Challenge getting Scarlet to function fully

[Brant Hadfield]

Hey can someone explain to me exactly WHY the side handle on its own will not be sufficient to start controlling the camera? Right now, from the factory, I have virtually a clean feed, with the center cross hairs and timecode in lower right corner. Is there not a menu button on the side handle? Or do I have to go into the menu first to tell the Scarlet there's a side handle connected, and once that's done, I'm golden. (that is until I flash the firmware again?)
I wouldn't mind having a redmote, but with the rear-attached battery, I suppose I would have to remove the battery adapter plate in order to attach and charge it, correcto? What is its effective and reliable range?

 

[Arnold F.]

I hope the Redmote charges another way.

Hey can someone explain to me exactly WHY the side handle on its own will not be sufficient to start controlling the camera? Right now, from the factory, I have virtually a clean feed, with the center cross hairs and timecode in lower right corner. Is there not a menu button on the side handle? Or do I have to go into the menu first to tell the Scarlet there's a side handle connected, and once that's done, I'm golden. (that is until I flash the firmware again?)
I wouldn't mind having a redmote, but with the rear-attached battery, I suppose I would have to remove the battery adapter plate in order to attach and charge it, correcto? What is its effective and reliable range?

 

[Mike P.]

Can you set focus with the REDmote or is that reserved for the upcoming REDmote Pro? If so, is it faster/more tactile than grabbing focus with the touchscreen? I don't want to have spend money for redundant forms of control and the REDmote is currently looking like the most functional option.

 

[Cody Cha]

Hey can someone explain to me exactly WHY the side handle on its own will not be sufficient to start controlling the camera? Right now, from the factory, I have virtually a clean feed, with the center cross hairs and timecode in lower right corner. Is there not a menu button on the side handle? Or do I have to go into the menu first to tell the Scarlet there's a side handle connected, and once that's done, I'm golden. (that is until I flash the firmware again?)
I wouldn't mind having a redmote, but with the rear-attached battery, I suppose I would have to remove the battery adapter plate in order to attach and charge it, correcto? What is its effective and reliable range?

Where did you get the info that you can't control the camera with a sidehandle alone? That's exactly what it's made for.

The remote can be recharged via a USB power source just like your phone.

 

[Brant Hadfield]

Where did you get the info that you can't control the camera with a sidehandle alone? That's exactly what it's made for.

The remote can be recharged via a USB power source just like your phone.

Yes, it can control it. BUT, the issue, and my understanding is that when you first attach it, Scarlet does not know it is there. So if that is indeed the case, and Scarlet must know it is there for the side handle to function, how do you bring up and access a menu? That was my original question, and the answer I have been told, is find a local competitor who is nice enough to put his touch screen on my camera so I can bring the menu up.
I would prefer to be wrong about this.

 

[Wayne Morellini]

Incredible

 

[Jeff J Daniels]

First off, how's it goin Brant?
Glad you've received your Scarlet, mine was allocated earlier today.

Somehow I just now came across this thread. With my camera shipping soon, I was wondering if you ever found a work-around other than finding someone with an LCD touchscreen?
I am not purchasing a touchscreen yet, for many of the same reasons you gave.

If you have to find someone with a touchscreen, let me know who helps you out, or better yet, let me and my Scarlet tag along.

 

[Akira Wing]

Actually this is easily solved, I also received my scarlet minus the side handle and only have an HDMI monitor.

I basically had to submit a support ticket asking for the force setting to enable HDMI (and here's the trick to get menus) as "primary viewfinder".

I installed the Beta Firmware by formatting a new (32-gig or less) partition on my Redmag to FAT32 with windows disk manager and put the force_upgrade folder into the root of the FAT32 partition. Then I put the Redmag into the cam and switched it on, 15 seconds later it was flashed. Took out Redmag, put it back in my computer and dragged the force_config folder that the tech support rep sent me into the root directory and followed the same process, bingo, it booted up with HDMI in "primary viewfinder" mode, with complete menus. Now I can at least see the feed and once the side handle gets here I will be ready to go.

 

[Bob Gundu]

crafty!

actually this is easily solved, I also received my scarlet minus the side handle and only have an HDMI monitor. I basically had to submit a support ticket asking for the force setting to enable HDMI (and here's the trick to get menus) as "primary viewfinder". I installed the Beta Firmware by formatting a new (32-gig or less) partition on my Redmag to FAT32 with windows disk manager and put the force_upgrade folder into the root of the FAT32 partition. Then I put the redmag into the cam and switched it on, 15 seconds later it was flashed. Took out Redmag and dragged the force_config folder the tech support rep sent me into the root directory and followed the same process. HDMI in "primary viewfinder" mode came up with complete menus. Now I can at least see the feed and once the side handle gets here I will be ready to go.

 

[Jeff J Daniels]

Thanks Akira.

I will be contacting RED about this process once I receive my Scarlet.

Brant, my other thought was to ask/rent from Bad Dog. I know they have an Epic package, and would assume they have the touchscreen.

 

[Glen Powell]

Yes, it can control it. BUT, the issue, and my understanding is that when you first attach it, Scarlet does not know it is there. So if that is indeed the case, and Scarlet must know it is there for the side handle to function, how do you bring up and access a menu? That was my original question, and the answer I have been told, is find a local competitor who is nice enough to put his touch screen on my camera so I can bring the menu up.
I would prefer to be wrong about this.

Huh?? I put on my side handle and Scarlet immediately knew it was there - I didn't have to use the touchscreen to tell it that the side handle was attached…

In my opinion if you have operational questions like this you should read the manual; if that doesn't answer the question then call your bomb squad rep.

G.

 

[Graham Spencer-Scott]

Huh?? I put on my side handle and Scarlet immediately knew it was there - I didn't have to use the touchscreen to tell it that the side handle was attached…
In my opinion if you have operational questions like this you should read the manual; if that doesn't answer the question then call your bomb squad rep.
G.

That is all fine and good for those who have had NO issues getting Scarlet up and running. I have read the manual a few times, scoured REDUser and called my Bomb Rep (who never answers the phone) to no avail. I have also filed a support ticket and got one reply 12 hrs ago. I thought support was supposed to be 24/7? I got tired of waiting for them to respond.
It is just a bit frustrating to have waited 4 months to get Scarlet, bought all the accessories in advance only to have an expensive paperweight to look at. There is no 'local competetor' nearby that I know of to beg an LCD touchscreen from.
I have a sidehandle and REDmote fresh out of the box and can't seem to use either to access menus. The REDmote will adjust basic parameters if docked on the camera and communicate those changes to the sidehandle but that is as far as the functionality goes. My new sidehandle lights up all pretty-like but not a single button does anything. Ya, ya...I have done all the rebooting and precise mounting of the sidehandle but still can't get it to do anything.
What is complicating things even further for me is that my REDStation is also inoperable. It really should be cut and dry set-up but my newer i7 PC doesn't recognize it as an accessible drive (with mag loaded). This stops me from flashing up to v.3 firmware and potentially making my headaches go away. I can't even find out what version is on scarlet -assuming 2.05

I also tried the blind sidehandle approach suggested earlier in the thread to no avail. I had high hopes but like I said before, my sidehandle buttons do nothing. Anyone got a magic pill suggesion for me?
Leaving in a few hours to go on a shoot, guess I'll have to leave scarlet behind and add another delay to the already 4 months of waiting to use her

 

[Glen Powell]

That is all fine and good for those who have had NO issues getting Scarlet up and running. I have read the manual a few times, scoured REDUser and called my Bomb Rep (who never answers the phone) to no avail. I have also filed a support ticket and got one reply 12 hrs ago. I thought support was supposed to be 24/7? I got tired of waiting for them to respond.
It is just a bit frustrating to have waited 4 months to get Scarlet, bought all the accessories in advance only to have an expensive paperweight to look at. There is no 'local competetor' nearby that I know of to beg an LCD touchscreen from.
I have a sidehandle and REDmote fresh out of the box and can't seem to use either to access menus. The REDmote will adjust basic parameters if docked on the camera and communicate those changes to the sidehandle but that is as far as the functionality goes. My new sidehandle lights up all pretty-like but not a single button does anything. Ya, ya...I have done all the rebooting and precise mounting of the sidehandle but still can't get it to do anything.
What is complicating things even further for me is that my REDStation is also inoperable. It really should be cut and dry set-up but my newer i7 PC doesn't recognize it as an accessible drive (with mag loaded). This stops me from flashing up to v.3 firmware and potentially making my headaches go away. I can't even find out what version is on scarlet -assuming 2.05

I also tried the blind sidehandle approach suggested earlier in the thread to no avail. I had high hopes but like I said before, my sidehandle buttons do nothing. Anyone got a magic pill suggesion for me?
Leaving in a few hours to go on a shoot, guess I'll have to leave scarlet behind and add another delay to the already 4 months of waiting to use her

Hey Graham I don't mean this post at all to be combative or argumentative. I don't really know your background / expertise / skill level so please take what I'm saying as trying to be helpful...

I feel for you and the problems you're having - It sucks that you can't get your bomb squad rep on the phone (I have lot's of trouble with that as well, so I feel your pain) - but once the cam is up and running and you've worked out all the kinks you'll have a kick ass camera.

I've had my Scarlet since mid-December (with TouchScreen), the RedMote showed up a month ago, and the side handle this week. I have to say that I truly believe that the Touch LCD is an essential piece of the Scarlet puzzle. Redmote has it's place; for me that's on a jib or when I'm at the client monitor and I want to show off. Side handle same deal; it will be useful when I go hand held and when I'm shooting in tight spaces or remote locations ( I shoot stuff for Air Canada, and in remote places like Iceland / Everest base camp). But for day to day shooting the touch is attached on the top of my camera, it's the easiest way to access the menus and control the camera.

AC's that I work with and who used to HATE working with the R1 because they loathed the menu structure, are fully in love with this interface.

As for complaints about critical focus - meh - I own a couple of the high end on-board monitors, my 1AC's also own / bring their TVLogic's / Marshall's / Panasonic's; but after nearly 3 months of shooting those other on-boards are usually left in their cases. The touch has 3 highly effective, easy to access and use focus aids if you need to pull focus on your own (I've never blown focus because I thought it was in focus but wasn't) The one I love is you 'pinch' the screen to reveal 1:1; brilliant! Or I just rely on a focus puller who can get it right without even looking at the monitor.
However if I need more than what I see on the Touch I do have the luxury of a 17" director monitor or the ones in the client room - you may not have this.

Now I don't get what you mean by 'Local Competitor' I can't believe that no-one else in Edmonton doesn't have a Scarlet / Epic? You can't think of other DOP's in your area as 'Competitors' - Some of my best friends are competing DOP's (some are here on the boards) yes we compete for the same jobs, but after that we get together and share equipment & knowledge, test gear and generally vent about bad clients and stupid jobs. If I travelled to Edmonton as part of my work schedule I'd help you out. So maybe you should embrace your 'enemy'; it can only help you.

I wish I could give you a hand; if you're in Toronto over the weekend give me call and swing by the studio, I'll invite some other Scarlet owners over and we can get it working.

 

[Graham Spencer-Scott]

Glen, I appreciate your feedback and agree with what you're saying on many points. I didn't mean to sound aggressive with the 'competitor' comment -its just the terminology someone else had used earlier in the thread. I tend to 'sleep with the enemy' as a rule...
One of the things I had faith in about RED is that there would be support available 24/7 via e-mail and Bomb Squad rep for the unforseen anomolies experienced by users. Others have said that this is a 'beta testing camera platform' and not all the bugs are worked out yet -I get that and am prepared to work on some technical challenges. Support then became an important element in my confidence to get involved. I just find myself frustrated that my brand new equipment won't even effectively start working. I guess I feel even more let down because I've been waiting so long to use it.
I debated with myself for a long time about the touchscreen and decided to go with the sidehandle (mobile versatility) and the REDmote (jibs,cranes) first, using my other HDMI linked monitor for the beginning stages of using Scarlet. After using it and becoming more adept at the entire operation I then felt I'd be in a better position to judge about the touchscreen. Also I was hoping that RED might release a more updated version as I've read that currently quality is a bit lacking -in trade for functionality. Maybe I have made a few too many assumptions about this platform and need to realign my perspective. Just thought that an HDMI feed to monitor would be simple and straightforward...not to mention my REDStation functionality getting more complicated as well. Seems that each and every baby step is going to be a mini tech challenge.
Lots of RED 1 around my area but I'd have to go searching for EPIC/Scarlet owners -just don't know any offhand. I'm on my way to Calgary today and am thinking there might be a better chance to hook up with an owner there if I truck the Scarlet along with me.
I so badly want to SEE my own subject matter shot on Scarlet and its killing me to not even get a peek of anything through my camera yet. Patience really is a virtue.

 

[Glen Powell]

It's all good Graham.

I was at RED in December and my Bomb Squad rep (probably yours as well since he said his territory was all of Canada) said that quite a few Scarlet's were sold into Calgary / Edmonton. Don't know how many have shipped - but they should be close to close-ish to your location. Maybe a post on another part of the board could help you find a play date?



Good luck in Calgary - 3 years ago I used to shoot here a lot.

G.

 

[Graham Spencer-Scott]

...quite a few Scarlet's were sold into Calgary / Edmonton. ... Maybe a post on another part of the board could help you find a play date? G.

From 'The List' I determined that quite a few were headed to Calgary -here's hoping I can find someone that has a LCD. Another post made in Canada section for Alberta owners.
Still waiting on support to get back to me...

 

[Wayne Morellini]

Absolutely glad I never bought one of these, at least with a fixed it would have booted up as standard. You should not gave to buy any accessories to boot, setup and use a camera like this. It also makes support a lot less costly. It beggers belief some of the stuff I see out there in engineering in the real world, stuff even a sick person like me would not miss (ie. this camera I sell must be usable straight off). Seen the night time test between the scarlet and c300, no wonder they dropped the fixed, but the scarlet still looked good enough, but the c300 nightime moonlight footage legendary. At least by the time I'm ready to buy these things should be sought out.

 

[Marcello Altieri]

DreaMS........LIKE DREAMS....SOLD LIKE DREAMS....

 

[Marcello Altieri]

F...K...>RED

 

[Graham Spencer-Scott]

F...K...>RED

??? This is the type of input that is not needed here and is asking for the poster to be banned, imo.

Too bad that you feel that way Wayne -RED never claimed to be the answer to EVERYONE's dream! It happens to be mine though...

So, it turns out that I didn't need an LCD afterall to get things working. Support did get back to me in due time but I had figured things out on my own by then. Their suggestions were similar to the troubleshooting ideas shared right here on REDuser, which I was able to utilize effectively and solve all my problems. A couple of points that I learned along the way:
Firmware v.3 seems to have helped in getting the system to be more accessible via sidehandle and REDmote. Also with HDMI output source upon powering up.
Sidehandle is not recognized by the brain when fresh out of the box -it may take a couple of reboots for the brain to fully implement the entire workings of the sidehandle. It will auto-detect and work 100%, just maybe not on the first attachment and power-up.
Once access to the menus is achieved then REDmote connectivity and pairing is a breeze -immediate recognition and full functionality.
Formatting REDmags on your computer using Disc Manager works perfectly and is a breeze. Just need to remember that it works using FAT32 and a partition smaller than 32GB. I tried doing a forced firmware upgrade after formatting a full REDmag 64GB FAT32 and it didn't work. Reformatted so that the partition was just big enough to store the upgrade file, with the rest of the mag unformatted, and it worked immediately.

Extremely happy now that i have a fully working Scarlet and quite satisfied with my initial decision to go with Sidehandle & REDmote (minus LCD for now) in order to control the camera. After playing around with the controls I can see why many people love the accessibility of the Touch LCD and would recommend it to others if they deem the extra $$ are worth saving a couple of extra seconds in making changes. I don't require that for my work and chose to get more functionality (run n' gun, cranes etc) for my $$. Of course I do have a camera monitor that is showing me what is going on and that is ok for now. I really don't understand anyone who would not get a sidehandle with this camera -seems like a MUST have to me. (could be that I just like pushing buttons!!)

I really love this camera system and all of the possibilities that it gives me. With all of the current abilities inside this 'little box' and the new ones that RED keeps dishing out for free, I feel continually challenged and part of a dynamic and rewarding camera community. Truely a smart company to give my $$ to.