There has actually been so much talk about the Red Scarlet- X for so long now, that it practically hard to believe the important things in fact exists. For three years we have actually been finding out about this ever-changing electronic camera of wonder, and it almost seems like a mythical legend now. But see, the important things exists, and I happen to have number 303. So why do I have a cam I swore I ‘d never ever buy? Well… RED is a different company. Not just since of their product, but I believe mostly since of their users. It’s marketing genius actually. Their “you can’t have it” viral push developed a cult following. The wait time was absolutely crazy for this video camera. Years of talk, and years of RED-fans speculating on the web about an electronic camera turned me off to the company. I simply didn’t want to be associated with all the hype … it was like a RED gang out there. At the end of the day, its a cam, it’s not a faith.
Their semi-rediculous reduser.net website is a great concept, but when you have countless individuals going over video cameras they have actually never used, it is difficult to cut through the talk and find what you are trying to find. However once again, marketing and image is a big part of RED, and the social aspect of reduser.net works extremely well for them. Sorry I’m rambling … back to the video camera.
This may sound insane, but I decided to buy the Scarlet-X since of interest. Yes, interest expense me over $20K. I was so sick of hearing all the hype, all the bad evaluations, followed by all the great evaluations, followed by all the RED worshipers, that I simply required to find out for myself. I have had it about 24 hr now. And all I can say is, I enjoy this electronic camera.
The Scarlet – X has its caveats, yes, but the good absolutely outweighs the bad. Here are a few rumors that I can assist clear up.
RUMOR 1) The Scarlet – X costs 10K.
False. To have a working rig that is acceptable genuine shoots, you are dropping 20K without glass.
REPORT 2) The RED workflow is extremely hard and lengthy.
False. You might not wish to do it on a laptop computer, however a basic system without a red-rocket is great. You pack the footage, you transcode at a rate of about 5:1, you edit, whats the huge deal? If you need on-set dailies, yes, you may need a rocket, but keep in mind movie?!? Why are we complaining here?
REPORT 3) It has bugs, and you are always dealing with issues. You need to always have a backup RED.
Well, yes, it has done a few things that I was worried about … but it’s a computer. They crash sometimes. Film used to jam sometimes too. It’s simply the nature of the beast. Turn it off, turn it back on, it’ll be fine much like your computer in your home. I do have a backup on all shoots. However you can most likely manage with a DSLR body on set just in case. This will buy you a long time if you do wind up having electronic camera problems.
RUMOR 4) The battery life is horrible
True, however Dionics make life simpler. For portable quickies, use the Redvolts for 20 minutes or two. The 40 miunute Redvolt thing is not true. Prepare for 25 minutes, and purchase least four. For everything else, dionics all the method.
REPORT 5) RED customer support is dreadful
Every email I composed to RED was reacted to within a couple hours, and without any bad attitude. So, for me this is un-true.
FINALLY RUMOR 6) The video is incredible
Utterly real. I took this out the other day in the absolute worst lighting conditions ever and striven about 30 minutes in my backyard. It was snowing, flat light, overcast, and dark; the image is still good. I am quite amazed at the quality of the Scarlet – X, and the frame getting element is important to me (remember frame grabbing is not always do-able depending on subject and shutter speeds, more on that later). In other words, I’m happy my interest took control of, and I bought this rig. I anticipate seeing it’s true abilities. Here are the very first test shots on identification number 303.
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