Panasonic Layoffs

videomagician

videomagician

Well-known member
Just found out my local dealer's Panasonic rep is being laid off the end of the month - even though his sales are up something like 40% from this time last year. I wonder if the bean counters are going to be able to help me if I have any problems with my gear.
 
I just found out from our local rep (different from yours), that they just did the same to him. gone at the end of the month. He found out for certain this past Friday of Labor Day weekend.
 
Hmmm. My local dealer (who use to work for a company in Arkansas with a home office in Louisiana) now works for a company with a home office in St. Louis, MO where the rep was from Minneapolis...
 
Guys,

I think you are talking about the same guy. Unfortunately there were a number of painful decisions made last week and only two were in the sales channel, one guy retired. We did/are doing a bit of reorganization but with a necessary head count reduction. As far as making sure your equipment is cared for, I don't think that you will notice the difference. We are committed to customer satisfaction. Your dealership will have a means of getting answers to questions and that should be forthcoming in the next couple of weeks, most likely by the time your rep leaves Panasonic. Its not that we didn't think he was a great guy and that he wasn't doing a great job, he is/was, its just the economy isn't was what it was even a year ago.

Best,

Jan
 
I expect a lot more of the same if pana doesn't start moving down the DSMC road in the near future.
 
I think he meant Digital Still & Motion Camera? More like talking about the speedy trend into vDSLRs. I really doubt this is a big reason why hard times are falling on the company, of course. Though competition from Panasonic beyond the GH1 would be greatly welcomed.
 
I hate to see anyone lose their job. I've been laid off twice in my career.

I just hope Panasonic doesn't give someone else more responsibility who is probably already overworked anyway in order to keep their job.
 
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DSMC = Red's moniker for a hybrid still and motion camera, basically dmpsk8 is referencing the Scarlet, GH1, and Canon 5D & 7D. Large-sensor cameras with interchangeable lenses.
 
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FYI, DSMC is a term that appears in the Scarlet brochure, with a copyright symbol after it, signifying that Red has copyrighted the acronym. According to the Scarlet brochure, it stands for Digital Stills and Motion Camera.
 
I agree.

In fact, I take this opportunity to say a few words to Panasonic and Jan, since I'm a Panasonic Camera user for almost 10 years now, and certainly would like to continue being a costumer.

First, I think we need to take a look at the current market. While previously the segmentation was clear, separating 2/3, S35 and "Prosumer"1/3 video cameras, with the release of The Red One, the announcement of the Red Scarlet/EPIC DSMC business model and the subsequent response from canon of the 5d Mark II and now the very antecipated 7D, (I'm not forgeting the GH-1, but the codec is clearly crippling the cam, and I can't see any other reason for this than market protection from Panasonic) things are not so clear anymore.

Rumours circulate of an impeding release from Canon of an APS-C "Prosumer XL like" video camera for bellow 8k. This is, indeed, the market place yet to be explored. The other market is, of course, the one where the HPX500 currently is.

Having said that, it is important to know what current Panasonic cameras shine vs the competition in the first place.

1- Reliability. Panasonic camera's have never failed me (Knock on wood)

2- Color/Gamma- the "mojo". Yes, this can be done in post, and Raw is the best possible way to capture, but it takes TIME, top computing to achieve results that are better, yes, but not THAT better that you can get from a AVC-Intra camera, for example. And this you can get right out of the box. Its no biggie for big productions and productions that can afford top grading, but for the Indie and low budget, having Panasonic's cinegamma is a major plus.

3- Workflow. AVC-Intra is established in all major editors, as well as DVCPRO HD. I don't talk much about DVCPRO HD because clearly it is time to move towards Intra with the appearance of the HDMI-HD-SDI capture boxes and new RAW codecs from the likes of cineform and Red. Panasonic also has P2 pretty much established as an industry standard for solid state capture, being available in most major post houses and Broadcast stations.

4- Costumer support. This is very important for professional gear. I can only say good things from Panasonic support over the years in critical production occasions.

5- Picture quality. The high end HPX3000 is considered by many as a Sony F900/950 beater, and in the low end (prior, of course, of this new generation of cameras starting with the EX1) Panasonic's philosophy towards picture, like in the HVX/ HPX, going for less pixels but better color and codec in a time when sensors needed a compromise, where spot on. No one talks about a Z1 or an A1 much these days, but the HVX is still pretty much a respected camera in the business.

What are the challenges of the current Panasonic lineup in the marketplace?

Value/Obsolescence- Clearly Canon are on the right track. I wouldn't look at another 1/3 camera for a near future update. My main concern is not DOF, but LOW LIGHT. In an Indie/ Low budget production, lbeing able to use available light as much as possible is very important. 1/3's clearly are not as capable as 2/3, and 2/3 are clearly not as capable as aps-c. Bigger the sensor, better the low light, and the control of DOF.. Its the laws of physics. Its not a matter of the picture a 1/3 camera can produce in optimal conditions, is how much picture you can pull out of it in not ideal/controled conditions, and how much more money you need to create a picture that you would get in a bigger sensor camera.

2- Price- When I say price, I don't expect an HVX sucessor to be at the 1600USD price point of the 7d (but wouldn't mind). But following today's incredible technological developments, I would certainly expect to have a 5000/6000 USD Panasonic camera with AVC-Intra 100 (I don't even talk about ULTRA!), one of Panasonics main assets, an APS-C sized sensor (or MIcro 4/3rds?) and all other Panasonic already established "certainties" like robustness, excelent color, reliability and costumer support.

The business model for this camera could be on the selling of Lenses specifically made for this camera system, with P2 continuing to sell for Panasonic. What the new VDSLR's brought to the table was also Portability, stealth and low weight, which means possibility to use much less expensive support gear like steadicams, tripods, Jibs, etc. This new "HVX" should be able to be lightweight AND sturdy- this is one of the very innovative things in the Scarlet concept.

3- Current sub 12k lineup is good, but in need of a major update: notice that what I say is a personal opinion- HPX500- Excelent ENG shoulder mount camera, but has an outdated codec vs the new HPX300, has low resolution CCD's, something that was acceptable and even the right way to go 3 years ago when it was introduced, but not today. HPX300- Does everything well, except, of course, low light and Cmos "jello" issues in 24p 1080. It also has a big, shoulder mount form factor that can be a plus and a minus- a minus, for example, because for DOF, due to its 1/3 sensor, one needs to use a 35mm adapter for a better control of DOF, and that adds too much to the weight of the already heavy camera, which means more expensive support gear, as well as with the light loss of said adapter, means much more investment in lighting. The HPX300 with a Mini 4/3 Cmos, for example, would be another story... HPX170/HMC150/HVX200a- 4 year old chips that still do the job but are in need of an upgrade. Low light is not good, and, for short films, a DOF adapter ends up being an almost essential tool in order to maximise cinematography control. With the introduction of the EX1, 1/3 ccd cameras for these bodies are not justifiable anymore- for consumer handheld, "crash cams" and perspective cameras, that may still be acceptable, but technology as just evolved for bigger sensors in smaller bodies.Small sensors still have a place in the marketplace, but it is for pocket/crash cameras and mobile phones/ipods.(many may not agree with what I say, and you can certainly get good or very good results with prosumer 1/3 gear- I know I can!- but one also knows that it is certainly inferior to bigger sensor cameras capture in Dinamic range and low light.

What solution?

Here's my own subjective opinion: A new business model and a complete revamp of Panasonic Broadcast/Professional's camera's lineup. A business model not separated by sensor sizes, but by features and out of the box capabilities. Example:


There will always be space for a 20/30k camera- However, this camera has to offer the same and more value than the RED ONE/EPIC X and Scarlet DSMC.

The HPX3000 line should be upgraded to a bigger sensor and keep everything that makes it a winner- AVC INTRA/ULTRA, ENG form factor, P2, variable frame rates, support for different lens mounts, etc. It should come out of the box ready to shoot, excluding lens. This should be Panasonic's own EPIC top of the line. SHould record in AVC Intra/Ultra as well as a form of RAW, and allow 1080 60p and higher frame rates in both 1080p and 720p. SHould be in the bellow 30k price point.

HPX2000 should be discontinued.

HPX500 2- this camera should have the same chip as the the HPX3000 but with fewer options that could be upgraded by the user when they wanted it to make it an HPX3000. 12k

HPX400- a "new" camera that would use the same chip of the other top end cameras that could be configured to be both handheld and shoulder mount, lightweight, with interchangeable lenses and offering upgrades that could take it close to the HPX3000 line. 8k tops.

HPX300- should be discontinued, or upgraded to a S35 sensor. Should be bellow 7k

HPX170/HVX200/HMC150- This is where the big sales numbers are- a fixed lens (with zoom range equivalent to current lineup), P2, S35-micro 4/3rds AVCintra full HD 1080p HVX200 with variable frame rates in 1080 and 720p for bellow 5k. This would be "the" camera for most indies, and wouldn't eat too much on the high end cameras sales. I would be first in line to purchase one of these. Notice that what is written here is, excluding the codecs and variable frame rates, offered by the 7d. In fact, the HPX400 to HPX3000 upgrade path I write here is similar to what RED is trying with the SCarlet/Epic business model. The HPX400 I wrote here, if not upgraded, would be, once again not taking consideration the codec, something very close to a 7D/, at least in its "handheld" configuration

This is, of course, my own, subjective POV and way of thinking.

I believe that now is the time to take risks, to be innovative and to take aim and grab this new market. I know a new business model needs to be written, but now is where most gains can be made. In days of crisis, either one is innovative and proactive, or conservative and defensive, letting newcomers and the ones willing to take (calculated, of course) risks to eat and steal your portion of the pie. Panasonic was always at the front of innovation, at least on this price range, with 24p, 1080p and Variable frame rates, to state a few. Up your game!
 
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Barry_Green said:
FYI, DSMC is a term that appears in the Scarlet brochure, with a copyright symbol after it, signifying that Red has copyrighted the acronym. According to the Scarlet brochure, it stands for Digital Stills and Motion Camera.
Click to expand...

They've recently defined it as a digital camera that shoots RAW stills and RAW motion as well.
 
Looking back, it's not a copyright symbol, it's a registered trademark symbol.

If it's a registered trademark, then yeah, they certainly have the right to define it to mean whatever they choose.
 
Someone at Pana should have lost their job over the debacle that was the GH1 distribution.
Just look at how many sales they lost.
Hope you are reading this Panny rep, we want to see marked improvements by the time the GH2 (or whatever its called) starts to ship.

1800 frustrated posts in this thread
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=173023
 
Point duly taken Barry.

Jan Crittenden, I hope you can use any contacts you have to forward my post or a link of my post to the appropriate person.
 
Sorry, you seem so surprised. Frankly since the GH1 is not part of Panasonic Broadcast, but rather the consumer group, and the Red camera is well the Red camera, I really don't follow it, other than a post here or there.

Best,

Jan
 
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