Panasonic Drops Price of Varicam LT to $9,995.00!
- Thread starter puredrifting
- Start date
G
Guest
Guest
Who is saying that?
The idea is, “for the price” xyz can compare. It isn’t an apples to apples, it is more because finances are a constant consideration.
That said, the comparison is sub $15K, which includes some bad-ass sub $5K cameras.
Let’s also not forget that this is supposed to be a temporary price drop. It honestly better win against cameras that literally cost half the price. At it's full price, it’s competitors are probably the Sony F5 and RED Dragon-X ($15k brain).
I dunno; am I the only one that thinks there is a noticeable difference between something like the C200, which I own, and the higher tier the LT belongs to?
The LT is inarguably a less convenient camera to shoot with than my C200, and I’m still leaning towards getting one...
I dunno; am I the only one that thinks there is a noticeable difference between something like the C200, which I own, and the higher tier the LT belongs to?
The LT is inarguably a less convenient camera to shoot with than my C200, and I’m still leaning towards getting one...
Run&Gun
Veteran
I've used the LT. The control panel/monitor is actually pretty good. MANY orders of magnitude better than the built-in monitor on the original P2 Vari that listed for four times what the LT is currently priced.
That being said, for me and my style, it's still not useable out-of-the-box. A quality EVF is mandatory.
NorBro
Major Contributor
It should be a permanent price drop in the USA unless the camera becomes a top seller overnight.
A 'special order' at one of the world's most prestigious retailers is not a good sign.
I know it seems like I'm hard on this camera, but I actually do think its images are gorgeous.
I think it was mentioned somewhere that the current price will expire at the end of summer or fall (IDR), but I highly doubt it will increase again. IMO...just from watching cameras over the years. Or it will for a little bit and then finally continue to drop until it's discontinued.
Apples-to-apples, LT is still roughly twice the C200 price.
Plus, there are rumors of the new Canon Cinema line cameras ... and you know how expensive those rumors can be.
Mitch Gross
Veteran
The only reason B&H or any other reseller might have the VariCam LT as a "special order" item is because as soon as we announced the Instant Rebate pricing every available camera was snapped up. Those that know recognize the vaue of the deal. We bumped up production and are catching up but the demand is high. I'm even having trouble getting access to our demo units because everyone is checking them out, and I'm the Product Manager!
You're right, no fair comparing the VariCam LT to $6K cameras. Of course it outperforms them. Go ahead and compare it to $15K cameras. Or $25K cameras. Be our guest.
You're right, no fair comparing the VariCam LT to $6K cameras. Of course it outperforms them. Go ahead and compare it to $15K cameras. Or $25K cameras. Be our guest.
Samuel H
Major Contributor
Oh, game! I like that
1 Left for the skin but obviously right for the hair
2 Left
3 Left
4 Top center (then third in the bottom, then first in the bottom, then fourth in the bottom)
(those are probably crazy high ISO values, when I talk about low-light I don't mean THAT, just 3200 to 6400, which is plenty as long as you don't intend to shoot in absolute darkness)
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NorBro
Major Contributor
You would know best.
But if that's truly the case then the Panasonic Varicam LT would be the first camera within the last 6-7 years (during my personal observation) which B&H decided not to use their most common phrase on its status in which they do for 100% of other cameras in this situation:
"More on the Way."
So do I believe it? I don't.
A 'special order' has always been for either very expensive cameras or cameras that simply do not sell well. (Or expensive bundles.)
G
Guest
Guest
Oh, game! I like that
1 Left for the skin but obviously right for the hair
2 Left
3 Left
4 Top center (then third in the bottom, then first in the bottom, then fourth in the bottom)
(those are probably crazy high ISO values, when I talk about low-light I don't mean THAT, just 3200 to 6400, which is plenty as long as you don't intend to shoot in absolute darkness)
Yes! I love a good game too! Ha!
I was looking at the shots, and realized there was a better light source on the right side of her face, which is seen in the images on the left. So, almost didn’t matter the camera, so much as the light.
The iso was approx 6400.
What you say you only are looking for 6400, i agree completely. With a f2 lens and a useable 6400, there really isn’t much else one needs.
1. A6300 (top center)
2. Varicam LT (bottom 3rd from left)
3. C300mkII (bottom 1st from left)
4. Arri Amira (bottom fourth from left)
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Eric Coughlin
Veteran
Realistically, I probably wouldn't buy the Varicam LT if it was free, assuming free meant I still had to spend another $10k on media, card reader, and a viewfinder, which I think are mandatory for this camera.
The biggest problem with this camera as a freelancer is that it isn't a known name among producers; hardly anyone is asking for it. I get requests obviously for the cameras I own since they're on my website, Arri Amira and Canon C300, but aside from that, I've gotten requests for Red, A7s, FS7, F55. I guess just once a co-worker I worked with got a request for the Varicam. Sure, Netflix is using the Varicam 35, but I'm not shooting Netflix originals. A camera that isn't requested, as a freelancer, is practically worthless. I saw a C700 on Ebay for close to the price of a C300, and I still wouldn't buy it in part because nobody wants it.
Compared to the Amira, the Varicam LT doesn't sit nearly as well on the shoulder, balancing is more difficult, getting the viewfinder in place is less flexible. The control panel I absolutely hate; the LCD is low quality and next to worthless for judging anything when used as a monitor, unlike on a C300 which has a quality monitor that comes with it. The control panel is difficult to position in a reasonable place to access controls; I had to keep taking the camera off of my shoulder every time I wanted to adjust settings. Having the viewfinder helps, but I don't believe you have quite as much control of the camera with the viewfinder as you do with the control panel.
The low light images from the Varicam I have strong doubts about. Sure, I imagine at 5000 ISO it's better than the Amira which is capped at 3200 ISO and was never billed as a low light camera (thought the shadows on the Amira are incredibly clean in low light), but compared to the C300, I'm not convinced the low light is better. And considering you have to deal with dual iso, changing the settings, dialing back from 5000 ISO to 2500 ISO, etc., it's really just a lot of added complication to changing ISO compared to the simplicity of the C300 where you just in a second or less scroll a dial to change to whatever ISO you want from 160 to 80,000. On the Varicam you've got to press multiple buttons which could take 5-20 seconds to get to the ISOs you want; far from ideal for documentary style shooting. Dual ISO is billed as a big positive feature, but to me it's just a hindrance when a C300 can be pretty clean at all ISOs from 160-5000 without having to worry about digging into "dual" settings.
In terms of image quality, the Varicam may be a bit better than the C300, but I find the C300 wins by a mile in terms of usability, speed of use, etc. The Amira image I find far better than both the C300 and Varicam LT.
There's a lot of other things I dislike about the Varicam. I first played with it at B&H and then used it on a three day shoot. That said, I would choose the Varicam LT over a Sony FS7 or Red.
The biggest problem with this camera as a freelancer is that it isn't a known name among producers; hardly anyone is asking for it. I get requests obviously for the cameras I own since they're on my website, Arri Amira and Canon C300, but aside from that, I've gotten requests for Red, A7s, FS7, F55. I guess just once a co-worker I worked with got a request for the Varicam. Sure, Netflix is using the Varicam 35, but I'm not shooting Netflix originals. A camera that isn't requested, as a freelancer, is practically worthless. I saw a C700 on Ebay for close to the price of a C300, and I still wouldn't buy it in part because nobody wants it.
Compared to the Amira, the Varicam LT doesn't sit nearly as well on the shoulder, balancing is more difficult, getting the viewfinder in place is less flexible. The control panel I absolutely hate; the LCD is low quality and next to worthless for judging anything when used as a monitor, unlike on a C300 which has a quality monitor that comes with it. The control panel is difficult to position in a reasonable place to access controls; I had to keep taking the camera off of my shoulder every time I wanted to adjust settings. Having the viewfinder helps, but I don't believe you have quite as much control of the camera with the viewfinder as you do with the control panel.
The low light images from the Varicam I have strong doubts about. Sure, I imagine at 5000 ISO it's better than the Amira which is capped at 3200 ISO and was never billed as a low light camera (thought the shadows on the Amira are incredibly clean in low light), but compared to the C300, I'm not convinced the low light is better. And considering you have to deal with dual iso, changing the settings, dialing back from 5000 ISO to 2500 ISO, etc., it's really just a lot of added complication to changing ISO compared to the simplicity of the C300 where you just in a second or less scroll a dial to change to whatever ISO you want from 160 to 80,000. On the Varicam you've got to press multiple buttons which could take 5-20 seconds to get to the ISOs you want; far from ideal for documentary style shooting. Dual ISO is billed as a big positive feature, but to me it's just a hindrance when a C300 can be pretty clean at all ISOs from 160-5000 without having to worry about digging into "dual" settings.
In terms of image quality, the Varicam may be a bit better than the C300, but I find the C300 wins by a mile in terms of usability, speed of use, etc. The Amira image I find far better than both the C300 and Varicam LT.
There's a lot of other things I dislike about the Varicam. I first played with it at B&H and then used it on a three day shoot. That said, I would choose the Varicam LT over a Sony FS7 or Red.
G
Guest
Guest
Your assesment is pretty indicative of the design philosophy and market segments these companies have occupied the last few decades.
Arri, sans explaination, is the best. (It’s Cinemahhhh)
Canon has had a sexy Prosumer camera division since at least the 90’s. The appeal of the brand extends well beyond even professional circles.
Whereas Panasonic’s got strong roots in electronics and Broadcast. The Varicam/DVX mojo was something the brand never quite caught since the advent of HD. Companies like Red lead the charge of digital filmaking and run a much more attractive ad campaign. Panasonic has cameras that plug seemlessly into existing broadcast ecosystems and are extremely reliable. Not as sexy, even if they make prettier pictures.
Eric Coughlin
Veteran
Forgot to add, contrast the available places you can easily place the control panel on the Varicam with say the LCD placement (which also serves as the control panel) on the Amira. On the Amira, it's right next (attached) to the viewfinder, so when you open your left eye, everything is immediately there and available to view, as well the buttons being easily accessible via your left hand without re-positioning the camera. On the Varicam LT, there's a place at the back of the camera for the control panel (where you'd never want it for one-man-band shoulder mount applications), and while yes, you can relocate it, to say, get it in the same position as the Amira's LCD placement, you'd have to do some crazy and not ergonomic rigging which probably would not work well.
Going back to the C300, I never did like the clamshell monitor/audio design for similar reasons. As it was clunky, it made it difficult locate the clamshell where I would want it. Then the C200 monitor, smaller and sleeker, came available for the C300 Mark II, and now I can get the monitor exactly where I want it with ease, and the ergonomics work great for my purposes.
The Alexa LF (and whatever Amira update eventually comes out) will be even better, because the LCD is larger and of higher quality, whereas the Amira and Alexa Mini LCD, while positioned well and great for working as a control module, doesn't offer a large or high quality image, so a third party monitor is pretty much required if you're not going just off of the viewfinder.
Going back to the C300, I never did like the clamshell monitor/audio design for similar reasons. As it was clunky, it made it difficult locate the clamshell where I would want it. Then the C200 monitor, smaller and sleeker, came available for the C300 Mark II, and now I can get the monitor exactly where I want it with ease, and the ergonomics work great for my purposes.
The Alexa LF (and whatever Amira update eventually comes out) will be even better, because the LCD is larger and of higher quality, whereas the Amira and Alexa Mini LCD, while positioned well and great for working as a control module, doesn't offer a large or high quality image, so a third party monitor is pretty much required if you're not going just off of the viewfinder.
Mitch Gross
Veteran
On the question of the positioning of the VariCam LT control panel/monitor, Oppenheimer Cine came out with a nice little bracket that mounts to the underside of the front of the top handle, so that the Comprol Panel can be positioned above the lens mount, just next to the viewfinder. Clever & convenient. Not on their website yet, but Panasonic showed it at NAB and CineGear.
NorBro
Major Contributor
I'd like to see this C700 for that price...even if it was anywhere near the original C300 Mark II's price of $16K that would still be something because the cheapest C700 model is $28,000. The C700 line is probably the rarest batch of cameras in the history of cinema cameras. Probably popular in Japan/etc. though.
G
Guest
Guest
You should see a C700 paired with Sumire’s!!!
Eric Coughlin
Veteran
You should see an Arri Alexa paired with Leica Summilux-C lenses.
The C700 paired with Sumires to me is like pairing a C300 Mark II with softer CN-e primes. A mid range look, not high end.