Very exciting news for Canon Lens owners...!!

[Jon Braeley]

If like me, you have a substantial investment in quality Canon lenses, you hope they stay with you but as technology moves so rapidly, will you need to change glass? This worried me as I awaited the new Red cameras, which I plan to buy. Worries over!

Well RED just announced not only compatibility with Canon EF lenses but that their Canon Auto-focus is so fast it can be used readily in video ... Auto focus even at 5k res! Just watch this example of a Canon lens in auto-focus mode on a Red Epic .... no hunting - so fast!!

I know this is off-topic for 7D owners (I am one) but plonking down $2500 for L glass is so much easier now that its a perfect fit for the Red Scarlett and Epics. This forum is so much about Canon lenses that I thought this news should be posted.

[Michael Dalton]

I totally agree with you, and it has ben the main reason whey I have expanded my lens collection. Good glass will always be good glass! Especially now that it fits on a red. Like you, I'd like my codec to match my glass for the best possible picture. Canon really needs to step up on codec options.

[John Richard]

Or unlock the HDMI so that a Convergent Design nanoFlash could be used to record to all the high end codecs this recorder has available...

[Michael Dalton]

good point, but it seems like an unnecessary step if they would just do it in the camera. I'm sure prores or DNX codecs are easier to write then .264. that is why you have to like red, giving many quality choice for record in their red raw codec.

[Liam Hall]

The Scarlet/Epic Canon EF mount was announced last year. Why the sudden hysteria?

[Bill Pryor]

Maybe it just became available. Red makes announcements long before availability.

[Jerry Porter]

When it comes to Red I will believe it when I see it. I don't mean on the web, I mean for sale and in stock ready for delivery.... They have been promising the world and not delivering anything on this for a long time now. Canon, I would bet, has something up their sleeve that will kill it in the crib the day it goes to market. Unlock the HDMI out on the D series would pretty much do it. Canon proprietary RAW codec in a firmware update would defiantly do it.

[Liam Hall]

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

Maybe it just became available. Red makes announcements long before availability.

No, it's not available yet. The cameras are in beta testing. The point of this announcement was to show off a working prototype of the Scarlet fixed-lens camera and to show the EOS mount apparently working - though not sure a simple shot of a rotating focus scale proves they have nailed touch screen focus! Hopefully it wont be long before they hit the streets though:)

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

Maybe it just became available. Red makes announcements long before availability.

That must qualify as understatement of the year:-)

[Jon Braeley]

The big companies - Canon and Sony especially just do not listen to their customers - or at least are very slow to react to them. I just sold my EX3 and that was a typical example of a great camera but lousy support and slow reaction to feedback from its users - the sdhc card debacle is just one example of Sony's stupidity.
Canon is the same. Just too large in the prosumer market but very slow to give professionals what they ask for.

However, I love Canon lenses, so this is good news from Red. This is not just a lens mount, but requires a lot of programming and effort to to use Canon AF and its the first lens brand they worked on to achieve this. I do not feel to bad about splurging on my next L lens which will be next week.

Yes, Red are way behind schedule - but they DO listen to their customers and react fast. Scarlet and Epic are in beta testing - in fact, Epic is being used on a few studio sets right now.

[Nigel Barker]

Is Auto-focus a big deal for a typical Red camera operator? I pose the question as I have no idea but had imagined that they would do everything manually & have someone else to pull focus.

[Bill Pryor]

You would never use auto focus for video shooting, except in very rare circumstances.

As far as Canon not listening to their cusomers...there are three cameras available for 1080p video that shoot quality that rivals 35mm film. From the time the 5D started the revolution until the 7D was announced was only a few months, and from the time of the announcement until you could have a 7D in your hands was about 30 days. Sure, the cameras aren't perfect, but they're there and being used. I've learned to work around the problems, and I've never used a camera or lens that didn't have things I had to work around. People like to complain about the codec and push for a near-RAW one...yet people like Shane Hurlbut and others are making gobs of money shooting very high quality stuff with these cameras, not to mention the TV shows where they're intercut with film (or in the case of the final episode of House, used in place of film).

And, people wanted 24p on the 5D and manual audio, and they got it pretty fast. Maybe the 7D will get it too in awhile. It's only been out less than a year.

I'd be a happier camper if Canon would make L lenses with longer focus throws and without hard stops, and keep the price reasonable.

[Liam Hall]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

Is Auto-focus a big deal for a typical Red camera operator? I pose the question as I have no idea but had imagined that they would do everything manually & have someone else to pull focus.

Real men use manual focus:)

There's no doubt autofocus has it's place, particularly dynamically tracking a moving subject and being able to record lens data for the VFX crew. Though single-point AF as demonstrated in the above linked video has little or no use whatsoever when it comes to film/video. I'll wait until it's fully featured and up and running before getting all hot and bothered.

The best thing about that little video is seeing a functioning Scarlet - I bet RED ship a lot of those!

[Perrone Ford]

Originally Posted by Jon Braeley

The big companies - Canon and Sony especially just do not listen to their customers - or at least are very slow to react to them. I just sold my EX3 and that was a typical example of a great camera but lousy support and slow reaction to feedback from its users - the sdhc card debacle is just one example of Sony's stupidity.
Canon is the same. Just too large in the prosumer market but very slow to give professionals what they ask for.

Are you kidding? Both Canon and Sony have bent over BACKWARDS trying to give customers what they want. 2 years ago, the market was all 1/3" cameras. Now we have $2k 4/3" cameras with interchangeable lenses, and $2500 cameras with frame sizes larger than Hollywood uses in their film cameras.

Originally Posted by Jon Braeley

However, I love Canon lenses, so this is good news from Red. This is not just a lens mount, but requires a lot of programming and effort to to use Canon AF and its the first lens brand they worked on to achieve this. I do not feel to bad about splurging on my next L lens which will be next week.

I don't think that EF mount is there for supporting current glass, but more there for anticipating what Canon is developing currently in their glass. Current AF glass technology is near useless in digital cinema. And that includes L glass.

[Robert Turchick]

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

Maybe it just became available. Red makes announcements long before availability.

he he he.....ha ha!
Like 3 years before availability! (sorry! couldn't resist!)

I do think the end of this year is going to be interesting with all the anticipated releases from Sony and Panny. Red needs to get some product out ASAP! I'd still love a Scarlett especially with the Canon lenses I have.