Canon R6 mk2

stoneinapond said:
Perhaps they are aware of coming announcements from the competition
Click to expand...

Or the A74 was taking market share so Canon updated the R6 to compete. The R6ii has no crop @ 4k60 and faster read out, higher resolution lcd and more fps for photography. The A74 has full hdmi, higher resolution, 3rd party lenses. Which leaves it at a near draw with pros and cons for both. Which satisfies both companies.
 
Last edited:
It started shipping just barely under a month after its announcement, which is only a little uncommon (usually it's about 1-2 months for most cameras after an official press release).

Nevertheless, new Canon cams coming in Q1 and Q2 according to CR, which is also not uncommon as the camera circus will continue as long as we all have short memories...or until maybe Apple shows what they've been working on. :)
 
stoneinapond said:
So someone is screwed again? :shocked:
Click to expand...

Panasonic S5II is rumored to be coming out soon, with the announcement expected for the CES on the 4th. The MKI has been around for a couple of years and has that 24 MPX Sony sensor that A7III and Nikon Z6 have. The camera itself is currently selling for $1,500, a full grand less than R6 MKII. S5II specs are not currently known but, should the sensor have a resolution bump and modern codecs, it'll present a reasonable challenge to both R6 and A7IV.

Should it include a universal auto focus system - i.e., not on-sensor but LiDAR based - it'll shake up the entire industry.

Depending upon the price.
 
Panasonic chose to skimp on the S5, so in my view they have a lot of ground to make up. Weak viewfinder, micro HDMI and some recording constraints. I thought the S5 was the model they should have leaned into because the S1 is viewed as a tank by a lot of the photo world. Meanwhile the big three are shrinking their body sizes. With Canon and Nikon playing ball in the video specs along with their great stills capabilities, it just seems like the Panasonic mirrorless FF line is destined to go away with such a slow/medium start. LiDAR might not be an answer but just something different. Not that AF is the be all, end all in making a camera purchase decision.
 
As cool as a S5 mk2 could be it's still plagued by the L mount which has some really good lens options but to me it's kind of a dead end lens mount. I just don't see enough of a future for Panasonic L mount cameras to invest that much into the system. It would be different if other older lens systems could be adapted well. Yes there is a EF to L mount adapter but it doesn't work all that great for electronic control.

I was super close to getting a S5 instead of a Canon R6. I didn't like that it only had cropped 4k 60p, not good AF and the L mount lens system with no option to have continuous AF with my existing EF lenses for video.

In my opinion the Panasonic FF venture has been a flop and they are competing against a long established Sony mirrorless system and a Canon and Nikon user base that can adapt their existing lenses perfectly to move up to the new mirrorless system of that same manufacturer. Thats a massive uphill battle for Panasonic. A new game changing AF system will help but it's still plagued by lens choices. Most have also already moved on to some mirrorless system. It may be too little too late for Panasonic. They are better off sticking with m43 which at least has a broad lens support system for now thanks to adapting lenses.

I'm still kind of feeling like FF is overrated as well. I see some value in it of course but it has just as many negatives as positives. Panasonic should have went high end APSC like Fuji or find a way to make their own superior sensors utilizing things like the organic sensor they have been working on for a decade. An organic m43 sensor with lidar focusing would completely change the game forever.
 
A lot depends on the camera market value, i.e., performance per dollar/Yen. Cartels exist to lessen the competition and the photo-video market has been a pseudo battle of like-for-like. And, if different brands provide roughly the same value to a consumer, then it makes sense to go for the most popular brand or two due to the benefit of proprietary lens mounts and, in a declining market, the perilous financial sustainability of brands with a low market share.

This is where Panasonic struck out. It needed to switch from the MFT due to the smartphones taking over the affordable segment of the industry, yet it didn't want to violate the cartel's rules of existence by upping its spec sheet like an outsider Samsung did with NX1. And so it failed to attract a sizable audience outside of S1H and even that was quick lived. That's the danger of cartels to own members - not willing or unable to stand out shuffles the also-ran's toward the obtusely marginal status. At this point, Panasonic should consider itself a brand new brand (ya, I said it), whose main goal is not profits but an improved market share. And that would have to come at the expense of its Japanese cohorts. But what an observer of the industry should expect is something with R6MKII/A7IV features at an R6MKII/A7IV price. Which isn't likely to appeal to anyone with a Canon, Sony or Nikon camera already. Panasonic may surprise us all by appealing to a narrow niche of customers looking for a particular feature but that's also unlikely.

And so it's going to look like a decent product that is destined to gather dust on store shelves. Sic transit gloria mundi.
 
Peter C. said:
The A74 has full hdmi, higher resolution, 3rd party lenses.
Click to expand...
… and 24-bit internal audio recording, 4-channel support, cable-free XLR adaptor via Multi Interface shoe, support for UWP-D wireless mics via that MI shoe, tiny digital faux-shotgun mics, etc. Somehow everyone has let Sony take a huge lead on the audio side.
 
Looks like the new S5 will have a fan. That’s novel for a full-frame camera at its probable price point (though cameras with smaller sensors have a fan, notably the GH6).

Weight is given as 740 g with battery in the leaked specs. That’s impressively light.

Definitely an interesting move.
 
Samuel Dilworth said:
… and 24-bit internal audio recording, 4-channel support, cable-free XLR adaptor via Multi Interface shoe, support for UWP-D wireless mics via that MI shoe, tiny digital faux-shotgun mics, etc. Somehow everyone has let Sony take a huge lead on the audio side.
Click to expand...

Panasonic and Sony have had the on-shoe XLR adapters for many years. Not sure how long the mirrorless cameras had 24bit audio. In my view, on-camera mics are convenient but not very useful in the end compared to XLR or wireless.
 
By the way, with all the LiDAR talk and a possible cooperation with the DJI - that could take place with a Vlogger type camera to combat Sony's ZV-series. Vlogger models are hot now and LiDAR works well at close distance and in low light while DFD struggles. Additionally, Panasonic could bundle it with a remote control and a gimbal in one package, something Sony doesn't have,

As to the auto focus, Panasonic, Nikon, Olympus (and Fuji, with own designs) have been buying Sony sensors with both the on-chip phase detect and contrast detect AF. As has Olympus in the MFT world. Fuji retained only PD in their APS-C lineup. Panasonic subsequently disabled its phase detect AF, while Nikon did the same its contrast detect. Olympus actually has both but with a rather small number of deployable cross-points. All were judged to be inferior to the AF on Sony sensors with Sony own cameras.

Nikon Z9 is deemed to have mostly caught up to Sony, especially with its APS-C crop 60 fps mode.
 
Samuel Dilworth said:
Somehow everyone has let Sony take a huge lead on the audio side.
Click to expand...

Take the lead? Not too hard when you are the only one in the race. None of the other major camera manufacturers also builds microphones and other audio devices. I find its a huge advantage having audio gear that integrates so seamlessly with cameras made by the same manufacturer.
 
Shots Fired! I've never heard of Panasonic making microphones. They might rebrand someone else's as a kit mic...
 
Electronics companies usually dabble (or can). Maybe not everyone with everything but Panasonic has experimented with stuff like this:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...o_Mic_For.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...e_Shotgun.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...e_adapter.html

___

We usually expect some of the bigger companies to offer more, but sometimes it's the smaller companies like SmallRig (pun intended) who are one day making parts/accessories and then one day lights and then wireless audio kits, etc.
 
stoneinapond said:
Patently untrue. Panasonic has been manufacturing microphones and wireless systems for decades.
Click to expand...

Okay, ya got me on that one, but I have never, ever seen Panasonic audio gear used on an EFP/ENG shoot. Do you own any?

Do they manufacture their audio stuff or just rebrand? Does Panasonic have a mobile wireless system? Single channel or dual? What about slot-in wireless? What about hot-shoe mounted wireless receiver for cable-free power and sound? Do they have anything at all a ENG/EFP operator would be interested in besides some prosumer shotguns and this little wireless kit? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ....html/overview
Do they have a wireless kit with body packs? Do they make a professional set of headphones? Do they have any audio gear that has two-way communication with the camera?

I checked out their corporate website and none of the stuff they sell looks geared towards field production. Am I missing something?
https://na.panasonic.com/us/audio-video-solutions/professional-audio/

Just wondering.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top