To buy a Scarlet or not to buy, that is the question…

[Eric J Kosinski]

I am and was very aware of the epic being beta...I clearly said that. I love my epic, i just gave ome examples of issues iam having.

Honestly i am having to defend what I said way too much and the other post accusing me of being paid by Sony??? Where the hell are the moderators here? It's simply not on.

Phillip, your the man. I've seen nothing but honest reviews on every post you have ever done. If you were being paid by Sony for your reviews, you would have hyped the F3 up a lot more, but you mentioned honestly that you thought the image quality wasn't much better than the Sony fs100 straight out of the box that is and gave some insight on things that were better on the AF100 like ND filters, etc. Keep doing what you do man. It was obvious you had some RED issues and I'm glad you shared that as telling the truth about issues from a big name like you will get things fixed so this doesn't happen again. It seems sometimes on this forum if you say anything negative or question things; isn't that the point of a forum?

 

[Philip Bloom]

Phil gives the pros and cons as he sees them and within the realm of the kind of productions he does, not much more can be asked of a person. The problem is that he is far less knowledgeable of cameras than he lets on (or maybe he doesn't know that he doesn't know?). He has lots of knowledge about how to USE them, but he constantly says flat out incorrect things about sensor design, codecs, sensor crops, lens characteristics, and so on.

What did I get wrong in my article Andrew?

 

[Kyle Gentz]

Philip Bloom would not be Philip Bloom is he gave biased reviews on cameras. John I hear that bad attitudes and accusations don't go far here. But you have as many posts as I do. so what do I know.

 

[Luc Bouvrette]

I respect Philip's opinion and integrity and find the idea of him being paid off by Sony totally ludicrous. I found his review fair and balanced and it's actually helping me make a decision, as opposed to pointless wastes of pixels some fanboys have been posting recently.

I would have hoped this thread had become a constructive exchange between Philip and those of us who are actually about to purchase a Scarlet. Not the jousting fest it has become.

Now that the 2/3" 3k cow is dead some redusers seem to be set on milking some other mammal's tits dry.




So to speak.


Love, Luc

 

[Philip Bloom]

Sorry to get you mad Philip, and I have no bad intentions here.

I know Sony didn't pay you to write a hit piece,
don't take it that way. Your work is valuable,
and I am glad you are getting paid for your expertise by ANY and every Manufacturer.

I just expect some disclosure, when you have some interest with the manufacturer
being commented on an article or opinion piece. Similar to when a Stock analyst disloses they hold a position in
a stock they comment on.

A couple years ago, I was going to buy an EX-1 / EX-3 based
on YOUR work with the Letus adaptor...

Let me reiterate, my comment "It's his website and his right to say what he wants, but I nowhere remember this disclosure.
... Meanwhile, I have no reason to think it would have altered his opinion one bit"

The timing of the Sony announcement seemed a little to close for
comfort for me not to be disclosed. That's it.

I hope to see your final review of the shipping Scarlet...

No john...you wrote a big question in bold...it's bang out of order and I am very unhappy that a: you would say that and b: it was allowed to stay up unmodded

Really bad form John

 

[Tom Lowe]

If there are any further personal attacks on this thread, heads are going to roll.

There is no room here for unfounded ad hominem attacks or accusations or insinuations that could cause damage to someone's reputation. Before you post crap like this, at least ask the person whose reputation you are about to tarnish.

The offending post has been removed.

Sorry about this Phil. I think John Bellari owes you an apology.

 

[Domenic Barbero]

I personally wanna thank you Phillip Bloom for sticking your neck on the chopping block every time you test a new piece of equipment. Ive been looking to you for a couple years now for good honest feedback on image quality, usability, and pros and cons which you always deliver. Its got to be hard being followed by so many people and being hassled for giving an honest opinion.

Just thank you. I look forward to seeing what you think of the c300 and the scarlet when you get your hands on them.

 

[Gunleik Groven]

Imo Scarlet should have been 6k for what it can do an a complete pacage 10k =)

LOL

You are acting quite funny...

What 6k compareable cam is there out there?

 

[John Bellari]

No john...you wrote a big question in bold...it's bang out of order and I am very unhappy that a: you would say that and b: it was allowed to stay up unmodded

Really bad form John

Philip, I was willing to apologize and edit the case on my comment,
but the Administrator didn't allow me to do that and removed my post instead.

So, I do apologize about my etiquette.

I dislike negativity, and value honesty, and am glad you disclosed here so we may consider all things. That's it.

I still look forward to your final review, as I hold your opinioon in high regard.

I hope I am extended the same courtesy by the Administrator,
Tonaci Tran and Philip Bloom when my Scarlet review is posted...

Everybody OK, all friends?

 

[Tom Lowe]

Thanks, John. Now let's move forward and drop the offending subject for good, please.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

Philip is writing about his experience with Epic. Just like any of us writing about our experiences with cameras, there will be some variables that need to be considered and hence you have to be careful about jumping to any final conclusions without confirming things for yourself. I respect Philip, and I do trust that he is reporting his experiences honestly. It's unfortunate that he experienced problems that affected his shoots. All of us should be able to sympathize with that unless we have had our shoots go 100% fine every day we have ever shot anything. For most people that's not the case. Things happen.

Hopefully, his experience with the camera will improve. Whatever issues he is having will hopefully get solved and he will be confident in using the camera. I encourage everyone to be positive so that guys like Philip feel comfortable coming to Reduser for help when they need it, and sharing knowledge when they feel it might help others. Isn't that one of the main reasons we're here? I'd rather he feel like he can post about an issue he is having and get a quick response/solution from the community then to feel like he is going to get slaughtered if he comes here saying something isn't working right, or he's having problems.

As to his advice about whether to buy Scarlet or not, I've written two things that were attempts to get people to really think through their purchases. One was on my blog from October 26th called Beware The Hype Machine which is intended to get people to look beyond the marketing hype, whether it's RED, Canon, Sony, whoever and make sure the camera you are buying makes sense. The other was on Reduser and it was a Scarlet Buyers Guide that I wrote before the announcement on November 3rd. That was intended to make people think through what actually constitutes a shooting package based on the types of projects you do. These were both intended to help people, not talk them out of buying cameras. I assume Philip's goal is to help people as well, not to be negative.

 

[Jannard]

Anyone who suggests that Philip is being paid by another company to write negatively about his own camera is nuts... and the inference won't be tolerated.

Philip had issues early on and hopefully we have addressed them. Stuff happens.

Jim

 

[Andy White]

Over the last few months there's been an increasing amount of new members - and people 'posting without thinking'... in terms of what they're saying, how they're saying it or the inference/implications/results of what is being said.

It would be great to get back on track and focus on the kit - and what can be done with it

 

[Jeffrey Loewe]

Over the last few months there's been an increasing amount of new members - and people 'posting without thinking'... in terms of what they're saying, how they're saying it or the inference/implications/results of what is being said.

It would be great to get back on track and focus on the kit - and what can be done with it

The best moderator is a brand spankin new Scarlet in all their hands

 

[Eric J Kosinski]

Phil gives the pros and cons as he sees them and within the realm of the kind of productions he does, not much more can be asked of a person. The problem is that he is far less knowledgeable of cameras than he lets on (or maybe he doesn't know that he doesn't know?). He has lots of knowledge about how to USE them, but he constantly says flat out incorrect things about sensor design, codecs, sensor crops, lens characteristics, and so on.

if you watch Phillips reviews, especially the Sony F3, FS100, 5D, AF 100 comparison he specifically speaks of being an extremely NON Technical and NON scientific test. He is very honest about his knowledge of cameras in most reviews I've read so not sure where you're going with this one.

 

[Patrick Miao]

This post has been quite informative. I was a bit confused as to what the scarlet can do and what it cannot do. After reading Phil's article, it made me realize I had a misunderstanding as to what the camera can do as well as the true cost of ownership. I decided to delay my purchase while I perfect my technique a little more with DSLR filmmaking. It is hard enough to make a film with so many details to worry about. Having to pile on that with numerous more camera details is a bit more than what I can handle at this point. In addition, I adjusted my price point to about $23,000 for the camera, gear, new computer, etc... If I am going to spend that much money, I want to make sure that I am getting what I am paying for without any unpleasant surprises.

I hope that when I am ready to buy the scarlet (hopefully by late next year), the Nikon mount will be out, the firmware will no longer be beta and maybe a better sensor that handles low light with even lower noise. I am looking forward to my purchase down the line but until then, I will pick up another HDSLR for now (Nikon D800, when it is finally released) and continue my lens purchases.

Thank you Red for such a forward thinking camera and Phil for educating me and helping me realize what is best for me. By the way, I really enjoy your blog Phil, been reading it on and off for a the last few months...great stuff.

 

[Timothy Kotthoff]

My first post...

My first post...

Hello REDUSERs!

I have had the wonderful opportunity to participate in Camp RED as well as a Reducation class and will be returning for another Reducation next month. While I don't own a RED camera yet (the company I work for will be purchasing an Epic soon), I have come to appreciate the incredible resources and community that is afforded to us via video, blogging, message boards, and most uniquely - hands on training from the creators, themselves. I totally agree with Philip Bloom's logic of researching what you buy and thinking through your process of amortization before you invest in high dollar items such as these (that would be true for any purchase - I would think, right?). But if you are considering such a purchase, consider taking time to come and meet face to face with the RED community. The people who work for RED wholly believe in what they are doing and the users that are there are awesome. Perhaps a trip to Los Angeles and going through the Reducation courses as a means of really understanding what you are buying into, would be a valuable exercise.

To add another perspective, Michael Cioni (Founder and CEO of Light Iron) wrote an article about the Scarlet, which complements Philip Bloom's perspective.

http://michaelcioni.tumblr.com/post/12545974259/scarlets-web

It's great to have a community of people both, amateur and professional, to learn and grow as story-tellers. After seeing Che, I was a believer in the technology. Having been to Reducation, I am a believer in the ideas and spirit of what RED is about. I hope to have many meaningful conversations with all of you, learning from you and hopefully sharing something valuable in return.

 

[Shean Roberts]

Forums like these are extremely important and must continue, but try not to offend. Phillip Bloom's review is just that, a review. It's one persons opinion, that will inform you of the things you know and may not know. This has not stopped my pursuit of buying a Red, just enabled me to make a more informed decision (and get some money from the bank to buy the camera, LOL).

As mention buy another user:

if you watch Phillips reviews, especially the Sony F3, FS100, 5D, AF 100 comparison he specifically speaks of being an extremely NON Technical and NON scientific test. He is very honest about his knowledge of cameras in most reviews I've read so not sure where you're going with this one.

And that's why like reading his reviews, It is from a fellow filmmaker like myself in a real life situation. Phillip has mention it's not about the equipment, but the job your doing. If it fits, use it. I want a Red because I want the result it yields, and fit's the type of work I want to get into.

Have a look at this, it will help when buying a camera to suit your needs: http://philipbloom.net/2011/11/20/macvideot/

The good thing about Red is the constant improvement, and quick results about problems that may occur. So I'm sure some of the issues will be resolved, if not done already.

Newbie: This is my first post

 

[Cenydd Ros]

About Philip,

I started surveying cinematography equipment about two years ago, trying to learn everything I could about gear and gear options. Mind you, I am not a "cinematographer" - I am coming at this from the perspective of an independent writer/producer looking to make a feature film. During this journey of enlightenment I have found three people extremely helpful - they are: Roger Deakins, via his website forum, Shane Hurlbut, via his blog, and Philip Bloom. Philip has the opportunity to do a great deal of hands on with various gear. His reviews, which I always find to be honest and well-rounded, have brought my attention to rig options, lens perspectives, and so much more. Most importantly, for me, is the broad spectrum of gear he reviews - not just one manufacturer but many. He lets you know what options are out there. He gives you his experiences with using the gear. This kind of sharing is invaluable to me and has helped more than I can say.

 

[G. Dan]

Even if Philip's reviews were not useful to others he would have every right to state his experience with gear and companies.

The tension (on both sides) arises from the confusion between Philip Bloom the person and Philip Bloom the brand.