» Posts Tagged ‘scarlet’

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As we await the first footage from the DRAGON sensor (we’ve already been given some still images, but nothing was shown at NAB 2013), upgrades are already happening. Some of the first cameras to be upgraded, EPIC-Ms, were given the royal treatment right on the NAB floor where RED set up a clean room to give attendees a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of what goes into camera upgrades. It was definitely one of the more spectacular displays of just how far the company has come since their first appearance at NAB 2006. We know RED is upgrading sensors for current EPIC and SCARLET owners, but what exactly will this cost, and might it actually be more cost-effective to sell your camera and buy DRAGON brand new? Click through for specs and a complete analysis on all prices. More »

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RED is on a roll. With a stream of new products just announced, it seemed that they had done their damage for the day. However, now we’ve also got confirmation that not only is the Dragon finally ready, but that the Scarlet will be able to be outfitted with the new sensor. This is huge news for both EPIC and SCARLET owners alike. Read below for the scoop on the new update program. More »

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The RED EPIC and SCARLET cameras are impressive feats of engineering when you consider what’s been squeezed into such a tiny package, but the downside to the small size is that internal heat can become an issue. When the camera is in danger of overheating, the fans ramp up to a much higher speed, which some have referred to as sounding like a “hair dryer” or “vacuum cleaner.” It doesn’t take an audio engineer to understand that this could be a problem on set, and it’s quite easy for a take to be ruined by the fans. Well, all of these issues are about to be history as it looks like RED has solved the problem. More »

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While companies like Sony and Canon are just starting to offer their first affordable 4K cameras, RED is forging ahead to even higher resolutions. 5K is so 2012. Thanks to RED we’re about to get 6K. But it’s not all about resolution, we’re also getting other improvements with their new Dragon sensor, including better sensitivity and more dynamic range (Dragon will likely surpass the best 35mm film stocks with the latter). With all of these advancements comes a potential data headache for any working professional — what are we going to do with all of this data? RED and Sony both work in compressed RAW formats, but 4K compressed RAW is still a lot of data, and 5K pushes that even further. How will we deal with 6K RAW? According to CEO Jim Jannard, that’s where the power of RED’s wavelet codec comes into play. More »

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Jannard and Co. have been quiet for a while now except for the occasional firmware update. When the guys at RED aren’t talking with users on their forum into the wee hours of the morning, there is a sure bet that something is brewing. We got our first image of the spectacular dynamic range of the sensor (which looks to be well over 14 stops), and now Jarred Land has posted some of the first still images taken from 6K (6000 x 3000 pixels) 86fps footage. More »

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We already know what the Canon 5D Mark III can do, and there’s a good bet you’ve seen plenty of RED SCARLET videos online, but why such a cost difference between the two? Obviously one only shoots 1080p in H.264 but can be pushed quite a bit in lower light, and one can go all the way up to 4K at 24fps in RAW, but its ISO can’t be pushed quite as far. What if the stuff you’re shooting is just going to the web, do you really need all that extra resolution and detail? Will it make a difference in the end? Check out a test below from Robureau comparing the two cameras visually. More »

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While PDN (Photo District News) is an excellent source of photography related information, they have only just begun dabbling in high-end digital cinema. They just recently finished off their list of ‘Photo Gear of the Year,’ and on that list happens to be the RED SCARLET — which was actually introduced in November 2011 but didn’t start finding its way into the hands of users until December 2011 and well into 2012. It’s an interesting choice, for sure, but I’m sure part of it has to do with cost (it’s still half the price of EPIC), and the other part is that you can pull great still images from the video. More »

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It may be 2013 in many places around the world already, but it probably feels like a whole bunch of holidays wrapped into one over at RED. The company has been somewhat quiet about their Dragon sensor over the last few months, but thanks to the CEO Jim Jannard we’ve been getting details here and there throughout 2012 about the sensor. It’s claimed that it will be able to achieve over 15 stops of dynamic range, and they are trying to back up that claim with a dynamic range chart showing what appears to be that, and possibly more. More »

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Things are moving fast in the world of digital cinema. Just a few years ago DSLRs were about the only affordable way to get a cinema quality image, but now we’ve got plenty of camera options under $20,000 that would have cost well over $100,000 just five years ago. We’ve already shared with you a rather comprehensive RED buying guide, and now we have a wonderful digital cinema buying guide from Ryan E. Walters. He covers everything you need to know about putting together a camera package, and gives personal experience about the package he is planning to put together.

This is a guest post by Cinematographer Ryan E. Walters. More »

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Up until recently, there wasn’t much competition for PL style lenses at the lower budget level. If you were lucky, some used Super Speeds or Standard Speeds would be a good catch. Now we’ve got brand new cinema lenses from Canon right in this range, the CN-E lenses, and even though they aren’t PL mount, they cross off the other checkboxes in regards to giving you a professional solution. The team over at Magnanimous Media got a hold of the CN-E 24mm T/1.5, 50mm T/1.3, and 85mm T/1.3 primes from Canon, and compared them in a brief, unscientific test against the equivalent still lenses from Canon, the 24mm F/1.4, 50mm F/1.2, and 85mm F/1.2. Click through to watch their results. More »

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One NoFilmSchool writer happens to own a RED SCARLET. Now there are two. Ryan already discussed his purchase back in November last year, so if you came here from Twitter or somewhere else and you’re confused why this post is happening a year after he bought one…well…this is your answer. Back when RED had their one-time-only Battle-Tested SCARLET deal, I pulled the trigger, and have not looked back since. This post isn’t an attempt to enrage DSLR users or DIYers, or encourage RED-haters — because I’ve used and owned every brand that exists (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, etc.) and I can find positives and negatives about all of them. As a writer for a website with a very diverse audience, however, I thought I had an obligation to explain why I made such a major monetary decision. More »

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RED just recently announced a significant firmware update, and in what will surely be music to the ears of many, according to Jarred Land of RED, the costs for their raw stock of SSDs has gone down dramatically. Therefore they will be lowering the prices across the board for REDMAGs. Since RED uses proprietary firmware and housings with their drives (unlike say Blackmagic with their Cinema Camera), the only choice EPIC and SCARLET owners have is to use RED-branded media. But when are they coming and how much will the price drop be? More »

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One of the great advantages to shooting RAW is that nothing is permanent. If you’ve shot with a RED One, RED Scarlet, or RED Epic, you’ve experienced the liberating feeling of knowing that the changes you can make in the color grade are virtually limitless. If you’ve got a specific look that you’ll be applying in post with Scarlet or Epic, it can be tough to know how you should be lighting without seeing that look in the camera monitor. It can be especially helpful for other crew members who might have a hard time visualizing and seeing what the final product will be. Well, here’s a simple tutorial from RED on creating those looks and then displaying them in-camera: More »

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I mentioned previously that I’d shot a micro-short to test out the RED SCARLET, and here it is. To put the camera through its paces, we wanted to use it in a real-world setting instead of shooting charts in a studio — but we also didn’t have the time or budget to put together a “real” short. What we set out to make (and what we ended up with) is something more than a series of test shots, and something less than a proper short. This was a no-budget, quick production on which everyone donated their time. Let me know what you think! More »

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RED has finally opened up ordering for the EPIC-X (until now, it was only available for RED ONE owners). Also, as previously mentioned, RED will be raising prices on a number of items starting January 1st, 2012 — including the SCARLET. Here’s how the prices are changing. More »

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I’ve had my RED SCARLET-X for about a week now, but am still waiting for some third party batteries which got unexpectedly delayed. Thankfully, Tonaci Tran (who was the first person to get his hands on a RED SCARLET-X and was also the first to post footage from it) has written up his first impressions, and shared feature film footage from the SCARLET. I also have some initial thoughts of my own based on running the camera on AC power. Here’s the new clip posted by Tonaci, and my own thoughts so far: More »

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On Wednesday my RED SCARLET-X camera showed up at the door, serial number 00072. I posted a quick picture to Twitter but had nothing more to say about it, given I’m waiting for some necessary accessories (this is on me, not RED, given I ordered third party batteries and don’t have access to any PL glass at the minute). But just as I’m getting my RED, Philip Bloom has given up his. Here’s what happened: Philip had originally written a very balanced post about why to get — and why not to get — a RED SCARLET-X. REDUSER exploded with negative reactions, and Philip started receiving emails from a “higher up” at RED: More »

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Continuing their head-to-head matchup, manuals for both the RED SCARLET-X and Canon C300 cameras have been released. Neither of these cameras are available widely yet — the SCARLET-X is just beginning to ship in volume (including my own), whereas the C300 has another month or so before it’s shipping. Therefore one of the ways to get a virtual hands-on with either camera is to RTFM. More »

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Events transpired quickly during Canon and RED’s dual announcements on Thursday night, so now that the dust has settled, what are people saying about the RED SCARLET-X (left) and Canon EOS C300 (right), other than the fact that they’re basically the same price? More »

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In a post about the new RED SCARLET-X, I mentioned that I ordered the camera myself. First of all, some context: I’ve been a “professional” in video (since apparently we need to distinguish between professional and amateur) since I was hired as a video editor in 1999, at the age of 18. Since then, save my four year stint in college, I’ve made my living in and around the industry, shooting, editing, directing, producing, designing, etc. for hire (here’s a resume). Yet I’ve never owned a “professional” camera. So I got all excited on Twitter about the prospect of finally being able to own and operate a camera of the SCARLET-X’s caliber, after twelve years of working my way up to this point. But I’ve been surprised at the number of people who have left comments questioning this decision, accusing me of misspending the Man-child Kickstarter funds, or writing critiques with me at the center. So here are a dozen points of clarification: More »