Panasonic Drops Price of Varicam LT to $9,995.00!

Like I said, it’s not always or just necessarily the record time, it’s handing cards off to be ingested, fed out, etc. My “five card rule” comes from the ~8 years I’ve been shooting tapeless. Obviously there are lots of variables and people have varying needs. I’ve had plenty of weekends where all of the content I shot could have fit all on one or two cards max, but many more cards were needed, because of producers needing them to feed and ingest. If you only have two cards and both are gone at the same time you can’t shoot. I’ve also had a shoot where we were shooting 4K/60P on another camera and I thought I was going to run out of cards with 10.
 
This reminds me of the RED Raven. The high cost of the proprietary media is the only reason I'm not jumping on this right away. I can ignore the high cost of the shoulder kit and EVF because you can go 3rd party with those. Not an option for a camera using proprietary media, which in these days of fast and reliable memory, is only good for the manufacturer. I love the Varicam 35/LT, but in that under-$10k segment having media that is over $1k for a single card is proportionally terribly expensive.

Fact is if I got Alexa Mini, the cost of media would be significantly lower than this camera. I would be looking to place an order if Panasonic would release a $11k bundle that included 2x 256GB cards, which is the bare minimum I'd want on a day of narrative.
 
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Fahnon said:
I saw that last night too, but it's already gone.
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I ended up buying the camera last night to take it off the shelf while I pended the possibility of flipping it, but it would have been too much trouble and not worth it...canceled overnight and it should be back in stock soon if you keep checking.

scorsesefan said:
BTW how trustworthy is Lensauthority? I was thinking of purchasing from them...
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LensAuthority is operated by the same people from LensRentals...can't get any better.
 
NorBro said:
I ended up buying the camera last night to take it off the shelf while I pended the possibility of flipping it, but it would have been too much trouble and not worth it...canceled overnight and it should be back in stock soon if you keep checking.



LensAuthority is operated by the same people from LensRentals...can't get any better.
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LOL, you always have your finger on the BUY button, Norbro. The "Night's Watch" of buying gear...
 
lol, that's one of the highest compliments you can give me...that used pocket at B&H was one of my best (not price, but world-class speed and awareness).
 
Three years ago when I was building a kit I really wanted this camera. Beautiful image. Incredible in low light. Was choosing between this and the c300 mkii.

One reason I didn't purchase was cost. With proprietary media and accessories, it was substantially more expensive. Secondary reason was because the commercial director/cinematographer I was operating for at the time strongly encouraged going with the c300 Mkii because it would be an easier agency sell. Basically, if we were trying to get away with a 'low budget camera' - eg not Arri or Red - this was a better choice. If we needed HFR, we'd rent. As a result, the c300 paid itself off with one job. Definitely the right choice, all things considered.

That said, I'd still love to have this camera for budget indie personal projects for the dual iso. After messing with the Canon EOS R and not being into it, I'd imagine picking up an S1 as a bcam. It's a lovely stills camera and looks very promising for video. But I'm deep in Canon world now. Also, whenever I need a tech to look at any of my cameras or lenses, it's a 30 minute drive to the Canon service center. They're great.

Did rough pricing on a change over and it makes absolutely zero sense to switch in what is basically a lateral move. Except for autofocus, which I now use all the time, some things that are definitely better about the Varicam LT. But, at least for me, it's not several thousand dollars and a workflow change better.

Of note: As I was pricing, I saw B&H has $100 of 512GB CFast 2.0 cards right now. I just purchased two for almost $200 less than the cost of one P2.

It's a bummer as I would have preferred this camera. But that ship has sailed.
 
I wonder how the Varicam LT would perform with th Ninja V? Prores HQ is plenty for almost everything I shoot. I am pretty much off of external recorders but on a camera with the size and weight of the Varicam LT, putting a Ninja V on it wouldn't be much of a burden, it's already a larger, heavier camera. There's always the chance that Atomos could end up working with Mitch to enable RAW recording on the Ninja V like they have done or supposedly soon will be doing with the Nikon Z6? Ninja V is cheap and Prores HQ with V-Log is plenty of image quality for almost anything.

That could be a way to bypass having to sell out $6K for P2 cards and reader? I agree, the Varical LT is quite a step up in image quality from the FS7 MKII, C300 MKII, C200. Sure would be interesting to do some camera tests between the Varicam LT with the Ninja V and say, a C200 shooting RAW. Wonder which image I would prefer? Another additional expense for a lot us would be tripod and head. I have the Sachtler DV6 SB with the Miller Solo DV carbon legs, which is perfect for the C200/300 MKII and FS7. But this is a considerable step up in weight and mass, I would definitely have to step up to a 100mm ball head and legs which equals a good chunk of change too. I've hefted the Varicam LT fully loaded with V-Mount and a good size lens and it's a beast in comparison to the cameras I mentioned.
 
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I use a Sachtler FSB8 with mine with the followings things on:
1. Shoulder support with two arms
2. Varicam LT with PL mount
3. BT mattebox Misfit Atom
4. O7Q
5. RT Motion Latitude with two motors
6. IDX DUO 190 battery
7. Wooden Camera top and side plate
8. Zeiss LWZ2 15.5-45mm or Zeiss LWZ3 21-100mm

Of course it would be better with a 100 mm system, but this actually works. Most primes don't weigh as much as a lightweight zoom and with EF-lenses it's even lighter.
 
puredrifting said:
I wonder how the Varicam LT would perform with th Ninja V? Prores HQ is plenty for almost everything I shoot. I am pretty much off of external recorders but on a camera with the size and weight of the Varicam LT, putting a Ninja V on it wouldn't be much of a burden, it's already a larger, heavier camera. There's always the chance that Atomos could end up working with Mitch to enable RAW recording on the Ninja V like they have done or supposedly soon will be doing with the Nikon Z6? Ninja V is cheap and Prores HQ with V-Log is plenty of image quality for almost anything.
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I've got some good news for you:
"From the VariCam LT, the Atomos recorders can capture RAW data in 4K up to 60fps and 2K up to 240fps."
https://na.panasonic.com/us/news/ne...ding-panasonic-au-eva1-and-varicam-lt-cameras

Also with regards to the tripod issue, the Varicam LT is less than a pound heavier than the Ursa Mini, and I was using that on regular sticks with no issue.
 
Fahnon said:
I've got some good news for you:
"From the VariCam LT, the Atomos recorders can capture RAW data in 4K up to 60fps and 2K up to 240fps."
https://na.panasonic.com/us/news/ne...ding-panasonic-au-eva1-and-varicam-lt-cameras

Also with regards to the tripod issue, the Varicam LT is less than a pound heavier than the Ursa Mini, and I was using that on regular sticks with no issue.
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It appears that the Ninja V, in particular though, doesn't support Prores RAW recording today, but is "in development" to record it from the Nikon Z6. No specifics about Varicam LT support that I can find.
It appears the new Shogun 7 would support Prores RAW? I think? But confused about the 5.7K, it says on the Atomos specs that is only supported from the EVA 1?

Milan's FSB8 has roughly the same specs as my old DV6SB, mine is rated for 19lbs and I think the FSB8 is rated to 20lbs, but that sounds like you'd be really pushing it with a camera as beefy as the Varicam LT
especially with bigger, heavier EF lenses like my EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II? I've always taken tripod head weight limits with a grain of salt, you never want to be very close to max anyway because camera height
on baseplates and COG play such a huge part in perceived weight when panning, tilting, leveling. You always want to be well under the suggested max weight.

This is all talk anyway for me, I won't be buying a Varicam LT, although a year and half ago, I was heavily considering it.
 
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LT seems like a good buy - setting aside its media prices - but I'd wait and see what Cinegear or even IBC offer.
 
Maybe I'm going blind, but I can't seem to find any info on which battery plate the $10k package comes with. Mitch is quoted on Newsshooter as saying it comes with a battery plate, but is that V-mount or A/B mount? I'm still considering this despite the media prices.
 
Historically Panasonic cameras (including the two prior generation VariCams) and field monitors have come with Anton Bauer Gold Mount Plates attached from the factory. My demo LT came A/B.
 
Thanks guys that's actually a downside for me. I have a ton of v-mounts already and am not replacing them anytime soon. I suppose it's not the hugest of deals if I can just buy one from a company like IDX for the usual ~$100 and swap, but it is something I have to factor in.
 
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