Canon wakes up and smells the coffee - HUGE price drops on C100 Mark I, C300 and C500 Cinema EOS cameras!

Click on the image for price cut details!

With the beginning of a new year, the dam is starting to burst on Canon's ridiculous Cinema EOS prices. As of this morning, the PL mount Canon C500 is $15,999 (down from $30,000), the EF mount C300 (with the dual pixel AF upgrade) is $11,999 (down from $18,500) and the C100 Mark I is $3,999(!) (down from $6,499).

The headline news from these price cuts is that Canon seems to be taking the threat from Aja, Sony and Blackmagic very seriously. In a world where shooters can buy a PL mount 4K/120p APS-C Aja Cion and record to 12-bit 4:4:4 ProRes for $8,995 or an EF mount UHD/80p Super 35mm Blackmagic URSA and record to losslessly compressed CinemaDNG RAW for $5,995 - it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend $18,500 for a 1080/30p Canon C300 that records to a maximum 8-bit 4:2:2.

My guess is that this reality was starting to show up in Cinema EOS sales - and Canon, to its credit, responded. Time will tell whether these price cuts will halt the slide - or if it's a case of "too little, too late".

Shooters who bought these cameras in the last few months and are outside of their return windows aren't going to be happy, but, overall this is very good news - especially for Canon DSLR upgraders. With the cost of a C100 with XLR inputs and a top handle now just $1500 more than a sale priced 5D Mark III, it's almost a no-brainer.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

For the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube and circle us on Google+. Happy New Year and thanks for your support of the revolution in 2014!

Canon C300 Killer? $8000 4K/60p Sony PXW-FS7 Out-Specs $12,000 Canon C300

 VERSUS

Okay, you've probably already heard that Sony has decided to go all-in on support for Super 35mm independent filmmaking with the brand new $7999 4K/60p PXW-FS7 camcorder, announced at IBC 2014 overnight (press release here, specs here).

From the specs and early hands-on videos from Sony Professional and Cinema 5D (see below for early video) - the FS7 appears to be a full-on frontal assault on the more expensive Canon C300 (which is currently marked down from $13,999 to $11,999). And with the FS7's $1999 XDCA-FS7 Extension Unit and its ability to output ProRes and RAW  (shown in the images below), it becomes a $20,000 Canon C500 killer too.



Here's the camera with the XDCA-FS7 mounted (it's also a V mount adapter):






With this camera, independent filmmakers will be able to rent a $10,000 camera (a quarter of the price of an Arri Amira), throw it over their shoulders and go out and record directly to 4K without a bunch of external recorders or rigging.

My guess is that a lot of news organizations will buy this camera too, especially if, as expected, it works seamlessly with the SELP 18-200 power zoom.

James Tonkin shooting with the FS7 in Japan (image courtesy of Sony Professional)

Sony deserves a lot of credit here. Not only for reclaiming the entry-level Super 35 lead from Canon - but for listening to users' complaints about the ergonomics of the NEX-FS700, with its top mounted LCD and boxy form factor.  They also deserve credit for being willing to cannibalize the sales of their own FS700 and PMW-F5 - offering a higher-spec shoulder mounted camera with built-in 4K at a lower price point.

In my view, this will earn them a lot of loyalty from consumers - and, in the long run, will be more profitable than Canon's strategy of "protecting the high end by crippling the entry level".

Early video from this camera is solid, and the demonstrations of the built-in shoulder mount and control grip in the hands on videos are impressive.  These features are not only extremely useful, they will save shooters a lot of money because they won't have to spend thousands of extra dollars on third party shoulder mounts and control grips.

Here are the best videos I could find as of this post (I will update this over the next few days as more become available, so please check back):

Thanks from Nigel Akam

Sony PXW-FS7: another UHD XAVC very quick test from Filippo Chiesa

Sony PXW-FS7 UHD XAVC very quick test (one hour in my garden) from Filippo Chiesa

Sphere Of Light -SONY PXW-FS7- 4K from Yoshihiro Enatsu

A Night in Amsterdam with the Sony PXW-FS7 from Alister Chapman

The Cheesemonger - FS7 Camera Test Project from Ben Allan ACS

Just this morning from Jason Wingrove

.

Sony Professional: PXW-FS7 Official Promotion Movie

Sony Professional: PXW-FS7 Official FullHD Beauty Image

Sony Professional: FS7 First Footage

Sony Professional: BTS with the PXW-FS7, Den Lennie and James Tonkin

First look video courtesy of Sony Professional with Juan Martinez and Chiyoko Yannette

Cinema 5D Exclusive: Sony FS7 hands-on (courtesy Cinema 5D)
It seems to me that the only downside to this camera is the lack of a global shutter and internal RAW recording - features available on the sub-$3000 Blackmagic Production Camera. But those omissions are offset by the thoughtful ergonomics, a proven professional codec and an upgrade path to true 4K in 2015. In my view, this camera is well worth the $8000 list price - and is the first camcorder that has tempted me to sell all of my Panasonic GH cameras. Well done, Sony.

If anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

And for the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube and circle us on Google+ Thanks for your support of the revolution!

Zacuto Control Grip - ENG Camera Killer?

I hung around the Zacuto both at NAB for a couple days to see the new Control Grip and Z-Motor, but, according to the NAB entry on the Zacuto News & Events page, the grip "didn't make it due to some last minute tweaks for Zacuto's high quality standards".

The Zacuto crew were very nice and very apologetic (shout out to Megan Lally, EVP for Sales & Marketing for the free t-shirt), but I wasn't able to see the grip. But enough about me.

The Control Grip and Z Motor did make it down to CineGear last week - and here's another great video from Nate Weber of newsshooter.com, this time with Steve Weiss of Zacuto, pitching the new products:





After seeing this, it seems to me that broadcasters will be a lot less likely buy a traditional $12,000 ENG camera like the Panasonic AG-HPX600 (pictured above, with the big red "X" through it - subtle, eh?).

With a $5500 Dual Pixel Autofocus Canon C100, a $799 Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 for low light plus a $2699 Canon 28-300mm f3.5-5.6L or a $2499 Canon 70-200mm f2.8L for telephoto, stations will still have about $3000 left to buy a rig, control grip and z-motor - while staying under the price of the ENG camera.

At the end of the day, this means cinema quality Super 35 images for local TV broadcast, with the ease of use of ENG.

As this 2012 piece from tvtechnology.com suggests, 3CCD ENG camera sales have been declining for some time due to the advent of CMOS DSLRs, prosumer camcorders and relatively inexpensive large sensor cinema cameras such as the Canon C100/300.  But the last bastion of the old guard has been the fast autofocusing shoulder mounted ENG camera.  After watching this video, it seems to me that traditional ENG camera sales are destined to drop even faster.

The Zacuto Control Grip and Z-Motor haven't been released yet, but when they are, they'll be available at the Zacuto stores on Adorama and Amazon.

 If anything here has helped you to make a buying decision, please click on the links above or the display ads in the sidebar and below.  It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep the information in these posts coming.  Thanks for your support!

Panasonic VariCam 35 4K RAW Camera/Recorder Announced!

The new Panasonic VariCam 35 4K RAW camcorder

Finally! Panasonic comes up with a follow-on large sensor, interchangeable lens camcorder and enters the Super 35 game with a 14 stop 4K RAW modular camera and recorder. The Press Release (link below) says, "Ultimate Image Production for Cinema or Episodic Drama". The price is still TBD, but sources say it will be over $10K. It had better not be much over $10K if Panasonic wants to be competitive with the newly marked down $20K Canon C500.

The recorder can also be matched with a new VariCam HS 2/3" camera head for broadcast.

Both cameras will have 4 card slots - 2 for full size P2 cards, 2 for microP2 cards (the same cards used by the GH4).

The venerable Panasonic AG-AF100

A lot has happened in the four years (!) since Panasonic shook up the camcorder world with the first-ever large sensor interchangeable lens camcorder under $10,000, the AG-AF100.

With the passage of time, it may be a little difficult to remember how revolutionary this camera was - especially in the wake of successive rollouts of Super 35 interchangeable lens cameras from Panasonic's competitors - the Sony FS100, F3, FS700 ; quickly followed by the Canon Cinema EOS Line; the Sony F5/F55 and, most recently; the $2995 UHD Blackmagic Production Camera.

The VariCam 35, with its true 4K/120fps and HD 240fps slow motion, wireless capability, and other unique features is clearly a bid to regain Panasonic's leadership in the large sensor camcorder world.

If Panasonic can make this camera price competitive with the C500, it is likely find its way onto lots of movie and TV sets. If Panasonic RAW color is anywhere close to ArriRAW, it may even find itself competing with the big dogs. Welcome back, Panasonic. Here's the Press Release.

Panasonic GH4K Less Than $2000 - Big Trouble for $4000 Blackmagic Production Camera?

Courtesy HD Warrior

Two primary sources that I trust, Endgadget and Giulio Sciorio at Small Camera Big Picture are reporting from CES that, a day after Sony introduced the $1998 4k FDR-AX100 camcorder, Panasonic is about to roll out a 4K resolution GH4K camera that looks a lot like the GH3 - for less than $2000.  Endgadget says:

"The company's keeping most of the hardware's specs close to its collective vest, but a representative was able to divulge a few details. UHD content can be recorded at 200 Mbps, and output in a full live feed via a mini-HDMI port (thanks to ALL-I Intra mode) to display on a computer or record to a hard drive. Of course, the Micro-Four Thirds shooter can save footage straight to an SDXC card -- a UHS Class 3 prototype variant tuned for such a task was on display -- though space will run out fairly quickly.

There's no word how many megapixels the cam totes, but it will be able to simultaneously snap photos while recording video. More details are set to arrive with the camera's official release in late February, when it'll arrive with a price tag of $2,000 or less" (!)

This is an absolutely revolutionary price for an interchangeable lens 4K camera.  Cinemas around the word still project at 2K (and are only slowly upgrading to 4K).  When you can get one of these for less than $2000, the decision whether to buy a $4000 Blackmagic Production Camera becomes that much more difficult.

And why would anyone ever shoot for theatrical projection at 1080p (1.9K)?

I do wish that Panasonic would introduce a 4K Super 35 camera at some point.  Perhaps as a long overdue upgrade to the venerable AF100.

It looks like 2014 is going to be another very interesting year.