Scarlet Fixed, is it right for me?

[Jim Walter]

Hi, long time reader and lurker of these forums, but first post

I have been very interested in the Scarlet since it was first announced, it's the camera of my dreams and I have my heart set on one. However, now it's getting close to release I just want to check that it will meet my needs.

I currently run a small business filming gig's, concerts and comedy performances in and around London. At the moment we use 3 Sony PD170's, great little cameras, very good low light. However, we've recently been thinking of upgrading to a tapeless HD solution. DV has had it's time, but I for one have been looking forward to the day when I can say good bye to magnetic tape! No more tedious capturing, tape jams, head cleaners etc.

For a while we were looking at the Sony EX1, but from the footage I have seen I feel it looks too "business conferency", if that makes any sense... Then along comes the Scarlet

Basically what we require is a camera that has:

- Good low light - From what I've read and seen of the new MX sensor footage, I'm sure the scarlet will have no problems there

- Ability to film continuously - An idea we have been playing around with for a while is recording straight to a PC/Mac or a large storage device, so we can record a whole performance without tape/storage changes. Can anyone suggest the best solution for this, or a better way of doing it? Hot swapping CF Cards is possible, but I doubt it's practical.

- Suitable for strobe lighting/camera flashes - The old CMOS rolling shutter/strobe issue. I know it has been improved, but would the Scarlet be suitable for filming in this kind of environment? Are there ways to avoid artefacts when filming fast changing/flashing lighting effects? The Greenday footage from the Red reel looks great BTW!

We would mainly be filming 1080p, and hopefully take advantage of the 150fps burst mode for some slow motion here and there. The Redmote would also be a real help for static/crows nest camera control. I was thinking of starting with a couple of Fixed lens Scarlets, but would the Non-Fixed be more suitable for our needs? After those cameras have paid for them selves I could then hopefully afford a Non-fixed with a set of good lenses.

Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Can't wait to become part of the Red community :thumbsup:

Jim

 

[Joel Arvidsson]

http://www.red.com/accessories/digital_storage/
There is big drives here. But it may be better to stick to cf cards on a concert if it gets ruff.

 

[Graham Foulkes]

Sounds like we are in a similar situation jim , I am squeezing what i can from my gl2 and DVX1000 and ready to sell everything i got for a scarlet / new computer. Just deciding if its best for me to go for 2/3 format or wait for s35 scarlett for lens choices .I guess it comes down to the final specs for fixed scarlet , trying to stop myself from getting a p2 panasonic camera while I am waiting.Looking forward also to seeing fixed scarlet low light footage to make a real choice. I may also totally loose it and just buy a full blown red if i decide on s35 formatt and cant wait for s35 scarlett only time will tell , Feb 13th information will be the next milestone in my camera decisions.Yours Graham

 

[Joseph Hutson]

As far as the concerts go...

RED spinning Drives are a "no go" at concerts. The sound levels and/or vibration will cause dropped frames. For long takes use RED Ram or 16GB-64GB CF cards only.

Jim

 

[Graham Foulkes]

I agree red ram is the way to go for longer recording times and no drop outs due to vibrations , this will be part of any camera package i buy. Graham

 

[Gerald Menclik]

Was looking around, but didn't find a hint ..... anyone an idea how fast the burst mode could be accessed? i.e. when shooting at a sports event .... realising an evolving scene - just hit a button an you're running at 150fps???
or did I miss the information somewhere?