So it's official - Epic Xs are official out of backorder.  Obviously not every Stage 3 camera has shipped due to the assessment required, but it's a big step forward.  Congrats Red!

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?73092-EPIC-officially-out-of-Backorder

Finnercation Tip #483

If you lose power while recording, the best thing to do to make sure you don't loose any data is to immediately take out the SSD and use Red Undead on it.   If you turn on the camera and start recording again, there is a chance that some or all of the video you had previously shot will be lost.

For those of you who don't have time to spend hours on Reduser...

Hopefully this is embedded so deep in a thread that many won't read it. Dragon will slay every camera company on every front. Fact.
And both Scarlet and EPIC can be upgraded to Dragon.
Good luck to the competition.

It took a bit longer then everyone expected (Red included!) but the alpha* builds for playback are finally available for download. 

*"Alpha" = "who knows if it will work or not so use at your own risk."

From the press release:

"DaVinci Resolve Lite includes all the same high quality processing of the full DaVinci Resolve, however limits projects to SD and HD resolutions, unlimited nodes using a single processing GPU and a single RED Rocket card. Stereoscopic 3D features, noise reduction, power mastering, remote grading and sharing projects with an external database server are features only offered in the full DaVinci Resolve so are not included in this free DaVinci Resolve Lite edition. Customers who want these features can simply upgrade to the full DaVinci Resolve Software for only US$995."

Red Cine X Pro is a fantastic program, but sometimes you need to deal with more then just Red footage.  It's an amazing deal at $999, and even more fantastic when you can get away with the free version.  Downloading my copy now. 

Blackmagic is also adding DNxHD support to the hyper deck shuttle - and with FCP on the way out that's welcome news. 

First Storm, now Clipfinder. With the awesomeness (not to mention free) nature of Red Cine X Pro it was only a matter of time...

There seem to be a lot of people who are putting their pennies together to buy a Scarlet X and that's awesome.  As Epic and Red One owners we can say that Red is an awesome company and they make awesome cameras.

It's important, though, that you have clear expectations of what will be required.    The $10k package is not shootable.  

The $14k package is shootable, to a certain degree. It does, however, have some weak points.  The first is that two batteries and  one 64gb card will allow for only short record times.  So unless you can plug into power and take frequent breaks to dump your card you are going to need more equipment.

So the $14k package might not be the best way to go...

Recommendations:

Media:  Get at least 2.  That way you can record to one, and dump the other.  For those on a budget split a 64GB SSD 4 pack with a fellow reduser.  This saves you $137.50 per card.   Obviously if you do a lot of live events where you need long continuous record times you can look at getting a one larger card, but for the most dramatic work we recommend having at least 2 cards.  You'll also need the Redmag base station.

Some people are also looking at products like the Atomos Samurai Although this means you only get 1080p pro res out of your camera, it does allow for cheaper media options. 

LCD: The 5" touch LCD is great.  It's sharp, it has a decent viewing angle and it's great that it's a touch screen.  The downside to it is the price ($1600) and the fact that it doesn't fit on a standard mount.  For some reason you have to bolt it to either the camera or a cheeseplate of some sort.   Red has a tendency to do their own thing, and that's awesome because it allows them to create awesome cameras.  In this particular instance, however, it is a bad idea.  It makes the monitor harder to mount on industry standard gear, and it adds absolutely no benefits except they are able to ship it with a really, really short cable.  So if you like being able to move your monitor to a comfortable viewing angle, you'll need another LCD cable. 

If you're really tight on cash one thing you could look at is picking up a used LCD monitor off of reduser.  As stage 3 owners liquidate their Red accessories (and they get a Touch LCD included in their package) you can probably get a good deal on one.  Just make sure you get the DSMC side handle, otherwise you won't be able to control the menu functions.  How well this works I can't be sure of since I haven't tried it, but Red states that the old 5.6" LCD does work with Epic and Scarlet.

DSMC Side handle: Why?  For one it's going to skyrocket in price come January, and second because it allows you to control menu functions without using the touch screen.  Sometimes the touch screen can be a bit troublesome, so having a backup way to control the camera is important.  It also probably the cheapest way to use the Redvolts.

DSMC Power Adapter:If you're shooting a lot of talking heads, this can be helpful.  It can decrease your battery needs.  On a limited budget though, this is a pretty easy one to not get till later.

Batteries: One option is to pickup a battery plate like the one from Viewfactor and and use V-lock batteries.  Although these are heavier, they have really good run times.  On our Epic we can get an hour and a quarter of record time from a 95wh battery.   By the time you get a couple of them, though, and a charger you're probably looking at $1300 or so.  Another nice thing about v-mount is that if you need to rent extra batteries, they are pretty easy to find.

The Redvolts are small and light, but they only last for 20 minutes or so on an Epic, and probably less then 30 on a scarlet.  Without a quad battery module that means shutting down your camera all the time to swap batteries. Fortunately the cycle times on Epic/Scarlet are pretty quick, but it's still going to be annoying.  What you choose will depend on what existing equipment you have, and how you're going to use your camera.

So before you put down the extra dough for the package make sure you'll be getting what you really need.

Happy Shooting 

[edited for clarity]