The RED Scarlet Dragon

Okay.. So, I thought it was time to step it up a bit. I have been very disappointed with Canon and it's relaxed approach to updating it's technology. I think they've been riding off on the purchases of all the 5D series and didn't think they really needed to make big jumps in technology. However, I hope they have seen all the competition making leaps and bounds around them. So, I decided to jump ship and purchase the beast, the RED Scarlet Dragon. Up to this point I was looking at my camera as a camera that primarily shoots stills and happens to shoot great video too. Now, I have to look at my camera that shoots video and happens to pull some great stills from the footage. I thought the learning curve would be quick and easy... oh how I was wrong! I have learned to hate the word NOISE. Yep.. all I got was NOISE in all my images or footage. I have stayed up for two weeks into the wee hours of the night learning how to use this thing. It's taken me countless amounts of hours and testing to finally get something I deem is worthy of print. Even with all the learning and reading forums and testing and stress, I have gain an appreciation for the images that this camera produces as well as the people in the film industry who use this camera. I still have a lot to learn and many more tests to conduct (getting a new low light OLPF to help with noise, for all you curious new RED users out there). I have realized with this new camera that you need to have a lot of light and to overexpose the images unlike the canons, keep your ISO at 800 or below, black shade the most common used shutters, keep low compression, make sure the temperature on the sensor is within optimum operating performance, and to take it for walks on the beach (yes... you got to treat this thing like a fine woman). I feel that the images that come out of the RED are more real and warm. I feel like it portrays life in a way canon use to. Perhaps its the newness of it or that it adds a certain amount of grain that feels like the old film days. Either way, I'm very happy with my new camera and am very excited about the possibilities for documenting life and to use it as a new tool for my clients.