Terry VerHaar
Well-known member
I finally have a chance to take a few minutes to think through the possibilities for upgrading my Scarlet and I have to say I am pretty amazed at the great options I have before me. I ordered my Scarlet a few days after they were offered in 2011 (Nov. 7, to be exact) and received mine about this time last year. The price for the body, Canon mount and side SSD module was $9,750. If I recall correctly, at the time I ordered my Scarlet I would have had to pay more than $30K ($34K?) for an Epic, which I just couldn't justify - as much as I lusted for its capabilities.
And, despite the fact that I don't officially offer the camera for rent, I have probably collected $1000 or so in rentals to friends of friends over the course of the year.
I really wasn't planning to update my camera this year as it pretty much meets my needs and I love shooting with it. It has performed nearly flawlessly - even the REDmote has been terrific! :smiley: The only issue I ever had was that the internal clock would occasionally reset to zero after being disconnected from power. It wasn't a big deal but I didn't want it to lead to bigger problems so I contacted RED and they had me send it in. In the end, I had to send it in 3 different times before they permanently fixed the problem but it has now been working like a charm for several months. I have never had a single dropped frame or image glitch.
During the course of the last year, I, like every Epic/Scarlet owner, have also obviously enjoyed several updates to the firmware; each time making it feel like I had a new camera. I almost always grabbed on to the latest beta and never once had an issue. So, at a net cost for the body of less than $9K I have been shooting for a year, learning/enjoying/benefitting from the camera and it still makes terrific images.
Now, I am faced with the opportunity to take one of two upgrade paths, both are which astoundingly tempting. The more speculative one would be to go straight to Scarlet Dragon - terrific low light performance, new color science, and fabulous dynamic range while still offering some impressive over cranking at up to 5K. Not everything is yet known and tested with this set-up, but I trust RED will make it work fabulously.
Or, I could, for the same $9,500, trade up to a brand new Epic-X. Yes, same the Epic that I couldn't justify a year ago for $34K, I can now get for much less. In fact, with RED effectively giving me back $8K for my Scarlet (a little less than the $9K net I have in it), I can be in an Epic for a combined total of $18.5K. This is the camera of Jackson, Soderbergh, et al. Wow.
How to choose? The downside of the Scarlet Dragon is that the new electronics are put into my old body - with no additional warranty on the body and a 90 day sensor warranty - and, from there, cannot be upgraded to Epic Dragon. But there's that fabulous DNR and 2000 ISO sensor. Meanwhile, I can get a brand spanking new Epic, proven technology and continued firmware upgrades, shooting 5K (plenty of rez to finish at 4K) and frame rates up to 300 fps. PLUS, I have the option to upgrade to Dragon some time in the future if I so choose.
Boy, do I feel sorry for me. No one should have to face these kinds of agonizing decisions. :beer:
Of course, I could always order a BMCC for $4K. (NOT!!!!!)
And, despite the fact that I don't officially offer the camera for rent, I have probably collected $1000 or so in rentals to friends of friends over the course of the year.
I really wasn't planning to update my camera this year as it pretty much meets my needs and I love shooting with it. It has performed nearly flawlessly - even the REDmote has been terrific! :smiley: The only issue I ever had was that the internal clock would occasionally reset to zero after being disconnected from power. It wasn't a big deal but I didn't want it to lead to bigger problems so I contacted RED and they had me send it in. In the end, I had to send it in 3 different times before they permanently fixed the problem but it has now been working like a charm for several months. I have never had a single dropped frame or image glitch.
During the course of the last year, I, like every Epic/Scarlet owner, have also obviously enjoyed several updates to the firmware; each time making it feel like I had a new camera. I almost always grabbed on to the latest beta and never once had an issue. So, at a net cost for the body of less than $9K I have been shooting for a year, learning/enjoying/benefitting from the camera and it still makes terrific images.
Now, I am faced with the opportunity to take one of two upgrade paths, both are which astoundingly tempting. The more speculative one would be to go straight to Scarlet Dragon - terrific low light performance, new color science, and fabulous dynamic range while still offering some impressive over cranking at up to 5K. Not everything is yet known and tested with this set-up, but I trust RED will make it work fabulously.
Or, I could, for the same $9,500, trade up to a brand new Epic-X. Yes, same the Epic that I couldn't justify a year ago for $34K, I can now get for much less. In fact, with RED effectively giving me back $8K for my Scarlet (a little less than the $9K net I have in it), I can be in an Epic for a combined total of $18.5K. This is the camera of Jackson, Soderbergh, et al. Wow.
How to choose? The downside of the Scarlet Dragon is that the new electronics are put into my old body - with no additional warranty on the body and a 90 day sensor warranty - and, from there, cannot be upgraded to Epic Dragon. But there's that fabulous DNR and 2000 ISO sensor. Meanwhile, I can get a brand spanking new Epic, proven technology and continued firmware upgrades, shooting 5K (plenty of rez to finish at 4K) and frame rates up to 300 fps. PLUS, I have the option to upgrade to Dragon some time in the future if I so choose.
Boy, do I feel sorry for me. No one should have to face these kinds of agonizing decisions. :beer:
Of course, I could always order a BMCC for $4K. (NOT!!!!!)
