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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 :)

Buying a new RED - Red Scarlet X vs Sony FS700

Keep in mind the fs700 only shoots 240 fps in a 4 or 8 second buffer en then needs alot of time to proces the footage begore you can record again... I think its quite worthless when you want to shoot some longer slowmo shots. The 240 fps is more a gimmick than a really usefull function
 
IT depends on what you are looking to shoot. If you are doing action sports and need slomo the fs700 is probably a better bet. I owned the Scarlet and ended up selling it, it just didn't tick all the boxes I needed...the Epic did, so that's the way I went :)

The fs700's senseor produces a very pretty image, has good in camera noise reduction for high iso/gain shooting, looks really beautiful when the frame is filled with skin tones...BUT from my experience when shooting at 240 on wide glass with a higher detailed scene the codec falls apart like a 5dm2 or 7d....nothing really feels to be in focus and the image looks muddy. I think alot of people look past this because of the WOW factor of the 240fps slomo feel.

Like I said, fs700 great camera for the $, and if you cant afford the Epic or F5 and you need 120fps+, the fs700 can't really be beat

-dane
 
Max M. said:
Keep in mind the fs700 only shoots 240 fps in a 4 or 8 second buffer en then needs alot of time to proces the footage begore you can record again... I think its quite worthless when you want to shoot some longer slowmo shots. The 240 fps is more a gimmick than a really usefull function
Click to expand...

I would disagree that it's a gimmick. In the action sports world your shot is rarely longer than that and the use of the prerecord function works perfectly for using 240fps....you understand that those 4 to 8 seconds of recording end up being 40 to 80 seconds once played back. how many times to do you hold for 40 seconds in an edit? :)

-dane
 
You seem decided on the sony. Follow your gut and you wont be upset after you do your purchase. I would go Scarlet because I've worked on an Epic for almost 2 years and cant see myself going anywhere else. Its just brilliant. I think Scarlet users like Bob say the same. For fS700 I dont like sony's colors. But that's just personal preference..
 
Scarlet Vs. Sony FS700

Scarlet Vs. Sony FS700

I just finished a shoot using the Phantom HD Gold and RED Epic for high speed, with the FS700 as a backup cam. I'm also the owner of a Scarlet-X. Perhaps this has been covered, but here's my experience.

The Scarlet is a 4K cinema camera with non-existent low-light capability. Base ISO 320. The FS700 is a 1080p 8-bit video camera with the ability to shoot at 240fps at HD. At 240fps, the FS700 defaults to 1600 ISO with noticeable noise in shadows. The high speed image is noticeably softer than the outstanding HD image at 23.98 fps. The camera itself weighs probably half as much as any lens you'd put on it, and you can throw it over your shoulder and go. I like having it around as a quick and easy option, in case the phantom goes down, but would never select it for a serious production.

I absolutely love my Scarlet, but unless you are shooting outdoors, you really need to light the subject. Its heavy and requires a lot more power and accessories. It's much better suited for staged/studio work where image quality, resolution and post/finishing options need to be maximized. I would not consider it for run-n-gun type work where the FS700 would excel. That said, the razor sharp 4K image of the RED blows the Sony away. In the future, I will personally head straight for the Epic which delivers a crisp QHD image at 120fps.
 
I had the same question last year. I owned a Sony Fs100 and sold it with the intention of upgrading. I chose the Scarlet cause despite the fact that I wasn't familiar with Red and loved my Sony FS100, I liked the idea of Printing images off my clip footage. I liked the idea of having a camera used in real hollywood films (well okay, it wasn't the Epic but last year in the summer, there was no way I could imagine owning an Epic).

What also made be decide was that I hated how Sony keeps coming out with new models (which is totally understandable) making my camera obsolete. Who wants to rent an older camera when new ones come out (if you plan to rent it or offer it as the main part of your service). Think, if I bought the FS700 last year (and had to wait for the 4K) and then the F5, and F55 comes out, I'd be so upset. Now I have to compete with others that own a better Sony let alone other brands.

Also, what's the market in your area for a Sony FS700? Why would they want that camera over a Red or other Sony cameras? People kind of know the names Arri Alexa and Red but those in the film industry don't see Sony as the brand. Broadcasters do. Sony is huge in that world but in my opinion, broadcasting is about to go through a massive shift (with all these DSLR and web shooters out there).

Anyhow, I think I made the right decision. I think the Sony FS700 is now overshadowed by the F5 and F55. Knowing Sony's history, those camera will be replace in 2 years with something better. No new features on the FS700 or F5/F55. Simply replacements with the improvements. My opinion.
 
I used to own the FS700 but sold it. It was a great doc/ENG camera. Lightweight, built-in NDs, very happy with the audio, well priced....but I have to admit that I wasn't crazy about the image. I now own a Red One MX and the image is sooooo sick. Red footage, in the right hands in post, is to die for. I had a very difficult time with the FS700 in post. It screamed "video" to me. But I hear that's the "Sony look", so if you're into it. I'm not personally. Red and Alexa image is where it's at IMO. Not tryin' to hate on the FS700 as there's clear benefits there...I'd rent it first and test the footage in post...see if you like it.
 
To help you make a decision here's a couple of commercials that I shot on the fs 700
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPj3EoxeXUc
this one is actually a mix of epic and fs 700 - epic for the foreground and fs700 in the background.:
https://vimeo.com/45858178

It's a great little camera and it seems like convergent designs may actually be coming up with a solution to record the 4k signal out of it. I'm actually selling mine next week as I don't use it that much any more. That's not because I don't like it but just because the epic gets the majority of the work.
 
I bought both Scarlet and FS700 the day they came out. Both great cameras in their own way. To me the distinction is clear between the two but it depends what kinds of jobs will be using it for and what your criteria for a camera is.

Scarlet has better gamma curves and more accurate color and sharper images, but I have not found that I use it that much because the FS700 is so capable and convenient. For the jobs I do lately, I rarely need the extra resolution of Scarlet and frequently need the extra sensitivity and flexibility of the FS700.

The FS700 is a camera you can fit with its accessories in a small backpack and be ready to shoot immediately and shoot all day with no battery or card changes and be ready for anything since it is fairly usable up to ISO6400 and can start shooting up to 240fps by pressing one button. Also I have the Metabones Speedbooster so all my lenses are a stop faster and 1.4x wider on my FS700, which helps matters even more compared to Scarlet.

On the other hand, Scarlet can create better, sharper, more pleasing images in controlled lighting conditions with enough crew and equipment, and as long as you don't need to shoot high speed. Scarlet does feel like it has an aging sensor to some extent since it suffers in low lighting in ways cameras from other manufacturers have not for 1-2 product generations, but it is designed for digital cinema with lots of resolution and more natural colors so it certainly has its strengths.

I would have trouble recommending investing in a Scarlet at this moment since it's future is undecided and it still uses the aging MX sensor which was released over 3 years ago. It might be a good option to buy used, though.

If only there were a camera in between the two. The FS700 shoots AVCHD video at 3MBps, and Scarlet shoots 4k REDCODE RAW at over 30MBps. The FS700 uses 10w with onboard LCD, and Scarlet uses 60W. The batteries I carry for my Scarlet require an extra case that could fit two FS700s in it, whereas the battery that fits inside the FS700's internal battery compartment can last most of a day. When shooting Scarlet, I usually shoot ISO500, only using anything higher than ISO640 in high key lighting and never going past ISO1280. With the FS700, I have found there is no discernible difference in noise at all between any settings from ISO640-1600, and beyond that there is a little more noise and I try not to go past ISO6400.

Unfortunately I have seen very little benefit to the resolution Scarlet provides. I have shot a couple projects on Scarlet that would have benefited from 4k in that they were narrative and might have gotten some limited theatrical release, but in the end even those ended up being edited and mastered in 1080p Prores for whatever reason, probably fitting into old FCP7 workflows and directors didn't see the importance or likeliness of needing more than 1080p etc. I would love to be doing more projects where that resolution matters, but realistically those jobs are very limited in number and those are not the jobs I have been doing.

I may end up using my Scarlet more and recording from the full sensor area using the Blackmagic Hyperdeck 2. This is an interesting option if you don't need the extra resolution of shooting 4k. I do prefer the look of the Scarlet over the FS700 and I like that I can tweak the curves more in camera for jobs where I have little control over post.

I guess the odd thing about Scarlet is that it sits in an odd position. It would be a great camera for bigger budgets like TV commercials, TV shows, and theatrical released movies, but you'd expect those productions have the budget for an Epic... The FS700 is a great camera for lower budgets and faster shooting styles such as in documentary, fashion, corporate, industrial, web content etc. Which types of jobs are you doing? It is probably quite clear which camera is appropriate.
 
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