Scarlet-W announcement only really hurt Scarlet-D owners

[Nick Morrison]

I believe is a great camera for people who didn´t get to come in yet to the Scarlet Dragon party. Sadly that`s not my case.

Basically owning a Scarlet MX (2012-2014) allowed me to start to get in the game and I got paid fairly better over time. That allowed me to get all the cool accessories to go with a professional cinema camera and go for the Dragon upgrade in 2015.

But I don´t understand the early announcement. We all knew something new was coming in the DSMC2 body between Raven and Weapon. I´ve been working steadily, saving for it and also investing in a new Raven because it`gonna be the greatest budget dragon camera out there (when there`s no budget for an Epic Dragon, it`s usually the same for PL glass).

But having the Scarlet Dragon for less than a year, and also having to spend on other gear to have a more complete package (how about making a living too??) Scarlet W is making it more difficult for a midlevel camera owner to stay in the game.
This announcement should have come during NAB, with delivery in July.

I don´t know what most people think, but I don´t feel like dropping 10k+ $us on RED every year, unless I owned a Weapon and could be able to charge accordingly to my clients.
If this is gonna be the case from now on, then I suggest selling more affordable cameras like the rest of the companies.
I also didn´t like the "you get to keep your camera" marketing approach. That`s really not a deal, even though I think everything RED has been doing to this point is amazing and a great deal for most customers.

Scarlet D will never be better than an Epic Dragon (or Weapon) and it should never be as cheap as a Raven, but now with Scarlet W coming so early, you don´t really need one.
We know face this real issue with less time to react. That´s a whole lot of pressure for mid-level people starting to get steam.

I really hope the Scarlet D owners discount for the Scarlet W last more than a year, because I´ll have to pay for it with my Scarlet D and Raven until I sell my Scarlet D, by then of course there will be another 10k+ announcement coming soon!

If you're already getting a Raven, why not just swap your order for a Scarlet-W? With the $2500 discount you get as a Scarlet-D owner...its only $2500 more.

You know you're not locked into Raven right? You can swap to Scarlet-W no prob.

 

[Fernando Tufiño]

If you're already getting a Raven, why not just swap your order for a Scarlet-W? With the $2500 discount you get as a Scarlet-D owner...its only $2500 more.

You know you're not locked into Raven right? You can swap to Scarlet-W no prob.

Even if I had a Scarlet W right now, it still makes sense to get a Raven. It serves for most needs of the average customers that Scarlet D owners have, and Ravens are gonna appear in flocks very soon, probably bringing the rental rate down for Scarlet D and Scarlet W from the start.

It´s the safest investment right now, plus you get to keep the extra 2500$ for other gear and if I move to Scarlet W, I can sell my Scarlet D and still work in between the swap.

I think Scarlet D owners need that little extra time for the discount, because most of us are gonna have to sell our new Scarlet Dragon to get the Scarlet W. And by us I mean owners who are not a big rental house with many options of cameras and accessories.

Plus, I don´t feel like spending 10k+ on an option to charge basically the same as I am doing right now, when you have Ravens coming in hot.

 

[Nick Morrison]

Even if I had a Scarlet W right now, it still makes sense to get a Raven. It serves for most needs of the average customers that Scarlet D owners have, and Ravens are gonna appear in flocks very soon, probably bringing the rental rate down for Scarlet D and Scarlet W from the start.

It´s the safest investment right now, plus you get to keep the extra 2500$ for other gear and if I move to Scarlet W, I can sell my Scarlet D and still work in between the swap.

I think Scarlet D owners need that little extra time for the discount, because most of us are gonna have to sell our new Scarlet Dragon to get the Scarlet W. And by us I mean owners who are not a big rental house with many options of cameras and accessories.

Plus, I don´t feel like spending 10k+ on an option to charge basically the same as I am doing right now, when you have Ravens coming in hot.

Ravens and Scarlet-Ws are shipping same time.

I have to imagine you could rent a Scarlet-W for a lot more than a Raven, and keep your Scarlet-D as the 5K bcam.

I guess the Raven seems so much more limited to me - same size and weight, but only 4K for HD (it doesnt do 4.5KHD), no PL mount, no swappable OLFS, and of course no 5K!

I just have to imagine you could make that $2500 back pretty quickly with a Scarlet-W (which will always be the medium cam, whereas the Raven will always be the budget).

Anyway - Im sure you know whats best. Just wanna make sure you've thought this all through!

Merry Xmas and happy holidays!!

 

[Fernando Tufiño]

Ravens and Scarlet-Ws are shipping same time.

I have to imagine you could rent a Scarlet-W for a lot more than a Raven, and keep your Scarlet-D as the 5K bcam.

I guess the Raven seems so much more limited to me - same size and weight, but only 4K for HD (it doesnt do 4.5KHD), no PL mount, no swappable OLFS, and of course no 5K!

I just have to imagine you could make that $2500 back pretty quickly with a Scarlet-W (which will always be the medium cam, whereas the Raven will always be the budget).

Anyway - Im sure you know whats best. Just wanna make sure you've thought this all through!

Merry Xmas and happy holidays!!

I am giving it a lot of thought each week, and your point of view makes a lot of sense, but my work is in a country where the Scarlet D has much more room to work with than an Epic D, so the Raven announcement is something to really think about, even more than the Scarlet W.
I appreciate your help, I´ll give it more thought.


Happy holidays!

 

[Jason Weary]

every time you use your dragon on a lower end project you devalue the thing. Why should I pay that guy 900/day when you'll do it for 200? Not baggin on ya I've done it myself, just a thought.