hvx vs scarlet

Yes, the HPX-170 is supposedly shipping this week and Scarlet is even further away from the reality of being able to purchase one. Yes, Jim will change it for the better but I suspect that most of us will not have one until about this time next year. Waiting to a produce a project based upon the availability of the Scarlet is sheer self-delusion.

Now we don't even know exactly what it will be or when we will be able to buy one.

I am with Luis, buy a 170 and make lots of money. Scarlet may happen one day. Or it may not. In the economy we are entering, who knows what is going to happen? Experts are saying that what our economy is going through right now is unprecendented in the history or our country so I hope that upstarts like RED can even survive.

Best,

Dan
 
One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is that the Scarlet is using a CMOS sensor which will be subject to the same rolling shutter issues as other cameras such as the EX1. I think depending upon the kind of work you do with the camera a Scarlet may actually end up turning out worse footage. I wrestled with the EX1 vs HVX debate until I understood what the strengths of each sensor type are. I shoot mostly action sports and some weddings / events. I know for me that while I might consider purchasing a Scarlet as a second camera I can't imagine replacing the HVX with it but that (to me) depends upon the kind of shooting you do.
 
Stickman, you also need to be aware that the EX1 is essentially a first generation CMOS sensor(as far as XDCAM goes). Manufactures are working every day to reduce the read-reset times on the CMOS sensors, and when this gets fast enough, there should be no rolling shutter issues. Jim knows this and has been working on it since the RED ONE was released, which is why there has been so much discussion on the RED forums about the Mysterium X and the Monstro sensors that Jim is working on. Those will be 2nd and 3rd generation sensors which will be released in the Scarlet and Epic(whatever those two turn out to be), and I find it impossible to imagine that they would put out footage that will be "worse" than the EX1. Keep your fingers crossed, but I imagine we are in for a very pleasant surprise.(Me being optomistic)
 
The Musician:

Thanks for educating us about these new sensors. I have shot quite a bit with the EX-1 and the rolling shutter issues are a big deal for me and the type of work that I do. I don't own the EX-1, but do own an HVX-200 that is being replaced with an HPX-170.

I really like the way CMOS imagers look, my old DSLR, the Nikon D-80 used a CCD and my newer DSLR, the Nikon D-300 uses a CMOS imager and I like the look of the CMOS better. But for motion capture, those rolling shutter defects are pretty tough to work around in certain shooting situations so it's good to know that the market is addressing this.

Looking forward to the Scarlet, whatever it will be!

Dan
 
Stickman, you also need to be aware that the EX1 is essentially a first generation CMOS sensor(as far as XDCAM goes). Manufactures are working every day to reduce the read-reset times on the CMOS sensors, and when this gets fast enough, there should be no rolling shutter issues. Jim knows this and has been working on it since the RED ONE was released, which is why there has been so much discussion on the RED forums about the Mysterium X and the Monstro sensors that Jim is working on. Those will be 2nd and 3rd generation sensors which will be released in the Scarlet and Epic(whatever those two turn out to be), and I find it impossible to imagine that they would put out footage that will be "worse" than the EX1. Keep your fingers crossed, but I imagine we are in for a very pleasant surprise.(Me being optomistic)

That's a good point. I guess (like has already been said) we will have to wait and see. I also seriously doubt it won't be better than the EX1 but whether the read-reset times can be improved enough for me to "upgrade" from the HVX, we will have to wait and see. I hope they are because it would be nice to have the higher resolution without the sacrifice. Right now I have chosen to sacrifice a bit of sharpness in order to avoid the issues that the EX1 has due to rolling shutter. At the very least the Scarlet should push the market even further to delivering higher-end features at better prices and if for no other reason than that people should be excited about it.
 
I was looking at that iguana shot they threw up. If you look at the darkest and brightest parts of the lizard you can't really tell where the detail falls off. I think that speaks as to image quality.

My concern is that shooting with Scarlet will be a big PITA. That would be disappointing, but it would still be cinema-quality footage in a small, comparatively cheap package--which is why I bought an HVX at the time I did. I was also swayed because of the 60p function. So giving me even more fps makes me want this camera. That's a lot of camera for whatever the money, fairly portable too, I think I would learn how to deal.

My other, lesser concern right now is what if I get this camera whatsis or that camera whozit, will I be able to use it with a RED if I somehow make that jump? Probably not. That's got me pricing a new edit rig and light kits rather than camera gear. But with a Scarlet? Maybe.

But I'd probably keep my HVX around as backup.
 
Yeah that Iguana shot is sick. Its so real it almost looks fake and like you said, the dark to light transition is soo smooth.
 
thing about red is availability once a product is released. last i spoke to the folks at red, it was still 6 months to get a red one in hand.
 
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