Michael Tiemann
Well-known member
I've been pouring over the charts that Brent sent out yesterday, and I've finally found the insight I was looking for. With two DRAGON cameras (an EPIC-M and a SCARLET) in my shop, I've been going over which to upgrade or not upgrade, or whether to keep them both and buy a new WEAPON as a third camera. Here's the choice that really makes things clearest for me:
1. If I upgrade SCARLET to WEAPON MG and EPIC-M to WEAPON CF, my total out of pocket costs are $61,500, with a $10,000 accessory credit (*).
2. If I purchase a new WEAPON CF package, my total cost is $67,500, with a $5,000 accessory credit (*).
Option 1 puts me in a strong but lean 2-camera position, WEAPON all the way. It also means I have to go ahead and sell some modules that don't have place in the WEAPON world. That will generate some cash, and some hassle, but it's not super-huge.
Option 2 gives me three cameras with a common sensor (a long-standing goal), albeit across different technology platforms (which might mean making some lowest-common-denominator choices when it comes to workflow).
Looking at it this way, I can finally think about the "apples-to-apples" comparison that so eluded me as I thought about all the 1:1 swaps or non-swaps that are combinatorially possible. And it helps me see much more clearly the cost-benefit tradeoffs of the question "to upgrade or not upgrade?". I can now clearly see that the question for me is whether it better to have a single WEAPON MG or an EPIC-M plus a SCARLET alongside a WEAPON CF. Now I have to make a decision before time runs out...
(*) Assuming that doesn't go away as I type this message. All thing are subject to change, after all.
1. If I upgrade SCARLET to WEAPON MG and EPIC-M to WEAPON CF, my total out of pocket costs are $61,500, with a $10,000 accessory credit (*).
2. If I purchase a new WEAPON CF package, my total cost is $67,500, with a $5,000 accessory credit (*).
Option 1 puts me in a strong but lean 2-camera position, WEAPON all the way. It also means I have to go ahead and sell some modules that don't have place in the WEAPON world. That will generate some cash, and some hassle, but it's not super-huge.
Option 2 gives me three cameras with a common sensor (a long-standing goal), albeit across different technology platforms (which might mean making some lowest-common-denominator choices when it comes to workflow).
Looking at it this way, I can finally think about the "apples-to-apples" comparison that so eluded me as I thought about all the 1:1 swaps or non-swaps that are combinatorially possible. And it helps me see much more clearly the cost-benefit tradeoffs of the question "to upgrade or not upgrade?". I can now clearly see that the question for me is whether it better to have a single WEAPON MG or an EPIC-M plus a SCARLET alongside a WEAPON CF. Now I have to make a decision before time runs out...
(*) Assuming that doesn't go away as I type this message. All thing are subject to change, after all.
