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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 :)

Scarlet-W - Would you Purchase One today?

Oh I would definitely wait then all the other guys who are fearless will snap one up, do three jobs, pay off the camera never follow the RU cause they are working all the time and not waiting another 18 months for a new brain to drop. I'd wait for sure.

Or

No question get fearless the doors will open and you will be 24 months ahead of where you were waiting for NAB.

.02c
 
For me one of the biggest advantage of the Scarlet-W over a lot of other 4k+ s35 camera's is, that you can equip it with a Abt-Speedmount.
For $ 4.000 extra you can get the FF look(whatever that may be), or to put it in other words, you can make full use of standard full frame glass.
 
Listen.. it's all up to you.. There old RED-ONE owners producing beautiful projects/pics with their old gear... Just grab a camera or the one you're waiting for and just produce/shoot... if you're worrying about latest trends of gear, you'll need to change gear every 6 to 12 months... Good luck..
 
Kalechi Noel said:
IMHO I would take a step back and take a really good look at the market where you live, and the industry on a whole . In 2018, where iPhones can shoot 4k 60fps, Galaxy s9 can shoot 240fps, Red’s renting for $250 a day, and Alexa Mini are renting for $500 a day.... If you don’t have the jobs lined up to justify the purchase , or if you aernt shooting your own personal project (feature Film or documentary ).... I would advise against spending $20,000 on any camera in hopes of making money off of it .

If the clients wants a red , or Arri, put it in the budget ($500) .... and kee your $20,000 in your pocket ... put towards good glass, or a your personal project . The days of buying cameras and renting them out are long gone . With everything being consumed on YouTube , Vimeo on a 5” screen with super compression, in most cases , a gh5 is more than adequate . The industry has changed . We have to adapt to it .
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So why buy RED? I think it's not that simple. It's a tool that can open up doors.
 
Michael Wahba said:
So why buy RED? I think it's not that simple. It's a tool that can open up doors.
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Depends what he wants to do though. Commercial work maybe, narrative not so much, an Arri would be a better tool to open up that door. However I'd advise against buying kit based on the kit getting you work not you, cliche I know.
 
If I didn’t have a camera, the one I would be looking at would be the Panasonic EVA1, lot of good stuff there. Also, the Kinefinity cameras are really compelling, I talked about it in a recent thread on the newly announced models. But it depends on your budget really. I don’t rent my equipment out, I’m an indie filmmaker, so spending over $10,000 on a camera isn’t an option. I purchased a used RED One MX package for my upcoming feature and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything with anything in the 4K market except low light which my Sony A7S and Shogun setup covers but even then, the RED One has really gotten me into an advanced lighting kick since I got it, fun! You have an Ursa Mini Pro, that’s a fantastic camera already and before I got my RED One MX, my brother and I were looking at an original Ursa. If you’re renting, I understand it’s a different mindset and I have experience with that as I’ve talked with some local camera knowledgeable people and they gasp in awe when I tell them that we have a RED camera (model doesn’t seem to matter). :)

I will say that if you want something interesting to add to your workflow, the Panasonic GH5S and Sony A7R III sound like real winners on the DSLR level.
 
As always, evaluate your goals.

As always, evaluate your goals.

I purchased mine last year, trading in my Red 1, and am pleased. It fit my business model. It lets me keep a camera package on hand for projects I produce. It is not one I offer as a rental, and is not the only camera I use. It is not an ENG camera, and is not easy to incorporate into jobs that would require an ENG set up. It is simpler to use than previous models, and I had many support items that made it a reasonable transition. It works well alongside a BM mini pro. However, you should expect to spend between $15k-$20k plus lenses to assemble a shootable package, plus lenses and tripod, unless you already have the outboard modules, touchscreen, mini mags, battery plates, etc.
 
What are people's thoughts on this? About to pull trigger on Scarlet....stuck in limbo here lol!
 
Zack Birlew said:
If I didn’t have a camera,
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Hi Zack,

Occasionally your posts use a much larger font size than everyone else's. I'm assuming you find that size more comfortable to read and that it's not because you feel your personal opinion is worth twice the attention =)

It becomes pretty disruptive when reading a thread and there are good browser options that will let you increase fonts for specific text elements like 'post body text'. I'm using Quickstyle for Safari myself. Not on Reduser, but in other places.
 
I sold mine when my filming was completed.

Working with REDcode is a joy, the Scarlet-W is great bang for the buck and I would definitely buy another Scarlet-W!

Now considering a Gemini, but the Scarlet-W is still a great camera for the price conscious.
 
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Blair Thornton said:
I sold mine when my filming was completed.

Working with REDcode is a joy, the Scarlet-W is great bang for the buck and I would definitely buy another Scarlet-W!

Now considering a Gemini, but the Scarlet-W is still a great camera for the price concious.
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Agreed..except the thought that buying a Scarlet-W today for them to update it in the near future makes it kind of concerning!
 
Jason Montalvo said:
Hi All,

So I've just sold my Trusty FS7 and am thinking of jumping into the Red ecosystem. In terms of a "buying cycle" for lack of a better word, do you think its a smart choice? What I want to avoid is making what is for me a pretty large purchase to find out in 6 months that the new Scarlet-_ is out?

What are your thoughts? Obviously I know a camera now will be better and can generate revenue, I do own an Ursa Mini Pro which can hold me over for a while.

Thanks in advance hoping I can get some insight from you guys.
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If I was you, I'd hold onto the URSA Mini Pro for a while longer, perhaps get the BMPCC4K (when it ships later this year) as a B Cam to the UMP on the cheap.
 
Was in a very similar place at the end of 2017 - rented the S-W several times for my main client just to see if I liked it and noticed a difference from my FS7.... bought the S-W right before the end of the year.

I am so happy that I did - and I do love everything about my FS7, but I am liking the look and quality of my work a lot more, and do find greater flexibility in post. I shoot a lot of green screen, so this was a big factor as well, because I wanted the RAW for post.

Things to keep in mind... moving to this ecosystem isn't cheap... im still not done buy crap. You can't just pick up the S-W out of your case and flip the switch and go... I used to be able to grab my FS7 and be rolling in 2-3 minutes if I had to... my prep time is down a lot since spending months with my S-W, but its a lot more involved, and the process of getting it onto my shoulder if thats needed reminds me of when I was shooting on a DSLR and needing to rig the camera out.

AUDIO...

Gone are the days of just plugging in an XLR and pulling phantom power and just getting audio that works well for a quick shoot. Now ive got some extra things I've added (and spent more money on) and can finally do the same thing - but RED internal audio recording is still not perfect - and my Sound Devices 633 comes to every shoot and records second system audio, because I know I can trust it.

Having rock solid mounts vs adapting and worrying about E-Mount is amazing!
Having really really really expensive media sucks - but its bulletproof and fast! (we all thought XQD cards were expensive)

But most importantly like others have said - its part of the RED ecosystem that has lots of life left in it. I don't know if I will ever need to upgrade this camera - before I end up with a new one several years down the road, but knowing that the options will most likely exist is nice.

OHHHH and don't forget storage space... I try to keep moderate compression levels, especially since I do a lot of interviews and almost all web based and 1080 output type of work - but JEEEZZ. In November I have a 16TB DAS for my main editing station and a 32TB archive system.

Now I have a 40TB DAS for my editing setup and a 96TB archive system... these are big files that take up a lot of space - and do require a good bit of processing power to play nicely in your editor of choice...
 
Someone said Scarlet was the place to start if you want to get into the RED ecosystem... But I am thinking Scarlet W isn't the Scarlet the person had in mind. I was talked out of RAVEN because you dont really enter the ecosystem as it can't be upgraded.
 
The Scarlet-W is an incredible camera. Seriously, you can get the brain used for 9-10k now which is simply incredible. A bare bones shooting kit you can get going for 12k, seriously can't beat IMO. Just bought a second one, with the hopes of upgrading one to Gemini someday.
 
Scarlet-W is more than enough for anyone who wants to make a great film for many years to come. The Super 35mm Dragon 5K sensor is beautiful, even better with IPP2. The frame rates are very versatile too.
 
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