Price drop on Sony, Canon, Panasonic, etc. cameras soon?

F

FANNINGFX

New member
Hello all,

I apologize if this topic has been posted already (if so I couldn't find it on the forums), but does anyone know if camera manufacturers will soon cut prices on at least some of their professional cameras in response to the upcoming releases of relatively cheap 2K/4K-ready cameras (e.g. Blackmagic's production camera, Digital Bolex, etc.)? I was looking to find a suitable replacement for my HPX-170 soon, but I don't want to get another camera now only to find out I could've gotten it cheaper had I waited just a bit longer. Thanks!
 
Well, the Panasonic Gh3 has been discounted about $200. I am looking at the GH3 as a second cam to compliment my HPX170. I thought about selling my HPX170 but it does so many things well and is selling so cheap (around $1700) that I just can't let it go. It is a way better camera than that price indicates.
 
I don't think the Digital Bolex is a factor. It's not released yet, and once they finally release it they're talking about doing another run of maybe 300-500 cameras. Compared to Canon DSLR sales that's not even a drop in the bucket is it?

The Digital Bolex looks to be more of a boutique camera that will appeal to a very small segment of the market, not really competition for the big guys.
 
Nobody cuts prices in response to anyone else's announcements. Well, nobody but Red, apparently. ;)

Companies cut prices in response to sales. If sales are dropping, they will sometimes cut prices in an effort to spur sales. So there's no reason to expect companies to drop prices unless and until they see a sustained dropoff in sales that can be attributed to their customers buying less-expensive alternative products.
 
Yes let's all really kill the industry a lot more than it has already been. That's a swell idea.

:2vrolijk_08:

Let's INCREASE prices for a change.
 
And the trouble is that for "relatively cheap 2K/4K-ready cameras" basic body price is not the whole story. The basic body may be cheap by conventional standards - but they rely on extra components being bolted on to work. Something like your HPX170 is a self contained unit - put in a memory card and get out video files. The same isn't true of many of the ones you talk about. They may only output RAW, so need an external recorder, and a high data rate means high performance memory which fills up quickly, and that's before we even start thinking about lenses etc.

Suddenly, the cheap basic unit becomes a lot, lot more expensive to actually use.

It's a bit like budget airlines charging a low basic price for the ticket, then charging for every add-on they can think of. (I was recently given a fare for a short flight where even checking in a 15kg bag would cost about 33% of the basic ticket price! And never mind all the other extras which are included with most other airlines.)
 
@ Mark Williams. I think you meant the GH2, not the GH3 since the GH3 was released only but a couple of months ago.

DSLR's is a great way of getting started in video since you can start playing around and add gear as you need it, meaning you can start at least merely shooting video and overlaying audio, creating montages. Then you add better audio setup etc etc. But, DSLR's is more a cinema camera - yes they are used in just about all applications these days, but they are, really, very effective in a cinema production environment because in the cinema production since the lack of integrated controls and hardware doesn't matter that much cause you'll add it anyway.

Rather see if you can keep your HPX and add a GH3 (or GH2 if you can find a good priced one) or which ever DSLR or EVIL tickles your fancy and will be useful. Some have given up their camcorders for GH2/3's and have been over the moon, others, not so much since it is a different type of camera - apart from it being a DSLR or EVIL stills camera.

Thankfully the gear you will buy for a DSLR won't be lost if you never shoot with a DSLR again, I think a handful of relatively cheap items will be lost, but for the most part, everything is transferable.
 
Oh for pete sakes! Mark, apologies mate, I must be developing dyslexia, I read "discontinued". Sorry bout that.

Thanks Roxics for re-posting the idea I was questioning.
 
Thanks for everyone's input and thank you Mark for the B & H link. While I've indeed considered purchasing the GH3 and looked at a few other DSLRs, a professional camcorder with features like those of the 170 would be more suitable for the kind of projects I'm usually involved in. Right now I'm leaning towards getting an AF100 or Sony's FS100/700. I've seen some decent deals for those cameras and their accessories on the DVX marketplace, so I may just purchase my next camera kit from there. Thanks again, everybody!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top