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Recently EOSHD forum user “Werner” had the chance to meet Canon at the European HQ in Germany.
It’s 2016 already! In 2014, Panasonic gave the world its first affordable 4K interchangeable lens camera – GH4. Since then, Sony has followed up with some pretty dominant full frame models for many many dollars more and Samsung surprised everyone with a cute little puppy – NX1 – before enticing it with sausages into a dark ally and shooting it.
Since the DSLR filmmaking democracy began, much has happened in the world. Much of it completely passed Canon DSLR shooters by, judging by Vimeo 🙂 Yet still 7 years after the dawn of camera-democracy, Canon still doesn’t have a cost effective interchangeable lens camera that shoots above 720p, if you take into fact the true number of lines resolved by the line-skipping and pixel binning cameras Canon have given us to date.
Canon are lucky. The internet, a medium their 95-year median management in Japan don’t even understand, is keeping 720p quality alive and nobody has a girlfriend willing to accommodate an 85″ 4K TV, so the rest of us can’t tell the difference anyway!
What’s even weirder is that none of the established camera review platforms or magazines have been willing to call a spade a spade on this topic, something I am calling into question as resembling a conspiracy. Having been invited into the inner circle of product feedback meetings, press briefings, trade show meetings, interviews and demo unit loan contracts myself, I have witnessed first hand exactly what a chilling effect this has on a reviewer’s ability to be truly forthright in their views.
At the BVE 2016 show in February this year, I experienced another piece of the machinery that keeps the established internet voices on-side. Money. The sad fact is that most publishers are dependant on a hierarchy that begins and ends with the major retailers and manufacturers. At the show, I got a taste of it. The UK retailer WEX approached, thanking me for buying their Sony FS5, praising the coverage on EOSHD. At some point in the coversation I mentioned that I usually use B&H for product links and the discussion turned to WEX’s affiliate programme, which I didn’t realise existed. The gentlemen said he’d love to set one up for me, but that my negative coverage of Canon meant that such a deal would be too difficult and sure enough months later it hasn’t happened. This, he remarked, was because Canon were their largest account.
In short – Do not believe anything at all that you read on the major camera review sites!
As for Werner’s meeting with Canon, I hope they invite him back. Although he has an axe to grind at least he’s telling the truth.
Coming attractions
I’ll be picking up the pace here on EOSHD soon after an uneventful few months.
Beginning this month there’s a busy summer in the making which climaxes in September at Photokina. You won’t have to wait until September to get a surprise though, believe me.
By the way, I am told the Panasonic GX80 has the same sensor as the GH5, which should make for a very interesting review, especially as it is also our first glance at the new in-body stabilisation system from Panasonic.
I expect at the show to meet the Panasonic GH5 in the flesh, the Fuji X-T2 which may or may not be 4K, and the Olympus E-M1 Mark II. What’s not so certain is will the Canon 5D Mark III’s successor join them? The 5D Mark III came out over 4 years ago. This is an even larger gap we suffered waiting for the 5D Mark II to get an update. Panasonic have it right with the 2 year cycle of the GH series. In my opinion the 5D Mark IV won’t suddenly begin adding Cinema EOS style video features or an H.264 XF codec for 4K. Also, the lack of an affordable Super 35mm 4K Cinema EOS camera at NAB means Sony could remain unchallenged for quite some time. The 1D X Mark II remember, doesn’t even have Canon LOG or peaking.
What I hope most of all is that the Olympus E-M1 Mark II and Fuji X-T2 shoot 4K, although the removal altogether of the video button on the leaked prototype images point to the company’s continued lack of interest in it.
It’s the Panasonic GH5 that I’m personally the most excited about.
