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Panasonic AF 200 at NAB 2017? Any chance?
  • The GH5 looks fantastic and I'm sure I'll get one but I wish Panasonic would upgrade the AF 100 (or DVX 2000 with interchangeable lens option and GH5 sensor). I have most of the essential M4/3 lenses (including all of the voigtlanders) so going the Sony/BM/Canon route is out of the question. Love to have built ND, knobs and dials, XLR input etc. Any chance Panasonic has a surprise at NAB? $5000 - $6000 AF 200. Or should I shut up and buy the GH5 :)

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  • I too remain (stupidly?) optimistic that Panny will eventually release an update, I have a GH4 which is great, but need to upgrade the AF100 to another video cam body, LS300 is the frontrunner if i stick with M43 glass, otherwise new lenses and an FS7 or C300

  • I Say, do not expect it to happen :(

    Sadly,but panasonic as a camera company is sorta - dead.

    Yes they will drag G line for like2 years, maybe put out one more 2/3" fixed lens camcorder and that's it. M43 has no long term future and Panasonic management people respond to market situations with such a delay that make no sense rellying on them and invest in their products. In case AF200 ever (0.7% chance) happens, specs will be on pair with F7 and it will cost double that....

    M43 is not bad format but the main proponents are not interested to put it out there and push it. Its overpriced and underperformed system with nowhere to go further UP (no high end camera model)... Its a System that smartphones will eat in and spit out in next 2-3 years....

    As a conservative company from Japan, they will not suddenly kill varicams but rather let them drift away in a nonbuying waters till it drowns itself on a horizon (think contax DSLR and MF destiny). Me personally, I gave up on m43 and I started saving for C300 like camera and Nikon FF lenses in future :(

    Why, because back in the days, I stubbornly refused to buy into Nikon/Canon cause I LOVED my pentax optics and it was just pro body that people like me were missing...and then when MZ-S finally came, we realized its the END. We cared for Pentax more then Pentax cared for themselves and what a fools we were for that... (Pentax as a conservative Japanese company never realy came out and openly said NO to us because that would look them as a "failure"; they just let us wait for a decade till we didn't figured it out our own that "it's not happening" :(

  • The mysterious "Varicam mini" displayed under covers looks to me much more like an AF200...

  • I believe they are going to 'unveil' at CineGear, NAB preview is just to hype

  • Most probably. And it won't be low end ala AF200.

  • I don't think the AF100 was ever marketed as a cine camera. Was that even a popular term back then?

  • Back in AF100 days it was pushed as HDSLR killer, with official positions being that GH is for morons who can't do better.

  • It has gh5 LSI with beteri mplementation due to no stabilization and better heat managing. So more power can he achived. Even some more megahertz if the cooling is right.

    something is very clear. It wont be "the camera" this is a high profit product. Like the hero of marketing team. Listen Gh users have grown Gh4 is a mature system and the Gh5 does not cover now their expectations cos now they know the advantages of a proper video camer. So this fella is going to sell very well for mature GH users who have commitment to the brand at the same time newcomers will be interested. It wont have raw. But something tells me 12bit uncompresed video is a posibility with external recorder. NOT RAW.

    Also the sensor if its not m4/3 it will not be any close to real cinema lineup. Since those dual gain sensor tech its no easy to manufacture and not that cheap also. Very precise components and design is applied to the sensor.

    At another case if its super35 and is only gh5 arquitecture it could be since only more pixels are added design remains the same. This is possible.

    On the othe posibility is they have to many cine sensors that are notvselling at all. Cripple the codec and give them the good dynamic range But desactivate the dual gain to make diference in product. But this will require beter LSI and that is a cost issue. (Possible hack)

    So pana my friend dont fuck this up. Put good specs in good coded implementation. We know we have the buttons and the pro menu system. Oh and good outputs and inputs for god sake

  • At Cine Gear Expo in Hollywood, CA, Panasonic will preview our new Compact Cinema Camera on Friday, June 2nd at 4:15 p.m. PCT. This exclusive preview takes place in the Paramount Theater. See details http://www.cinegearexpo.com/la-expo-premier-series