Just sent my Epic for the Dragon Upgrade, how do I feel?

[Trishul Thejasvi]

Don't get me wrong, I love RED, even if I had the budget to choose any camera I wanted, there would be a big part of me that would not bother doing tests, and just pick RED out of loyalty and support. From seeing the first footage of the blonde girls drinking their milk in 2006, I was completely sold, I totally understood what the camera was about and more importantly, what RED was about. It would take 4 years for me to be able to finally get my hands on a 2nd hand Red One (1889), and I was then truly in love, at the time there was no real feasible way for a guy like me to own a camera capable of producing Cinema grade images without robbing a bank or marrying a sugar mama, it was an expensive investment for sure, but not impossible. The playing field has evened out over the years with DSLRs, BMC, though I would still argue nothing comes close to RED at their price points, the fact the Epic is able to genuinely compete in image quality and with various attachments in functionality to cameras that cost more than twice the price, is something I think people don't truly appreciate, especially those bozos that expect you to compete with DSLR rates.

When I got the Red One I could just about afford the camera and the accessories with SLR Glass, the last thing I could afford then was the MX upgrade as well as the eventual EPIC upgrade, so during that time I really felt that pinch when it came to people looking for a DP with a Camera.

"Really, you have a Red?"

"yeah"

"is it MX?"

"no"

"oh"

It became a very expensive paperweight to people. A perfectly great camera for my own projects, but the most I could get for it was a couple of hundred pounds a day here and there with student shorts, I missed out on a lot of potential opportunities, and getting my feet into various doors.

All I could do was wait for the email saying my Red One was ready for its upgrade, I literally could not wait. $10k for a brand new camera, completely redesigned from the ground up. I went through a lot of hoops, as I'd just moved to the States but my camera was technically registered in the UK, and was owned in name by a rental house there, so the upgrade and transfer of ownership took some time. Eventually though, I was holding EPIC 2686, I turned it on and I was instantly wowed, it was a true upgrade in every single aspect, especially coming from a non-MX RED One. It didn't take too long before I was finally getting a return on my initial investment, the EPIC was not only producing amazing images, it was also helping my career as an Independent Film-Maker. Buying a fairly low serial number RED One for its EPIC eligibility was finally paying off. It was literally like I was in a gestation period with the RED One, in a cocoon, and the day came when it metamorphosed into something quite amazing.

Then not before long, along came news of the Dragon, I was in equal parts excited, but also literally fearful, which is why I found the moniker fitting at the time, I was going to be burnt alive if I didn't follow the upgrade path, and my EPIC would become a burnt rock sitting on my desk that no one wanted to play with. How much was it going to cost? Was it going to be worth it? more importantly, how much was it going to cost? Everyone else around me seemed so excited, though they really didn't really acknowledge the price of upgrading "dude, the dynamic range!".. "who gives a f***, I'm going to be broke, f*** dynamic range". I still have some people around me who think it's a free upgrade, and that I hadn't done it yet simply because my camera must be so heavily booked out (yeah right, this is Tampa Bay Florida buddy, not LA), jaws drop when I tell them it's a $10k upgrade. The same people who price up a Scarlet, then are shocked when they realise how much the extra bits and pieces needed will be, but even after that they don't acknowledge that you can't look at it as a one time investment, it's very much a long term deal, and god forbid you damage or lose a $250 cable. I do warn people considering the investment, they can break even on their DSLR kit within a few months, I had just about broke even on my RED One/Epic after 3 long years.

Then came Dragon at $10k. Nice one! :undecided:

I was a bit late to sign up for the upgrade as I thought for some reason I needed to pay for it there and then, which wasn't feasible. Either way, the upgrade email came a lot sooner than I expected, for some reason I didn't expect to be getting my hands on the Dragon until the end of the year from everything I was reading. I personally was glad that the Dragon Upgrade was delayed, I would hesitate to read up on the status, I feared that email coming, to me it felt like one heck of a bill that I really didn't want. I completely understand technology advances, I understand this sensor is one of the, if not the most costly sensors to be made, I've watched the footage, I've seen the specs, read all the press and reviews, but until I hold it in my hands, at this point in time I still feel it is a LOT of money for what it is, especially when you compare the last upgrade for the same price involved a completely brand new camera system.

I have had this conversation with my colleagues in the area, "why get it then? you could buy a new camera with that, and fully kit it out, you could upgrade your lighting kit with some cool new toys, hell, you could take one seriously badass vacation with that, or fund a micro budget" yeah, there are so, so many things I could do with that money, and I have to pray that the demand for the Dragon pays back this investment fairly soonish so I can eat actual food again. Where I live, there aren't too many EPIC owners, I'm sure we could all easily fit all the RED owners in the whole of Florida into a fairly small room, so it won't take long before everyone has upgraded, and the EPIC is only worth a couple of hundred a day for a student short film.. not doing the upgrade would be camera suicide. But this is what sucks for those that are Director / DPs with a Camera, your career can be highly influenced by the gear you own, and less by the work you produce.. at least that's how I feel sometimes.

I can't lie, I am not massively excited about this upgrade at the moment, not the same way I was for the EPIC, a family friend asked me what the upgrade does, in layman terms, I said "it basically makes the image brighter and sharper"... "that it?".. "oh and they change the button on the front and engrave DRAGON onto the side". I know there is more to that, I personally feel Alexa and EPIC were 90-95% close to beating film, but from everything I've seen this is the first camera that genuinely beats film, it will take time for people to acknowledge and believe that statement, and I doubt ARRI or Sony is going to be able to beat the Dragon for some time, at least not for the same price.. so hopefully demand for the camera will be greater than the EPIC.

"why don't you stop moaning about how expensive red is, just sell your camera, get a GH4, Sony A7, and rent a red when the good budget projects come along"

"this is a marriage, full of equal amounts of love and hate, and I have no desire to get a divorce. My baby is just going out for a boob job, but she's still going to be the same person, and I'll love her till the day I die."

Watch this space

 

[Phil Holland]

a family friend asked me what the upgrade does, in layman terms, I said "it basically makes the image brighter and sharper"... "that it?".. "oh and they change the button on the front and engrave DRAGON onto the side".

While on the surface that might be the first couple things, but the color and dynamic range is so important and vastly improved under all conditions (including IR and ND use).

There's big advancements in Dragon. You'll see it on the first test images you shoot.

 

[Ben Scott]

With all due respect this has to be one of the biggest 'first world problems' posts I have ever read on here.

You're sad because you're not more excited about your Dragon order? *breaks out world's smallest violin*

 

[Elsie N]

Don't get me wrong, I love RED, even if I had the budget to choose any camera I wanted, there would be a big part of me that would not bother doing tests, and just pick RED out of loyalty and support. From seeing the first footage of the blonde girls drinking their milk in 2006, I was completely sold, I totally understood what the camera was about and more importantly, what RED was about. It would take 4 years for me to be able to finally get my hands on a 2nd hand Red One (1889), and I was then truly in love, at the time there was no real feasible way for a guy like me to own a camera capable of producing Cinema grade images without robbing a bank or marrying a sugar mama, it was an expensive investment for sure, but not impossible. The playing field has evened out over the years with DSLRs, BMC, though I would still argue nothing comes close to RED at their price points, the fact the Epic is able to genuinely compete in image quality and with various attachments in functionality to cameras that cost more than twice the price, is something I think people don't truly appreciate, especially those bozos that expect you to compete with DSLR rates.

When I got the Red One I could just about afford the camera and the accessories with SLR Glass, the last thing I could afford then was the MX upgrade as well as the eventual EPIC upgrade, so during that time I really felt that pinch when it came to people looking for a DP with a Camera.

"Really, you have a Red?"

"yeah"

"is it MX?"

"no"

"oh"

It became a very expensive paperweight to people. A perfectly great camera for my own projects, but the most I could get for it was a couple of hundred pounds a day here and there with student shorts, I missed out on a lot of potential opportunities, and getting my feet into various doors.

All I could do was wait for the email saying my Red One was ready for its upgrade, I literally could not wait. $10k for a brand new camera, completely redesigned from the ground up. I went through a lot of hoops, as I'd just moved to the States but my camera was technically registered in the UK, and was owned in name by a rental house there, so the upgrade and transfer of ownership took some time. Eventually though, I was holding EPIC 2686, I turned it on and I was instantly wowed, it was a true upgrade in every single aspect, especially coming from a non-MX RED One. It didn't take too long before I was finally getting a return on my initial investment, the EPIC was not only producing amazing images, it was also helping my career as an Independent Film-Maker. Buying a fairly low serial number RED One for its EPIC eligibility was finally paying off. It was literally like I was in a gestation period with the RED One, in a cocoon, and the day came when it metamorphosed into something quite amazing.

Then not before long, along came news of the Dragon, I was in equal parts excited, but also literally fearful, which is why I found the moniker fitting at the time, I was going to be burnt alive if I didn't follow the upgrade path, and my EPIC would become a burnt rock sitting on my desk that no one wanted to play with. How much was it going to cost? Was it going to be worth it? more importantly, how much was it going to cost? Everyone else around me seemed so excited, though they really didn't really acknowledge the price of upgrading "dude, the dynamic range!".. "who gives a f***, I'm going to be broke, f*** dynamic range". I still have some people around me who think it's a free upgrade, and that I hadn't done it yet simply because my camera must be so heavily booked out (yeah right, this is Tampa Bay Florida buddy, not LA), jaws drop when I tell them it's a $10k upgrade. The same people who price up a Scarlet, then are shocked when they realise how much the extra bits and pieces needed will be, but even after that they don't acknowledge that you can't look at it as a one time investment, it's very much a long term deal, and god forbid you damage or lose a $250 cable. I do warn people considering the investment, they can break even on their DSLR kit within a few months, I had just about broke even on my RED One/Epic after 3 long years.

Then came Dragon at $10k. Nice one! :undecided:

I was a bit late to sign up for the upgrade as I thought for some reason I needed to pay for it there and then, which wasn't feasible. Either way, the upgrade email came a lot sooner than I expected, for some reason I didn't expect to be getting my hands on the Dragon until the end of the year from everything I was reading. I personally was glad that the Dragon Upgrade was delayed, I would hesitate to read up on the status, I feared that email coming, to me it felt like one heck of a bill that I really didn't want. I completely understand technology advances, I understand this sensor is one of the, if not the most costly sensors to be made, I've watched the footage, I've seen the specs, read all the press and reviews, but until I hold it in my hands, at this point in time I still feel it is a LOT of money for what it is, especially when you compare the last upgrade for the same price involved a completely brand new camera system.

I have had this conversation with my colleagues in the area, "why get it then? you could buy a new camera with that, and fully kit it out, you could upgrade your lighting kit with some cool new toys, hell, you could take one seriously badass vacation with that, or fund a micro budget" yeah, there are so, so many things I could do with that money, and I have to pray that the demand for the Dragon pays back this investment fairly soonish so I can eat actual food again. Where I live, there aren't too many EPIC owners, I'm sure we could all easily fit all the RED owners in the whole of Florida into a fairly small room, so it won't take long before everyone has upgraded, and the EPIC is only worth a couple of hundred a day for a student short film.. not doing the upgrade would be camera suicide. But this is what sucks for those that are Director / DPs with a Camera, your career can be highly influenced by the gear you own, and less by the work you produce.. at least that's how I feel sometimes.

I can't lie, I am not massively excited about this upgrade at the moment, not the same way I was for the EPIC, a family friend asked me what the upgrade does, in layman terms, I said "it basically makes the image brighter and sharper"... "that it?".. "oh and they change the button on the front and engrave DRAGON onto the side". I know there is more to that, I personally feel Alexa and EPIC were 90-95% close to beating film, but from everything I've seen this is the first camera that genuinely beats film, it will take time for people to acknowledge and believe that statement, and I doubt ARRI or Sony is going to be able to beat the Dragon for some time, at least not for the same price.. so hopefully demand for the camera will be greater than the EPIC.

"why don't you stop moaning about how expensive red is, just sell your camera, get a GH4, Sony A7, and rent a red when the good budget projects come along"

"this is a marriage, full of equal amounts of love and hate, and I have no desire to get a divorce. My baby is just going out for a boob job, but she's still going to be the same person, and I'll love her till the day I die."

Watch this space

Heh, normally I don't read posts as long as this... but once I got started I couldn't put it down. Your story is one that has been lived out by so many here on Reduser that I'll bet you have a lot of people who get it... that is, get what you've done to own a Dragon.

Not to worry. I think you are gonna really like those new boobs. '-)

 

[Bohdan Klos]

Heh, normally I don't read posts as long as this... but once I got started I couldn't put it down. Your story is one that has been lived out by so many here on Reduser that I'll bet you have a lot of people who get it... that is, get what you've done to own a Dragon.

Not to worry. I think you are gonna really like those new boobs. '-)

Yes interesting read. Sometimes the small violins play interesting songs.

 

[Robert Ruffo New]

Yes interesting read. Sometimes the small violins play interesting songs.

You're a jerk. Violins? I know what it's like to barely hold onto a small business that in part rents gear to make the months work.

Upgrades are not really only good news because they mean you must make the investment, like it or not, or else the money people will continue to want to pay for your kit will = $0 per day.

Some of us have to make a living at this. Some of us watch our expenditures very carefully. That is our reality. If you're too rich to care, bully for you.

Indy rental places like us are what make possible shooting with great cameras to very small indy projects.

 

[Bohdan Klos]

You're a jerk. Violins? I know what it's like to barely hold onto a small business that in part rents gear to make the months work.

Upgrades are not really only good news because they mean you must make the investment or the money people will continue to want to pay for your kit will = $0 Some of us have to make a living at this. Some of us watch our expenditures very carefully. That is our reality. If you're too rich to care, bully for you.

Indy rental places like us are what make possible shooting with great cameras to very small indy projects.

Violins comment was in reply to Benn Scott above saying the small violins should be brought out because Trishul was not excited for his Dragon. My point was violins or not, Trishuls post was interesting. I think you missed that connection prior to your post.

 

[Robert Ruffo New]

Violins comment was in reply to Benn Scott above saying the small violins should be brought out because Trishul was not excited for his Dragon. My point was violins or not, Trishuls post was interesting. I think you missed that connection prior to your post.

I did, sorry - my words are directed at Benn then, not to you.

 

[Bohdan Klos]

I did, sorry - my words are directed at Benn then, not to you.

No problem. I should have quoted him.

 

[Santiago Marti]

I received my upgraded dragon last week... I was reading the whole noise thread, I thought that was a real problem, like, I won't rent my camera till that is solved, etc. Then I received the Dragon. Oh, when I turned it on. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing!!!!
Right now it is the best digital cinema camera out there, hands down. Period.
That doesn't mean everyone will rent it, or like it. Snobism plays a big part in our industry, doesn't matter where you live.
But seriously, the image coming out from the Dragon is beautiful. Unbelievable. So rich. Color is incredible, unseen in other cameras. This is a new beginning. You won't regret the update.
Before getting my Dragon I was thinking of adding an Amira or f55 to my arsenal, but now I want another Dragon. It is even cheaper than the other two.

 

[Chris Henze]

I received my upgraded dragon last week... I was reading the whole noise thread, I thought that was a real problem, like, I won't rent my camera till that is solved, etc. Then I received the Dragon. Oh, when I turned it on. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing!!!!
Right now it is the best digital cinema camera out there, hands down. Period.
That doesn't mean everyone will rent it, or like it. Snobism plays a big part in our industry, doesn't matter where you live.
But seriously, the image coming out from the Dragon is beautiful. Unbelievable. So rich. Color is incredible, unseen in other cameras. This is a new beginning. You won't regret the update.
Before getting my Dragon I was thinking of adding an Amira or f55 to my arsenal, but now I want another Dragon. It is even cheaper than the other two.

+1 with my Dragon. It has changed the way I film.

 

[Paul Russell]

I'm a Director/DP/Owner too. (And editor, colorist, salesman, washer up and roadie.)

The Dragon, and my enthusiasm for it, have certainly opened some doors in the past few weeks. It's a quantum leap over the MX and when you get yours back all this navel gazing will cease.

 

[Mark Toia]

Don't get me wrong, I love RED, even if I had the budget to choose any camera I wanted, there would be a big part of me that would not bother doing tests, and just pick RED out of loyalty and support. From seeing the first footage of the blonde girls drinking their milk in 2006, I was completely sold, I totally understood what the camera was about and more importantly, what RED was about. It would take 4 years for me to be able to finally get my hands on a 2nd hand Red One (1889), and I was then truly in love, at the time there was no real feasible way for a guy like me to own a camera capable of producing Cinema grade images without robbing a bank or marrying a sugar mama, it was an expensive investment for sure, but not impossible. The playing field has evened out over the years with DSLRs, BMC, though I would still argue nothing comes close to RED at their price points, the fact the Epic is able to genuinely compete in image quality and with various attachments in functionality to cameras that cost more than twice the price, is something I think people don't truly appreciate, especially those bozos that expect you to compete with DSLR rates.

When I got the Red One I could just about afford the camera and the accessories with SLR Glass, the last thing I could afford then was the MX upgrade as well as the eventual EPIC upgrade, so during that time I really felt that pinch when it came to people looking for a DP with a Camera.

"Really, you have a Red?"

"yeah"

"is it MX?"

"no"

"oh"

It became a very expensive paperweight to people. A perfectly great camera for my own projects, but the most I could get for it was a couple of hundred pounds a day here and there with student shorts, I missed out on a lot of potential opportunities, and getting my feet into various doors.

All I could do was wait for the email saying my Red One was ready for its upgrade, I literally could not wait. $10k for a brand new camera, completely redesigned from the ground up. I went through a lot of hoops, as I'd just moved to the States but my camera was technically registered in the UK, and was owned in name by a rental house there, so the upgrade and transfer of ownership took some time. Eventually though, I was holding EPIC 2686, I turned it on and I was instantly wowed, it was a true upgrade in every single aspect, especially coming from a non-MX RED One. It didn't take too long before I was finally getting a return on my initial investment, the EPIC was not only producing amazing images, it was also helping my career as an Independent Film-Maker. Buying a fairly low serial number RED One for its EPIC eligibility was finally paying off. It was literally like I was in a gestation period with the RED One, in a cocoon, and the day came when it metamorphosed into something quite amazing.

Then not before long, along came news of the Dragon, I was in equal parts excited, but also literally fearful, which is why I found the moniker fitting at the time, I was going to be burnt alive if I didn't follow the upgrade path, and my EPIC would become a burnt rock sitting on my desk that no one wanted to play with. How much was it going to cost? Was it going to be worth it? more importantly, how much was it going to cost? Everyone else around me seemed so excited, though they really didn't really acknowledge the price of upgrading "dude, the dynamic range!".. "who gives a f***, I'm going to be broke, f*** dynamic range". I still have some people around me who think it's a free upgrade, and that I hadn't done it yet simply because my camera must be so heavily booked out (yeah right, this is Tampa Bay Florida buddy, not LA), jaws drop when I tell them it's a $10k upgrade. The same people who price up a Scarlet, then are shocked when they realise how much the extra bits and pieces needed will be, but even after that they don't acknowledge that you can't look at it as a one time investment, it's very much a long term deal, and god forbid you damage or lose a $250 cable. I do warn people considering the investment, they can break even on their DSLR kit within a few months, I had just about broke even on my RED One/Epic after 3 long years.

Then came Dragon at $10k. Nice one! :undecided:

I was a bit late to sign up for the upgrade as I thought for some reason I needed to pay for it there and then, which wasn't feasible. Either way, the upgrade email came a lot sooner than I expected, for some reason I didn't expect to be getting my hands on the Dragon until the end of the year from everything I was reading. I personally was glad that the Dragon Upgrade was delayed, I would hesitate to read up on the status, I feared that email coming, to me it felt like one heck of a bill that I really didn't want. I completely understand technology advances, I understand this sensor is one of the, if not the most costly sensors to be made, I've watched the footage, I've seen the specs, read all the press and reviews, but until I hold it in my hands, at this point in time I still feel it is a LOT of money for what it is, especially when you compare the last upgrade for the same price involved a completely brand new camera system.

I have had this conversation with my colleagues in the area, "why get it then? you could buy a new camera with that, and fully kit it out, you could upgrade your lighting kit with some cool new toys, hell, you could take one seriously badass vacation with that, or fund a micro budget" yeah, there are so, so many things I could do with that money, and I have to pray that the demand for the Dragon pays back this investment fairly soonish so I can eat actual food again. Where I live, there aren't too many EPIC owners, I'm sure we could all easily fit all the RED owners in the whole of Florida into a fairly small room, so it won't take long before everyone has upgraded, and the EPIC is only worth a couple of hundred a day for a student short film.. not doing the upgrade would be camera suicide. But this is what sucks for those that are Director / DPs with a Camera, your career can be highly influenced by the gear you own, and less by the work you produce.. at least that's how I feel sometimes.

I can't lie, I am not massively excited about this upgrade at the moment, not the same way I was for the EPIC, a family friend asked me what the upgrade does, in layman terms, I said "it basically makes the image brighter and sharper"... "that it?".. "oh and they change the button on the front and engrave DRAGON onto the side". I know there is more to that, I personally feel Alexa and EPIC were 90-95% close to beating film, but from everything I've seen this is the first camera that genuinely beats film, it will take time for people to acknowledge and believe that statement, and I doubt ARRI or Sony is going to be able to beat the Dragon for some time, at least not for the same price.. so hopefully demand for the camera will be greater than the EPIC.

"why don't you stop moaning about how expensive red is, just sell your camera, get a GH4, Sony A7, and rent a red when the good budget projects come along"

"this is a marriage, full of equal amounts of love and hate, and I have no desire to get a divorce. My baby is just going out for a boob job, but she's still going to be the same person, and I'll love her till the day I die."

Watch this space

I personally think, if you cannot afford a EPIC (and bits to go with it) You shouldn't buy one.

There are a lot of great cameras out there that can shoot great images, heaps in fact. Do your math first and don't get hung up on tech and logos.
RED MX & DRAGON are fantastic cameras, don't get me wrong... But ... Always remember , "Content is king" , Not resolution or dynamic range.
You should put time and money into building a body of work that will make you more money in the long term.

I mentor quite a few young people around the globe, Some go crazy with gear, others don't . But what shine's brightly is not the camera or image quality, what stands out is the content they are shooting. They could be shooting on super 8mm for all I care. That fact is they have money left over for building a real world showreel to amaze potential clients.

So go for something cheap at the start... a 5d or a Sony A7s etc... and a lens kit to get you going is around say 15 to 20k...

A EPIC kit with lenses, etc ... Say... $ 50- 60k.?

That's 30k left over to invest in your future. That creative showreel and marketing investment will put you in a great position to buy as many Dragons as you want once your career takes off.

I remember Jim saying a very similar thing some time back to a young guy that had the same gripe as yours.

You have to crawl before you can walk... If you run to quick to early, you run the risk of smashing your face into the ground.

Just sharing.

 

[Jon Carr]

I personally think, if you cannot afford a EPIC (and bits to go with it) You shouldn't buy one.

There are a lot of great cameras out there that can shoot great images, heaps in fact. Do your math first and don't get hung up on tech and logos.
RED MX & DRAGON are fantastic cameras, don't get me wrong... But ... Always remember , "Content is king" , Not resolution or dynamic range.
You should put time and money into building a body of work that will make you more money in the long term.

I mentor quite a few young people around the globe, Some go crazy with gear, others don't . But what shine's brightly is not the camera or image quality, what stands out is the content they are shooting. They could be shooting on super 8mm for all I care. That fact is they have money left over for building a real world showreel to amaze potential clients.

So go for something cheap at the start... a 5d or a Sony A7s etc... and a lens kit to get you going is around say 15 to 20k...

A EPIC kit with lenses, etc ... Say... $ 50- 60k.?

That's 30k left over to invest in your future. That creative showreel and marketing investment will put you in a great position to buy as many Dragons as you want once your career takes off.

I'm remember Jim saying a very similar thing some time back to a young guy that had the same gripe as yours.

You have to crawl before you can walk... If you run to quick to early, you run the risk of smashing your face into the ground.

Just sharing.

+1

I don't get why some people think RED owes them something when it comes to upgrades. First RED doesn't need to do sensor upgrades at all. They could just say F&ck it, buy a new camera. But no, they are supportive of their customer base to say, "we have a new sensor technology and we will let existing owners enjoy the benefits of the new sensor with their existing cameras." Sure that price might not be cheap for us the customers. But its also not cheap for RED as a company also. R&D, delays, overhead, parts, etc. But they still do it for their customers. And I hope they continue to doing it every camera generation and sensor generation. What you should be is happy that your EPIC is getting a extension of life on set. And the MX sensor is still pretty much in demand as a camera today where there's no reason for it to be considered a paper weight.

 

[Elsie N]

As some have stated, "Content is King"... to a point.

That point being that content is co-King with the ability to exhibit in new formats. The first thing a viewer sees when viewing content is the quality of pictures. Some may, if they have been directed there by a good review, stay on that poorly shown content just for the story.

But first impressions are always important whether you are trying to impress a distributor or a viewer. Record it in the best possible way!

 

[Ben Scott]

I did, sorry - my words are directed at Benn then, not to you.

You have absolutely no idea what I've gone through to get my Scarlet and what I'm currently doing to get my Epic and what I'll no doubt end up having to do to get my Dragon. The tiny violin comment in in relation to someone who has gotten to that point a few stages down the line from me complaining because he feels he should be more excited. Either buy it or don't. Either be excited or don't. But to be all 'woe is me I'm not excited' about it is absurd.

As for the rest of your post, I've never denied being a jerk. But I'm a jerk who is very excited about upgrading to an Epic.

 

[Meryem Ersoz]

RED ONE MX was THE revolution. There is really no moment in time that can touch it. Those cameras are still workhorses today.

EPIC MX was the second revolution. DSMC. Portable. Flexible. Still evolving.

EPIC DRAGON is an evolution.

It is harder to get excited about evolution than it is to get excited about revolution.

RED got us hooked on revolution and excitement when, in fact, evolution is probably more the "normal" state of things.

I have DRAGON-ized my EPIC, which will go out on high-end commercials and features.

But I can't find a good reason to DRAGON-ize my SCARLET MX - not when it already does so much, so well.

Lenses that I already own cover the sensor. I can use all my 128gb cards without compromise. Transcodes are fast. It's more than paid for itself. I don't have to baby it. It shoots pretty pictures. There are many advantages to leaving it alone.

Prices on cameras will continue dropping fast for the next several years, at least. Only buy what you need and can monetize.

 

[James_Mills]

As some have stated, "Content is King"... to a point.

That point being that content is co-King with the ability to exhibit in new formats. The first thing a viewer sees when viewing content is the quality of pictures. Some may, if they have been directed there by a good review, stay on that poorly shown content just for the story.

But first impressions are always important whether you are trying to impress a distributor or a viewer. Record it in the best possible way!

In my opinion, this inaccurate mindset is the exact reason so many people go broke leveraging their net-worth for shiny cameras.

I'll take an iPhone and experience over an Alexa/RED without experience / vision any day of the week, any week of any era. Content is king. Nothing else even comes close.

 

[Trishul Thejasvi]

Mark, it's hard to describe my story, and how I ended up with a Red One and how I ended up started Orensis Films, it's not entirely straightforward.. I totally agree with the sentiment, that just because you are in a position to buy a decent camera doesn't mean you deserve everything else that you expect to come with it. To this day it's unfortunate that as a film-maker I grew up in the middle of nowhere (North Wales, UK), learning to be both a Director and DP.. it's a complete detriment to me that I own equipment, yet my strongest ability seems to be as a director, I even got into a pretty competitive school as one, but i also utterly love being a DP, but most people seem to only see me for the camera i own, I grew up in a place where rentals were impossible.. i had no other film-makers around me, nothing.. I first brought a Sony Z1E.. and through very random circumstances got my first job directing and shooting a Jimmy Cliff video in the Caribbean, and then without absolutely no peers around me, worked hard and slowly until i was finally able to own the camera i wanted so badly to use to help deliver my visions and ideas.

After my sister passed away 4 years ago (Orensis, 'Forever my' Sis), my parents had one less wedding to pay for, and asked me how they could help me.. my sister knew how much I loved RED, the company spoke to me, and they agreed to co-invest in a RED one. The fact is, I absolutely loved what the camera was capable of, the images were so close to what I imagined films to look like.. as student film-makers we would go on about how great 35mm was, and I got it.. but something about the RED look.. even after shooting on S16mm for a short film called Loved, and loving it, I just had to shoot my graduation film (Jaypen Code 20) with RED.. a film set in an imaginary future, on a camera that to me looked liked the future of film.

That's why I love the fact Prometheus was shot on Epic.. yeah sure, maybe because it's an easier camera to shoot 3D with, but i like to think, they chose it because the image looks like something from the future.

Trust me, I love what the Dragon is, and it's going to be only a few days till i hold it, and go the UK to finish off the Steel Pulse film i've been shooting and producing for the last 5 years, I know i will fall in love again..

my post was coming from one of those guys that isn't fortunate enough to get constant well paid work, but is in a position to just about afford and deserve a RED camera..

A camera does not make a film.. that's why i have turned down countless jobs where people want me simply because i owned an Epic, that's not me. I don't want to have to explain my life and how i've been forced to live in areas where there is no work, i'm sure if you see my work, like many others who have suggested to me, I am living in the wrong place.. but family takes precedence over work in my opinion.

to sum things up.. yes bring out the violins, the first word problem comparisons (how about you actually go live in the third world for a few years?).. the only reason i posted, was because i literally don't have anyone else who can relate to what i am going through right now, and thought i could find someone else on these forums.

honestly though.. I really can't wait to experience this upgrade. Like i said, if i am ever lucky enough to be exposed to a project where I have full choice of the camera to use, I will choose RED totally out of loyalty, because I feel the ideal and vision this company has is so important. Yes a guy like me doesn't deserve to have a camera like this.. but without RED, it would literally have been a complete impossibility, and while i may be seen to be complaining, hopefully others in my position can see, that it is more a call out to those that can relate, and not in any way a diss on the camera.

not all of us are lucky to be able to grow up and work in place where our dreams and ambitions can take fruition, but thanks to RED, we can be one step closer. I wish i could explain my whole film-making history without boring you guys, but i know there are others on this forum like me who have gone through a similar thing.

 

[Trishul Thejasvi]

btw Mark, without your excellent video.. I wouldn't be in this position... LOL!! ;-) i know i'll be thanking you when i get my investment paid back.. please don't think i am digging into you in any way.. mad respect bro!