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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 :)

Redonomics

@Grant, I guess you could look at it this way... I bought my Scarlet about 3 years ago. You, on the other hand, have had the use of your money for any extra two years before buying yours. :-)
 
As with all things, the people who make the most money aren't the people panning for Gold, it's the people who make the pans. The person who may have made the most money off of the gold rush was Levi Strauss of the Levi Jeans company. If they find gold you make money. If they don't find gold you make money.

I think Nick hit the nail on the head. RED is structured either deliberately or accidentally to force you to upgrade. With most cameras you can skip a generation. With RED you either need to upgrade NOW or you'll just have to end up upgrading later for more. If you didn't order a Dragon Upgrade last year then it still is cheaper (presumably) than to wait until now and upgrade to Dragon in order to be able to upgrade to Weapon. I'm sure owning weapon will make it cheaper to upgrade to Weapon2 than to try and upgrade from Dragon. The result is a strong incentive to get an upgrade as soon as humanely possible because you'll end up buying it later one way or another. The sooner you upgrade the longer you can use the upgrade before paying for it one way or another.
 
Here's my main problem with Redonomics - and I hope the next release isn't as bumpy as the Dragon.....

I ordered my upgrade at NAB 2013. My Epic-M was shipped back to me May 5, 2014 (a share of this was on me, because I had several weeks of work scheduled at the time my upgrade was finally called in). But still - my Epic isn't a year old quite yet!

So even though the sensor technology is technically 2 years old, it's not even a year old in practical release terms.

It makes it a real challenge to stay on the upgrade track - not RED's problem, they are just madly scrambling to stay a step ahead in innovation, I'm sure. But the faster things change, the harder it is to keep up. No doubt RED feels this x 10.....
 
Finally finished scanning through all the posts here... whew!

Didn't see any mentions of the free accessories RED provides... Firmware updates, Redcine Pro, REDuser.

That to me is all a part of the RED System. And if I want to stay at the bleeding edge of the RED System, I'll embrace the plasticity of the upgrade path. If I want to crystalize my position in the upgrade path, whether temporarily or permanently, I can do so and keep that level of proficiency.

I think RED realizes we all have that choice and that's why they sweeten the deal with loyalty rewards and various bonuses. It is important for the company's ability to continue to innovate that it is attractive for us to embrace their offerings.

When I look at the big picture, I see RED as the Fox being chased by a bunch of lumbering horse-and-rider entities who have trouble changing direction at a moment's notice. Some have gotten smarter and have unleashed the hounds (copying RED's form factor, 4k resolution, etc.) yet the Fox is still more nimble.

But If RED can't continue innovation, they'll end up as dog meat and industry progress will stall out, as the large horse-and-rider companies will no longer have to hunt down the disruptive Fox.
 
Careful.... they're listening. The RED-Bro's may find out where you live...


:) The RED Kool Aid is pretty good. The key takeaway is Value. RED ownership can indeed be an expensive proposition, and its extremely easy to buy one of those (is not an expensive as RED but it will almost get the job done) other cameras. RED has yet to produce a lame camera, everything has been top shelf. 8 years after initial release, the competitors are finally getting a decent lineup. Admittedly forking over the cash is the tough part, but I doubt many will have buyers remorse. Think Value not Pesos
 
I made the calculation. I had the scarlet since it was released. Then I upgraded to Dragon Scarlet. Since the beginning, I paid a bit less than if I buy a new Scarlet Dragon now. That's great.
I hope the Weapon upgrade will not be too expensive though!
 
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