Not sure if I see this right but B&H is selling the ls300 for 3K including a 35mm rokinon lens making the camerabody cost only 2,5K? JVC GY-LS300 4KCAM Handheld S35mm Camcorder GY-LS300CHU B&H, whats next, you buy a rokinon lens and you get a ls300 body included in the price? They seem really desperate to sell the camera. Have not seen deals like this in the EU.

I would not disparage JVC or a retailer for offering this camera at bargain prices. JVC is not a "mainstream" prosumer or enthusiast brand. This is a very niche product and I applaud their efforts to leverage the M43 mount. I think the main reason for the price reduction is to clear out stock for a new version of the camera at NAB. I am seriously looking at this camera. I am heavily invested in M43. I have a GH4 and BMCPP and I think this will be a great addition or should I just wait for NAB. Decisions...Decisions.

Clearing out stock?? This camera has barely hit the streets, JVC is not exactly Sony.

This is B&H attempting to put other pro retailers out of business by selling a few dollars above retail. The regular JVC deal here in the US is either $3995 with an included 24mm lens or $2995 after an instant $1000 rebate. This deal is B&H eating the cost of the 35mm lens so we can assume the current wholesale cost of the camera is around $2500. They did this with one of my clients by selling them a Roland HDMI switcher for $40 above wholesale for $840 instead of retail $995, good for my client, not good for my preferred equipment supplier who gave me a working demo of the switcher which B & H wouldn't do. They also apparently made a deal with Manfrotto tripods so other retailers have to order absurd amounts of Manfrotto products or no longer sell Manfrotto. They are a hard company to compete with so take advantage of it as long as JVC allows them to do this.

I am not complaining, we don't have that kind of aggressive pricing over here and if I could have bought at that price I would jump on it. The price on the ls300 is a bit all over the place with also larger pricedifferences in the EU, it's clear they want to get it into the attention but I imagine it would be kinda annoying if you just payed top price to find out just a few months later it's gone down so much in price.

I notice Adorama has the same deal listed - so it may be that the promotion including the Rokinon lens originated from JVC.

And Frank, I'm feeling in the same boat here. The price of this camera now has me close to pulling the trigger - even though I don't absolutely need an upgrade yet. However, NAB is just around the corner and I wonder if they might be offering up an "LS350" or something. Even though they have clearly been addressing issues and adding functionality via firmware upgrades, if there were any hardware improvements to the LS300 (like a better viewfinder) I'd probably prefer to wait. All hypothetical for now, of course.

The two obvious "not likely to be only firmware"options are 422 10-bits and/or 4K at 60p since the sensor will do it. The former could be simply for external recording. The latter needs an HDMI 2.0 port. Plus a 2X speed increase.

However, NAB is just around the corner and I wonder if they might be offering up an "LS350" or something.

Jvc is not replacing the ls300, they might have more expensive and more complete model on the way but it's not like the are clearing stock to have the ls300 replaced when it just has been released. Ofcourse you can wait until you see they have a new 5000dollar model available at NAB and by then the massive discounts they give on the ls300 will be gone. :) 3K for the ls300 including a lens is a bargain.

Who fancies a showcase thread?
I've got a few public videos shot on the LS300 that I can share.
BTS pictures too...

Sure, just make a new thread with a appropriate title and I"ll add a few of mine, another one will follow after this weekend as I have a upcoming job shooting a interior of a store.

I don't disagree at all that the camera represents a good value at this price. It just seems that they're not moving units as they expected, and thus the price cuts & incentives to clear stock. This often means something new is on the way. In this case, maybe, maybe not - I don't know and am only speculating.

It wouldn't be unprecedented for JVC to announce an updated model next month. They released the HD110 barely a year after the HD100, adding some user-requested features and addressing several shortcomings the original camera had.

I think it's really encouraging that JVC has been listening to users and adding features like the histogram, J-LOG, and (soon) 120fps in HD via firmware upgrades. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that they might announce an incremental model update with some hardware improvements a year after the original camera hit the street.

Who fancies a showcase thread?
I've got a few public videos shot on the LS300 that I can share.
BTS pictures too...

duncan-

i would welcome a look at some jvc ls300 footage.

thanks in advance.

be well.

rob
smalltalk.productions

Some excellent speculation here. The LS300 has been a groundbreaking cam where with just a few improvements would really make it a contender for a much larger market base.

The largest depreciating item in a videographers kit is the cam and the lens is a significant portion of the cam’s expense. Fortunately, the lens doesn’t depreciate nearly as much as the cam’s body so by not having to buy a new lens it really cuts the cost of the new cam.

Thanks to Noa for putting up the original post. Well, in a way, this has got me thinking …..

Surly JVC is coming out with a new model and NAB is an upcoming milestone. They’d love to announce the new model prior to the show but it wouldn’t be a good idea to do it if there is too much inventory sitting in the pipeline. Secondly, this is a horse race of sorts. Technical advances in the industry means one can’t sit still.

If they can whittle down the inventory then Steve Mullen’s 422 10-bits and 60p would be an obvious LS310 or LS350 model (taking a cue from the HM100 and HM150 cams). Improved viewfinder being another, and surely there are other improvement tweaks.

The retail industry has always had a price point range for certain markets. In the case of high-end consumer cams it has been in the $1,600 to $1,800 range for the top of the line cams. In this case, since it was released in the $4 - 5k range I’d expect the new cam to be somewhere in that realm initially. They might also have some other lens choices to up the ante.

For those who have an LS300 now, maybe picking up the new cam and use the current one for B-roll? Since the lenses would be interchangeable that would be good. If one already had two lenses then you’d probably only have to buy a body. Hmmm… this is sounding better all the time.

Finding a prime or manual zoom is not a problem as there are lots of choices. However, what is a good ~ 10X power zoom lens (without a ‘gotcha’) that can be controlled with the zoom rocker?

I"m sure it won't be a replacing but rather a supplementing camera if they would bring out a new one. I can't imagine if they already would bring out a model so soon that would replace the ls300.

Noa, You could be very well be right. The new model could be akin to the HM170 and the HM200 in their model, specs, and price structure.

The suspense builds...

JVC has put out some incredible low to midrange cameras over the years but has never been able to become a trend. The 4K market is saturated with everything from phones and GoPros to very high-end equipment. They need to get some of the name cinematographers on board if the camera is to go anywhere.

My take is that the sellers are clearing inventory for a camera that isn't selling well. I don't mean to be negative, because I do really love this camera, and would buy a 10 bit replacement in a millisecond... but the problem is that there seems to be an inherent prejudice against JVC in the "pro" market - I was once in that category, so I understand.

But the LS300 is miles above the competition, even at twice the price... 10 bit is necessary to reach the peak, but even at 8 bit it is a great deal (I have two Pocket Cameras and sold an HPX250, so I know the difference).

i agree with steve rosen, this camera would be MUCH more attractive to me it it produced 422/10bit in hd.

aside from noa's recent wedding posting (thank you noa!), i welcome seeing more footage especially graded jlog skintones.

be well.

rob
smalltalk.productions

One of the interesting features that intrigues me is the ability to "zoom" a prime lens using VSM. It is amazing how well this works. The quality of the video I have seen on the web and Mr. Mullen's articles are really pushing me towards this camera. I understand the price drop impacts resale value. I have been caught a number of times on the loosing end with camera gear. The ability to leverage my M43 lenses is also a consideration for me. Anyone using Veydra lenses? Would be great to hear your opinion.

Don't worry about resale value... at 3 grand including the excellent 35mm Rokinon T1.5 it will pay for itself in a matter on weeks or months. Hell, I'd buy another one now if I didn't already have that lens....

... Which lens, BTW, I use constantly in a variety of settings, from interviews to scenics, even handheld. Because of the variable zoom it fulfills the equivalent function of about a 20mm to 55mmm on the S16 sensor Pocket Camera... a very useful range. I keep the Rokinon 12mm in my vest pocket for wider (or the Olympus 12-40, but it's not manual iris, which I prefer).

It's a fantastic value for sure.

JVC unfortunately just doesn't have the same appeal to many producers, and shooters like myself who frequently do multicam with others, get called in because of the particular camera we own, in my current case, the C100/300.

Same goes for the sony fs7/fs5/etc.. etc..., producers are frequently worried about camera matching, and JVC just isn't as 'buzzed' about.

But... for wedding shooters/indie/anyone who doesn't have that producer/higher-by-camera issue, it's pretty darn fantastic

The streaming built in is also brilliant, and the hm200 is even better a value for streamers, on sale for under 2K...

it's tempting as heck, but i'm likely biting on an FS5 later this year.

Luckily that's a problem I don't have, I'm completely independent, produce my own documentaries and make docs and TV spots for clients who hire me because of my reputation and my "reel" (antiquated phrase), not my camera. But I've been doing this for over 40 years and have always chosen the road less traveled.

But sadly you're right - JVC just doesn't carry the weight - and it's mostly their own fault. I said it in my first post here - they have a brilliant design team that creates a dream concept - (witness the HDV shoulder mount camera of the early decade with the headphone built in that looked like an Aaton XTR) - then that design concept is shortchanged in the board room, and quality control and customer service suffer.

I had pre-orderd an FS5 before I ever heard of the LS300 (I've related this before, so excuse me again for repeating myself)... I needed a camera quick for a college president that wanted to do a UHD presentation at a conference. I don't live near a rental house, so I sold my C100 and sprung (site unseen) for the JVC, just for this job. It literally paid for itself on that one job. I still follow the FS5 forum, but I don't need it now, I'm happy with this camera.

Again, 10 bit is the one issue that may eventually drive me to Sony. But I'd buy two to four LS300s before I'd buy another 8 bit Canon. BTW, I seldom shoot in low light, and the C100 was admittedly great at that.

I've been eyeing the LS300 for a while. There doesn't seem to be anything else in this price range with this set of featured and now that the it is going for $1000 off plus the extra stuff I can't help but be interested. Might pick it up next week.

FYI...JVC initially offered the camera with either a free Metabones adapter or Rokinon lens for $3995 that went to last September....then they had the option of the above or $500 off the $3995 price. B & H tends to buy a container full of cameras at a time. So I suspect, they have cameras left from their initial buy and are offering the camera & lens & then new $1000 rebate that started recently....to move some of their stock. We ran through our "freebee" cameras a while ago so now we have them with just the $1000 rebate. BTW, we sold a lot more of the packages with the Metabones than the Rokinon...because many already had the lens or others available.

Jim Martin
EVSonline.com

>>BTW, we sold a lot more of the packages with the Metabones than the Rokinon...because manny already had the lens or others available.<<

I would have rather had the package with the Metabones adapter too! Their products never go on sale so tack on another $650 for me...

NAB2016 went by, there was a new firmware update announced for the LS300 but no new hardware to succeed it, right?

Correct. Nothing new from JVC

Luckily that's a problem I don't have, I'm completely independent, produce my own documentaries and make docs and TV spots for clients who hire me because of my reputation and my "reel" (antiquated phrase), not my camera. But I've been doing this for over 40 years and have always chosen the road less traveled.

But sadly you're right - JVC just doesn't carry the weight - and it's mostly their own fault. I said it in my first post here - they have a brilliant design team that creates a dream concept - (witness the HDV shoulder mount camera of the early decade with the headphone built in that looked like an Aaton XTR) - then that design concept is shortchanged in the board room, and quality control and customer service suffer.


I have had a few issues with producers going "JVC"? What's that? The Panasonic cameras have the same problem although less so. I had to do a hard sell to use a JVC camera for a documentary last year, they were "we only use C300s for our docs", I said, "Well then, pay me for the rental cost of a C300, and pay for the extra day of shooting it will cause, if not I'm using my JVC HM600 camera". They called me when it was all finished and said, "That JVC camera looks great!". It's rather silly as many projects end up going thru filters to change the quality of the image that you can't tell what camera shot it after it's completed. DOF? Yes that requires a specific camera.

By the way, with the Virtual Zoom, the LS300 is almost the most versatile DSLR out there, especially for the price.

Ironically the now revered Bolex H16 Rex was treated the same way in the early 70s. I made a feature doc about marijuana smugglers with one, and the lab (Cinema Research) refused to blow it up to 35 until I proved that the footage was better than stuff from an Arri BL. Some things never change.

My friend with an JVC HM700 was going to sell it because at one point he was getting calls only for his 7D. Suddenly he's getting calls for his HM700 because producers are getting sick of multicam DSLR shoots were nobody is in focus at the same time and the moment is lost. And everybody in the area sold their video cameras for DSLRs. The HM700 is always reliably in focus when used by a good camera person.