Nothing from Panny?

ripupthehwy

ripupthehwy

Well-known member
I'm surprised Panasonic did not announce any type of cinema cameras. Just broadcast stuff and a sequel to the Varicam? That's it??
No successor or direct competitor to the BMC or even a high end 4k cinema cam? I guess they feel the AF100 is good enough to compete for yet another year. What happened to the 4k modular design prototype they showed last year? Sure it wouldn't be in the same price ballpark but I'd still like to see SOMETHING from them. MAJORLY DISAPPOINTED.
 
Agreed. Super disappointed. At least expected an update on the 4k varicam from last NAB... did it die?
 
Some would consider the new Varicam a cinema camera... But other than that, no new large sensor cams were announced. 4K Varicam was shown and they said next year, IIRC.
 
No - LAST year was the year to be "surprised" and "majorly disappointed" when there was nothing.

This year is the year to just shake your head and roll your eyes.

(And some people here got their panties all in a MAJOR knot two years ago when I said Panasonic was going to be left in the dust BIG TIME, because they didn't seem nearly as committed to large-sensor digital filmmaking as Sony and Canon).
 
yeah, sorry, this is lame. A new entry like BMC can release a $4,000 s35 sensor 4K camera a year after their first entry... and it's been years from Panny and nothing? pssshh

I've loved their past cameras but they need to be releasing pretty much a camera a year at this point in the m43/s35/ff market...

disappointing, time to move on
 
filmguy123 said:
yeah, sorry, this is lame. A new entry like BMC can release a $4,000 s35 sensor 4K camera a year after their first entry... and it's been years from Panny and nothing? pssshh

I've loved their past cameras but they need to be releasing pretty much a camera a year at this point in the m43/s35/ff market...

disappointing, time to move on
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Probably why Pana is out of the 4K game….there is no way they are going to try and compete with a $4K 4K camera….they will roll out a VariCam like
4K camera next year and it will probably cost more than the Sony or RED 4K cameras….
If Pana could build a 4K camera that had a global shutter, shoot 120 FPS 4K video and record to P2 cards - I would pay $8,000 for that...
 
I don't want 4k... I just want to know that they're going to continue to support m4/3 as a video format. My AF100 with the X lenses is perfect for bulk of what I do. Slap on an updated sensor and AVC-LongG and it becomes a hugely competitive camera. Not everyone needs/wants 4k and Raw, and trying to act like eveyone in the sub-$7k market does is a huge waste of time. At $8k, tack on 4k and P2 and it's still competitive.

If nothing else, not announcing that they're even planning another m4/3 camera is sort of shooting themselves in the foot, as it only helps their consumer division sell more m4/3 lenses.
 
Panasonic was showing a little non functional 4K camcorder prototype in their booth today. It had a fixed lens and a small (1/3" or 1/2") CMOS sensor design. It would record to SDHC cards and cost around $8,000 according to the sales rep on the floor. He also said it would be alive until next NAB, but he seemed interested in hearing what people wanted. When I told him all I wanted was a GH3 in a AF-100 body, he said that was literally the 200th time he had heard that today... it was only 10:30am :) Maybe they will listen?
 
Disappointing?
Didn't Barry say before NAB that Panasonic would probably not be releasing something because that is not their business cycle?
Why is anyone surprised?
Next year.

And frankly, if I was Panasonic I would be darn glad I hadn't developed and released something.
How can anyone compete with the show stealing Blackmagic cameras?
I think they will be in the unique position of being able to properly evaluate the market and decide where they want to go as a result.

And let's face it, the elephant in the room is the little GH2 and GH3's. A lot of the clamoring indie crowd will be going towards those anyhow.
So for serious broadcast, I am quite sure they will come to the market with something next year.
 
Yep, can't blame them for not joining this race to the bottom.

Once the dust settles, alot of people will probably realise they don't actually need 4K/raw and will be back looking for a really good 1080p camera.... Maybe this is when Panasonic will make their move.
 
Well the PMW 400 from sony will possibly make me move back to them if the price is right as the HPX600 just doesn't do it for me!
 
yoclay said:
And let's face it, the elephant in the room is the little GH2 and GH3's. A lot of the clamoring indie crowd will be going towards those anyhow.
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The only thing my GH3 has convinced me of so far is, that if I can handle this unintuitive SOB, I will be able to handle the touchscreen DellHPLenovoesque BMCC as well.
With the new miniBMCC, there shouldn't be a doubt, what company the "indie crowd" will buy their camera from.
The not so indie anymore crowd can soon even get 35mm 4K for 4K.
And if Nikon would only add an in-camera high bitrate codec to their HDSLRs, they'd destroy GH3 sales for video work.
And the GH2? If you´re really operating on a shoestring, it will probably stay popular until all those (yet to come and soon be gone) BMCC "model one" users upgrade to the 4K 35mm versions and sell their m43 versions...
 
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Kolor-Pikker said:
Panasonic was busy releasing new camcorders, the HPX5000 and a new .... 2/3" Varicam.
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Are they not the same thing? Two press releases basically announcing the same product?

And nice though it may be, nice though features like 1080p/50 may be, it's 4k and large sensor that have been making the headlines (and sales) for the last couple of years for most of Panasonics competitors - witness the number of orders placed for Sonys F5/55 in the last couple of months. I thought a 4K large sensor Varicam mockup was shown by Panasonic last year, now it seems that even that has gone away. I was expecting it to at least have become a prototype by now?
 
yoclay said:
Disappointing?
Didn't Barry say before NAB that Panasonic would probably not be releasing something because that is not their business cycle?
Why is anyone surprised?
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Because they really have nothing in this category, the business cycle for this could start at any time. Plus, when asked at NAB 2012 when Panasonic would release the 4K VariCam, Jan Crittenden said, "at least a year or year and a half out." So it would not be unreasonable to entertain the idea that Panasonic would at least announce the camera at this year's NAB, especially given the spate of 4K cameras announced or released by Sony and even Canon over the past year.
 
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harddrive said:
Are they not the same thing? Two press releases basically announcing the same product?

And nice though it may be, nice though features like 1080p/50 may be, it's 4k and large sensor that have been making the headlines (and sales) for the last couple of years for most of Panasonics competitors - witness the number of orders placed for Sonys F5/55 in the last couple of months. I thought a 4K large sensor Varicam mockup was shown by Panasonic last year, now it seems that even that has gone away. I was expecting it to at least have become a prototype by now?
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No, the HPX5000 and the new, as yet unnamed Varicam are different cameras.
 
I am disappointed not to hear anything new from Panasonic. But I also agree that they should not rush anything to market. They are in a unique position to evaluate, as others have said, the effect of the Black Magic Pocket camera and 4K camera, on the market. It's not about making the first product, but rather the best. :)
 
Well, remember that NAB is the National Association of Broadcasters, NOT the National Association of Independent Filmmakers. I think that Panasonic's offerings this year are very respectable. From what I have seen of the info on the Varicam update it seems to be one heck of a camera. While it is not likely to happen anytime soon, If I was tasked with shooting a properly budgeted documentary for broadcast I would definitely want to give the Varicam a day in court in pre-pro.
 
David G. Smith said:
Well, remember that NAB is the National Association of Broadcasters, NOT the National Association of Independent Filmmakers.
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That is a good point. But I guess there is no place for indie film announcements. I wonder if it would have been better for BMD to announce at SXSW? Probably not as so far they have stole the show.
 
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