DvSLRs and RED Scarlet
 

So, the big RED October 30th announcement is being made, and it's not looking all that good for the Scarlet (3K for $3k, soccer mom, everything you need except the memory card) crowd. Prices (and features) are going up, it's more modular (which generally adds cost), and details won't be released until the end of next month.

One bright spot is that the Canon electronic lens mount (at least for EPIC/TATTOO) is real.

This leads me to this conclusion: buy a Canon, rent a Scarlet.

By purchasing a 7D/5D/1D and some lenses and other kit, we can make great stuff and hone our skills. But we're stuck with this pesky rolling shutter and aliasing. Oh well. It's good enough for the web and for many clients and applications.

But the day you want to produce that special project, rent a Scarlet/EPIC and use the kit and lenses (and rental lenses) that you have experience with. The resolution will rock. The aliasing will be gone. There will be little skew. You can shoot super slow-mo. You can grade it to death. You just won't own it, if you're in the original Scarlet target market.

The DvSLR is the Scarlet of 2009.

And who knows what we will see introduced at NAB in April? I'll be really surprised if we don't see DvSLR sensors in video bodies.

Anyway, that's how I see things unfolding. Own the DvSLR. Plan to rent a Scarlet as needed. Wait and see how the pro video market integrates DvSLR technology...

Well put, I'd just add that Canon may be able to keep RED on the run. Given a year (or two, because "all things in life change"), will aliasing be put to rest? Will we have raw video? I'm clutching my 5D's tightly now...

Sideline Sitter
 

I have been making films with my "shooting partner" Chris Barcellos who has a 5D, for some time. We use mainly the 5D and ocasionally my Z-1 and he keeps asking when I am gettting a 7D or a DSLR.

I keep saying that I think we are on the cusp of some very rapid advances in this market. The biggest things I think that will hold it back is memory technology and transfer rates, and the actual market share to be protected by each manufacturer.

As to the latter, would Canon, for instance, make a major improvement in the DSLR and eliminate a big part of its Videocamera market in one swoop? I doubt it.

Yet, the cracks in the citadel are evident.

Will we have a full 35mm or AVS sensor camera with actual 1080 line resolution and 4:2:2 colorspace capability at $5K or under price anytime soon? I dunno... but for now prefer to sit on the sidelines and watch this exciting story develop.

Like Jon intimates... invest in good glass you can use on a go forward basis. Everything else is changing fast.

Chris Swanberg

ps. I know the 5D actual resolution is NOT fantastic on a resolution chart, but speaking for my eyes, it produces some prety damned incredible images not hitherto createable by amateur/semi-Pro and Indie filmakers using equipment available to them - and then there are the LOW light capabilities (carried even further to a place unimaginable until now by the newest Canon Pro DSLR 1D)

I don't know why anyone is even remotely surprised by this RED announcement. I've been calling the Scarlet a $10k camera since it was announced. You just can't do it for what the initial announcement said. Unless you use it as a loss leader.

Honestly, there are a LOT of folks that would pay $10k for a 2/3 scarlet. And I think that is EXACTLY the right market for it. Target it right at the EX3, HPX300, and similar cams. The upper end amateur/low end pro guys who'd actually be able to use it, can handle the 3k post and grading, can buy the lenses, and who might want to move up in the product line on purchase or rental. The sub-$5k market is not where RED should be playing. Leave that to Canon/Nikon, and maybe Sony if they want to play there.

I would have GLADLY paid another 4k for the Scarlet over the EX1 had it been available. I've got another 3 years to wait now though. Unless I get a monster job in the mean time.

whew... I was worried about you getting one. As I look around my edit room here I see about four of the lenses you leant me lying around. I was beginning to worry I would have to make some other arrangements.

IMO (and perhaps only IMO) we owe RED a great debt of gratitude for thinking big and giving the shooting public what they deserve. This industry has been stuck in a rut for 30 years, and only moved on from 480i because of government mandate. Were it not for Jim Jannard and the RED team, we would still be marveling at how great it was to get HDV at 1080i for $10k. Sony's "innovation" is to re-brand beta every few years and charge $50k for the privilege.

I have shot with RED, and I have to agree with you, it is not the sunshiny smiles that the fanboys claim it to be. I expect Scarlet to be (a) more expensive than we like, (b) later than we like, and (c) less user friendly. But for a company that a mere three NAB's ago was made up of a guy who owned a sunglass company and a dream, I am damn impressed with how far they've come.

And without them, I honestly believe there would be no 5D, no EX-3, no 60p HD anything, and no looking forward to 3k, 4k, or really anything outside of 1440x1080. They scared the shit out of the industry, and we owe them our thanks.

it's not just your opinion Mike - I think you're right. we do owe Jim a lot, he has poked the big boys in the eye and made them take notice - it's an exciting time

Pricing, specs and schedule for Scarlet are released on November 30th. They've upped the specs of Scarlet because of the success of 5D/7D. This is a good thing for everybody. More choice and competition results in better tools that are affordable for everyone. Why complain??

RED do need to offer something that the DSLRs can't or if they do Canon etc risk annoying their main market for these products - stills photographers by increasing the cost of purchasing a camera. If the market is mostly happy with the current HD video codec why increase costs by adding RAW for motion? After all, most stills photographers don't use RAW.

Absolutely. Thanks to RED and Jim Jannard, camera technology has jumped what 10, 15 years? My hat is off to him and the entire RED team.

I may never buy a RED or Scarlet but I agree that cameras like the 5D and 1D MKIV wouldn't exist without RED stirring up the pot.

I kindly disagree. I think DSLR manufacturers added video because photojournalists asked for it, and because it was not difficult to start saving the liveview stream to a file. My opinion is that RED didn't affect it. I think RED's future products may affect the actions of DSLR manufacturers, though.

Seems to me that every still photographer I've spoken with despises the fact that the option even exists on their camera.

Which makes little to no sense. Why do they mind if there is a feature on their camera that they don't use?

People like to moan.... I know loads of photographers that like the video mode, they just don't rush online to say so.

As for still photographers not using RAW, what???? Maybe wedding photographers or something, but I don't know anyone who doesn't shoot RAW.

Anyway, fair play to RED.... they might have slightly upset their fanboy indies.... but they have really treated their old customers well... the upgrade path from RED one is truly revolutionary, in terms of spec and new levels of customer service/appreciation.

I think Brian was referring to RAW video. I don't think adding RAW would necessarily add much to the cost of the camera. Just to the cost of your new CF cards!

The only thing photog's in my industry hate about DvSLRs is that now videog's have superior lens collections.