Chris Bell
Forum Replies Created
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My advice to you is only buy a camera if you can pay it off quickly and get a return on your investment. Technology is moving so fast right now, your camera’s value will go down quickly. Tape Varicams which sold for $65K just few years ago are worth $8-10K now, if you can find a buyer. Manufactures are turning over models fast, and introducing newer cameras w/ more features for less money. Cameras can be a good long term investments if your client base is happy with the format and not looking to change. It’s a weird world out there. Reality shows don’t want HD, and commercial clients are happier shooting video on still cameras. It all comes down to your specific area of expertise. The new Varicam makes a great picture… it could be a boat anchor in 2 years.
Christopher Bell
Cinematography
http://www.christopher-bell.com -
Yes, I tend to use .55 gamma setting, unless I need more dynamic range. In high contrast situations, I will open up the gamma to .35… it’s amazing how much info the varicam can record when you do this.
Christopher Bell
Cinematography
http://www.christopher-bell.com -
I would use great care with the film gamma settings on the monitor. The settings are designed to match film-out gamma curves, not REC709 monitors. You may end up with underexposed or noisy footage as a result. I would test.
Christopher Bell
Cinematography
http://www.christopher-bell.com -
P2 was designed for ENG. Quick ingest, fast turn around and inexpensive. ENG has been Panasonic’s core business for many years where they dominated with DVCPRO. At the end of the day, the Varicam is just a fancy ENG camera. Producers are willing to convert to a new work flow if the ends justify the means. The problem for Panasonic, the new P2 Varicams are neither innovative or ground breaking. 2/3″ video is dying in the commercial / high-end corporate world and doc shooters, and network TV folks still want tape. (Notice the HDX-900 is still in production). P2 works for some but not for all, hence it will not be ubiquitous like DVCPRO tape.
I don’t believe Panasonic Broadcast will build a big chip camera. The market is just too small for them. If cinema was so big, the Japanese manufactures would have built 35mm cameras years ago. There is a reason Panavision / Arri (and now RED) dominate the cinema industry. It’s only big enough for a few players. Sony has dipped their toe into the cinema world with the F35 and their partnership with Panavision, but at $350K each, you can see why the market is so small. Panasonic likes to sell products by the ship load.
Finally, as a freelancer I have become gun shy with Panasonic. I invested heavily into Varicams, only to see their value plummet with the introduction of the HDX-900. I am glad I did not put $65K down on a 3700 at its introduction! If Panasonic expects us to put down serious money for their products, they have to assure us they won’t turn around and undercut us with a new camera at half the price or discount the current product so drastically.
This is a great discussion. It sounds like we’re all in the same boat. Times are changing…. unfortunately I don’t think it going to get any easier. Beta SP anyone?
Christopher Bell
Cinematography
http://www.christopher-bell.com -
Steve,
I am sure the 3700 makes nice images, but my market is moving to larger sized imagers. I hope your R/D folks in Japan are seeing this transition and are hard at work on new camera. Also, the lack of any frame rates over 30fps is a deal killer. My RED goes to 60fps at 3K and 120fps at 2K.
I’ve been a big supporter of Panasonic over the years (over $350K invested), but the current line up of cameras appeals to neither me or my client base. The fact you are discounting your flagship camera 50% only shows that market for high end cameras is moving away from 2/3″. (Look at the popularity of the Canon 5D MkII)
Panasonic has great engineering potential… I hope the next generation of Varicam will exceed the current offering. I’d like to continue supporting Panasonic with my investment dollars.
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Did they tell you what frame rate was shot? You can easily find the frame rate. Play a tape, and switch the counter to the user bits. The steady number is the frame rate.
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Anybody have a suggestion?
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One other piece of advice, when you get your deck back from service, test it with a tape you don’t care about. I made the mistake of inserting a “high-value” tape into a freshly serviced deck. The deck ate the tape and it took a local tech 2 hours to extract it. Thankfully it was not damaged. The deck’s transport carriage was damaged… Lesson learned.
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What brand of tape stock are you using? I had a bad experience with Maxell tapes… won’t touch them now.
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Deck needs service… don’t bother trying to clean on your own. It will only get worse.