VaricamLT: Owners Input / Experiences

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digitalinnovations

Well-known member
I am heavily considering a Varicam LT purchase and wanted to get some thoughts on the camera from current or previous owners of not only the image quality but also user experience. Doing a quick browse here in the forums it seems the LT owners aren’t very active so I thought it was worth a shot to start a new thread.

Just for reference, I am coming from a Sony FS7 and the other camera on my radar is (of course) the Arri Amira but for twice the money I am not sure you get twice the results. If anyone has experience with both and can provide feedback on both that would be great too.
 
Image quality is incredible. Color reproduction is great, with differentiation between even the slightest changes in value and saturation in a scene. And yes da skin tones. There are reviews/tests out there that show that stuff, but also the footage just looks beautiful in my subjective experience. The camera is very sharp, 4k, 2k, and 1080p all. I can't imagine needing something sharper. The image just feels so robust.

User experience has also been fantastic. I've done small crew short film and pilot projects and corporate video with it mainly on dolly and sticks, as well as some 8 hr days with the panasonic shoulder support. It' s just solid all around. If you look for reviews you'll see the same notes about "slow reboot time" and "no physical audio dials," which to me are eye-rolling small. If you change frame rates / resolution yes it needs to do a software restart, and yes it takes something like 15s, but who cares? Picture is back sooner so you can start finding your frame and getting set, and then you blink and the camera is ready to record. You will find comments "time is money," and "seconds count on set." I just think it's kind of silly. Like why did you need to switch back and forth from 24 to 120p 10 times in an hour? Seems like a planning issue and not a varicam one.

And similar with the audio dials. If you're recording audio into the camera, just program one of your user buttons to bring up audio levels, they will pop right up on the control panel and you use the buttons to level up and down. So audio control is 1 button press to display, and 1 button press to adjust. 1 extra press. I think it's a pretty minor gripe seeing as how REDs and ALEXAs don't have any audio control (or inputs) whatsoever until you add attachments.

I've been shooting with it about 10 months and have never had any bugs, overheating, or media problems. It's a workhorse.
 
It’s great to hear from an owner; I was beginning to worry but I guess when you get up to certain level / cost of camera the user base gets smaller and of that group a lot probably don’t frequent the forums.

The reboot times for changes did concern me; I shoot a fair amount of docu-style so I have to work on the fly. Also, how do you find the crop for slo-mo? This is one area the FS7 spoils you...the full frame slo-mo.
 
Here's a short sample clip. 240 fps crop, 2k-LT codec. It's an uncorrected clip that I just threw a V-log to Panasonic 709 LUT on.

One huge asterisk: this was shot with an absolutely vile canon kit (backup) lens due to circumstances on the day. It's still sharp but I have to assume it would have come out nicer shooting with a proper lens.


Honestly I don't do much overcrank above 60fps. But I've been satisfied with the few shots done in 120/240 crop. If you do a lot of work in 4k 120fps, this obviously isn't the tool. I was a little hesitant when I was buying having that thought "what if I need x," but I realized I shoot extreme slow mo (120+) so rarely that I could easily rent a camera if some project called for that. And I've needed the 120+ stuff precisely once in 10 months, but that's just me of course.
 
I do a fair bit of over-crank myself; most of it does fall at 60fps but some goes up to 180 (FS7 max). The quality looks good on the Varicam LT (as expected) but I am more concerned about a 20mm becoming a 40mm due to crop...sometimes getting those wide shots are tough enough, you know?
 
I've tested the Amira and Varicam LT side by side with the same lens and I'd say it is a matter of taste which image you prefer. The main difference in the image is that the LT offers higher resolution and better low light capability, that the Amira shoots better slow-motion internally and that the LT crops the sensor in HFR. If you add an O7Q to the LT and shoot HFR in raw, then the image will be much better than recording HFR internally in the LT. A setup with LT+O7Q is not ideal for documentary work (raw is so much data and it's a more heavy and cumbersome setup), but my guess is that it's still lighter than an Amira. I think (I'm not sure though) that the Shogun Inferno can record the LT HFR raw output transformed to ProRes, which will reduce the amount of data but still probably give you a better image than the compressed HFR LT-codec. The Inferno will not record the 4K 60p or 2K 200-240p raw AFAIK since it has only one SSD drive. Since the LT already can record in ProRes it would have been lovely if that choice was available internally in the camera for HFR, but unfortunately it is not.

Regarding the boot up times for changing the codec, resolution and such, for me it's not a big deal. My experience is that many cameras have more or less complicated menus to dig through when those settings are being applied, so it takes time anyway. On the LT doing those changes is quite simple. If there was a button for changing user setups, that would've been great, but for some reason many cameras don't seem to have that.

Regarding the audio I never record more than two channels at the same time internally (if it's a bigger production then there's someone recording audio separately anyway). This means that I can record input 3 to channels 1 and 3 and input 4 to channels 2 and 4, and set different volumes for the inputs. Then you can have a lower input back-up if for some reason the audio is distorted.

Here's a test between different cameras, Amira and LT included:
https://www.agdok.de/de_DE/cameratest
 
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Thank you very much for the link. It appears their conclusion is much like the one you summarized above which is: the Varicam LT is pretty darn close to the Amira in every way except HFR and if you need above ISO 1600 the Varicam LT is better. Ugh! Tough choice for twice the money :)
 
digitalinnovations said:
Thank you very much for the link. It appears their conclusion is much like the one you summarized above which is: the Varicam LT is pretty darn close to the Amira in every way except HFR and if you need above ISO 1600 the Varicam LT is better. Ugh! Tough choice for twice the money :)
Click to expand...

And VariCam offers true 4K instead of uprezzing.
 
I don't mean to sidetrack the topic, but Milan or Mitch, could you elaborate on a bit of info in that link: "Footage shot at 200fps can be improved by exporting from the Panasonic P2 viewer." I haven't used p2 viewer much and am not familiar with its ins and outs.
 
Hi, I just wanted to chime in on Amira vs Varicam. The Arri sensor is like a dinosaur compared to the Varicam. The colors captured feel more vivid and dimensional from Panasonic and the Dual ISO is really a game changer. The sensor texture/grain structure from the LT is beautiful, and the images are in a way different league from the Sony which most people agree has crappy skin tones.

If people are saying changing frame rates and rebooting is the weakest point of the camera. Keep in mind I can change frame rates and reboot faster than I can swap lenses, mattebox and realign follow focus. And I've yet to have someone complain about that kind of production change. I can't imagine anybody getting really upset about HFR switching.

It's kind of a silly point for me at least.

Hope you get an LT, you'll love it!
 
The Sony definitely has issues with skin tones and that is one of the main reasons I am moving away from the FS7. The feature set on the FS7 still holds up against the offerings from other manufacturers but I just find the color lacking. 4K is plenty of resolution for me...what I am looking for is more DR and better colors.
 
Straw Man said:
I don't mean to sidetrack the topic, but Milan or Mitch, could you elaborate on a bit of info in that link: "Footage shot at 200fps can be improved by exporting from the Panasonic P2 viewer." I haven't used p2 viewer much and am not familiar with its ins and outs.
Click to expand...

I think this might have been an issue before, when that codec was new and not supported by some NLEs, which made the HFR clips look bad. AFAIK the codec is now supported. With that said, the raw HFR with an O7Q is still much better than the internal codec, the image is sharper and without compression artifacts.
 
Another thing:
I just got my Varicam LT back which I had rented to a colleague here in Stockholm. He used it for a seven day shoot of an instructional video with many hours of recorded material. His assistent, who was operating the camera, said that he had never used such a flawless combination of equipment before. Everything just worked without any issues. They were also very happy with the dual ISO, which helped them a lot. Last time they did similar work they used an Amira.
 
Hi, do people here have experience on the LT vs the Varicam 35 version.
We have an offer on it, and we are wondering if that's the right direction to go.
 
Not an owner yet :laugh:

PaoloP said:
Hi, do people here have experience on the LT vs the Varicam 35 version.
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Same sensor, but the Varicam 35 has more frame rate options. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTj82yTRpqE

digitalinnovations said:
The Sony definitely has issues with skin tones and that is one of the main reasons I am moving away from the FS7...
Click to expand...

The LT is in another league in that regard. Sony has made some really great/cinematic cameras (F3, which I own and is still produces the best HD images out there, F35, Venice) but the FS7 is not one of them imo. The FS7 is a workhorse, but the color science is not its forte.

The feature set on the FS7 still holds up against the offerings from other manufacturers...
Click to expand...

There are differences between the FS7 & LT that might be a factor. The LT does not have automatic focus, for example. Perhaps others can point to other differences (I don't currently own either).

There is no other camera in this price range that beats the LT in my opinion (currently $10K until the end of September). I hope that Panasonic continues to develop it and hopefully it can get more traction in the marketplace.

Some LT reviews:
1. Viable alternative to Red/Arri: https://nofilmschool.com/2017/05/review-panasonic-varicam-lt
2. https://www.newsshooter.com/2016/06...ricam-lt-a-hands-on-review-for-solo-shooters/
3. Pro Video p.1: https://www.provideocoalition.com/review-panasonic-varicam-lt-4k-super35mm-cine-camera/
4. Pro Video p.2: https://www.provideocoalition.com/panasonic-varicam-lt-review-part-2/
5. Varicam LT lens tests (praises the LT in comparison to Arri/Epic-w at the 14:25 mark): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgbHlvFm6mk
https://www.4kshooters.net/2017/02/...gma-18-35-xeen-cooke-speed-panchros-and-more/

https://www.cinematography.net/Panasonic-VaricamLT-RAW-UHD-2017.html

Sample raw files (select the Varicam LT folder to download): https://www.myairbridge.com/en/#!/folder/XDn2Yx7xLBAaLh0Zbq415jcXW5hOa9SM
 
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Carlos13 said:
There is no other camera in this price range that beats the LT in my opinion (currently $10K until the end of September). I hope that Panasonic continues to develop it and hopefully it can get more traction in the marketplace.
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Oh disregard in case you read. Watched the video and you're right.
 
With the price drop promotion the Varicam LT is really tempting.

I've got a current thread re: the C200 as I'm currently considering moving on from the Ursa Mini Pro. The C200/500 ii are appealing as I do a lot of travel and will reduce some weight. The LT is only a few hundred grams heavier, but would allow me to ditch the Zoom H6 (haven't yet come to truly trust the audio recording on the Ursa). I love the LT image and for the work I do (mostly corporate doc) it seems like a really robust option.

I have a couple of questions for the owners out there.

How is the quality of the control panel as a monitor? I'm not a big fan of EVFs and would likely use an external monitor at times (especially in the case of recording raw), but to keep the package as small as possible is the monitor acceptable for focusing?

The Varicam seems to only come standard with AB mount, but I already own a stack of V-Lock batteries. Can it come with w V-Lock mount instead? It seems the body just comes standard with AB, and it seems a waste to take this off and throw in the trash to install a V mount.

Can 2K Prores 4444 be recorded to SDXC?

Thanks.
 
Here is a fairly balanced review of the Varicam LT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chWJW-Q6utk&t=184s

They loved the image, were not overwhelmed with the display and thought the startup/reboot times and frequency less than ideal.
It loves batteries .... which should not be a major issue with corporate doc ...

Good luck finding one ... backordered everywhere ... and I doubt due to a long line of buyers. Too many new new thangs to tempt
the public ...
 
Dan Pears said:
How is the quality of the control panel as a monitor? I'm not a big fan of EVFs and would likely use an external monitor at times (especially in the case of recording raw), but to keep the package as small as possible is the monitor acceptable for focusing?

The Varicam seems to only come standard with AB mount, but I already own a stack of V-Lock batteries. Can it come with w V-Lock mount instead? It seems the body just comes standard with AB, and it seems a waste to take this off and throw in the trash to install a V mount.

Can 2K Prores 4444 be recorded to SDXC?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

You can use the small monitor for focusing since the image can be magnified, but you can only magnify it in the center. So if you're setting the focus and recording it works fine, if you have to change focus while recording you'd be much better off with a better monitor.
There is a focus tool (with small squares) which is very helpful and can be used with the monitor.

It always comes with an AB-mount but you can either get an AB>V-lock adapter or just exchange it to a V-mount. I changed mine to a V-mount and it works great. It's easy to change it.

No, you have to record it to P2. I prefer shooting in 4K/UHD since I've noticed that the 2K footage (no crop) is more prone to have colour moiré in it.
 
docmoore said:
Good luck finding one ... backordered everywhere ... and I doubt due to a long line of buyers. Too many new new thangs to tempt
the public ...
Click to expand...

Ha thanks... I didn't realise all of the price reduction articles were from months ago. Probably give it a miss and wait it out until NAB.
 
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