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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 :)

waitin'

Daniel Meador

Daniel Meador

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Well, I saved my $20k for a full fledged working Scarlet X. So that's exciting! But I worry about having to spend $$$ to upgrade to the new Dragon sensor that's coming. It's not that far off. I know I'm not the only one in this boat. I know renting is an option but I live far from camera rental facilities so that can make it difficult. So I'll probably wait. Like I have for the last 3 years. Any thoughts??? :willy_nilly:
 
Creating vs. waiting. hmmm... Seems clear to me. The future of technology is always changing but your dreams and aspirations are today. Waiting for better technology is a path of heartache and disappointment. That said, use whatever you can to do something now vs. later.
 
Why be nervous about an upgrade still at least a half year from now - Just think of all the images you can capture, and all of the work done between now and then.

First, consider what the Scarlet brings to you - does it fit with your needs? Is there any other system that can deliver more for you at the same price point?
Are your clients asking if you have 6K yet?
Well, they need to wait too.

And in the meantime - build a reel shot on Scarlet - your Scarlet.

Also, if I remember correctly, EPIC's will be the first to receive Dragon - and about thinking that you might save some bucks by waiting, remember that the R1 price went up with the release of the MX sensor.

All you will lose is some quality time with a beautiful tool.
 
Think about how many films and TV shows are being shot on Alexa. It's not 4K. People are creating great images. R1 still beats out a lot of other cameras. Scarlet in the right hands is capable of achieving a high level of image quality. The perfect camera is the one built into your head. You'll probably never be able to buy the perfect camera. Dragon will be an advance, perhaps a major advance. But I contend only a small percentage of cinematographers will be able to take full advantage of it. The masters are able to get every last drop of image quality out of any camera they use. Everytime I'm around one of them I feel...so far away from their skill level.

In other words, get a camera that you can use now. Shoot all the time. These great cinematographers got that way by shooting on any camera they could get their hands on. ultimately a lot of it is about lights anyway. good lighting and light control overcomes many camera limitations.
 
Next stop Red store. Of course your all 100% right. And to quote Eastwood.... "I'm not getting any younger". Bob's comments get framed and posted above my door.
 
Seems like you have already made your (good) decision, but just to help you feel better...

1) Personally, I doubt Dragon will be available for Scarlet as soon as you might think. RED has a way of being.. ummm... late.
2) Dragon for Scarlet will likely be pricey. No one outside of RED knows what capabilities it will add but my sense id that it will raise the level of Scarlet performance much closer to Epic and, for that, you will have to PAY!
3) Shooting Scarlet right now is too much fun to forego. As soon as yours arrives and you start to shoot with it, you will KNOW that you made the right decision.

Have a ball! :thumbsup:
 
Don't forget, that if you wait for a Scarlet with a Dragon in it, it will very likely be more expensive than a Scarlet is now. Just like how the R1 was 17k and now that it has the MX it is 25k. The price will be built into it in the future, it just depends on if you want to have the camera now while you wait for Dragon, or wait for it until then. It also depends on if you have a camera you are happy with and what you will do with the money while it sits waiting for a Scarlet with Dragon to be released.
 
Daniel Meador said:
Well, I saved my $20k for a full fledged working Scarlet X. So that's exciting! But I worry about having to spend $$$ to upgrade to the new Dragon sensor that's coming. It's not that far off. I know I'm not the only one in this boat. I know renting is an option but I live far from camera rental facilities so that can make it difficult. So I'll probably wait. Like I have for the last 3 years. Any thoughts??? :willy_nilly:
Click to expand...

It is far off. Can you wait 2 years for it or do you want to have a camera and actually produce something? The Dragon sensor should be called the unicorn sensor - it doesn't actually exist yet in the real world so stop dreaming of this magical sensor that will make your script good and go get a scarlet, or a fs100 for that matter, and get out there and do something.
 
go for it

go for it

I pulled the plug on my scarlet a days ago. I had a hard time deciding scarlet, red one, wait for scarlet and dragon, etc. I am much happier getting my scarlet and being able to shoot countless shorts, features, web videos, etc in the time i wait for the dragon, rather than sit around and wait. Also i put $10,000 in a jar for the dragon, lets hope its no more than that or im screwed :)
 
Only facts on timeline I know are:

"Dragon upgrades will not begin until the end of this year. EPICs are 1st."
"Scarlet upgrades won't begin until 2013. 1st EPIC upgrades begin end of this year."

So by the end of 2013, there could be around 4000 epics to be upgraded ... so at 500 a month (assuming this December is when the upgrades really start at full volume) ... i'd think most scarlet people would start seeing major volume of upgrades in like ... July 2013. I'd be happy if my upgrade happened in August of 2013 - which is over a year from now. I think if you have a movie to shoot, renting a red one mx is at a great price point.

I'm learning so much on my scarlet, it is so completly awesome ... i couldn't image waiting a year. Another good thing of having the epics converted first is it gets the production at volume, therefore reducing the cost of the scarlet upgrades. Also I think it would be confusing selling Epic-x's with the current sensor while scarlets are being upgraded dragon (thus they really need to get the entire epic production moved over to the dragon before the scarlet upgrades can happen anyway). To me the tougher decision is whether to buy epic at the 50k price point, or go with the current scarlet ... if that isn't a option based on how much you have to spend ... no reason not to buy the scarlet right now(given that you have a project to do that needs a scarlet or red one).
 
Steve is 100% correct, it's about lighting. Scarlet is an amazing camera, but if you can't light, your images won't look that good.
 
I don't want to upset anyone, but the Scarlet Dragon Upgrade is still not decided. Think about it for a second: there is no information on pricing. And that is key!
The upgradeability in obsolescence obsolete is: buy your gear, and if newer technology comes out, switch that part and don't buy a whole new camera. But that also means, you could be buying a new brain. I know RED is trying everything to make the upgrade possible. But if the upgrade costs the same as getting a new brain or is close to it, that just doesn't make any sense. So we will just have to wait and see for an announcement.

Don't hold your breath: go shoot! With whatever is possible right now. You might be waiting a year or longer.
And maybe your dream kit won't be $20K but maybe the brain might already cost around $15-17K ... who knows?

Ché was shot on preproduction RED ONEs. Literally millions of films were shot with 24, 25 or 30p. what is holding you back?
 
Bare bones to start....
scarlet X with SSD side mount
EVF
15" touchscreen
RedBrick
SSD 1.8" RedMag
RedStation RedMag
Matte Box with cage
AC power supply

Use Still glass and when it's called for....
Rent PL lens (breathe when pulling focus!) and rent a Ti PL mount. LensRental.com has the mount for $143 for 6 days.
 
Daniel Meador said:
Bare bones to start....
scarlet X with SSD side mount
EVF
15" touchscreen
RedBrick
SSD 1.8" RedMag
RedStation RedMag
Matte Box with cage
AC power supply

Use Still glass and when it's called for....
Rent PL lens (breathe when pulling focus!) and rent a Ti PL mount. LensRental.com has the mount for $143 for 6 days.
Click to expand...

When i got my package, it came with a AC adapter... Dont buy one separately.
Aslo you forgot the brick needs a connector...
 
Hmmm, for a barebones kit i would skip the evf and instead of going the redbrick-route i would take the sidehandle + dual- or quad-battery-module with a few redvolts. IMHO the sidehandle is a must, really. ;)
 
Timothy Carr said:
When i got my package, it came with a AC adapter... Dont buy one separately.
Click to expand...
If your on a tripod or jib, the AC works real nice. Scarlet goes through power so much that running on just a few batteries is difficult for a shoot, and all that battery & connector stuff add's up super quick. If you want a pro looking feature look ... I'd buy the TI PL mount and get a 18-50 Red Pro Zoom - with that you'd be fixed to make a indie or short. Also would be awesome for corporate work.
 
Getting sharp focus is my concern for using an EVF, especially on exterior shots. Can I get by with just an attached monitor instead? What about all that sunlight reflection off the screen in exterior shots? I will do the TI PL mount and red pro zoom. I like that. As far as power, I won't have access to a wall jack with all the country shooting Ill be doing. So I'm going to have to stock up on red bricks or redvolts for that, unless someone has a better idea. I'd really like to get to the showroom at Red Studios but just can't.
 
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