Like Gold, price of Panasonic G5 w kit lens plummets!

Okay, so it's not that dramatic.  But $359.99 for a Panasonic GH-5 with the 14-42mm kit lens is an unbelievable deal!  That;s $138 less than the $498 price for the body alone.

If you're in the market for a great micro 4/3 still/video camera, it's time to snap one of these up.  If you don't need the lens, you can sell it and net a G5 body for less than $300.

$50 Off New Panasonic HC-X920 Camcorder at Amazon Until 4/20

The brand new Panasonic HC-X920 is 5% off at Amazon until April 20th.  The X920 improves on the low light performance of the X900 with a backlit sensor. It also has built-in wi-fi and improves on the X900s in-camera stabilization.  I have the TM900 from a couple of years ago, and it was a great camera - this looks to be better. Here is Panasonic's promo video:

The camera is backordered as of this post, but Amazon will hold it at this price and will not charge your credit card until it ships.



 

Classic Canon 60D Marked Down to $649 at Amazon until 4/27

Canon's first flip screen LCD camera, the 60D, is now on sale for $649 (body only) at Amazon. Get one before they're gone!

This is a great APS-C still camera - essentially a smaller and lighter 7D with a flip screen.  Not bad for video, either,  for the price.

Now that March Madness is over - back to Camera Madness! NEX-7 for $998 at Amazon until April 27th

The Sony NEX-7 was the first hybrid still//video camera to shoot 20+MP stills.  I looked very seriously at this camera when it was first released - but at $1199 body-only, it was a little too rich for my blood.  Now, we're starting to see it marked down below $1000 to $998 body-only at Amazon.

This is $300 less than list for the 16MP Panasonic GH3 (if you can find one on stock) - and a pretty good deal for a 24.3MP APS-C camera with an OLED viewfinder and 1080/60p.


 

Blackmagic Does It Again!

They were the talk of last year's NAB - and it looks like they're going to do it again. Blackmagic looks set to announce TWO revolutionary new cameras tomorrow:

1. The "Blackmagic Production Camera", a $3995 EF mount, Super 35 4K camera with a global shutter (!), and

2. The "Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera",  a $995 (!!) Micro 4/3 mount (!!) Super 16 camera with 13 stops of dynamic range (!!!) that shoots RAW, and records to SD card (!!!).

The BPCC seriously undercuts the GH3, 5D MkIII and D800 - while the BPC takes clear aim at the F5, the RED Scarlet and others farther up the food chain.

Pic here: https://twitter.com/michaelkammes/status/321082752566964224/photo/1

More info as the official announcement hits the streets.

I'll say it again, these are great times to be a filmmaker!

If you can't wait for Blackmagic to ship these new cameras, you can always get a the "old" 2.5K BMCC for $2995.

Lowest price for an APS-C Camera with lens - Sony NEX-F3 for $369!

Today's Amazon Gold Box deal - a whole lot of bang for the buck - the Sony NEX-F3 for just $369 (while they last!)

Here is an example of what this little camera can do:

If you're looking for a large-sensor pocket still/video camera, the F3 is good value for your money - especially at this price!

Sony F5, BMCC, RED Scarlet Shootout

522 Productions in the DC area just posted this great little shootout between the new Sony F5, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and the RED Scarlet.

They were able to compare side-by-side video of the BMCC and the RED, but they had to go with screenshots on the F5 because they use Adobe Premiere and the camera is so new it doesn't have an Adobe plugin yet. Nevertheless, they liked the ergonomics, the menus, the manual controls and the overall handling of the F5 most of all.  In part 2 of this shootout, they'll compare workflow in post for all three of these cameras. 

If you need a camera with film-like dynamic range and 2K or greater internal RAW recording, and you don't want to wait for the BMCC, the F5 is pretty much the only game in town.  And, even after the BMCC starts shipping in volume, the F5 will be the only 2K+ RAW camera below $20,000 with 120fps and XLR inputs. They are in stock right now for $16,490 at Adorama.