There’s an unconfirmed, unsourced rumor going around of a translated informal conversation with someone who may or may not work in a relevant part of Canon. The rumor states that Canon is confident in its own ability to compete with RED and that they’re “not afraid.” And there isn’t reason to be afraid, at least for products like the 7D. RED’s promise of a “Digital Still/Motion Camera” is still unfulfilled, while Canon has made significant progress with its own DSMC lines.
But unless they’ve got something pretty serious up their sleeves, RED’s Scarlet is still a threat to them, especially in the independent filmmakers market. After all, when you can have 3K digital RAW footage with serious color depth in a package the size of two cans of Sprite, the semi-pro Canon cameras start looking kind of plain. But really, it’s all wild speculation since the actual capabilities and price points haven’t been announced for the Scarlet, and Canon’s ace in the hole, if they have one, is similarly obscure.
The Canon fanboys are going off here, and the RED-heads are going off here. Go forth and flame. (Jannard responds here)
i know it’s off topic.. but how do i get rid of this awful meebo bar at the bottom of the crunchgear site. it’s slow and imho pointless.
Whatever happened to the Panasonic GH1? It’s fallen off the map. Anyway, Canon’s really made it a top priority to make their DSLRs video-worthy, and from the looks of it, they’re doing a fine job. Red needs to hurry it up already – potential customers (like myself) can only sit and wait for so long before we bite the bullet and buy a 7D or GH1.
Wellllll, the Scarlet isn’t for people who would buy either of those. It’ll cost over $2500 at least and it’ll be fixed-lens, professional codec, etc. That’s part of the reason it’s not a good idea to compare it with the 7D or GH1.
I disagree. A lot of people want Scarlet for the S35 sensor so they don’t have to use those expensive, cumbersome 35mm adapters. Before HDSLRs, Scarlet was their only hope. But now there are cameras like the 7D and there will only be even more like them. If a 7D cost $1700 and it can already do all that it does and still be a still camera, how much more would it possibly cost to repackage it in a box with a handle, a tilting LCD, XLRs and audio controls? Perhaps $2500 or $3000? For that price, it will be good enough. It will be hard to convince people to pay 3X more for an S35 Scarlet.
It’s more than just the size of the sensor. The video from a 7D is recombined, pre-compressed, low-color-depth, 1080p. No one would buy it as a real cinema camera. You can do some great stuff with it and I want one, but it’s just not even the same market as anything RED sells or plans on selling.
Different tools for different jobs.
exactly right.
Also, the Scarlett isn’t just meant to be a video camera – it’s also meant for stills. It was supposed to be revolutionary as the greatest DSMC (Digital Stills & Motion Camera). If Red wants to continue down that path with the Scarlett, they’re going to need to keep the price somewhat competitive with the other hybrids DSLRs.
I suppose all this trash talk back and forth is good for both companies getting a little extra publicity for their products. Still, the products couldn’t have less in common. I have been using Canon still cameras for around 20 years, and absolutely love my 5D. However, I would take a RED over any product Cannon offers for shooting video. Canon SLRs are still cameras with a video mode slapped on, and the RED Scarlet is a digital cinema camera with a still mode slapped on.
I don’t really think there is a big market of people who can afford a $2,000 SLR camera body and set of lenses, but who can’t afford to rent a proper digital cinema camera, nor do I think there are many people who can afford a RED rig, but who can’t afford an SLR. For the casual hobbyist I can see some appeal, and for a couple very specific situations I can see where it might be a useful feature, but I don’t see many serious enthusiasts or professionals viewing the products as being in direct competition.
I know I would like to have both.
7D is a still camera with a HD video option in it, where as Scarlet will be a 3k video camera with a still option in it.