Peter Normandia
Well-known member
I know a lot of people like me may be on the fence about investing in the Raven &/or Scarlet-w. As a newbie, who just made the jump, I wanted to share my (unique?) line of thinking here...
I currently own and shoot primarily with a GH4 (previously a GH3, AF100, DVX100, etc). I shoot a lot of things myself, but I also direct larger budget productions where I bring in an outside DP. On these bigger projects, my go to DP is a former red-one owner who now has an EPIC dragon. So I have plenty of experience with the workflow and benefits of using a red. I've been in love from the start.
However, like many, until recently the RED was too far out of my price range to even fathom. To be honest, even at its current price, it's still a bit of a risk for me to make this jump. I do NOT have a clear path laid out for why this investment will be worth it. While RED is a hot name that clients love to pretend they understand, I can't say if getting this camera will actually help me make back the money I invested (at least not immediately). I have faith it will, but there is certainly no proof that this is a smart investment.
So why did I take the risk and put down a deposit on the Raven i/o, and then switch to the even pricier Scarlet i/o pkg? The answer has nothing to do with cameras. In fact, my logic comes from previous experience in the mortgage/stock market when I first got out of film school.
----
As a GH4 owner, I could not be happier. It's a great value, and perfect for many of the run & gun events I shoot on a regular basis. For example, to give you an idea of my level, I shot this video live with one GH3....
I do NOT plan to replace my GH cameras with the RED. My plan for the RED is to use it for higher end work (music videos, narrative, & commercials).
When looking into cameras, specs, and options, it was clear to me that I was basically going to spend $7-10k for a comparable camera with accessories (URSA, FS7, etc.) or more (c300).
After getting driven crazy by specs, form factors, accessories, etc., I had to look at it from a different perspective. That's where the stock market experience comes in.
---
When investing in stocks, Warren Buffet always said you don't invest in the company. You invest in the CEO of said company. A company may get hot for a minute, but then the fast changing world sends them (& their investors) crashing back to earth. You need a great CEO (like Netflix's Reed Hastings) who can navigate the future, not bask in the now.
SO, like investing in a stock, I decided to throw away the specs and pretend that I had no idea what camera was coming. The question then is, which company would you invest your hard earned money in?
1. CANON - Reliable gear, great color science, but they continually hold back features on their gear while charging top quality prices. Plus, as they are a huge company, they have many other considerations when setting prices and releasing new cameras. I personally shoot for both CANON USA and CANON, Inc. (2 diff divisions of the same company) at many trade shows. The size and scope of this company is way bigger then their video dept. and video is low on the totem pole.
2. BM - Great entry prices, but the gear is never reliable or well thought out from a user perspective. I will never forget my first time testing the initial BMCC and realizing you could not change the ISO while looking at the image. LOL. They also seem to drop support for their old cameras when the next hottest item is released almost every year. This is also their first foray into developing their own sensor. Maybe they got it right. Maybe they've learned from their past when creating the URSA mini. Maybe they finally got it right. But its still just a MAYBE.
3. SONY - Forget the color science. I believe that's personal taste. I know a lot of owners who love their Sony cams and consider the FS7 the best bang for the buck. But this is another HUGE company with many facets to their business empire. This all needs to be carefully balanced when they release new gear. While the E-mount is lovely for adaptation, did they really need to invent a proprietary mount so you need an adaptor or a new set of lenses should you move on to a new camera post Sony. ALSO, how many of the worlds cameras also have Sony sensors in them? Are they really saving the best sensors for their cameras? Makes you think. Finally, if you own an FS7 and want to make a jump up, where do you go? F55? Not sure that's really worth it going forward. Personally, I think Sony comes in 2nd place here, but its at quite a distance in my eyes.
4. RED - the RED ONE still is a beast of a camera this many years later. RED USER is the top (or one of) forums for any camera company that i've encountered. They have a history of developing quality sensors themselves. Even with technology moving forward at a historic pace, their gear still stands the test of time, and they continue to create ways for their clients to move forward with technology (again pricey, but available should you need it). Their CEO, while flamboyant at times (mostly in the wee hours of the morning) is a man of the people, concerned with his user base, and personally obsessed with the actual gear (not just the bottom line). Plus, they are 100% dedicated to and focused on Digital Still & Motion Cameras with a clear path to upgrade should you need to in the future.
---
After taking this perspective, it was obvious to me that if I was going to invest in a higher end camera, RED was by far the safest bet. And that is without even considering the specs. You never know what the future holds, but I can't imagine any of these new DSMC2 cameras will be obsolete in the next 5 years. I also can't wait to practice with and master the capabilities this camera offers. That's how I'm planning to get a return on my investment: by improving myself (though it won't be immediate, that's for sure).
All in all, this is what makes me feel comfortable about my investment. For any of you in my shoes (low level clawing your way up), I hope this helps you take a new (spec-free) perspective on your next camera investment. I could just keep buying cameras every 2 years and hoping they work out as well as my GH4 has, but then again, that just spreads out my cost (not that much different in total if you consider new accessories, lenses, etc.), lowers my capabilities, and increases my risk.
Hope this (unique?) perspective helps anyone else on the fence!
Looking forward to joining & hopefully contributing to this incredible community. I've learned so much already.
I currently own and shoot primarily with a GH4 (previously a GH3, AF100, DVX100, etc). I shoot a lot of things myself, but I also direct larger budget productions where I bring in an outside DP. On these bigger projects, my go to DP is a former red-one owner who now has an EPIC dragon. So I have plenty of experience with the workflow and benefits of using a red. I've been in love from the start.
However, like many, until recently the RED was too far out of my price range to even fathom. To be honest, even at its current price, it's still a bit of a risk for me to make this jump. I do NOT have a clear path laid out for why this investment will be worth it. While RED is a hot name that clients love to pretend they understand, I can't say if getting this camera will actually help me make back the money I invested (at least not immediately). I have faith it will, but there is certainly no proof that this is a smart investment.
So why did I take the risk and put down a deposit on the Raven i/o, and then switch to the even pricier Scarlet i/o pkg? The answer has nothing to do with cameras. In fact, my logic comes from previous experience in the mortgage/stock market when I first got out of film school.
----
As a GH4 owner, I could not be happier. It's a great value, and perfect for many of the run & gun events I shoot on a regular basis. For example, to give you an idea of my level, I shot this video live with one GH3....
I do NOT plan to replace my GH cameras with the RED. My plan for the RED is to use it for higher end work (music videos, narrative, & commercials).
When looking into cameras, specs, and options, it was clear to me that I was basically going to spend $7-10k for a comparable camera with accessories (URSA, FS7, etc.) or more (c300).
After getting driven crazy by specs, form factors, accessories, etc., I had to look at it from a different perspective. That's where the stock market experience comes in.
---
When investing in stocks, Warren Buffet always said you don't invest in the company. You invest in the CEO of said company. A company may get hot for a minute, but then the fast changing world sends them (& their investors) crashing back to earth. You need a great CEO (like Netflix's Reed Hastings) who can navigate the future, not bask in the now.
SO, like investing in a stock, I decided to throw away the specs and pretend that I had no idea what camera was coming. The question then is, which company would you invest your hard earned money in?
1. CANON - Reliable gear, great color science, but they continually hold back features on their gear while charging top quality prices. Plus, as they are a huge company, they have many other considerations when setting prices and releasing new cameras. I personally shoot for both CANON USA and CANON, Inc. (2 diff divisions of the same company) at many trade shows. The size and scope of this company is way bigger then their video dept. and video is low on the totem pole.
2. BM - Great entry prices, but the gear is never reliable or well thought out from a user perspective. I will never forget my first time testing the initial BMCC and realizing you could not change the ISO while looking at the image. LOL. They also seem to drop support for their old cameras when the next hottest item is released almost every year. This is also their first foray into developing their own sensor. Maybe they got it right. Maybe they've learned from their past when creating the URSA mini. Maybe they finally got it right. But its still just a MAYBE.
3. SONY - Forget the color science. I believe that's personal taste. I know a lot of owners who love their Sony cams and consider the FS7 the best bang for the buck. But this is another HUGE company with many facets to their business empire. This all needs to be carefully balanced when they release new gear. While the E-mount is lovely for adaptation, did they really need to invent a proprietary mount so you need an adaptor or a new set of lenses should you move on to a new camera post Sony. ALSO, how many of the worlds cameras also have Sony sensors in them? Are they really saving the best sensors for their cameras? Makes you think. Finally, if you own an FS7 and want to make a jump up, where do you go? F55? Not sure that's really worth it going forward. Personally, I think Sony comes in 2nd place here, but its at quite a distance in my eyes.
4. RED - the RED ONE still is a beast of a camera this many years later. RED USER is the top (or one of) forums for any camera company that i've encountered. They have a history of developing quality sensors themselves. Even with technology moving forward at a historic pace, their gear still stands the test of time, and they continue to create ways for their clients to move forward with technology (again pricey, but available should you need it). Their CEO, while flamboyant at times (mostly in the wee hours of the morning) is a man of the people, concerned with his user base, and personally obsessed with the actual gear (not just the bottom line). Plus, they are 100% dedicated to and focused on Digital Still & Motion Cameras with a clear path to upgrade should you need to in the future.
---
After taking this perspective, it was obvious to me that if I was going to invest in a higher end camera, RED was by far the safest bet. And that is without even considering the specs. You never know what the future holds, but I can't imagine any of these new DSMC2 cameras will be obsolete in the next 5 years. I also can't wait to practice with and master the capabilities this camera offers. That's how I'm planning to get a return on my investment: by improving myself (though it won't be immediate, that's for sure).
All in all, this is what makes me feel comfortable about my investment. For any of you in my shoes (low level clawing your way up), I hope this helps you take a new (spec-free) perspective on your next camera investment. I could just keep buying cameras every 2 years and hoping they work out as well as my GH4 has, but then again, that just spreads out my cost (not that much different in total if you consider new accessories, lenses, etc.), lowers my capabilities, and increases my risk.
Hope this (unique?) perspective helps anyone else on the fence!
Looking forward to joining & hopefully contributing to this incredible community. I've learned so much already.
and buy a Raven/Scarlet-W. 