Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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http://www.red.com/nab
RED, makers of the indie filmmaker favorite RED ONE, greatly expanded their offerings of digital video cameras at NAB today. First, they introduced the EPIC, which is a higher-end (5K!) version of the ONE. It should be about $30,000, which is, of course, a steal. The coolest part? They promised to "make obsolescence obsolete" with the (4K) ONE, and they're holding out their part of the bargain - they're allowing ONE owners to trade in their cameras for the full original purchase price ($17,500) off the EPIC. I'm not exactly sure how that makes business sense but hey, I'm cool with it. But that's not what I care about. RED decided to enter the "low-end" pro camera market with SCARLET, a "pocket-sized" (if you have massive pockets) 3K digital camera. For $3,000. With the lens. I'm not sure if I'm properly conveying how awesome that is. It has a 2/3-inch "MYSTERIUM X" sensor, a 4.8" LCD, and is apparently compatible with many RED ONE accessories, despite its smaller size. Oh, and they also announced the RED RAY disc drive, which - contrary to its name - seems to be Blu-ray. Go figure. RED RAY can play back 4K (ONE) and 3K (SCARLET) video, but not 5K, leaving EPIC owners out in the cold. But they have $30,000 cameras, so somehow I think they'll survive. All of these are shipping in "early 2009," giving me about eight months to save. Anybody want a kidney? and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
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pretty awesome. i was so tempted to buy a red one. not that i had any particularly good reason to buy it, but it's just so revolutionary. i'll probably get that $3000 one though.
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I shot the sherrif.
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Is it ok the I have *no* idea wtf the original post was about?
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Thunderbolt, fuck yeah!
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Denmark
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I thought it was about those product RED things, you know; like iPods.
Guess this is the kit you lust for if you want to make a movie. $ 3,000 isn't bad for a semi-professional movie camera. |
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Selfish Heathen
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
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Not sayin', just sayin'
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Bah. Stupid megapixel myth.
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Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
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it's not just the resolution of those cameras, which is obviously impressive. the optics are great and the 24p mode is very nice. it's basically the first digital vid camera that is truly an alternative to 35mm film.
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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I bought my last camera just before the HD and tape-free explosions, so I have just a SD miniDV model. It has pretty good quality (for a consumer shooter) since it has 3 CCDs, but I'd like to get something a little more future-proof.
The SCARLET is still a little out of my budget. But I can dream. and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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Rocket Surgeon
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
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I wonder what those returned RED ONEs will sell for, and how? Interesting.
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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It might have something to do with the fact that some people/studios who ordered ONEs haven't even received theirs yet? Idunno. RED really seems like a customer-centric company, even if they sort of gouge you on the rest of their "ecosystem." and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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So, RED basically took the SCARLET and EPIC they were planning on releasing, and totally scrapped them. But their replacements are just as cool, and even more revolutionary.
The new SCARLET and EPIC feature a totally modular design - it's practically like a LEGO camera. You start with the sensor (or "brain") and just stack everything else behind it, to make a complete camera. When you want to update your camera, you just switch out the brain brick, keeping all your other old stuff exactly the same, if you wish. RED seems convinced that the best path to long-term profitability involves creating an entire RED ecosystem. They sort of did this with the RED ONE and RED RAILS, but it was never as in-depth as it is with SCARLET and EPIC. And there's four different models of both SCARLET and EPIC now. No, I'm not talking about four different combinations - there's over 2,000 trillion of those, according to RED - I'm talking about four different sensor brains to choose from with each camera. SCARLET still starts at a 2/3" 3K 120fps sensor, but you can get 5K and 6K sensors as well (6K! In a SCARLET! Only 30fps though...) The EPIC still starts at 5K, but is available in 6K, 9K, and 28K (at up to 25fps) models. Twenty. Eight. K. (The sensor is a massive 186 x 56 mm.) That will cost you $55,000, but the 3K SCARLET brain starts at $2,500. The only thing is, that's just the sensor. No lens or 4-inch LCD like the original "ZOMG 3K for $3K" SCARLET had. RED did announce a SCARLET 3K with a fixed 8X lens, but they didn't announce any pricing for that, and it won't be shipping until late next year (the other SCARLET and EPIC models start shipping in the spring and summer). So there is a bit of a price hike associated with the redesigned pick-a-brick models, but the SCARLET price especially was always a little "optimistic" (if not downright surreal) to begin with. And the new models are even more...significant, I guess? Like, instead of just seeing a lower-end and high-end RED ONE, we're seeing the true second generation of RED design. Jannard's always promised to "make obsolescence obsolete," and now, I think, we're seeing how RED plans on doing that on a more permanent basis (they can't just keep letting people trade in their RED ONEs forever). Rather, it means that you can replace the parts that you want to, and nothing more. That in and of itself is not a new idea, but I don't think it's ever been executed so thoroughly, and it's exciting, to say the least. Oh, and they also announced a 3D camera. No details. Just a pic. It's all on red.com. and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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