Camera Blog

We all read the press release for the Red Scarlet on Monday.  For between $5,000 and $10,000 it looks like you can get yourself a pretty incredible camera that shoots 3k on a 2/3″ sensor at up to 120fps (150fps burst) in a completely modular system with multiple lens mounts, great upgrade paths, raw workflow, and a whole host of other goodies.

I’m not normally one to praise the virtues of a product that doesn’t yet exist, but I feel that I need to in this case; compared to every other sub-$10,000 camera right now, the Scarlet simply slaughters everything else in terms of features and price.  The usual comparison between the Scarlet and existing cameras is with the Canon 5D II or the 7D, but I think that is the wrong comparison to make.  This needs to be compared to the likes of the XL-H1, or the Sony XDCAMs, or the various Panasonics and JVCs.

Another way of looking at it, assuming that the Scarlet lives up to Red’s current promises, is this: If you’re going to spend $5,000 to $10,000 on a new video camera, why wouldn’t you choose the Scarlet?  Nothing else offers the pixel pitch, pixel density, framerate, or raw workflow that the Scarlet promises to deliver for the price.

I really can’t fathom what Canon’s XL-H1 team must be thinking right now.  They have a $6,000 camera that, assuming the Scarlet is released this Spring, is completely dead in the water feature-wise.  Does anyone really believe that the existing major manufacturers have new models in the pipeline that can seriously compete with the Scarlet?

This is a review of the much-anticipated Sigma DP2 compact camera that was released in May, 2009.

I hope to make it clear in both broad strokes and in great detail why this camera is: revolutionary, a hopeful sign of things to come, a success, and a big steaming pile of compromises.

Please read on for the full review.

Here’s a hint: It’s not the high-def resolution.

This video looks great for 3 reasons:

1. Tripod
2. Slow-motion
3. Manual exposure

If it were a ‘green box’ hand-held shot at 30fps you wouldn’t look twice.  Sure the framing is nice and the subject matter is pretty darned aesthetic, but it’s the extra thought that went into the production that makes this what it is.

Think of it this way: the above video is the equivilent of a well thought out dSLR shot, whereas most of the high-def footage floating around from people’s camcorders is the point-and-shoot type.

The next time you’re out filming your friends and family remember to take your time, frame your shots as if they were still photographs, and put your camera on a tripod.

(Footage is from the new Panasonic GH1)

It was only a matter of time before the video world’s heavy-hitters started to come out with direct responses to RED’s 4k RED ONE (and the upcoming Scarlet and Epic bodies), and JVC seems to be leading the march.