Is the AF-100 still doing well

Jay A. Kelley

Jay A. Kelley

Well-known member
Just got caught in a rumor storm, and wanted to get some people's opinions from here. I am told that demand for the AF-100 has fallen off a cliff.. I am told that rental for the AF-100 is not doing well at all. I am also being told that slow rollout of the AF-100 is due to answer challenges by Sony's cameras which are apparently giving the AF-100 a run for it's money.

Personally I am thinking this rumor was started by someone who works for, or it loyal to Sony.. But I'd like to know if anyone on here has read/heard about it, and if they believe it's true.

How is the AF-100 selling as compared to say.. the HVX200 (Not actually expecting an answer to this, but perhaps some dealers who have sold the 200 can give me some comparison)

Jay
 
Those who know (manufacturers, dealers) will likely never say. Those who know nothing will offer pure speculation. So I don't believe an "answer" to your question is possible.
 
Impossible to say for sure but you can only slice the pie so many times. The FS100 has certainly taken some market share but you will alway have customers loyal to the Panasonic brand.
 
Its nice to feel like what you invested in is the hottest item rolling out there. So that is probably the motivation for asking that question. But the flipside is the af100 does what its supposed to do, it produces a great image if you do your part and will run with any other option out there. So no worries. You'll be in a constant financial pinch if you constantly try to get the latest stuff that offers relatively small gains.

Just like with computers, I wait until there is a significant performance gain before I upgrade. For my business, the minor gains don't justify the cost. The only way I think I'd need to upgrade my af100 is if the next one shoots 2K video, 1080p60 sounds nice, but for most of my final delivery...they can't watch it on their tv's, nor will most appreciate it on the web at the highly compressed rate anyway. Diminishing returns!

Go out and shoot!
 
I agree. The AF100 and FS100 are both relatively the same generation of camera. There are some differences, pros and cons with both. I am waiting for 10 bit, or 2k, 3k, etc, before I upgrade.
 
A good indicator ..check out the camera price and discounts offered to shift stock..the canon XF305 has dropped a fair bit
 
I don't quite understand the question. I purchased the camera because of it's capabilities...not how popular it is. It works great and I'm making a good living with it. But if I would have waited for the fs100 I would have made that work too.
 
blackcat said:
I agree. The AF100 and FS100 are both relatively the same generation of camera. There are some differences, pros and cons with both. I am waiting for 10 bit, or 2k, 3k, etc, before I upgrade.
Click to expand...
Whats wrong with 10bit 1080p. The panasonic HPX350 offers 10bit 422 onboard to existing P2 media.
 
FS100 is a hotter camera due to the fact it's newer. This as always with new things, people wants them. But it's a dead race between these in actual performance.
 
TimurCivan said:
Whats wrong with 10bit 1080p. The panasonic HPX350 offers 10bit 422 onboard to existing P2 media.
Click to expand...

A cinema-styled camera with 10bit 1080p and 422--or even an optional 444--would be an upgrade that I would consider. That would basically be the Sony F3, and if I was interested in stepping up to that price range, it would be one of the first cameras that I would consider. I am not obsessed with the resolution war, though I do think more 2k or 3k cameras are likely in our future. The higher resolution might not be as huge of a deal in our current world of huge distribution where 2k or 1080p seems more common; it does help with high end compositing.
 
Jay A. Kelley said:
How is the AF-100 selling as compared to say.. the HVX200
Click to expand...
The 200 today, or the 200 when it came out?
Because when it came out, it was a game changer (as was the DVX), a (dare I say it?) paradigm shift- there was before the HVX, and everything that came after the HVX.

The AF100 and FS100 are not game changers- they are refinements, or hybrids of what came before them (HVX200 + 5DMKII).

RJS said:
I don't quite understand the question. I purchased the camera because of it's capabilities...not how popular it is.
Click to expand...
True. But a piece of gear's "marketability" can help one get business while it's "hot" (See: RED, 5D, etc...) Marketability is not the same as popularity.

TimurCivan said:
The panasonic HPX350 offers 10bit 422 onboard to existing P2 media.
Click to expand...
HPX 370?

But in response to Jay's question, no, I haven't heard anything about this...
 
blackcat said:
A cinema-styled camera with 10bit 1080p and 422--or even an optional 444--would be an upgrade that I would consider. That would basically be the Sony F3, and if I was interested in stepping up to that price range, it would be one of the first cameras that I would consider. I am not obsessed with the resolution war, though I do think more 2k or 3k cameras are likely in our future. The higher resolution might not be as huge of a deal in our current world of huge distribution where 2k or 1080p seems more common; it does help with high end compositing.
Click to expand...

Then why not just get something like the Pix 220-240 or the ninja-samurai? That puts your camera into the same range as the F3 ( minus the S log and sensitivity )
 
It's a nice idea that the AF is doing well... but to be honest I don't really care if people are buying it or not. It does exactly what I want and is a great tool to have to up the production value of the projects I do on a weekly basis.
 
I've just bought an Af100, so that was one extra sale :)

Although I agree with the others about it's not the tool but the person that uses it.
I can see that if you were just buying gear with the intention of renting, then the question is very relevant.
 
I have to guess there was a surge in sales when Panasonic opened the free 14-140mm lens offer in the U.S. I know I was saving to buy the camera later in the fall, but jumped early because of the deal, and I imagine others have done the same.

Although I'm tempted to agree that the popularity of a camera doesn't really matter to those who buy it as a tool to do a specific type of job, in fact there are reasons for all users to be interested in how the product is selling. It's important that this be a vigorous enough market segment to insure that there will eventually be an AF200 (or whatever) and that cameras in this category continue to be developed and improved. A popular camera will spawn and support an active aftermarket for accessories, lenses and so forth, pushes NLE developers to support the format, and promotes the development of support resources like this forum. The fact that the AF100 has direct competition from the Sony FS100 means that both companies will be motivated to offer better and more cost-effective products in the future. If sales of these cameras are disappointing, we may not see much attention paid to supporting or developing them further, so although it doesn't weigh heavily on my mind as I'm actually out there using the camera, we should all wish Panasonic well in this endeavor.

- Greg
 
Jay A. Kelley said:
Just got caught in a rumor storm, and wanted to get some people's opinions from here. I am told that demand for the AF-100 has fallen off a cliff.. I am told that rental for the AF-100 is not doing well at all. I am also being told that slow rollout of the AF-100 is due to answer challenges by Sony's cameras which are apparently giving the AF-100 a run for it's money.

Personally I am thinking this rumor was started by someone who works for, or it loyal to Sony.. But I'd like to know if anyone on here has read/heard about it, and if they believe it's true.

How is the AF-100 selling as compared to say.. the HVX200 (Not actually expecting an answer to this, but perhaps some dealers who have sold the 200 can give me some comparison)

Jay
Click to expand...


I'm sure the constant delays of the Birger EOS mount has contributed to low sales. These camera's as an upgrade from the canon's became unattractive.
 
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