Why Red?

[Michael Levine]

I am not a professional and I do not shoot video for business / profit. However, I am an enthusiast, love cutting-edge technology, and am willing to spend 3 grand on a video camera that I will use for taking home videos, if it's the right product.

Basically, I read about the Scarlet in a magazine article and have been enthralled for months, just by virtue of the resolution and frame rate, mostly resolution.

As much as I like 'upgradability', I am on a limited budget since unlike most users here, this camera will never pay for itself. Is the 2/3" fixed scarlet the right product for me, or should I be looking to spend my money elsewhere?

Thanks for your opinions,
Michael

 

[Fredrik Callinggard]

I am on a limited budget since unlike most users here, this camera will never pay for itself. Is the 2/3" fixed scarlet the right product for me, or should I be looking to spend my money elsewhere?

If you can afford it and a decent computer with decent storage space - preferably fast and secure well then yes.

I've just realized after using one of my RED's to shoot my little 2 day old niece that I will definitely get a Scarlet fixed lens as my home user cam.

 

[Ben Holmes]

Michael. If you are the sort of person who sees the advantage of an SLR over a point-and-click, the Scarlet may be for you.

 

[Noah Kadner]

Why not wait until it's actually out first?

-Noah

 

[Harry Lipnick]

I am not a professional and I do not shoot video for business / profit. However, I am an enthusiast, love cutting-edge technology, and am willing to spend 3 grand on a video camera that I will use for taking home videos, if it's the right product.

Basically, I read about the Scarlet in a magazine article and have been enthralled for months, just by virtue of the resolution and frame rate, mostly resolution.

As much as I like 'upgradability', I am on a limited budget since unlike most users here, this camera will never pay for itself. Is the 2/3" fixed scarlet the right product for me, or should I be looking to spend my money elsewhere?

Thanks for your opinions,
Michael

Gotta be honest here: as much as it sounds like Scarlet could totally be the right cam for you, it's very unlikely you're gonna get in for 3 grand flat. If you can splurge more up to $4000 or $4500, that could get you just enough (Scarlet "kit" for 3750 plus whatever odds and ends you need), but $3000 prolly ain't gonna cut it. Again, not saying you shouldn't do it, just may be worth a couple extra months saving up.
Peace,

-Harry

 

[Matthew Blight]

You also have to remember the amount of Post work that needs to be done to the RAW footage - if you're looking to shoot a video of your kid and import into iMovie for basic cut and paste, the Scarlet may be a bit heavy for you. If you're looking for great picture quality and absolutely need to drop $3K +, there are many other prosumer cams that will give you great footage with a potentially simpler post workflow.

If you're concerned about the resolution, well, at this point there's not much out there on a consumer level that will display higher than 1080p, so really unless you're using the Scarlet for film-out it may be a little bit of overkill. Not saying that it's not needed in some instances, but a 3K version of something like filming a birthday party is somewhat unnecessary.

My 2 cents.

Matthew

 

[Michael Levine]

Michael. If you are the sort of person who sees the advantage of an SLR over a point-and-click, the Scarlet may be for you.

Actually, you've hit the nail right on the head. I don't have the budget for the top-of-the line anything. But I always look at prosumer over anything point-and- shoot. Yes, I have an SLR. My home machine is a mid-range Dell workstation.

That being said, I still like to shoot in program mode, most of the time. I just like the quality and control of professional equipment. What I just want to make sure is that I'm not buying something outrageous for home use.

Thanks for your help and comments.

Michael

 

[Michael Levine]

You also have to remember the amount of Post work that needs to be done to the RAW footage - if you're looking to shoot a video of your kid and import into iMovie for basic cut and paste, the Scarlet may be a bit heavy for you. If you're looking for great picture quality and absolutely need to drop $3K +, there are many other prosumer cams that will give you great footage with a potentially simpler post workflow.

If you're concerned about the resolution, well, at this point there's not much out there on a consumer level that will display higher than 1080p, so really unless you're using the Scarlet for film-out it may be a little bit of overkill. Not saying that it's not needed in some instances, but a 3K version of something like filming a birthday party is somewhat unnecessary.

My 2 cents.

Matthew

The workflow is a valid point, but everyone has their hobbies, I'm not phased particularly by that. I am well aware that displays can't display the full resolution of the camera, but I'd rather downsample today and have the footage there for tomorrow. Or be able to crop and zoom to better compose shots, where necessary. That's not to say I want this camera to justify poor filming - but that's just an extra benefit now.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Matthew Blight]

Hi Michael,

I'm actually the same way, I don't expect to earn any money from my (future) Scarlet, but I'm one hell of a hobbyist/amateur and expect to use it to it's full potential. You can understand my argument though; despite past marketing by Red, I don't believe this is the type of camera for a soccer-mom or point-and-shoot type of user.

Good talking,

Matthew

 

[Ralph B.]

RED has stated that you will be able to shoot completely in auto as well as take control of everything with the fixed SCARLET. RED is a smart group of people that listens more closely than most companies, I have confidence in them and there ability to deliver a high quality product. Given all the different ways to utilize it, I believe that the fixed SCARLET would be a camera that could suit your needs. Luckily you have some time and more details to come out before you make your decision. Mine is already made up!

 

[Michael Levine]

RED has stated that you will be able to shoot completely in auto as well as take control of everything with the fixed SCARLET. RED is a smart group of people that listens more closely than most companies, I have confidence in them and there ability to deliver a high quality product. Given all the different ways to utilize it, I believe that the fixed SCARLET would be a camera that could suit your needs. Luckily you have some time and more details to come out before you make your decision. Mine is already made up!

From everything that I have read - all of the responses to this thread as well as all the other threads I have read - it seems like this is quite the product.

I guess the final question before my mind is completely made up would be - is it a sacrifice to go with the fixed lens version? To be frank, my Nikon lenses are not particularly high quality, and from what I understand, there are quality issues in terms of vignetting, cropping, etc. using SLR lenses with the 2/3" sensor. That being said, I also don't want to box myself in.

So, it seems like fixed is the way to go, but in my situation - am I giving up anything?

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Michael Levine]

Gotta be honest here: as much as it sounds like Scarlet could totally be the right cam for you, it's very unlikely you're gonna get in for 3 grand flat. If you can splurge more up to $4000 or $4500, that could get you just enough (Scarlet "kit" for 3750 plus whatever odds and ends you need), but $3000 prolly ain't gonna cut it. Again, not saying you shouldn't do it, just may be worth a couple extra months saving up.
Peace,

-Harry

The $3000 was just intended to contrast against a $500 consumer point-and-shoot. I do realize that you numbers are more realistic. Yup, a couple more months of saving.

 

[Steven Swigart]

To the OP:

The Panasonic GH1 HD DMSC might be a more ideal camera for you. As it will be more affordable, and has a sensor that is about three times as big as the 2/3.

With the Red Scarlet the image will be uncompressed, and for just an enthusiast taking home video, that might be too much data for you to work with. With the RED workflow you would need a top of the line computer, which would add about another 2-3k to your budget.

The Panasonic GH1 footage will be compressed, but it should be enough to work with for a strong enthusiast, and even some lower end payed gigs. Plus you can get more control of DOF with the bigger sensor. And you could use Nikon lenses on a GH1, where you could not really use them on a 2/3'' sensor that often.(unless you wanted a tele)

I'm excited about the RED Scarlet 2/3'', but it's going to have tough competition with the GH1. Both camera's have full manual controls.

Go for RED if you need the RAW footage. Go for GH1 if you want more control of DOF, cheaper price, and a less professional camera.

 

[Steven Swigart]

The Scarlet 2/3'' will be a cool camera for certain needs. But it will cost around 10K to get the really rad, S35 system, which virtually has no competition.

For cameras under 3K though, there will be much competition from DSLRs. So it will depend on your needs. (Do NOT go for the Canon 500D (t1i), it has a crippled video function; but look out for the D400)

I shoot with the D90 as an enthusiast (aspiring grad student) now, and love it. Although it has many limitations, and I look forward to either getting a RED or the GH1 next, depending on my future projects.