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GH5 Panasonic camera, from anticipation to love or hate
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  • Just one unprofessional opinion. It seems to me that Olympus and Panasonic work in tight marketing coordination, trying not to hurt or to much decrease each other's profit chances. Precisely, I'm quite sure that Panasonic team already know and, in fact, has all (or in the highest degree) complete GH5 specs and construction, but they play their cooperative role, hold of announcing and delaying market production, allowing EM1 mk2 to be for some time main show-star and get so-so income. Listen carefully interviews with involved persons - all of them has an comic air, mysterious smiles of knowing very high interesting and hard-important things that can't tell to courious masses.

  • @Vesku

    Well, sensor just have some native ISO. All else it just either analog gain (for higher ISO) that does not add information, or just pure software thing.

  • Olympus E-M1 MkII has extended iso64. Some say that GH5 has the same sensor. I hope GH5 will have iso64 for video or at least iso100.

  • Manufacturing costs as vitaliy said are almost the same. Even cheaper on some spects. Maybe new LSI is more potent and has better integrated decoder encoders but that silicon waffer will be same price and les nanometers. So even there they are having an extra revenue.

    You must all understand price point on this camera will be high not.cos.i like.it.. cos.you all cheer up fo this model and get exited making 21 pages of rumors about.something that is not even here.

    Panasonic reads this thread and knows the value you are putting on this product. And from what im readig is high. Expect high costs.

  • I almost get the impression that some people would actually like the GH5 to cost more than 2k... Why? Are they crazy?

    If we make survey here I am sure that price people want will be around $600-900

  • I almost get the impression that some people would actually like the GH5 to cost more than 2k... Why? Are they crazy? Or just want to feel a bit elitist again knowing not everyone could afford it? Hmmm... ;)

  • $1800 is a pipe dream. $2000 is the absolute lowest it could be IMO and even that's a reach. I think we'll see $2500, with it settling around $2200 after six months, after other cams have come out and the initial excitement and hype has faded.

    I think it's pretty clear that consumers aren't the target for the GH5, it's prosumers and pros. The few consumers with these types of money to spend don't care about bit depth and color sampling, they want headline features like OMGFULLFRAMMME and ISOTWOJILLION and ERMAGERDMEGAPICKLES.

  • $1,998 would probably be the launch price. Above $2k would put off too many consumers. I am hoping for $1,799.00 Body Only!

  • Lotta pants-shitting over the price/specs of a camera when neither have even been released. Besides, who cares what the launch price is, other that it just might mean you have to wait a bit.

    Like wait 6 months before getting strange rumors that Panasonic is going out of business in cameras and slow disappearance of cameras with prices going up :-)

    If you're just making cat videos, GH4 is well under $1000 now, and you'll probably be able to pick up a G85 for $500 if Panasonic can't fix the IBIS stickiness issue.

    It is good to know that GH4 still suitable for something. Cat videos is also good thing. :-)

  • Lotta pants-shitting over the price/specs of a camera when neither have even been released. Besides, who cares what the launch price is, other that it just might mean you have to wait a bit. If the camera launches at a ridiculous price, and you have to wait to get it because it sold like hotcakes, then obviously Panasonic priced it correctly. If, though, it launches at a ridiculous price point, and everybody turns their noses up at this, you'll only have to wait a couple of months before you find one at a price closer to what you're willing to pay.

    I have a "dream camera" in mind, and I'm hoping it's released in MFT, as I'm invested in lenses. If it is, I don't care what it costs, as it's going to make me money. We all want our tools to be as inexpensive as possible, but we also want them to be AMAZING every release. If you're just making cat videos, GH4 is well under $1000 now, and you'll probably be able to pick up a G85 for $500 if Panasonic can't fix the IBIS stickiness issue.

  • Ah, so if I fly to Japan tomorrow, go to Panasonic HQ, and use my elite corporate espionage skills to liberate their production cost figures, they'll be so embarrassed that they'll release the GH5 at $699?

    If you will provide prove of such cost few things happen almost instantly - few top managers won't longer work for Panasonic and GH5 will be shelved and replaced by some new premium camera, in this case with body made of pure indium and covered in natural alligator leather :-)

  • Ah, so if I fly to Japan tomorrow, go to Panasonic HQ, and use my elite corporate espionage skills to liberate their production cost figures, they'll be so embarrassed that they'll release the GH5 at $699?

    Or should we just continue complaining and speculating on an internet messageboard instead?

  • Trying to determine what the lowest possible price Panasonic could theoretically charge doesn't do me much good, as they're never going to do that. I prefer to plan for what the camera will actually cost me.

    You are wrong here. Scientist sponsored by capitalists long time ago already discussed how bad it can be if public knew not only final cost of production, but same cost for all suppliers and all intermediates. As they called it - it could be real bomb under ruling class and corporations.

  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev I understand that, and I'd love to pay the GH2 price, but we all know that's not going to happen. Trying to determine what the lowest possible price Panasonic could theoretically charge doesn't do me much good, as they're never going to do that. I prefer to plan for what the camera will actually cost me.

  • @endotoxic Good Diaz quote!...but that was Nate. Was I the only one who had him winning 3 rounds to 2 over Conor McGregor?!

  • @aldolega

    The closest thing to the supposed GH5 specs currently on the market would be the FS5, and that's twice this supposed $3K price for the GH5, and is only 10-bit at 1080p. To get 10-bit 4:2:2 4K you have to go up to an FS7, at triple the price. Even in small-sensor, zoomy camcorders, you're spending way more than $3K to get 10-bit 4:2:2. So I don't get the comparisons to 8-bit cameras, no matter their sensor size: you have to compare apples to apples.

    It is fully pointless to compare market prices and different things, actually it is that all Panasonic local offices and various Panasonic proponents want you to do .

    Low price limit is not this - it is real cost to manufacture. And cost to manufacture for GH5 is (total secret!) close to GH2.

    All this 60fps, 10bit, 422 and such are included only in fixed hardware development and firmware costs, they add zero to body production. Actual sensor and LSI price same as it was. Sensor stab adds few dollars, body and sealing add another, but below $20. OLED EVF and screen prices are actually lower than GH2 ones.

  • The closest thing to the supposed GH5 specs currently on the market would be the FS5, and that's twice this supposed $3K price for the GH5, and is only 10-bit at 1080p. To get 10-bit 4:2:2 4K you have to go up to an FS7, at triple the price. Even in small-sensor, zoomy camcorders, you're spending way more than $3K to get 10-bit 4:2:2. So I don't get the comparisons to 8-bit cameras, no matter their sensor size: you have to compare apples to apples.

    Whether or not 10-bit 4:2:2 is necessary or useful for you in particular, or even most people, is irrelevant really. That still leaves lots of people who do want/need it and will pay for it, and have been paying for it for years in other cameras. Those who don't want/need it can buy the cheaper models, and always have.

    The real issue here is that at $3K, the GH5 isn't really a GH anymore, it should be the next line up. If it was called the GV-Pro, and there was an 8-bit GH5 at $1800-2000, nobody would be complaining. As it sits now, with the GH5 at $3K, there's just way too big of a gap between it and the G85.

    I don't think the GH5 will be $3K, though. $2.5K at most. And that still leaves too big of a gap in the lineup.

  • @Manu4Vendetta

    All of manufacturers will cry you on how little margins they have, actually they work at constant minus. But try to ask detailed calculation of product cost. :-) And things will change in a second :-)
    You'll become greedy bastard who want to calc money in wrong pocket.

  • @brudney I love Olympus, but Olyboys are very fanboys, E+M1II could cost U$5,000 and they buy it.

  • @brudney

    I can even make extremely valuable advice to Panasonic on how much GH5 body must actually cost to make a splash.

    It must cost exactly $699 for body with 8bit firmware recording and $799 for full 10bit ProRes one config.

    G85 body at the time must have $499 price.

  • There's no way Olympus is gonna sell a lot of EM1s for 2k - go over 43rumors and see the shitstorm in the comments. A handful of fanboys defending Oly's decision, while 99% of other people banging their heads in disbelief as to why a m43 camera costs much more than A6500 or XT2, not to mention D750 or A7II . Asking 1,5k was bordering on crazy, 2k is simply ridiculous.

    I suspect GH5 will cost the same, but it may be saved by a fantastic 422 10bit video. I don't think it will sell well for more than 2k, though. Seems like a psychological barrier for a small chip camera.

  • Thath price dont have sense for me. If the GH5 come about U$3,000 I prefer buy the GH4 or the A7S1. Or saving for a FS5.

  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev They may expect much more, but at greater than $1,999 they will get much less.

    If the Olympus E-M1 Mk II sells well at $1,999 then I can see Panasonic thinking that higher is the way to go, but WHEN it tanks Panasonic and Olympus may be stuck watching their competitors scoop up a good portion of their consumer base.

  • Panasonic will wait and see if Olympus' pricing gamble pays off before they announce any final specs and pricing. $2K is a lot to swallow for any mFT body. $3K would be completely ridiculous for Panasonic to attempt, IMO. That's almost twice the launch price of the GH4. I'd buy a couple of G85s or an external recorder instead.

  • @Scot

    I do not see how it can be $1999 considering many similar things with Olympus and current prices trend.

    GH4 price already made big holidays in local Panasonic branches due to margin, but still sales was good, actually they excepted around 4x less sales. As far as I understand their mood here they hope for much more.