Find out how to get a GH2 body for $499 in the US at Adorama on the new EOSHD forum
Ethics statement: holding off buying a camera due to a rumour is silly. Anyone who wants to shoot and is not currently shooting with a GH2 especially with the hack and current discounts is missing out on a fantastic camera.
Whilst the GH2 discounts continue today I received an email from a guy in the Netherlands who had a sneak at MediaMarkt’s stock list. MediaMarkt is one of the biggest consumer electronics retailers in Europe and actually there is one near me in Berlin where I double checked the stock list. The news here is that the GH2 is showing as EOL (end of line).
From EOSHD reader Lucas:
“I was thinking about working with the GH2, but yesterday I was at several shops to buy it. They told me that the don’t have it and they are not going to order it because the GH2 is end of line. The salesman showed me the stocklist and pointed at the little ‘U’ behind the GH2 and that means end of line. Not possible to order again. And this shop has only left over stock.”
Unlike in the US stock of the GH2 has always been plentiful in European and UK stores so this is a surprise. Previously I had been told that the GH3 was not due until Photokina 2012 (August-September time), this could well be the case and in my own experiences of MediaMarkt they are a heavily profit driven shop where the speciality stuff is struck off the stock list in favour of crap like mass market compacts, so take this news with a major pinch of salt. MediaMarkt in Berlin removed the Sony NEX-VG10 for example a good 6 months before the successor showed up at the IFA (also in Berlin).
What I think is happening here is that the current GH2 kits are end of line and will be replaced with the 12-35mm X kit or 14-42mm X PZ which are both heavily optimised for video. It makes sense for Panasonic to team the GH2 with such lenses since it is their premium camera and the one with the best video capabilities.
But if it does turn out true it means that CES in January could be a possible announcement for the GH3, with an April release date. Usually Panasonic have been very slow to get previous GH cameras into stock after the official announcement. For example the GH1 was revealed in January 2009 but didn’t arrive until April in Japan and July in the US. The GH2 arrived in late August 2010 at Photokina but it wasn’t until Christmas that the camera was available in stores. So even if the GH3 is around the corner at CES, it is unlikely you will be able to get your hands on one for at least 4 months into 2012.
New forum
I have been working hard on a community for EOSHD and now it’s finally ready. This is amazing software and simple to use. It replaces the usual comments system on blog posts for a proper community and you will need to register again for the new forum. You can do that here and it only takes 20 seconds.
There is also a EOSHD Anamorphic Forum for all things anamorphic related where you can ask questions as well as show your footage and get noticed. For everything else use the EOSHD forum, it is a flat board like Vitaliy’s (GH2 hackers) rather than divided up into tons of messy sub sections so very easy to navigate and get an overview of what’s new.
