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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 :)

Epic, alexa, c-500 ,scarlet, which one would you suggest?

Hey guys ,
so but you guys think that I should go for epic -x over the m. The only Reason I was going for m pack because it's newer version of epic that's what I though I could be wrong.
 
Hey guys ,
so but you guys think that I should go for epic -x over the m. The only Reason I was going for m pack because it's newer version of epic that's what I though I could be wrong.

Save some money and get the X. Same camera, just slightly different materials and assembly. Remember this was a stop-gap solution during the tsunami when parts were scarce.
 
Yeah man just get the EPIC-X, it does all the same things, and actually it's older than the EPIC-X... Unless you just have a few thousand to blow and you really, really want it.... It has a better outer shell and is hand machined, but other than that, it's the exact same, I think...

Hey guys ,
so but you guys think that I should go for epic -x over the m. The only Reason I was going for m pack because it's newer version of epic that's what I though I could be wrong.
 
Epic M is "hand built" if that means anything to anybody while an X comes off the factory line.

but those are the key differences and you get a much longer warranty with the M. but with red armor, it's not much of a difference anymore. so if you believe that a hand made camera will be better in anyway that a factory line one, that would be the only key reason to get it.
 
Doesn't the Epic M get priority in upgrading to the Dragon sensor? Not saying that's worth the extra money, but I think it moves you near the front of the line.

If so, that could absolutely make it worth the extra money! Especially if the Dragon is as (r)evolutionary as it seems.
 
Oddly enough, Ive shot with all 3 of these cameras this month on different gigs (c300 though, not the 500) so I have some fresh-in-my-mind opinions on all of them. I'll keep it short. The c300 - has a great flat image, and a nice picture. it is what is is, but in my opinion should be your last choice. It's way over priced, but price aside, it's a pain in the ass to handle. It's so ergonomically awkward that it would just drive me nuts. It's plastic feeling, there buttons all over the damn place, and the monitor is the silliest design ever. I dpn't really want to talk about that camera much, because I assume you're really trying to decide between the Epic and Alexa (fair enough). The Alexa - F-ing awesome in low light, has amazing blacks...really amazing. I had the chance to see the first few shots on a pro studio monitor from the Cineflex Elite, and holy wow...great. The rentals on this camera are strong. Ever since Dekins' endorsement, people want these cameras, and rightly so...they're great. Built like a tank, and easy to shoot and edit. Workflow is sweet. HOWEVER, the alexa is heavy as hell, and heavy = heavier everything else! If you have huge heads, huge glass, huge dolly, big crew, etc, then thats fine, its a great camera. But remember, hopping out of your car and popping off a shot because its pretty out, is gone! Your two man crew for a little gig on the side, gone. Your light bogen head, cineslider, or even nice Sachtler 7+7...gone. To really get smooth moves, you need everything bigger. Which leads me to the Epic - small, light, not plastic, ergonomically awesome, re-buildable, nice image, frame grabbing option, don't need PL glass, cheaper, and on and on. Do I love it for low light? No. But it'll do for now, and will only get better. I had a Scarlet, then moved to the Epic. I love it. HOWEVER (again) if you have a "keep it rolling" mentality and shooting style, dont get the Epic...go with the Alexa. I hate footage! So the Epic's great for me...two or three takes and I'm out. But the guys that like to just say "perfect, one more" over and over and over again, shouldn't get the RED. The workflow doesn't bother me at all, but if I had quadruple the footage, it might. just my 3 cents,
trey
 
Hello Trey,
well said sir. Thank you very much sir.
 
Yes, excellent Trey, very well written from a neutral point of view... I would love to buy an Alexa, that would be so awesome at this point, but I just can't see myself spending $90,000 on a camera body, when I can spend $38,000 and get a camera that can do the same but more. I'm not a RED only guy, I just like the sense it makes when it comes to dollars.

Oddly enough, Ive shot with all 3 of these cameras this month on different gigs (c300 though, not the 500) so I have some fresh-in-my-mind opinions on all of them. I'll keep it short. The c300 - has a great flat image, and a nice picture. it is what is is, but in my opinion should be your last choice. It's way over priced, but price aside, it's a pain in the ass to handle. It's so ergonomically awkward that it would just drive me nuts. It's plastic feeling, there buttons all over the damn place, and the monitor is the silliest design ever. I dpn't really want to talk about that camera much, because I assume you're really trying to decide between the Epic and Alexa (fair enough). The Alexa - F-ing awesome in low light, has amazing blacks...really amazing. I had the chance to see the first few shots on a pro studio monitor from the Cineflex Elite, and holy wow...great. The rentals on this camera are strong. Ever since Dekins' endorsement, people want these cameras, and rightly so...they're great. Built like a tank, and easy to shoot and edit. Workflow is sweet. HOWEVER, the alexa is heavy as hell, and heavy = heavier everything else! If you have huge heads, huge glass, huge dolly, big crew, etc, then thats fine, its a great camera. But remember, hopping out of your car and popping off a shot because its pretty out, is gone! Your two man crew for a little gig on the side, gone. Your light bogen head, cineslider, or even nice Sachtler 7+7...gone. To really get smooth moves, you need everything bigger. Which leads me to the Epic - small, light, not plastic, ergonomically awesome, re-buildable, nice image, frame grabbing option, don't need PL glass, cheaper, and on and on. Do I love it for low light? No. But it'll do for now, and will only get better. I had a Scarlet, then moved to the Epic. I love it. HOWEVER (again) if you have a "keep it rolling" mentality and shooting style, dont get the Epic...go with the Alexa. I hate footage! So the Epic's great for me...two or three takes and I'm out. But the guys that like to just say "perfect, one more" over and over and over again, shouldn't get the RED. The workflow doesn't bother me at all, but if I had quadruple the footage, it might. just my 3 cents,
trey
 
I am finding the scarlet allows me to have tier 1 level sfx/vfx workflow even though I am doing a micro budget movie. For example, with 4k red raw linear I am able to do the nuke workflows that the $100 million plus features do. I couldnt get near that seamless vfx feel that the high end movies have with non-raw workflows. A über expert could do some weird compressed format (ie h264) to linear if they took a ton of time, but it's about impossible for me. Another great thing of the scarlet is that it allows me to learn high end workflows, which i am finding will take a few years ... And it is really hard to learn while renting(I.e. learn feature film workflow over a few years with the scarlet, then i will rent epic/Alexa when i have a budget over $250k).
 
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