This is the very first public footage of a working Red Scarlet Fixed Lens camera. I’m currently at Red Studios helping with the Santa Fe 3d Workshop with Geoff Boyle. Just as I am sitting there…in comes Jarred with a WORKING Red Scarlet 8X fixed camera! Naturally I was dying to hold the camera. As Jarred passed it to me, he told me I was the first public person to hold a working Red Scarlet. Let me tell you folks, it is real and is working. The Scarlet I was holding had the 5inch lcd touchscreen. The lens gear ring which can be set to zoom, iris or focus is buttery smooth. QUALITY. The electronic zoom works like a charm. I used the up-down rocker on the camera to zoom in on a Jeep in the parking lot (though I was “Mr. Shakey” due to the sheer excitement of finally getting to hold the Red Scarlet.) Justin O’Neill and I got to see it for a mere brief moment and off it went back to the vault. This should be comforting to those who may fear that RED wouldn’t have time for the Scarlet with all the Epic buzz going on. This gives me more confidence that the Red Scarlet is definitely around the corner. I have been really lucky to have held both the Epic and Scarlet. The Scarlet is lighter in weight than the Epic even with the fixed lens. This is due to the Scarlet body being more narrow. The weight felt very good and the camera felt rugged. Touch screen controls were functional. Enjoy! tonacitran.com
HDW : Interesting but I think Panasonic and Sony have taken the lions share of REDs intended market with the very popular AF101 and the F3 due in January 2011, both cameras with interchangeable lenses unlike Scarlet with an 8x fixed lens !
RED have their following but don’t have the production might of Panasonic or Sony, I have my doubts having a fixed lens that Scarlet has the appeal for DPs or photographers, it’s just too limiting, knowing the AF101 was in the offering at £4000 you would think Jim and his team would have changed direction and made Scarlet an interchangeable lens camera.
UPDATE : Jim Jannard has said in the Reduser.net forums that for their most humble camera offering, “the features have changed as has the price. I’ll update in the next two weeks.”It’s now the “Epic Light,” which reflects that it’s really just a compact and differently-spec’ed version of their new digital cinema camera.
Sorry to say that, HDW, but you´ve got a few things mixed up in your article. The camcorder shown in the video is indeed a Scarlet (as you can read written on the body above the lens), not the Epic Light. Only the Scarlet S35 with the larger sensor has been renamed, but not the 2/3″ series. And the fixed lens won´t be a disadvantage either, because for everyone who prefers interchangeable lenses, there will be the Scarlet body only option. This second Scarlet has been announced quite a long time ago and – maybe surprisingly when speaking about RED – nothing has changed about that.
Today I got to chance to attend a brief intro of Epic and Scarlet, at a production house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Scarlet look and feels great, but when I asked Mr. Ted of Redcam, when will it be available, I am just told end of the year,(maybe). On top of that during the demo, the Scarlet hanged twice, and had to be re-started. I was also told it should be about the price of USD6,000. With that kind of price tag, non interchangeable lens, 4/3 sensor, I might as well put my bets on the upcoming Sony NXCAM 35mm. But I must admit, the design looks great, and will surely attract attention.