next step will most likely be to discontinue the Epic Dragon to the Weapon upgrade -- forcing another upgrade. Their marketing tactics have grown

unfair and dishonest, in my opinion. The cost of the Weapon seems pretty comparable to an Alexa, so this better be one hell of a camera. If the math works out, I would certainly consider dropping Red all together and switching to Alexa.

The resale value of your existing Dragon is determined by the Market - not RED's trade-in allowance. Weapon has firmed up Dragon resale values from my view since the cost to the next level is steep without the corresponding performance improvement. If you stick with your existing Dragon system as is this is a good day for asset value.
 
The resale value of your existing Dragon is determined by the Market - not RED's trade-in allowance. Weapon has firmed up Dragon resale values from my view since the cost to the next level is steep without the corresponding performance improvement. If you stick with your existing Dragon system as is this is a good day for asset value.

Right. You just need to ride out the NAB wave for a month or so. Dragon value should remain put.
 
RED will also continue to sell EPIC and Scarlet Dragon for some time to come.
 
Have to say I agree. Barring a major announcement on frame rates or low light sensitivity (which...from an ethical stand point, should be on the site, ready to go before you even think of taking pre orders).

The cameras are great, the images are great. This upgrade path thing has reached circus levels in this iteration and I personally am bowing out as well. I will use my Dragon M for most of my projects this summer, sell it, eat the costs, and use the BM 4.6K URSA until CF Vista Vision is in the RED Store and then just buy new or used CF Vista Vision.

I'm sure RED has poured over the numbers and the current "deal" is the best they could do. However, it does draw a line in the sand for a lot of us. What are we willing to pay for ProRes? The BMCC 4.6K URSA shoots 120fps 4.6k raw AND ProRes simultaneously. No accessories, great build...$7,000.

The line in the sand is $20-$25,000 for an extra 1,500 lines of resolution and possibly a few hundred fps?

Can't justify it on my end.

Vista Vision will be a different story. It makes a lot more sense than going from Dragon to Weapon (again, at this point. Announced specs could change my tune).
I would test the heck out of the URSA and compare against your Dragon before selling it.
 
What I'm reading at this point through all the noise is if the upgrade program was $5k better across the board, a heck of a lot more folks would stay the path...
 
What I'm reading at this point through all the noise is if the upgrade program was $5k better across the board, a heck of a lot more folks would stay the path...
Sounds like a place for a AL version of Weapon.
 
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