Super 35 camcorder prices continue to fall - 240fps Sony FS700 now $4999!

First generation large sensor camcorder prices continue their steady march downward. First, the Sony FS100 dropped to $2499. Then the Canon C100 dropped to $2999. Recently, the Panasonic AF100's price was slashed to $1999. Now, it's the Sony FS700's turn with a $1000 drop to $4999.

With its 4K sensor, RAW output, 1080/240p frame rate and power zoom compatibility, the FS700 was a breakthrough camcorder in its time. It's still tough to find a camera in this price class with a Super 35mm sensor and 240fps HD slow motion. As a reminder, here's what that looks like:



If you don't need 4K or RAW right now, but want a very capable slo-mo camera with built-in NDs, SDI out, XLRs and great low light performance, this might be a good opportunity to pick up this great Super 35 camcorder.

Panasonic AF100 pro camcorder now worth less than a couple of cell phones

                          

  

                                                            \

Interestingly, the same day Panasonic's new $999.99 CM1 "communication camera" rolled out in the States, the company cut the price of its venerable AG-AF100 pro camcorder to $1999.

As a result, the AF100 is now worth less than the price of a couple of cell phones.

Looking back from 2015, it's hard to remember what a pioneering camcorder the AF100 was.  A year after the beginning of the DSLR revolution, Panasonic boldly unveiled a large sensor, interchangeable lens camera with XLR inputs, ND filters, a top handle and camcorder ergonomics and controls.  This was before the FS100, before the C100 and back when Blackmagic Design was still pretty much a video capture card company.

For a while, Panasonic had the market to itself - until its competitors figured out the AF100's vulnerability - its micro 4/3 sensor size.

The competition's first generation pro camcorders were Super 35.  Not only did they perform better in low light - they also had the cachet of a "Hollywood sized sensor."

Very quickly, the AF100 was eclipsed by the Sony FS100, the FS700 and then the Canon Cinema EOS series.

Now, about a half dozen manufacturers (to include AJA, Blackmagic, Kinefinity and JVC) are building sub-$10,000 interchangeable lens Super 35 cameras, while Panasonic's only offering in this price class remains the 5 year old AF100.

Panasonic really needs a Super 35 camera in this price class.  In HCR's opinion, the DVX200, with its micro 4/3 sensor and fixed lens, was a missed opportunity to fill this gap.

In the meantime, for shooters who don't need 10-bit or 4K and don't mind the smaller sensor, this is still a decent 8-bit 1080p camera - and, at $1999, might be worth buying as a starter cam for those want the camcorder form factor and can't afford a $2499 FS100 or a $2999 C100.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a buying decision, please use the links here to make your purchases - it won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these blog posts coming.  Thank you so much for your support of the revolution!

Adorama offering free lenses or adapters with preorders of new JVC GY-LS300!

As reported earlier, JVC is going all-out to get its soon-to-ship Super 35mm camcorder into the hands of videographers and filmmakers with a terrific promotion - and the major online retailers have started to include it on their GY-LS300 product pages.

Now, when you pre-order your new LS300 from Adorama for $3995, you get your choice of either a free Rokinon 24mm or 35mm cine lens - or a Canon EF, Nikon or PL mount adapter.

This is a real bargain - "4K for $4K" (sorry, RED) - plus compatibility with your existing lenses straight out of the box (unless you're an NEX shooter :)).

And the image quality is top-notch.

I don't know how I missed this, but when Matthew Allard did his LS300 test a few weeks ago (which I wrote about in this post), he compared the UHD and HD output from the LS300 with UHD/HD output from the Sony A7s - both recorded to the Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q+ in ProRes.

Using the same Zeiss lens on both cameras, the results were surprising.  To Matt's eye (and mine), the LS300 produces "a sharper, more detailed UHD image than the A7s."  Here's the video:





This is the camera many shooters have been waiting for since the beginning of the large sensor, interchangeable lens camera revolution - an affordable Super 35 camera with the ergonomics and features of a traditional camcorder - plus image quality that beats (or at least matches) the best of the still/video hybrids.

There will be a lot of DSLR/DSLM upgraders who will want ditch their unwieldy "rigs" and buy this camera - if only to get away from the hassle of screw-on ND filters and XLR adapters,

This is very good news for JVC - and potentially bad news for Canon, Sony, Blackmagic and Panasonic - whose $4000 offerings are either less capable (Canon, Sony and Panasonic) or less ergonomically friendly (Blackmagic).

Panasonic is especially weak in this price class, with the AF100 long overdue for a refresh.

If Panasonic wants to compete with JVC in this market segment, any new "AG-AF200" will have come in below $4000 - especially if they stick with a micro 4/3 sized sensor.  It's going to be an interesting NAB.

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.

And for the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube  - and circle us on Google+.

Is it a cinema camera or not? Newsshooter reviews the "4K for $4K" JVC GY-LS300 Super 35mm camcorder

4K JVC GY-LS300 - $3995 at Adorama - click image to pre-order

Kudos to Matthew Allard at newsshooter.com for posting the first English language review of this exciting new micro four thirds mount camcorder - the camera I call  "the Panasonic AF200 that should have been".

And kudos to JVC for doing what Panasonic should have done with the micro four thirds mount - adapted it to an affordable Super 35mm camcorder.

From the review, here's Matthew's real-world example of what this $3995 camera can do in a documentary/newsgathering scenario:


 
Matthew's review speaks for itself - but I found it interesting that JVC told him that "the GY-LS300 is not being marketed as a cinema camera."

Then why the heck was Craig Yanagi from JVC at Sundance with the LS300 last month?


 

As with any company introducing a new product, there is probably a little confusion in the marketing department over messaging - but JVC needs to get a handle on this, or they will miss a golden opportunity to make inroads with independent filmmakers.

Whether JVC's "ENG-centric" marketing department likes it or not, Super 35 is a cinema format - and the LS300 is likely to be seen as a relatively inexpensive and easy to use entry level cinema camera by film schools, DSLR upgraders and other low budget filmmakers.

This is a real opportunity for JVC to enter a marketplace where they have not been competitive.  I hope they don't screw it up.

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.

And for the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube  - and circle us on Google+.

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.

UK Dealer: 4K Blackmagic Production Camera Shipping This Month!

3D Broadcast Sales at Pinewood Studios in the UK claim that the long-awaited 4K for $4K Blackmagic Production Camera will start shipping in January 2014.  After Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty's "shipping this quarter [Q4 2013]" quote a few weeks ago, let's hope this isn't another false alarm.

Hopefully, CVP in the UK and stateside dealers such as B&H and Adorama will get their cameras in soon and start filling customer pre-orders.

I am really looking forward to seeing what this camera can do once it's out in the marketplace and in the hands of the thousands of creatives who couldn't afford a 4K Super 35 camera until now.

Remember when $4000 was an exciting price for a large-sensor interchangeable lens 1080p Panasonic AF100?  Seems like a very long time ago.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a buying decision, please use the links embedded above or the display ads below to order.

And even if you're not in the market for a cinema camera right now, please support our sponsors - Adorama, Amazon, BorrowLenses, CoolLCD, DigitalRev, uBid, Vimeo, the the Warner Brothers Shop and others whose display ads you see in the margins.

It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these blog posts coming.  Thanks so much!