How Many Hours are Red's Good For?

[tommygdawg]

Hey all,

Quick question here. I'm looking at possibly picking up a used Red Scarlet at some point in the future. Having never owned or operated a Red camera, I was wondering if anyone could provide some feedback on what I should be looking for in terms of the pre-owned operation time of the camera. Any thoughts? A few hundred hours? A thousand? How many hours is too many before it becomes a better investment to just buy new? By the way, this is all assuming the camera was well-cared for.

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Paul F]

Hours are useful for mechanical items. But if a electronic device designed correctly, hours don't matter. The only time electronic devices wear out prematurely is if they run hotter than the component manufacturers specified. Think about your phone or your television or any other electronic device. Generally, they last longer than they are useful. They become obsolete before they become unreliable. Of course, there is a percentage that will fail and need repair. But that's a roulette wheel.

 

[Greg Smith]

Many cameras (and other electronic devices) have fans inside them these days, which are a continuously rotating mechanical part that can wear out. However, even rather pedestrian computer fans can last 10,000 to 20,000 hours, which is way more use than I'd expect to see on any camera of a recent enough vintage that you'd be interested in buying it. And they are usually fairly cheap and easy to replace if necessary.

Check for burns or dust on the sensor or any viewfinder screens. That, and the overall mechanical and cosmetic condition of the outside of the camera, are probably much more important indicators than the absolute number of hours it has been powered on.

- Greg

 

[tommygdawg]

Hours are useful for mechanical items. But if a electronic device designed correctly, hours don't matter. The only time electronic devices wear out prematurely is if they run hotter than the component manufacturers specified. Think about your phone or your television or any other electronic device. Generally, they last longer than they are useful. They become obsolete before they become unreliable. Of course, there is a percentage that will fail and need repair. But that's a roulette wheel.

Many cameras (and other electronic devices) have fans inside them these days, which are a continuously rotating mechanical part that can wear out. However, even rather pedestrian computer fans can last 10,000 to 20,000 hours, which is way more use than I'd expect to see on any camera of a recent enough vintage that you'd be interested in buying it. And they are usually fairly cheap and easy to replace if necessary.

Check for burns or dust on the sensor or any viewfinder screens. That, and the overall mechanical and cosmetic condition of the outside of the camera, are probably much more important indicators than the absolute number of hours it has been powered on.

- Greg

Paul, Greg. Thanks so much for the feedback, it's really helpful and I appreciate it!

 

[deltoidjohn]

What does a used Scarlet sell for these days? You'd have to be getting a pretty good deal to choose that over the upcoming Raven (unless you need the camera asap).

 

[TSDavis]

If I were you, Red offers a transfer of license service when buying used cameras that for $600 they will inspect your new camera and offer some form of limited warranty. It is well worth the money and can give you a piece of mind. If they still do it, it used to be just $100 for the camera inspection but it's worth paying to have the Red transferred to your name so you can download firmware updates and what not.