Focus Check podcast ep72: What are your ULTIMATE mirrorless camera features? - WATCH or LISTEN now!
Focus Check podcast ep72:The ULTIMATE mirrorless camera?
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Panasonic have just released the new Panasonic VariCam LT. A lightweight 4K cinema camera that inherits its sensor and processing technology from the high end Varicam 35 and comes with numerous qualities and features for professional shooters.
[UPDATE: See our hands-on video with exclusive 4K footage from the new VariCam LT]
These last years new cinema cameras hit the market regularly. So the first question you might ask is: Should we care about this camera?
The answer is: Oh yes. Not only is this camera packed with really interesting and seemingly well thought through features, but it is actually also Panasonic’s first attempt in this market segment bringing a new camera vision to the field.
So far we’ve seen Panasonic offer low end mirrorless cameras (GH3, GH4), as well as the prosumer AF101 that preceded cameras like the C300 or FS7. After a long wait Panasonic introduced the Varicam 35 last year, packed with high end studio features, superb image quality and a unique native ISO 800 + ISO 5000 feature. The camera was priced quite high with an MSRP of $55,000.
In a nutshell, the Panasonic VariCam LT takes the Varicam 35 sensor, processing and codec and puts it in a smaller, lighter, more ergonomic and more affordable package.
Instead of describing all features in detail, here’s a list of the most important specs the camera has to offer. We will later go over the details.
This is a nice set of features, tailored to numerous kinds of production needs and clearly the professional workflow approach of the Varicam 35 is inherited. At this point you might ask yourself which advantages are left for the bigger brother, the Varicam 35. This graph shows how the two cameras compare:
First units of the Panasonic VariCam LT will start shipping in late March of 2016 and the camera has a suggested retail price of $18,000 for the camera body only.
If you are interested in the rest of the package, you will have to spend the following:
Panasonic viewfinder – $6,000 USShoulder pad – $1,500 USGrip & arm – $1,250 USPL mount option – $1,300 US256 GByte ExpressP2 Card – $2,000 US
We have to admit that this isn’t cheap at all. The quality of the VariCam LT comes at a price. The body with a single 256GB card should get you started.
more information at the Panasonic website
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Sebastian Wöber is a director and DP, studied at Filmacademy Vienna and is passionate about harnessing the potential of filmmaking tech to create powerful cinematic work with limited resources. He is currently teaching film at Andrews University in the US.