VaricamLT: Panasonic VariCam LT

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Bassman2003 said:
It is a tough marketplace in the higher end side of things, especially when you are late to the party. Alexa seems to be loved by all so to come in and try to change what already works is a tough sell. All you are left with is any brand loyalty and competing on price.

Looks like Panasonic will need to bite some bullets at all pricepoints if they want to come in and compete in the cinema space. They chose an orphaned format in m4/3rds for their lower end, they don't have a mid and mid-high product and their high end is very pricey. We have all solved it for them over the years but they don't seem to listen to us...:)
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Overall I agree, except m4/3 is okay with me, especially if you take just the mount, like JVC did with the GY-LS300. But yeah, we solved it for them years ago, with several pleas for something like a GY-LS300. Add global shutter, 12+ stops of dynamic range, and stronger codecs, and the announcement would look like a nuclear test site, after the test.
 
My optimistic side wants to believe that the GH5 meets AF100 meets FS7/700 from Panasonic has finally arrived, and all of my dreams are about to come true, and URSA mini and Sony stand no chance.

My realistic side recognizes that Panasonic has dissapointed me every year for the last 6 years, and is aware that I'll likely get something as exciting as a DVX200 or $20,000 Varicam announcement that should priced about $10k cheaper.
 
Nothing against m4/3rd as it has its strengths, I just see it as an in between format in many cases. I have no idea what is under the sheet from Panasonic. Interesting that they are doing a release so close to NAB but not at NAB. Maybe a pre in Feb. with cameras at NAB is a better way to get people in the booth.
 
nyvz said:
Doesn't seem like the Varicam 35/HS did so well, anyone shooting with it? Hopefully Panasonic is taking the 35 sensor and putting it in a smaller lighter weight body. Problem is the 35 already has trouble competing with the industry standards on specs at $55k so even if they cannibalize their own camera by releasing a new one in a smaller cheaper package it will still be sort of a tough sell to most. Perhaps they could compete with RED/Arri/Sony if it's 4k@120fps S35 in an F55 or alexa-mini sized package for <$20k but that's a very tough market so if they could get a contender in the now huge $8-16k market that would really give them a fighting chance, but it also might alienate their few Varicam35 users...
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Bassman2003 said:
It is a tough marketplace in the higher end side of things, especially when you are late to the party. Alexa seems to be loved by all so to come in and try to change what already works is a tough sell. All you are left with is any brand loyalty and competing on price.

Looks like Panasonic will need to bite some bullets at all pricepoints if they want to come in and compete in the cinema space. They chose an orphaned format in m4/3rds for their lower end, they don't have a mid and mid-high product and their high end is very pricey. We have all solved it for them over the years but they don't seem to listen to us...:)
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This is the reason I guessed high with an Alexa 65 competitor. They would beat Sony and RED to the market with a sensor size like that and if they undercut ARRI's price, they might gain a little traction. It's the ony place they could go right now without quite being another "me too" product. Unless they went crazy and did an IMAX sized sensor, in which case they would stand alone.
 
morgan_moore said:
Does the Varicam have any bugs? Apart from the mass and the pricetag it seems highly capable from my limited knowledge.
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Main issue for many is that RAW is only available as an uncompressed option, which makes it a non-starter for many cases. The datarate/file size of something like the F55 in RAW mode is bad enough, but the Varicam is ridiculous. It also needs bearing in mind that it's the RAW (compressed) output of the F55 that makes it attractive in a live environment, not just recorded. Put down the fibre it enables 4K and a lot of control in the OB truck at a (relatively!) low datarate. The Varicam is also rolling shutter - maybe not a deal killer in itself, but main rivals at the price point are likely to be global.

The Varicam also has a far higher power consumption than it's main rivals. May not be an issue for some shoots, but historically "Varicam" used to be camera of choice for such as Natural History - and that's one area where high power consumption is likely to be a relevant fact.

But as you say, main points may be mass and (especially) pricing. I'm sure it is capable of giving good results - but so are other cameras which cost much less. So why buy the Varicam in preference to those? Especially when it was late to market?

I don't know what's coming, but I see it's best chance if it's cheaper than the current Varicam without any big sacrifice, and hopefully with a more usable RAW implementation. All that becomes more possible if it's a one piece form. Or alternatively do as others have suggested and go much further upmarket, as more of a F65 challenger.
 
I just want to know what "Mobile Cinema Acquisition" even means. It seems awfully buzzword-y, and probably means something different to me than many of you.
 
Bassman2003 said:
Cinema Cell Phone? :)
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You win the internet today :)

Jaime Valles said:
Varicam (dual base ISO) with m4/3 sensor for the price of a Sony FS5, perhaps? I'd jump on that right away.
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I'm not arguing the awesomeness of that, but the market has made it pretty clear that outside of DSLR's or fixed lens cameras, folks generally want S35. Now, an S35 sensor in a m4/3 mount? Sweet. But at the same time... given what's already on the market, that really doesn't live up to "Mobile cinema acquisition is about to change… forever." Not saying it wouldn't sell. It would. But it isn't groundbreaking.

I would think a big brother to the DVX200... say, a PX380, but with an m4/3 sensor and a removable 20x(ish) constant aperture lens?
 
Mike Harvey said:
I'm not arguing the awesomeness of that, but the market has made it pretty clear that outside of DSLR's or fixed lens cameras, folks generally want S35.
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How so? The only camera that I can think of that was aimed at cinema without a S35 sensor and didn't sell very well was the AF100. In my opinion, it wasn't because of the sensor size that it didn't do well, it was because of the (relative lack of) image quality, especially when compared to the hacked GH2 back in the day. The original BMCC camera sold well, if I recall, and that had a ~m4/3 sensor. I don't think the use of a m4/3 sensor would automatically make it not desirable for cinema applications.

If a 4K Micro 4/3 Varicam came out with the dual base ISO and cost less than $6000 I think it would be revolutionary. It would also make for a clear distinction between low end Varicam (m4/3) and high-end Varicam (S35), where they share the exact same image quality, but the difference is in sensor size and perhaps frame rates.
 
I doubt Panasonic will have a MFT Varicam camera. I think it's a Varicam Mini to compete with the ARRI Mini. Broadening the possibilities when using a Varicam system.

We will love it.... but can't afford it :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

I would love to see a Varicam S35 in the FS7 price range or in between that and a C300MKII?
 
Varicam Teaser Enhanced.jpg
Screen-Shot-2016-01-22-at-3.00.04-PM.jpg

Just for fun. I did a little unveiling of my own.

Looks like a PL mount to me.

On the front top it looks like a knob so it could be a ND filter wheel or part of the PL mount.

Here is the Varicam S35 4K body. Pretty similar
img_1.jpg
 
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Jaime Valles said:
How so? The only camera that I can think of that was aimed at cinema without a S35 sensor and didn't sell very well was the AF100. In my opinion, it wasn't because of the sensor size that it didn't do well, it was because of the (relative lack of) image quality, especially when compared to the hacked GH2 back in the day. The original BMCC camera sold well, if I recall, and that had a ~m4/3 sensor. I don't think the use of a m4/3 sensor would automatically make it not desirable for cinema applications.
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This is true... but was was the price point of the original? It was basically competing against DSLR's.

If a 4K Micro 4/3 Varicam came out with the dual base ISO and cost less than $6000 I think it would be revolutionary. It would also make for a clear distinction between low end Varicam (m4/3) and high-end Varicam (S35), where they share the exact same image quality, but the difference is in sensor size and perhaps frame rates.
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Please do not misunderstand... I have a GH4, and just sold my AF100 to pay for my DVX200. I love the m4/3 format and think it's a great middle ground between the super large and small sensors... it's only slightly smaller than 35mm film. But right now, the only dedicated cameras out there I can thik of beside BMD's offerings is the JVC LS-300, and it's an m4/3 mount but with an S35 sensor crammed in behind it. I have a really hard time seeing anyone offer a camera anywhere in the $5k-$20k range with a m4/3 sensor. M4/3 mount? Sure, if it has a larger sensor behind it (capable of cropping down to m4/3 when desired). But unless it's some sort of big brother to the DVX200 (where an m4/3 sensor would absolutely shine), I'm not sure there's a market for a straight m4/3 sensor outside of DSLR's and fixed(ish) lens cameras. That isn't to say m4/3 is not capable on cinema applications. It absolutely is. But right now, that's not really what the market wants.
 
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