Panasonic announces the new VariCam LT Lightweight Highend 4K cinema camera and shows first footage

Today Panasonic announced the new Panasonic VariCam LT. It’s the small brother of the highend 4K cinema camera VariCam 35 and shares the same sensor in a smaller body. I was lucky enough to be here in Barcelona at the European launch event and had the possibility to get my hands on the camera for a few minutes. The camera itself is half the weight of the VariCam 35 (2,7 kg) and should fit in any gimbal or drone so far. It comes with an EF-Mount with iris control and you can also change the mount and add a PL-Mount on the camera. The camera also has the same viewfinder like the VariCam 35, but with one small, but big difference for you: It comes w/ an SDI-Out, which means you can use all the “cheaper” third party viewfinder like the Zacuto one…

I tested the VariCam a couple of month ago and was impressed by the image quality of the sensor. As a regular Alexa user I know that this sensor is by far the best sensor on the market right now. There is only one sensor I would use next to the Alexa for a feature film: The Red Dragon sensor. But after testing the VariCam 35 sensor I was very suprised and added this camera to my list for main cameras for a feature film. The color science of the sensor is really organic and filmlike. The highlight rolloff is smooth and looks fantastic. The latitude is great and the dual ISO setting of 800 and 5.000 is an argument for low light with less light equipment. Now Panasonic included this sensor in a smaller package, which is a great deal. Pricing starts at € 18,000 € and they want to start shipping End of March, early April 2016.

Check out the first footage of the camera:

 

Here are all the specs of the camera: 

• Same 4K Sensor as the VariCam 35
• 14+ Stops of Dynamic Range
• Dual ISO: 800 and 5000
• Removable Canon EF or PL Mount Option ($1,300)
• 4K UHD — AVC-Intra 4K422: up to 30p
• 4K UHD — AVC-Intra 4K-LT: 30p to 60p
• 2K — AVC-Intra 2K444: up to 30p, AVC-Intra 2K422: up to 60p, up to 120p (cropped), AVC-Intra 2K-LT: 120p to 240p (cropped)
• HD — AVC-Intra444: up to 30p, AVC-Intra422: up to 60p, up to 120p (cropped), AVC-Intra100: 50i/59.94i, AVC-IntraLT: 120p to 240p (cropped)
• HD ProRes: 4444 up to 30p, ProRes 422HQ up to 60p
• One expressP2 card Slot
• SD Slot for Proxies — AVC-Proxy G6 (6Mbps): up to 60p
• RAW Output from SDI Coming in Summer 2016
• ND filters (CLEAR, 0.6, 1.2, 1.8)
• 256GB expressP2 card — 90 minutes of 4K/4:2:2/23.98p content
• 3G-SDI OUT x3 (SDI OUT 1/ SDI OUT2/VF SDI)
• Genlock IN, TC IN/OUT, LAN
• USB HOST (for Network Connect), USB DEVICE (miniB)
• XLR 5 pin x1, XLR 3 pin x2
• DC OUT 4 pin Hirose x2
• Lens/Grip Connector 12 pin
• 12 V DC-IN 4 pin
• Head Phone x1 3.5 mm Stereo Mini Jack
• Proxy FTP
• Can use Panasonic AU-VCVF10G viewfinder and 3rd party viewfinder solutions
• Weight: 2,7 kg
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 184 mm x 230.5 mm x 247 mm (7-1/4 inches x 9-1/8 inches x 9-3/4 inches)
• Power Consumption: 47 W (body only), 77 W with all ports maxed out
• Availability: End of March 2016, Early April 2016
• List Price: €18,000 (body only)