Total newbie

[Marty lynn]

Hi folks,

Firstly, apologies if this is not the right place to ask.

I was thinking of buying / investing / starting out and joining the RED ecosystem.

Important to note my 9-5 is not in the video production/corporate world, although I have done plenty these types of jobs and my partner has made a feature film, I still
consider video production be a standalone passion as yet and I am far from being an expert

But to me, cameras are an avid avid hobby and love.

So I have come across a RED Scarlet for sale with plenty of batteries, top monitor, red volts, red bricks, V-Lock battery etc, circa £3000.

I currently own and use a Panasonic EVA 1, BMCC and an S1.

Just wondering peoples thoughts on the purchase really.

 

[Eric Santiago]

Great to hear you are jumping in.
I use an EVA1 at my day job so no comparison there as far as the Scarlet goes.
As a beginner just shoot like crazy.
Not sure what your experiences are but for me, I just went and shot around the city when I first got mine.
Try not to overload on parts.
I made that mistake LOL!
Go minimal as much as possible.
If you cant find a RED TOUCH, make sure to get a SIDE HANDLE.
You can control the camera easily with that.

 

[M Harvey]

Is there something you want to do that the three cameras you own can't, and you're wondering if the Scarlet would? You have quite a range of capabilities to tackle different projects (excellent image quality across the board and options for raw, high speed, full frame, built-in XLR inputs, dual ISO, etc.).

If your hobby is partially about the gear, and so you'd enjoy tinkering with the Scarlet as a way to experiment in the Red ecosystem, then you'll probably enjoy it-- it's a wonderful camera, and redcode raw is great to work with. Just keep in mind that it may not be easy to repair if anything goes wrong, though it's a rugged professional camera that will generally give you years of service.

 

[Marty lynn]

Hi folks, and thanks so far for the responses.

Eric, I do love the EVA and the images it produces and as @M says, I do have plenty of gear to shoot with.

I have used the EVA, on a few corporate shoots but mostly used it for our own narrative stuff. Like you, I go out and shoot anything and everything!

I bought the EVA new and the others all second hand, the BMCC only cost me £250 which I was delighted with,

But yeah its mostly just the want to give the camera system a try. Where I am from, there aint too many rental houses and to be honest, I would rather own it.

I don't mind forking out second hand prices for cameras, as I say above it aint my 9-5. I love the tactile nature of owning and getting to know a camera.

Some people love sports, going out and getting loaded, keeping fit etc etc...I love cameras

@M, that's the one thing I have a slight concern about, if it bricks or something like that I am kind of up the proverbial without a paddle to a degree ?

Thanks again folks.

Marty

 

[M Harvey]

All makes sense, sounds like you have reasonable expectations.

As for your other question: they’re well-built rugged cameras designed to give years of service. But you just never know what could go wrong, and some parts may be difficult or impossible to find. So it’s a risk. That said, the low price is partly on account of that. And for the same reason, you may be able to buy a second used brain (for parts or replacement) very inexpensively if you have an issue—and you’d already have all the accessories. So you’d hope you’re not unlucky and it fails after 2 weeks. But say it fails in a year, or 3 years—and you could replace the brain for 1k. And you could then choose to stick with Scarlet for 1k or move on to a newer Red (or dsmc1 Dragon, which uses same accessories) or try a different system all together. Would you consider that a good experience?

 

[Marty lynn]

Hi M.

Yeah that sounds grand to me if I was honest. Getting a few years without any issues would be great.

As with anything, buying second hand is always a risk so I am factoring all that in too .