Af 105a announced in japan

Adamsenoj said:
The VFR are nice but how many times one uses it in a project? If that is to be considered then the FS700 is a must have, yet I don't care for it because 99.99% of real world stuff will not be in VFR.
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Many of my projects call for a bit of VFR.

And I'm having a hard time accepting the FS700 largely because of it's limited shutter speeds/angles, as it can't record 24p in countries with 50 Hz utility frequency without tungstens, & practicals, flickering.

The GH is a great little compliment to the AF, but it's contrasty output & skew, keep it from being a contender for my work.
 
Adamsenoj said:
Highlight IS NOT manageable if you are outside of a studio. It just isn't.
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Um... yes it is. :? Bennett mentions repeatedly that one shouldn't "cosmologize one's deficiencies." I bunged up highlights plenty when I first got the thing, swore at it a bit, regretted my decision, and then sucked it up and buckled down and studied what was going on and how to make it work. It's controllable. White balance obsessively, reduce chroma, and don't be afraid to slightly underexpose... this camera actually makes it look good. Plenty of other examples by better camera operators than me.

Is the dynamic range lacking? Yeah. It could be a bit sharper, too. Banding on the internal recording and lack of dual-record options are also a drag, and I wish it were a little thriftier on the batteries (honestly that's my larger envy of the FS100). I wish it had the option of outputing display overlays on HDMI and no overlays on SDI, the fiddly audio dials could also be done without (I liked the HVX versions better), there should be a white balance lock (I hit that button occasionally by accident), a scene file dial (again a la HVX), and plenty of other things to nitpick if anyone cared to listen.

I use my AF almost exclusively in uncontrolled scenarios. It's not perfect, but I didn't ask for perfect. If Panasonic made it perfect, it would be out of my price range.



Moving on to hopes and aspirations, I keep reading that bit about the 10-bit output interfacing with a "P2 Recorder," and frankly it overshadows caring about almost anything else on this mildly updated camera. If they did, or will, or could make an extremely small, well-integrated P2 recorder that bolted up in place of the side grip and utilized all my extant P2 media and infrastructure... well, that would be a delight of delights. I'm not really enthused with the Hyperdeck Shuttle, which is otherwise the only easily affordable option unless the Nanoflash suddenly drops through the floor.

With a good external monitor, which my dodgy eyes generally need nowadays anyway, the focus assist (or lack thereof) just isn't an issue any more.
 
Some possible info on the pricing and availability:
David Fox said:
"...The AG-AF100A (the US version) and AG-AF101A (European version) will be available later this month with a list price of €4,150 excluding VAT (about £3,300 or $5,300)."
http://urbanfoxtv.blogspot.com/2012/11/panasonic-af100aaf101a-update.html
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However, Panasonic did announce an "open pricing" scheme, so who knows!
svart said:
"...not necessarily true that you'd need a hardware change to go from 8 bit to 10 bit. It depends on what is generating the signal. If it's an FPGA or DSP/processor then it could be as simple as a new program. If it's an hardware conversion ASIC that generates the signal then, yes, it could be hardware limited but I seriously doubt it. I'd bet that it's DSP generated and then buffered through a dumb driver IC. That's the most sensible route. As for the hearsay from some source that says they heard from Panasonic that they can't do something because of a hardware limitation.. I design electronics and I use that excuse all the time to keep people from requesting features.. :)"
http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/5106/panasonic-ag-af100a-topic/p1
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That's a bit encouraging. I would love to upgrade my current AF100 to 10-bit output without actually buying a new camera. I'd fork over some cash for that kind of firmware upgrade.



 
Igelkott Film said:
It does not need comparing because AF will always be the best camera for $4000
They are not interested in making the best best camera.

So your budget is 4000, even if it means making a lesser camera.
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Panasonic has always said that they design to a price point. Whatever that price point is, they put in as much as they can at that price point. If something would be too expensive, and would cause them to miss that price point, then it doesn't go in. It gets reserved for a different model that can support a higher price point.

Those who want a higher-end model than the AF100, have to understand -- it won't be the AF100. It would be something different. The AF100 isn't going to become an $8,000 camera with all those added features. Just like they're not going to add SDI output and XLR inputs to the GH2; these are products that exist within a certain predefined market segment.

Some of you are complaining that you don't want "the best for the price", you want "the best no matter what" -- which is okay, go buy it, you have lots and lots and lots to choose from. But the specific niche that Panasonic has apparently targeted, is best for the price, most features at the cheapest price point.

Many of us would prefer to see higher-end models too. I'd love to see an HPX250-based P2-recording AVCI unit with 13 stops, 4k, a 4:3-shaped sensor that can support 2x anamorphics, all sorts of things. And maybe someday we'll get something like that -- but if we ever do, it won't be in the AF100 line. It'd be something totally different, probably something like an AJ-series product. It wouldn't be an AF100 successor, it'd be a competitor in a totally different price bracket. Just like the FS100 exists on the market simultaneously with the F3 and F5.
 
tipota said:
To me this is why the AG-AF still makes a lot of sense. It's - relatively - cheap and I don't care for it's life-span in a rental house but what this very nice go-between of a camera can do meanwhile. The bigger bricks can be rented.
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And that's exactly how I look at it, and how I think it should be looked at, because that's where it makes the most sense.
 
Everyone said Panasonic was daft to build an AF100 on a swamp, but they built it all the same, just to show Canon. The first AF100 sank into the swamp. So Panasonic built a second version. That sank into the swamp. They built a third version. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth AF100 stayed up. And that's what you're going to get Lad, the best AF100 in all the land.
 
What about this notion of a "factory upgrade" to AF100A from AF100? Are there precedents in Panasonic for such?
 
hscully said:
What about this notion of a "factory upgrade" to AF100A from AF100? Are there precedents in Panasonic for such?
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Nothing has been mentioned as far as I know.

There is one precedent for such a thing, in the years I've been following them, which is the AC130->AC130A or AC160->AC160A upgrade program. So it may be possible, but I haven't heard of them mentioning anything about such a program for the AF100->AF100A. Of course, the AC130/AC160 had only been out for a few months before the AC130A/AC160A came out, whereas the AF100 has been on the market for close to 2 years, so it may not be practical to offer to upgrade that many cameras. Or, maybe they could provide such an option but it may not be as affordable as the AC130/AC160 upgrade program was. Or they may not do it at all. Haven't heard anything from the company at all, so it's all speculation at this point.
 
I would like to see a new model up from the AF-100 staying with MFT. Not even speculating on features but just another model with better all around specs. It's sad that only one camera is available and the thought that the line could be only one camera would be a bummer.
 
I think it's a stretch that a factory upgrade is possible given what Barry said. Do we even know if this AF100A will be marketed here? They could very well aggregate changes including others. I think 4:2:2 10 bit is the right direction. We'll see
 
Erik Naso said:
I would like to see a new model up from the AF-100 staying with MFT. Not even speculating on features but just another model with better all around specs. It's sad that only one camera is available and the thought that the line could be only one camera would be a bummer.
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I think that this is what to expect. Remember Jan asked, a while back, about what features we'd like to see. I would be very surprised if they changed the AF100 from M4/3. I think it's going to be around for a while.
 
hscully said:
I think that this is what to expect. Remember Jan asked, a while back, about what features we'd like to see. I would be very surprised if they changed the AF100 from M4/3. I think it's going to be around for a while.
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...and as I recall, 10-bit 4:2:2 and AF assist were decisively the top two vote getters.
 
i wonder why dont they put extra codec on board like they did with gh3? or its the processor that is too old?
 
Igelkott Film said:
How mouch would you pay for an upgrade?
$1000?

I would pay that.
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I would pay up to $1000 for that upgrade on my current AF100 but I don't think selling the old one and buying a new AF100A will work given the current prices folks are getting for it. If I could sell mine, add $1K and be close enough to the going price of a new one, then great. It all depends on the selling price of that AF100A if it's marketed here. Plus you have to figure in a recorder to take advantage of it but that's still OK with me. I would be pleased if they offered a factory-type upgrade but with the age of the camera, it may not be an option.

It's still a lot cheaper than ~ $15 - $20K for the next tier of cameras. There's really nothing else in this price range that is not a DSLR and I would not consider that.

4:2:2 10 bit would be mighty nice. It would clear the banding problem and make this camera pretty sweet.
 
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anatusa said:
i wonder why dont they put extra codec on board like they did with gh3? or its the processor that is too old?
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If I had to guess, that's what I bet they do. That the next version we have marketed here will have it on board. Just a guess
 
hscully said:
It's still a lot cheaper than ~ $15 - $20K for the next tier of cameras. There's really nothing else in this price range that is not a DSLR and I would not consider that.
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...So what's your opinion of the Canon C100 ?

Assuming Panasonic is still using the same sensor in the AF100A, the C100 brings the following items to the table for about $2,000 more than the AF100A:

- Higher resolution 1080 HD image
- Higher Dynamic range
- Maximum 20,000 ISO ( usable range is several stops higher than AF100 )
 
TheDingo said:
...So what's your opinion of the Canon C100 ?

Assuming Panasonic is still using the same sensor in the AF100A, the C100 brings the following items to the table for about $2,000 more than the AF100A:

- Higher resolution 1080 HD image
- Higher Dynamic range
- Maximum 20,000 ISO ( usable range is several stops higher than AF100 )
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It looks very very nice... but more expensive body, no SDI, fewer frame rates and sizes, no VFR, and only 3 sec of pre-record. Those are three features I use frequently, and would miss. Seriously, though, I did consider it.

Plus, to get auto anything (OIS, most specifically) to replicate my m43 lens kit, I'd need to put money into Canon glass. I have Leica primes and a few Nikon lenses that would run happily on anything, but still wind up using OIS-enabled zooms frequently. Lenses plus the body price difference, we're talking $8-10K just to get better DR, res, and speed, and trading off a few vital features besides adding to the total weight of my standard kit. Since I haven't urgently needed those in excess of what my AF delivers, it's currently not a viable business decision.

I could definitely see the appeal for someone already well-equipped with Canon lenses, or who never needed OIS, or starting from zero.
 
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