As a refresher, Scarlet brings some rather nice features:

* Increased REDCODE data rates
* New FLUT Color, Gamma and Sensitivity Science. Now same as EPIC.
* More extensive modular system integration.
* Interchangeable Lens mounts including focus and iris control of electronic RED, Canon and Nikon lenses, along with Zoom data (Scarlet 2/3" Interchangeable)
* "Touch Focus Tracking" with electronic lens mounts and RED touchscreen LCD's (Scarlet 2/3" Interchangeable and 8x Fixed)
* Two independent microphone level channels, balanced input circuits, 48V Phantom Power, digitized at 24-bit 48KHz.
* GigaBit Ethernet port
* Scaled 1080P at 60fps

Now onto the eye candy we both know you came here for. Meet Scarlet and her band of lenses and accessories:

Assuming everything goes according to schedule, we'll be seeing this line of cameras in the summer of 2010, while some of the lenses will be out as early as December. Yeah, I won't be getting them either, but I'll keep drooling anyway. [RedUser]

The first of the two models we're being teased with is the incredibly high-end EPIC-X which will be released in four stages, beginning with a pre-production model dubbed TATTOO and ending with the wide-spread final release model. The details explain the $28,000 price tag:

* New MYSTERIUM-X 5K sensor
* 5K (2:1) at 1-100fps
* 4K (2:1) at 1-125fps
* Quad HD at 1-120fps
* 3K (2:1) at 1-160fps
* 2K (2:1) at 1-250fps
* 1080P (scaled from full frame) at 1-60fps
* Increased Dynamic Range, reduced noise
* Time Lapse, Frame Ramping
* REDCODE 250
* ISO 200-8000
* New FLUT Color Science
* Completely Modular System, each Module individually upgradeable
* Independent Stills and Motion Modes (both record full resolution REDCODE RAW)
* 5 Axis Adjustable Sensor Plate
* Multiple Recording Media Options (Compact Flash, 1.8" SSD, RED Drives, RED RAM)
* Wireless REDMOTE control
* Touchscreen LCD control option
* Bomb-EVF, RED-EVF and RED-LCD compatible
* Multiple User Control Buttons
* Interchangeable Lens mounts including focus and iris control of electronic RED, Canon and Nikon lenses (along with Zoom data)
* "Touch Focus Tracking" with electronic lens mounts and RED Touchscreen LCDs
* LDS and /i Data enabled PL Mount
* Rollover Battery Power
* Independent LUTs on Monitor Outputs
* Independent Frame Guides and Menu overlays on Monitor Outputs
* Monitor Ports support both LCD and EVF
* True Shutter Sync In/Out and Strobe Sync Out
* 720P, 1080P and 2K monitoring support
* Gigagbit Network interface and 802.11 Wireless interface
* 3 Axis internal motion sensor, built in GPS receiver
* Enhanced Metadata
* Full size connectors on Pro I/O Module. AES Digital Audio input, single and dual link HD-SDI
* Support for RED, most Arri 19mm, Studio 15mm, 15mm Lite, Panavision and NATO accessories
* Dimensions- Approx. 4"x4"x5.5"
* Weight (Brain only)- Approx. 6 lbs (2.72kg)

The other temptress is the Scarlet 2/3-inch, which is "more akin to current video-shooting DSLRs, though it doesn't have a full frame sensor." As with the EPIC-X, there's no release date given. There are some great specs though:

* Increased REDCODE data rates
* New FLUT Color, Gamma and Sensitivity Science. Now same as EPIC.
* More extensive modular system integration.
* Interchangeable Lens mounts including focus and iris control of electronic RED, Canon and Nikon lenses, along with Zoom data (Scarlet 2/3" Interchangeable)
* "Touch Focus Tracking" with electronic lens mounts and RED touchscreen LCD's (Scarlet 2/3" Interchangeable and 8x Fixed)
* Two independent microphone level channels, balanced input circuits, 48V Phantom Power, digitized at 24-bit 48KHz.
* GigaBit Ethernet port
* Scaled 1080P at 60fps

Update: Now we've got a bunch of pictures of the gadgets to drool over (or mock):

Word is that there'll be more information at the end of the month, but that won't stop us from already fantasizing about what to do with the cameras. [Red User via Engadget]

Parts of alien spaceships, or Darth Vader's sexual toys. I can go both ways. Check each accessory name and description in the gallery, along with the Epic and Scarlet camera bodies. [Red User Forums]

It's technologically interesting since, with both the 3K and the 5K Red cameras, they're able to take video and strategically take out frames to use as stills. This makes it a lot easier on the photographer since he doesn't need to know, intuitively, when the best few seconds are to snap a stream of shots—he can just point the thing and tell Kate to be sexy.

It's too bad for Kate though, because in order to crown a new Sexiest Woman Alive next year, Esquire will have to have her put down. [Esquire]

We'll have to wait another month for another teaser as they pull the slow reveal. Still, not a bad way to show off the Epic's Mysterium-X sensor. [Esquire]

Oh, and I'm admittedly surprised by how well the GH1 appears to keep up with the Red One and 5D Mark II. Of course, at full resolution, it might be a different story. But if you were really torn between the Red One and GH1 for some reason, I guess your decision got a bit harder.

Click over to Vimeo to watch it in HD for the full impact. [Vimeo via via Imaging Insider via PDN Pulse via CrunchGear]

And here's one of the finished products:
[Alexx Henry]

Rather than click and endless series of stills, photographer Greg Williams shot the cover with the 4K Red ONE video camera. Fox essentially acted out a scene for 10 minutes, the best moment of which will appear on the June 2009 cover. (Not to be wasteful of Megan Fox footage, the video will also be uploaded to Esquire's site, of course.)

It's fascinating that as digital cameras evolve, so will the roles of photographers, models and publications. I can't see traditional photography ever dying, but whether photos will always be captured in photographs is another question. [Esquire]

In a recent interview, the two directors discuss their need to use handheld, consumer cameras (from RED, Canon, and Sony), as well as their tendency to make the filming of their movies as badass as the movies themselves. Many of the scenes are filmed while rollerblading (sometimes while hanging onto cars), and they acknowledge that filming the Crank movies is a legitimately dangerous task.

More to our interests, Neveldine and Taylor seem to be total camera nerds, using dozens of different cameras to capture exactly the right feel for each scene. They're early adopters and even joke that "Pretty soon, I think we'll both walk to set with BlackBerrys that have HD capabalities, and then we'll just shoot the movie on our little phones."

Check out the interview, it's great to see exactly how these guys are making the sometimes-dreary action movie genre totally fun again. [Moveline]

Jarred Land from RED says this is the first footage from the 2/3" Scarlet prototypes and that the frame above was pulled straight from the video. He also says this "heavily compressed" and "quick and dirty." We should all aspire to assemble things as quickly and dirtily as this. [RED Forums]

As a production, Sanctuary has taken a lot of risks—they were also the first TV show to go almost completely green-screened, depending on rendered backgrounds for many of their shots. Oddly enough, this technique allowed the RED to really shine.

The crew gushes over the RED One, speaking mostly about its ease of use and versatility, and hinting that its reasonable price allowed the cameramen to spend a bit more on cinema-grade lenses. The most important ability of the RED, as far as Sanctuary is concerned, is resolution. With digital chopping an manipulation the name of the game, it's vital that individual components of the video can be cut and integrated into a composite scene without losing clarity, something which the One's massive 4k sensor makes possible.

It's also interesting to note how using a camera like this changes the production dynamics of a show; reviewing and editing footage occurs almost instantly, rather than hours later as in a traditional film production. So interesting is the production scheme, in fact, that it's the most interesting thing about this entire show. Oh well! [Dvice]

Also, it could be the way the pic was taken, but the red color just doesn't seem right. Or maybe I'm starting to go color blind. Either way, it could be a case or a legit (RED) iPhone 3G. Or maybe it's just a nice, glossy paint job by someone who wishes there were a (RED) 3G out there in the wild.

Regardless, this kind of simple announcement is one we could easily expect to see Apple making at MacWorld this week.

Update: Thanks to Julio, we have a link to the source. It's a real product, but a fake (RED) iPhone. No surprises there. [Nowherelese]

New announcement on Dec. 3rd. Everything has changed... just as we promised. :-)

:-)? :-)? What do your cryptic smilies mean, Jim?

He goes on to say that the new announcement will make November 13th seem 'insignificant', which is, let's be honest here, quite a claim to accompany such a vague pre-announcement. [RedUser —Thanks, Øyvind]

Cooper had the kids look at a reflection of the game in a plane of glass, and put his camera behind the glass so the kids wouldn't be self-conscious about the giant fancy camera pointed right in their faces. This technique is evidently Cooper's homage to Errol Morris' "Interrotron" that the filmmaker used for many of his documentaries. The interplay between the real and unreal worlds is Cooper's ostensible subject, but mostly the photos are just great to look at.

The stills are fantastic quality and it's an odd bit of voyeurism to look straight into somebody's eyes when they're concentrating on something totally different. The other galleries on the site are all really impressive, but this one hit me hard: I'm sure that's how I look right now, staring at my laptop screen. [New York Times]

The Red One camera was never really interested in capturing HD video (1920x1080). Instead, the system's Super 35mm-sized Mysterium sensor captures footage at 4K (3626x2664) in precious RAW format. The camera starts at only $17,000, but once you get it fully loaded, the system can approach $80,000. Sound like a lot of money? It is. But seeing as it doesn't require purchasing or developing costly film and it still manages to nip the heels of 35mm quality, the Red One represents the democratization of an ever-opening Hollywood system.

The Red One will be at Gizmodo Gallery this December 4th-7th, in NYC.

[Thanks to REED ANNEX and thanks to our benefactor gizmine.com]

Gizmodo Gallery
Reed Annex
151 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002

Gizmodo Gallery Reader Meetup
The reader meetup takes place across the street from the Gallery, at a place called The Annex (not to be confused with REED ANNEX where the gallery is hosted.) The address is 152 Orchard Street and we'll be there at 9 PM SHARP on Friday December 5th.

Gallery Dates:
December 4th-7th

Times:
12/4 Thursday
12-8

12/5 Friday
12-8

12/6 Saturday
11-8

12/7 Sunday
11-4

[Read more about our Gizmodo Gallery here and see what else we'll be playing with at the event.]

The core of the new line is made up of the new 'Mysterium' brains, pictured in the gallery above and detailed in the gallery below. These boxy sensors can be built up into 5D-esque DSLRs, compact prosumer camcoders, full-fledged professional video cameras or even a 3D unit with a new line of lenses, flash storage, frames, mounts and other add-ons, outlined with the new sensors below. In addition to their own lenses, the new cameras mercifully support gear built for Nikon and Canon standards with mount adapters, so you don't have to re-buy all of your optics. In spring, when the first of the new units are intended to ship, RED One users won't be left out in the cold — they'll get purchase credit towards new cameras, or if they'd just like to throw one of the new sensors into their existing rig, credit towards that. I guess this is what Jannard meant when he said RED had a 'new vision'.

For the full release, click here. Warning — comically giant JPEG. [RED]

Owners of any number of popular DSLRs will notice some familiar controls in these renders, but what does that mean? It seems obvious that Jannard's lovable breathlessness is for his new RED DSLR (or DSMC, I guess), and that his enthusiasm hasn't been diminished in light of the stunning video performance of Canon's 5D DSLR. RED certainly has a track record of innovation, but could Canon have beat them to the DSLR HD video punch? [RedUser via Crunchgear]

I want to say that no one has any idea how incredible this announcement will be. Call this hype... please. I am quite sure that the announcement will be called a "scam". Should be a lot of fun to hear the reactions. I can't wait.

Doesn't that sound like something you definitely want to hear about? It's a pretty bold move making such a statement in so public a forum, and that's got our collective camera-geek brains ticking over. Could it be the fabled 4k video capture, a response to Canon and Nikon's recent video DSLR maneuver? We can't tell, of course...but at least we've not got long to wait to find out. [RedUser Thanks Brad!]

The Kuro still held strong with its deep, bottomless blacks, but the LaserVue is noticeably better on colors, especially reds. The LaserVue is also better able to handle scenes with tons of motion than the Kuro, especially during action scenes in Iron Man. You can see above that the Kuro, on the right, makes the red of Iron Man's suit look too simple, while the LaserVue on the left has all the dirt and scars of a real battle. Below, the LaserVue's reds really pop, able to show the difference between the hues in the woman's top and skirt much more clearly than the Kuro—which is even from Pioneer's demo disc.

We've seen the LaserVue reviewed before, but only while using Mitsubishi's hand-picked content, which doesn't necessarily make for the most accurate test. Kurtis and Cameron at The Tech Lounge got themselves a Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-Ray player and a copy of both Ice Age: Meltdown and Iron Man to test out color, clarity, and motion on the "normal" settings of both HDTVs. They came away impressed with the color, but not with the hefty $7000 price tag. Still, if you can afford it, and you don't mind its fatty rear-projection girth, the LaserVue is definitely the cream of the crop. [Tech Lounge]

What they are planning at this point is unclear, however threads in the RedUser forum confirm this much: the names will remain the same, new specs and working models should be available by the 2009 NAB show with a release to follow soon thereafter, and RED is aiming to fulfill initial orders before the fall of 2009. Jannard also noted that "the prices will be very near our target" with regard to Scarlet, so we could be in for an even better camera at a price point similar to the $3000 quoted initially. [RedUser and RedUser Redesign via Boing Boing Gadgets]

While (insert code name) is not a replacement for Epic or Scarlet, it is strategically targeted at the DSLR space. As Nikon and Canon release their 720P and 1080P, respectively, DSLRs with video capture... RED has a more advanced view of the future.

My personal reading on this is that the company is aiming for 4K capture. They also dropped this other tidbit, in case you aren't excited enough:

I won't comment on any specifics until the 1st of the year. But "revolution" applies more to this than the RED ONE did to cinema.

They'll hear from us January 1st. [Red User via Engadget]

Other features of the Aluminum-framed beast include full size, dual-link HD SDI, 2 XLR audio inputs, HDMI, Wi-Fi, Firewire 800 and USB 2.0. It also weighs 6 pounds. And if any of you happened to purchase the $17500 RED ONE, you can exchange it and receive full credit towards the RED EPIC (which currently has no price tag). RED currently plans on an early 2009 release for the EPIC. [RED]

SPECIFICATIONS:

* FULL FRAME S35MM NEW MYSTERIUM X SENSOR
* 1-100 FPS
* UP TO 100 MB/SEC. REDCODE RAW AND RGB RECORDING TO REDFLASH
* FULL SIZE DUAL LINK HD-SDI, 2-XLR AUDIO INPUTS AND HDMI
* WI-FI CONTROL
* FIREWIRE 800 and USB2
* 6 POUND FULLY MACHINED ALUMINUM BODY WITH HYBRID STAINLESS PL MOUNT
* COMPATIBLE WITH MOST RED ONE ACCESSORIES
* FULLY UPGRADABLE SENSOR, BODY, BOARDS AND MOUNT.

SPECIFICATIONS, DELIVERY DATES AND DESIGN ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE... COUNT ON IT.

We wanted to provide you with an update on your order status. Due to some issues in our fulfillment center there remains a chance we will miss getting your Zune to you by February 14th. We are working hard to get your order to you as quickly as possible and we currently plan to ship your Zune within the next 3-4 days. Once your order is in transit, we will send you a shipping confirmation with a link for tracking.

Our goal is to provide a smooth customer experience for ordering, customization, and delivery. We sincerely apologize for not meeting that goal in this specific case. We will be refunding the entire amount of your order, which you should be able to see on your credit/debit card within 7-10 days. We hope you love your Zune and that you will accept our sincere apology.

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The Zune Originals Team