Red One VS Scarlet?

[Optics]

Hey everyone!

I've been saving up my funds for a Red One for about a year and a half now, but with all the information recently released on the Scarlet i'm wondering if I should forget the One and just go with it instead?

My plan would be to buy the Scarlet starter kit, and then buy the brain which can shoot 5k at a later date as well as a 35mm PL lens mount.

Aside from shooting at only 30FPS on 4/5k, what are some other disadvantageous to buying the Scarlet (after upgrading and shooting at 5k) instead of the One? Are there really any? Or are they superficial?

[Mark K.]

The cameras don't exist yet, so no one can really say how they'll compare. I'd say your best bet is to do what I always do - by the best that you can afford now, and then hold on to that for as long as possible.

If you can't get the funds for an R1 together then Scarlet is almost certainly the way you should go.

[Optics]

See that's my problem though. I will be able to afford the Red One, but if the Scarlet is cheaper and just as good (shooting 5k sounds pretty damned good to me, that's higher then the One's 4k..) then I'd forget buying the one and just go with the Scarlet. I guess I underestimated the amount of information released then. Really what i'm looking for is some sort of reassurance that by buying a Scarlet instead of a One I won't be missing much. I'd really rather go with Scarlet so I could have the extra money for lenses, but I want a camera that'll last me 10-15 years, so I don't want to miss out.

[Chris Kenny]

With yesterday's update, the S35 and particularly FF35 Scarlet models are pretty unambiguously better than the Red One. The Red One does have a couple more features, like an anamorphic mode, somewhat higher 2K frame rates, and support for speed ramping. But the benefits of the new modular system and the more refined hardware (I bet the new cameras won't take 90 seconds to start up) are going to more than offset those extra features for most users. And the FF35 Scarlet gets you a larger sensor and a couple more stops of dynamic range as well.

I wouldn't count on a full package built around either of higher end Scarlet models being much cheaper than the Red One, though. Remember, the prices Red has announced are only for brains. You need to add several accessories (prices currently unknown) to match the functionality built into the Red One camera body.

[Gavin Greenwalt]

Yeah it would be much much cheaper to upgrade to the S35 EpicX Special THX Edition.

That's what ~$12k upgrade cost? For a higher res chip and more dynamic range.

The Dec 3 announcement was HUGE for RedOne owners... less huge for Scarlet shoppers and epic renters. :)

[Corrado Silveri]

(I bet the new cameras won't take 90 seconds to start up)

Chris, don't need to bet anything...

http://reduser.net/forum/showpost.php?p=302159&postcount=1

[Chris Kenny]

Chris, don't need to bet anything...

http://reduser.net/forum/showpost.php?p=302159&postcount=1

Nice.

To be totally honest, I have no real complaints about the images produced by the Red One. While more image quality is always nice to have, I'm more excited about lower weight, nicer form factor, better controls (particularly the REDmote), hot swappable batteries as a standard feature, easier lens mount swapping, two second rather than 90 second boot times, full-sized inputs and outputs without a breakout box, etc. Add all of this stuff up, and it makes a big difference on a 14 hour shooting day. Red has obviously been listening to a lot of feedback and thinking very hard about this.

[Optics]

With yesterday's update, the S35 and particularly FF35 Scarlet models are pretty unambiguously better than the Red One. The Red One does have a couple more features, like an anamorphic mode, somewhat higher 2K frame rates, and support for speed ramping. But the benefits of the new modular system and the more refined hardware (I bet the new cameras won't take 90 seconds to start up) are going to more than offset those extra features for most users. And the FF35 Scarlet gets you a larger sensor and a couple more stops of dynamic range as well.

I wouldn't count on a full package built around either of higher end Scarlet models being much cheaper than the Red One, though. Remember, the prices Red has announced are only for brains. You need to add several accessories (prices currently unknown) to match the functionality built into the Red One camera body.


Hi, thank you for your reply, it's certainly been very helpful.

From what I make of your post, it seems like I really won't be missing out if I purchase a Scarlet. Aside from shooting on a wider range of framerates, I don't see any other options that I'd find myself missing thus far, and as far as the modular design goes the only upgrades I see as necessary is the higher model brain which shoots at 5k, and a PL 35mm lens mount. Aside from that, what did the One have that i'd be lacking and would need to purchase an upgrade in order to re-obtain?

So far I'm really thinking about preparing to buy the Scarlet ready to shoot kit and upgrading as I go. Seeing as I don't own a One, the Epic will get way too pricey for me way too fast, so I'm not even going to consider it. I don't need to shoot at crazy framerates or above 5k anyway; and i'm perfectly content to shooting 16:9.