LS300 for narrative filmmaking?

[B.J. Adams]

for the time being JVC is still producing the camera as far as I know. No plans to drop it for now.... and no plans to make a successor

[Steve Rosen]

B.J. I'm curious, do you actually read the posts, or do you just make an occasional inane comment to fill a void?

I ask this because my intention here, as a 50 year award winning filmmaker with numerous national broadcast credits, is to let the people from JVC who read these posts (and there's evidence that they do) know that there are actual working professionals who really like this camera, and want to see it improved in an upgraded version.

[William Hohauser]

I believe he was responding to a suggestion that the camera wasn't being produced anymore. Regardless, the comment was neutral to me.

[Steve Rosen]

Maybe, but no one ever said that, certainly not me...

There are some, me included, who want to see an alternative to the Pl or EF mount, and for that to be practical a camera with a more robust processor will be needed.... But these forums are getting more and more like Facebook...

[Steve Mullen]

I'm 73 and that means we have both shot on a lot of different camcorders over the years. I too am a fan of the LS300. Although picture color and clarity are very "video" in nature which is so very different than the current Canon C-series look that seems far better for narrative filmmaking. I see the LS300 as a doc camera. Perhaps someone will find a recipe for Resolve that yields a more film like look. I didn't have the time to find a way to do this.

My guts tell me that the LS300 was an in-house project by a group of top engineers. A project that doesn't fit anything else JVC sells so it has had near zero marketing and sales support. I don't blame marketing and sales. They must rationalize their time and energy. They likely concluded the LS300 sounded really neat, but it would never sell against what Sony and Panasonic offered. And, they are correct. Only a small group of folks are able to understand what the LS300 offers.

I think the best we can hope for is that JVC keeps building the LS300. This means sales must forecast the number of units they will sell. If the number is large enough JVC will place another order with whoever actually builds it. If it is not large enough, the order will not be placed. (Generally 10K units are needed to setup a production line for another run.)

The firmware released to date has been consistent with the sensor chip's capability. I doubt anything more will be released. I also have to wonder if JVC has sold any chips to anyone else. If not, the chip group could simply go away.

[William Hohauser]

Here's an example of the poor PR about this camera:

https://fstoppers.com/originals/best...natives-146526

Posted a few days ago but no mention of the LS300 however the author seems to know about the other JVC 4K cameras and provides a link to them only to disparage them as "video" cameras. How he could be ignorant of the LS300 is suspicious to me.

[B.J. Adams]

@William this guy praises the Sony FS5 and FS7 which cost $5500 & $8500 respectively. I suspect that people like me who don't have that kind of budget, are a good target for JVC. This guy also praises the JVC but does not link to the LS300 but to the lower end compact camcorders from Jvc. Maybe he does not even know of the LS300?

Also, he mentions the infamous film look. This depends a lot on the lens & grading too, so you can't just blame the sensor.

[Noa Put]

The fact that he doesn't even mention the ls300 but links to the hm170 instead only means that he doesn't know what is available today so why bother writing such an article.

[William Hohauser]

He praises the GH4 which is initially cheaper than the LS300. I have mulled logging in to post a question to this person but then the prospect of being on another mailing list dissuades me.

Update: Since Noa commented on the article, I did as well. The rest of the site is actually decent, more slanted to photographers and drone enthusiasts.

[Earl Thurston]

So far my search for the LS300 has come to a dead end. After a month of trying to see one, the only response my dealer got from JVC was, "There is only one demo unit in all of Canada and it is currently unavailable. If you want one, you'll have to buy one, and it's currently out of stock." The $1000 discount is scheduled to end tomorrow, and I'm simply not comfortable committing to an investment in a tool I can't see or test first, especially one that requires a very subjective evaluation. And this isn't like a purchase at Best Buy where you can return it for a 100% refund if you're unhappy with it.

I put blame squarely on JVC for this. My dealer has tried their best, and they're as frustrated as I am. I find it hard to believe that putting one demo unit in each of the major metropolitan areas of Canada would break the bank for them. It would be a drop in the bucket compared to their other marketing expenditures, and it would get the device into the dealerships where professionals could see it, get enthused about it and spread the word. Hardly anyone knows about it because it's nowhere to be seen.

[Steve Mullen]

Why not order from b&h?

Looking locally for a few minute demo or going to bb -- which has a 15% restock fee -- seems silly in 2016.

Order, try for a few weeks, and send it back if you don't like it.

I'm surprised by the number of folks who ask about the ls300 when one can have one in their hands in 48 hours.

[Earl Thurston]

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

Why not order from b&h? ...Order, try for a few weeks, and send it back if you don't like it.

I wish I could, for that reason alone. Unfortunately B&H cannot sell JVC products to Canadians. There's a big orange warning, "Shipping Restriction: Ships to USA Only. Due to export regulations and/or manufacturers restrictions, this item can only be shipped to USA Address." That would create too many issues with warranty support.

It's odd because JVC does this to protect their Canadian resellers, but then does nothing to support them or their customers. Makes absolutely no sense.

[B.J. Adams]

Originally Posted by Earl Thurston

So far my search for the LS300 has come to a dead end.

I got the LS300 based on the many good comments from the people on this forum. There are no demo units or JVC where I live... sometimes you have to have some faith. I got it from Germany, and the seller gave me a really hard time to get his a$$ off his chair and send it over!

[Steve Mullen]

With folks from Europe buying at b&h I never thought that restrictions would be in place for Canada. Although, maybe it works only when folks come to NYC from Europe.

OK -- I'll recommend it based upon my multiple month review. Just remember if you want a film look you'll need to create it yourself. The interior was shot on the LS300 and the exterior on an FS5:

YouTube (Short URL)

I'll also recommend switching to Resolve to grade J-log. I just found out that Resolve works with DirectX so ANYTHING Intel with Windows 10 supports Resolve. I've been running it n a $900 Samsung TabPro S tablet. Yes, you can use a pen! And, yes you can cast your screen to an HDTV via a Roku.

This is only for learning with SD and HD. The Tablet has no fan so it gets too hot with UHD!

I still don't know what lens I would buy. For those that bought Panasonic lenses:

1 )Which lenses can have OIS activated from the LS300 menu?

2) Which will the LS300's zoom-rocker control?

3) Which will the LS300's AF control?

4) Which will the LS300's AE control?

My memory says that no lens will support all 4 functions.

[Earl Thurston]

How timely. Shortly after I wrote my last comment, an email popped up from one of the local dealers saying the demo unit could be shipped to Vancouver by mid-October.