SCARLET MX worth in 2021

[PatrickWebb]

Hey Patrick,

Thank you for your kind words. I'm not sure if you also read my other post about changing a Scarlet for Komodo but maybe we can discuss that on there or here. I don't mind. I'm curious over the sensor that's used on the Komodo and if people think it looks as cinematic as the Mysterium, I see, A LOT of Komodos for sale at present and wonder why.

I'm curious, did you ever use the HDRX on the Scarlet? No obviously in 5K & 4K it's unusable but in 3K you can at least get 24fps. What's your opinion on that?

Audio has always been an issue with RED but I always record audio seperate anyway.

Russell

Hey Russell,

It is a matter of style, taste and use. There is no perfect camera for everything. What the komodo offers is really amazing for its pricepoint and is a very versatile tool for many things. Especially for photography with its global shutter and the use with flashes, to name one use. The Scarlet-X is a workhorse that you can change the mounts on, without using adapters, and that is one thing that I like; to be able to swap out the EF to PL with 4 screws in 1 minute if needed. Komodo needs adapters. It is sort of the same deal as the Raven ~ a great camera but aimed at lower price points. The Komodo is the first one to use off the shelf parts and other branded stuff, like Canon batteries and CFast cards etc. The Raven still had the MiniMags. So, again, it is all about what you have in your toolbox. If you are fresh, then a Komodo is a great option. If you are already in the RED Ecosystem then go DSMC1 or 2. You cannot go wrong really.

I would forget about using HDRx unless it is used for still shots and landscapes, or shots with extreme little movement. Otherwise you are just going to get frustrated with it. My advice after trying myself a few times. You have to deal with the already nice 13 stops ca. with the new cameras you are getting another 3 or 4 stops which is HDR madness and is lovely! But, again, it is what you are shooting and what type of control you have on your scene. If you can light it, you don't need a while lot of DR. But, if DR is what you want, then get another camera with the Dragon sensor upgrade in the DSMC1 or go a Helium sensor.

Audio is solved by getting yourself a Wooden Camera A-Box - works great and the preamps in the camera are good enough for most applications. I run all my audio through a mixer first and then send a mix into the camera wither as a final or a sratch for syncing up in post. Again, workflow. Run and gun is possible, maybe get yourself a Røde mic. Check this out for a clear reference: https://support.red.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001025827-Stereo-Microphone-and-Camera-Compatibility

My personal opinion on the MX sensor is when the light is good then the image is amazing. When it isn't then you loose out a bit on the low end and that means loosing some colour depth. But that is peeping.

- Patrick

 

[Darrell skinner]

I bought a scarlet kit from a guy in D.C. for $5,500 last year and it came with alot of accesories. i primarily shoot music videos with it and i was instantly impressed that and old camera like this footage looks this good. i recently bought another one from adorama for $800 and it came with the side handle. only issue that the camera has is that the DC in port doesn't work other than that the camera works perfectly and only has 132 hours on it

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

i recently bought another one from adorama for $800 and it came with the side handle. only issue that the camera has is that the DC in port doesn't work other than that the camera works perfectly and only has 132 hours on it

If that isn't a bargain I don't know what is.

BTW do you miss the slow motion capabilities when you're doing music videos, or do you just not do that these days? It's almost a given that music videos will have some slow motion in them. It's not always necessary or appropriate but there you go.

 

[Eric Santiago]

If that isn't a bargain I don't know what is.

BTW do you miss the slow motion capabilities when you're doing music videos, or do you just not do that these days? It's almost a given that music videos will have some slow motion in them. It's not always necessary or appropriate but there you go.

Haha plus almost every wedding video
Yea I get that a lot when I'm using my Scarlet in the wild.
If the need outweighs what I can offer, I have access to EPICs and WEAPONS locally.
Not as giving as a Phantom of course LOL!

 

[PatrickWebb]

I bought a scarlet kit from a guy in D.C. for $5,500 last year and it came with alot of accesories. i primarily shoot music videos with it and i was instantly impressed that and old camera like this footage looks this good. i recently bought another one from adorama for $800 and it came with the side handle. only issue that the camera has is that the DC in port doesn't work other than that the camera works perfectly and only has 132 hours on it

$800 ... borderline for me there! If the DC power doesn't work, then you're pretty much stuck to the REDVOLTS and that isn't so handy. If there is a way you could get that fixed inexpensively, then you've got a bargain! But, if you're just using it for short bursts, I guess it is ok. It is amazing how the prices continue to drop, really. 132 hours and a fried DC port sucks! I would have been fuming if I did that to my camera(s)!

 

[PatrickWebb]

If that isn't a bargain I don't know what is.

BTW do you miss the slow motion capabilities when you're doing music videos, or do you just not do that these days? It's almost a given that music videos will have some slow motion in them. It's not always necessary or appropriate but there you go.

I guess it always depends on the type of job. I've made music videos without slow motion, as it wasn't necessary in those cases. I think slow motion is, like all art, subjective and when done right, it hits the emotions. There is a lot of work out there that is not considered when planned or shot and then the slow motion has just been added because: "whatever, why not?" However, there has been some very clever use of slow motion to show off the difference in dimension or time or to direct the viewer of the importance of what they are seeing. Again, it can always go deeper, and just because you can shoot slo-mo, doesn't mean you should.

I use the Scarlet for a good majority of my work, as of recent, as I've been getting a lot of smaller projects that don't require me busting out the Epic. As much as I would love to use my Epic more on a daily, the Scarlet delivers fine images that are very usable at a smaller footprint on my operating system and hdds.

Again, considering the situation, that should dictate what you use. You're not going to take the Ferrari out to do the grocery shopping unless you want to show off. But when you have that meaningful mountain road you want to really push the limits and test out what you've got, then the Ferrari is probably a better choice than the Toyota Camry (Or Commodore, if you're an Aussie), AKA The Red Scarlet MX. Doens't mean you cannot have fun with the Camry, tho! Lunch serving trays on the back wheels, rip up the handbreak and have fun!

 

[PatrickWebb]

Haha plus almost every wedding video
Yea I get that a lot when I'm using my Scarlet in the wild.
If the need outweighs what I can offer, I have access to EPICs and WEAPONS locally.
Not as giving as a Phantom of course LOL!

Agreed.This is what the Scarlet was designed for, afterall: To be used.

Here are some screen grabs from yesterdays "Light observation and exploration."

The meaning of these images is really a personal exploration with light and shadow; and contrast. All of the watery images are shot with the Scarlet MX with the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L with a CP-L filter ~ running around with it on a monopod to keep my shots steady and me portable. The last shot was using the Carl Zeiss ZE 50mm f/1.4 T* Planar and no filter.

And I was using the Red EVF instead of a monitor for this mission.

Cheers!

 

[Eric Santiago]

Agreed.This is what the Scarlet was designed for, afterall: To be used.

Here are some screen grabs from yesterdays "Light observation and exploration."

The meaning of these images is really a personal exploration with light and shadow; and contrast. All of the watery images are shot with the Scarlet MX with the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L with a CP-L filter ~ running around with it on a monopod to keep my shots steady and me portable. The last shot was using the Carl Zeiss ZE 50mm f/1.4 T* Planar and no filter.

And I was using the Red EVF instead of a monitor for this mission.

Cheers!

Love it!!
Keep it up and send more.
Very inspiring.
The lockdown here has ruined my spring schedule.
Maybe Ill start doing the Nomadic filmic thing

 

[PatrickWebb]

Thanks, Eric!
I will try to get some more grabs up online soon. I've been pretty busy with work, I haven't had much time to play around with the lightboxes, apart from using them for work, of course.
Why not get out there and play around with a macro lens or something strange, and see what results you get?

I've just bought 3 pavo tubes from Nanlite and wil go into the forest soon and film some nighttime highlights ~ should be fun. I will play around with some colours too. Why not, when you have these little tubes on hand, it can be really fun. They have some serious output, which I was really surprised to discover. I saw some stuff online, but to experience in real life is another thing. I will post up some images / screen shots, maybe a sequence of video to show off my little experiment(s).

Nomadic filming is always fun

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

Agreed.This is what the Scarlet was designed for, afterall: To be used.

Here are some screen grabs from yesterdays "Light observation and exploration."

Those are very nice.

 

[Alex Lubensky]

Here's some stills from a recent MV I've shot in April. Most of them are @3k WS in 50fps, was using RPZ 18-85 T2.9 with a Black Pro-Mist 1/8. Color graded by Kostyantyn Lischyna

As we can see, the ol' good Scarlet didn't become worse, just the competition is much lighter and easier to use. But with a proper crew it's still a decent camera.

 

[Eric Santiago]

As we can see, the ol' good Scarlet didn't become worse, just the competition is much lighter and easier to use. But with a proper crew it's still a decent camera.

Just another pencil in the hands of a great artist.

Love your frames Alex

 

[PatrickWebb]

Here's some stills from a recent MV I've shot in April. Most of them are @3k WS in 50fps, was using RPZ 18-85 T2.9 with a Black Pro-Mist 1/8. Color graded by Kostyantyn Lischyna

As we can see, the ol' good Scarlet didn't become worse, just the competition is much lighter and easier to use. But with a proper crew it's still a decent camera.

Nice grading there! The combination makes the picture! Great job, Alex!

 

[Alex Lubensky]

Some more stills from a recent job done on Scarlet MX and RPZ 18-85 T2.9

There's no grading applied, stills are taken right off the footage in Resolve - IPP2>Medium>Soft

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

Alex, those are superb. They don't need any more grading. ;-)

 

[PatrickWebb]

Very nice, Alex!
Goes to show how important lighting, subject and set design is too. The camera and lens picks up all good things in front of it. You could safely say that this MX sensor is on par with the other offerings from RED that are much more the cost.
Again, it is what you do wit the tool.

 

[Alex Lubensky]

Hi everyone,

A few questions, firstly what is the average amount of hours a RED Scarlet MX will give you before "Dying".

Secondly, I'm reading a lot about Fans "DSMC FAN 2.0 UPGRADE KIT" which should extend the life. These are near impossible to get but what are peoples opinion about this kit or do people prefer the Fanplate https://sites.google.com/a/mecasax.ch/mecasax/products/fanplate.

This RED is in mint condition and mostly been sat in a Petrol bag unused for years. 60 hours to be exact!

Would love to to discuss and share with you guys some of my work and hopefully you can advise and make me a stronger film maker from knowledge

A period of the camera life is related not to hours, but the environment of use. Usually DSMC1 Reds leave up to a really high hour count, while working on rentals and taking a full beating. There were some amount of cams which had some issues right after the factory, but if the camera is fine after 500 hours - I can bet it will live up to 5000 at least. If it's mint - it will live long, although I would check the interns for fungus or something like that - some climates are rather wet and it can degrade any electronics vastly even in a year.

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

Some more stills from a recent job done on Scarlet MX and RPZ 18-85 T2.9

There's no grading applied, stills are taken right off the footage in Resolve - IPP2>Medium>Soft

Beautiful! This should be proof enough that the MX holds up to all the other RED sensors out there. MX is still very much relivant today. Makes me happy I went with my scarlet instead of buying a new Zcam E2-S6 (which I was very close to doing).

 

[Eric Santiago]

Beautiful! This should be proof enough that the MX holds up to all the other RED sensors out there. MX is still very much relivant today. Makes me happy I went with my scarlet instead of buying a new Zcam E2-S6 (which I was very close to doing).

It's really up to the artist who wields the Scarlet
I've had so many different experiences from a one-man band to large film projects, this baby always came through.

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

It's really up to the artist who wields the Scarlet
I've had so many different experiences from a one-man band to large film projects, this baby always came through.

Scarlet was made to look good in the right hands, regardless of its age. Obviously the Scarlet/Epic were ahead of their time ten years ago if they still can look relevant today.