The latest chapter in the Red One Scarlet saga has been announced. You may recall last September when CG reported that Red One head honcho Jim Jannard decided to scrap Red’s affordable 3K Scarlet video camera due to “changes in the state of the industry” and promised a new design which would have more the feel of a 2nd generation camera than a brand new, first generation design. This is after Red locked down the design of Scarlet and was on the verge of shipping it. They dumped Scarlet, and the Epic still camera, for a brand new design from scratch. What were these “changes” which prompted such a radical and costly decision? I think it was the upcoming release of the Canon 5D Mark II which shoots HD video in 1080p and makes it look like multimillion dollar blockbuster. Now, we see why. Jannard probably got a sneak look at the 5D and saw the handwriting on the wall and the word was “convergence.”

To that end, Jannard seems to have decided to take the Red Epic still camera and the Scarlet video camcorder (both based on the Mysterium X sensor and capable of shooting 3K and 5K video) and mashed them together. The result is multi platform camera system that is completely modular and upgradeable in every way. And Jennard is so committed to this design, that he’s giving current owners of the RED ONE nearly $18,000 in credit towards the new platform, or keep the Red One and get a 12% credit on a Scarlet system.

What this means is, Red has decided to dump the high end, yet affordable consumer market, and keep Red in the hands of the Pros with cash to burn.

Hat Tip – Engadget