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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

State of the Scarlet MX...

Eric Santiago

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Ola folks.
Fellow Scarlet MX owner here since BT Scarlet 2012.
Any of those still kicking around?
I see the Scarlet MX has been making the rounds in the used sales section and wondering if the current owners are still hanging strong?
I have no desire to give up but of late Ive been doing more post work than actual shooting.

Share your thoughts, I would love to hear how the diehards are holding up :)
 
#29 here still kicking around. Love it. Never gone wrong. Strap on some good glass, throw it in my backpack and roll.
still_0000_layer%20162.jpg
 
William, that's a lovely image. Very film like.

IMO the Scarlet-X is still viable, at least for low budget productions. Not as much DR as the Dragon but about as much as a Blackmagic or a hybrid camera, AFAIK.
 
love my scarlet mx, use it all the time as a b-cam for epic-w.

I love the image from the scarlet, and can't see any reason to get rid of it.
 
Scarlet-X #30 still gets out and about every now and then. Upgraded it with a Top Fan and probably gonna swap the clock battery eventually.

Also, recently got a NinjaV so planning on trying 5kFF@1080p RWG/Log3G10 + IPP2 LowCon/VerySoft Roll-Off LUTs soon.
 
Still have mine #03563, love the images this camera makes still. Thought most days I'm just doing fun little film projects with my kids now because most of my work has become post production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbeo5rMweo4

Love how it handles the low-light :)

I have to shoot more with my Scarlet soon :)

I do a fair amount of post and of late its been Dragon footage.
 
Scarlet-X #30 still gets out and about every now and then. Upgraded it with a Top Fan and probably gonna swap the clock battery eventually.

Also, recently got a NinjaV so planning on trying 5kFF@1080p RWG/Log3G10 + IPP2 LowCon/VerySoft Roll-Off LUTs soon.

Looks a lot lighter than the 7" touch :)

Please send examples Mike.
 
it does handle the low light nicely;) the only light I was using was the porch light, and a few of the parking lot lights in the distance.

I haven't had the pleasure of working with any dragon, or DSMC2 Dragon footage yet... Totally missed out on the upgrade paths for the Scarlet-MX :( There is just something about the Scarlet series of cameras that I just love even though none of them are made anymore. Would love to get my hands on a scarlet dragon and scarlet weapon eventually.
 
Scarlett... died on me... No more repairs possible at red. Now it is a good looking paperweight.
 
Got around to testing the NinjaV for 5k@1080p60. Even with Open Gate/timebase set to 60p, it was a no-go. The Recorder registers it as a 1080p60 feed, and it's captured at 60p, but when slowed back to 24, it's like 24 slowed to 40% (chop city, not the liquid smooth we know and love).

As for IPP2, unless my firmware isn't the latest, it turns out while MX cameras have Log3G10 (which I knew), they only have RC4 internally (not RWG, like I thought). Using Resolve's Colour Space Transform you can go from RC4/Log3G10>RWG/Log3G10, but I'm not sure how accurate it'll be (side note: going back to RC4, I realized how much more yellow the skintones are with RWG... I actually dislike it, so I might try looking at RC4/DC2 again.)

Also wasn't able to get rec-trig to work, though I only spent 5-10mins with it.
 
Our Scarletx bought used in Jan 2013 is still in use all the time as a bcam to scarletw. 95% use is as an interview bcam for doco work (we turn the fan off). Hasnt died yet. I think we'll keep using it until it dies then proudly display it on the office shelf. Last year it was our dedicated movi camera on a short film while the scarletw did all handheld, tripod, jib and alider shots. You notice the extra 2+ stops of dr in the highlights on the dragon sensor and better color separation. But its still a really nice image.
 
Bought it a couple years ago used, and still love it. It does lack ANA mode, and sometimes the overcrank speed is too low (especially for tabletops), but the image is still reasonably good out of it. It is better then UMP, and much better than BMPCC 4k.

I do love the MX sensor more than any other recent sesor for its monochromatic grain.

https://vimeo.com/331380386

https://vimeo.com/245361431

https://vimeo.com/229147427
 
love my scarlet mx, use it all the time as a b-cam for epic-w.

Same setup here, although the Scarlet is getting edged out by the Blackmagic Pocket 4k for travel shoots - lighter and smaller, goes easier onto a slider for b-roll... especially now I have a LUT I like that matches it pretty well to the Epic.
 
I purchased #1130 day one sitting in the Amsterdam airport hitting refresh on my phone trying to get into the website. Since then this camera has been a trusted ally. Only issue I've had was the internal battery eventually wearing out. Missed opportunities to upgrade but it actually worked in my favor. I just wrapped photography on a supermarionation comedy pilot starring a 1/6 scale puppet called Senataur. The look we wanted landed on the Scarlet and a perfect marriage of lensing, filtration, lighting all put on to the MX emultion. Over 80 days of production this little champ was running without a hiccup. Shooting 5k 12fps at 3:1 it just kept gobbling it all up. I love my MX, I learned, taught, and grown with it. I've always wanted a little more with an Epic MX, full 5k frame rate etc...but. This camera kept me hungry and razor focused to pull the absolute best out of each time. Then rent up when needed. Adding Dragon color in post this baby keeps staying current.
I have other cameras, I use and need other tools for other jobs. But this one holds a special place and I hope it goes forever.
 
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