The RED project was an attempt to kick sand in the face of the establishment. To one up Sony, and Panasonic in the world of hi-res digital video. To step into the world of Panavision and Arri and give a viable electronic solution to film. Many said it couldn't be done. Unfortunately for the naysayers, they were wrong. Not only were they wrong, but RED has done exactly what it said it would do and prices from 1/5 to 1/10 that of it's "competition".
Scarlet is the shot across the bow in the prosumer market. A camera at around $3k to $4.5 that shoots better than full HD resolution. The idea of downresing to HD is amazing. And right now, the only 2k cameras out there that I am aware of are the DALSA and Silicon Imaging. Both of which retail over $100k. Now to be sure, those cameras are in a different league than Scarlet, but the boldness to bring those kinds of resolutions to the masses at this stage of the game is amazing.
Yes, there are kinks to work out. Yes, the workflow is tricky still. But the fact is, there are people actually shooting RED for a living right now.
For giggles, and NAB last week, the RED camp annouced a 5k imaging camera. IMAX is 8k. To put the dollars in perspective:
Panasonic Varicam: ~ $80k + lenses. Shoots HD
Sony F23: ~$125k + lenses. Shoots HD (but BOY it looks good!)
Panavision Genesis: ~$500k + lenses. Shoots 4k maybe? Not sure really.
RED One: ~$17.5k + lenses. Shoots 4k, 2k, 1080p
Scarlet: ~$3.5k including lens. Shooks 3k, 2k, 1080p
Making sense?