Varicam LT big price drop
- Thread starter Newsguy
- Start date
Mitch Gross
Veteran
I know two separate owners of VariCam LTs that own the vasic VariCam LT body and are fine with that. One added the PL mount that he can swap out with the EF lens mount. Both operate their cameras off Ronins at all times, whether handheld or on a dolly or crane. So for them there is no need for a viewfinder or baseplate. These are guys working very professional shoots every day.
There are camera heads from other manufactures that come with nothing -- no battery mount, no I/O connectivity, no control interface, not even a lens mount. For $9,995.00, the VariCam LT comes with a top handle, an EF lens mount, a control panel/monitor, a battery plate, and complete I/O connectivity. You don't HAVE to have a viewfinder or a baseplate or a side handgrip, and if you do then you don't have to buy ours.
There are camera heads from other manufactures that come with nothing -- no battery mount, no I/O connectivity, no control interface, not even a lens mount. For $9,995.00, the VariCam LT comes with a top handle, an EF lens mount, a control panel/monitor, a battery plate, and complete I/O connectivity. You don't HAVE to have a viewfinder or a baseplate or a side handgrip, and if you do then you don't have to buy ours.
An amazing camera is now even better due to this price drop for the next few months, and people still find things to complain about. This camera retailed for $14.5 and now it's $10k for the next 3 months. Anyone interested in the LT can now use the $4k savings and buy whatever accessories they need. Please stop complaining. This isn't Red, where the brain comes with nothing and they eye gouge you for all of the accessories you need to actually make the camera work. As Mitch mentioned, this is not that.
NorBro
Major Contributor
Even though it may be considered unfair that RED does not allow you to control their cameras or does not provide you a mount/plate/connections/etc. without spending additional money, you'd have to compare apples to apples in this case if you're going to mention them.
The LT's original price was $16,500 (maybe more at same places). The Scarlet-W was always considered the LT's direct competitor, and that body costs $12,500. An additional $4K added to the S-W has it up & running and in the same state as the LT if not in a better one.
And if you take 3-4 of RED's other cameras and do the same thing, they all end up being way less than the Varicam 35.
In any case, it's just a business model; Panasonic is doing the same thing as RED with their media, and ARRI does the same thing but with their licensing (and of course you need some extra accessories too).
Whether you're paying for everything up front or in bits and pieces, it works out to be the same for a lot of these systems.
The LT's original price was $16,500 (maybe more at same places). The Scarlet-W was always considered the LT's direct competitor, and that body costs $12,500. An additional $4K added to the S-W has it up & running and in the same state as the LT if not in a better one.
And if you take 3-4 of RED's other cameras and do the same thing, they all end up being way less than the Varicam 35.
In any case, it's just a business model; Panasonic is doing the same thing as RED with their media, and ARRI does the same thing but with their licensing (and of course you need some extra accessories too).
Whether you're paying for everything up front or in bits and pieces, it works out to be the same for a lot of these systems.
Run&Gun
Veteran
There are so many people of this board that come from the DSLR revolution and don't know what it's like paying $40k+ for a just a single camera with nothing else(no VF, no batteries, no media). Or how they're built. As much as I find wrong with and think Panasonic dropped the ball on with the LT with design and features, make no mistake, it's a real camera meant to be used in the real (rough) production world. Anyone who's ever even just brushed up against a real 2/3" ENG camera or Alexa or Amira knows as soon as they touch an LT, it's a real camera.
Disagree on this one. Which Red camera spits out a raw signal that you can record to an external recorder using inexpensive SSDs again? The LT and the EVA1 can do that. You don't have to use Panasonic's media. Some of Red's media costs as much if not more than some mirrorless cameras that produce images that are as nice as the Red cameras themselves (my opinion).
Finally, cost of ownership is just a single factor among many others, cost of operation is a another. The Reds cannot compete with Varicam LT on either of these fronts imo, and the LT has been compared (numerous times) favorably with Alexa cameras, which cost tens of thousands of dollars more. At $10k there is very little to complain about imo, but you can't please everyone.
Not a fan of Red's business model or the cult like following of some of its users. The Monstro is a great sensor, but for that price range I would rather go with Venice or an Alexa.
Now, can we get back to what a ridiculous deal the Varicam LT at $10K is?
Run&Gun
Veteran
I will be glad when we get to the point that all RAW can/will be done internally on all cameras. I hate off-board recorders. The only ones that really aren't a nuisance are the Sony R5/R7's that lock right onto the F5/55 and Venice and become a de facto part of the camera and CODEX that do the same with cameras like the V35. But you still have expensive proprietary media.
One thing I can say about P2, though(I have 10 cards for my 2x 2700's): it's freaking bulletproof. Knock-on-wood, in the eight(?) years I've been shooting P2 I've never seen a card failure. Mine or otherwise. I'd say that's pretty impressive when you look at how many "cycles"(read/write/insertion/removal) some my cards and others out there have on them.
And one other thing, I believe original style P2 cards can be used for certain, "less stressful", HD codecs/bit-rates/frame-rates on the LT.
Red has patents on this that won't expire until 2030.
NorBro re:external recorders, to each its own (there are situations where they make sense, and at least Pana and others give users the option). Red's media would not cost as much if they weren't proprietary.
Don't want to continue to sideline the thread away from the LT rebate.
Run&Gun
Veteran
Canon C200 records RAW internally. As does the VariCam PURE.
The LT rigged with the 17-120 and a small monitor on the back is a fair bit heavier than my Sony 800. Like I’m looking for cases I can roll it around in because without a shoulder strap I can’t walk around with it very long. I thought about getting some Sony pins for it and hanging a portabrace shoulder strap on it.
No joke, I bought this case yesterday and came back and read this. For travel I’m going to use it to store accessories but once I’m on the ground I’m going to take the camera everywhere inside of it. Once it’s on my shoulder, the camera feels great, but walking around with it in my hand is not helping my tendinitis.
Also, I can confirm that Berkey is still in business, I just bought his LT top plate and he personally called me to confirm some details.
Alex Derrick
Active member
I know this is serious off topic. But Milan, can you post pics of your Think Tank Rig. I was looking at one from Jason Case and it's so much more expensive and maybe not as well suited for ENG style rig.
Do you have an insta? we can share the photos there.
Thanks!
-A
The Jason cases one is specifically made to break the camera down. The Rig 24 is specifically made to leave it completely built in the case. I plan on using it to take it in and out of venues when it’s a long walk. My rig built with a Canon 17-120, external monitor, shoulder pad with rods etc is way too heavy to be carrying around by the handle. This way I just roll the camera to where I’m going and pull it out fully built and ready to shoot.
Alex Derrick
Active member
Hey! So do you feel the camera is safe bumping around on wheels? Is there enough padding? The Jason case is super robust and seems like a good storage solution when my camera is not in use. Right now I'm in a Portabrace soft bag. And its great for travelling and when I need to run. But dust and debris get in there and I don't feel it is very safe at all from even a minor collision or storage mishap. Earth Quakes are a real thing in So Cal!!