John Matthews

This is a subject I've long wanted to discuss. Sure, it's great to have shallow DOF sometimes, but what are you really doing? Hiding? Why hide something if your subject and story great, the framing and deep focus could enhance that as long as the quality is there.

Yes, I'm sure you would. I was only referring to the MSRP. It's the natural cycle of things. Again, I'm sure they have their reasons, but it still feel like Europeans are getting screwed due to the US prices. Don't worry, I feel the same about Apple. It just feels a little like highway robbery, especially when you know other manufacturers don't do it. In Apple's case, no one else makes them. The worst part is when you realize you can fly to NYC, buy the camera, and fly back for the same cost. Something is off.

Nice shots. Colors look nice too. The whole time I was watching scared that she'd fall. I genuinely surprised she never wore a helmet. She wiped out pretty good a couple of times (of the times that made it into the final edit).

My question to ChatGPT: For some camera companies there are large differences in price between the USA and Europe. For others, there's almost no difference; sometime even less. Why? ChatGPT response: The price differences for cameras between the USA and Europe can be attributed to several factors: Taxes and Duties: European countries generally have higher VAT (Value-Added Tax) rates compared to sales taxes in the USA. Additionally, import duties can increase the cost of goods in Europe. Currency Exchange Rates: Fluctuations in exchange rates can affect the pricing of cameras. Companies may adjust prices based on current and anticipated exchange rates to protect their margins. Market Demand and Competition: Demand for certain brands and models may vary between the USA and Europe, leading companies to price their products differently. High competition in one region can drive prices down. Distribution and Logistics Costs: The cost of shipping, warehousing, and distributing cameras can differ significantly between regions. Europe, with its multiple countries and languages, might incur higher logistical costs. Manufacturer Pricing Strategies: Companies may adopt different pricing strategies based on their market presence and brand positioning in each region. They might price products higher in regions where they have a stronger brand reputation or lower competition. Warranty and Service Costs: The cost of providing after-sales services and warranties can vary. Some regions may have stricter consumer protection laws, leading to higher service costs, which are then reflected in the retail prices. Economic Conditions: Local economic conditions, including purchasing power and average income levels, can influence pricing strategies. Companies might price their products based on what they believe the local market can bear. Promotional Activities and Discounts: The frequency and extent of promotions and discounts offered can differ between the USA and Europe. For instance, the USA has significant sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday that might not be as prominent in Europe. Retail Markups: The retail landscape can differ, with different levels of markup added by retailers in each region. Retailers in one region might add higher markups compared to another, affecting the final price consumers see. Overall, these factors combine in various ways to create the observed price differences for cameras between the USA and Europe. ------- I can accept that. It still sucks though.

That doesn't really make any sense as other companies like Sony, Panasonic, and Fuji are not having the same hikes. Are you saying ONLY some camera companies are subject to European regulatory costs? Maybe someone can look up the price in England as they are not in Europe. Let's not make this about socialism vs. capitalism please- there's going to be a brawl. Trump, Hitler, and Stalin will inevitably enter into our chat. I'm sure you'll be paying the additional customs when you go back to New Zealand, right? Because a double tax makes sense? Even though if you buy something from the B&H site, you don't need to pay New York tax AND your home country tax. That could be. Personally, I think Nikon just follows Canon because they do it too. Both are in the 1.35 times ball park. Both are horrendous IMO. Yeah, I don't buy Apple products unless they are on sale at the educational store where I live (I work in Education; so, it's legit :-) ).

This is what I keep finding in France: The pricing is also consistent with the Nikon ZF, which is also $700 more expensive (after conversion). There's no doubt about it- Nikon asks a lot more from Europeans and seems to be far more competitive in the USA. It's not unheard of though. You can get an iMac for $1200 at B&H or the same one for about $450 more in Europe. The Sony A7iv is $2500 at B&H but not much more in Europe (2500 euros). I think it's really about company policy. What confuses me about pricing is that the Z6ii was launched at 2200 euros and $2000 respectively. With the Z6iii, Nikon is really going out of the "low-end full frame" market by bumping up the MSRP to 3000 euros. I'd always thought Nikon was more of a value brand, bang for the buck over Canon. I don't know what to think. Maybe there will be another low-end FF camera from Nikon?

I was watching the Petapixel review. I was more worried about cadence, but I'm not so sure of the conditions it was shot. If you watch Chris on the swing, it looked strange. I warn you it's during their KEH ad at 1m30s.

It's unfair pricing policies like this that might push someone to do such a thing. Are you saying you should never take a Nikon camera to avoid suspicion of illegal activity? It's not as if cameras are meant for travel, right? Maybe Nikon cameras are on Customs' radar? You'd do better to have your receipts, I guess.

Maybe Nikon has higher failure rates after one year? Due to the 2 year warranty, they had to jack up the prices? It could also be that Nikon cameras are just that desirable in Europe? I don't I'm at a loss to understand. It seems like a flagrant "tax" on European customers. There might be an upside- buy it in the USA, sell it in Europe a year later- you might not lose any money on it after using it for a full year.

Yeah, I noticed the first time when I saw the pricing for the Nikon Zf, $2000 in USA, and $2500 in France. I thought at the time it was a one-off, but I guess not- this is apparently Nikon's pricing policy. Again, this is not the case with Panasonic. For that reason alone, I'd wait until I go to the USA, seriously. For the price of 3000 euros, you could two Panasonic S9s. Granted, the usage isn't the same, but I find that fact amazing.

You've got to be kidding. Who does that? Granted, if you buy ten of them, it's different. Why is Panasonic almost always less expensive then? You have the same warranty laws. Seriously, Nikon is screwing the Europeans. Why? I'm not trying to be difficult. I just want to know why.

My feeling is that the GH6 is prioritizing the midtones whereas the G9ii and S5ii are prioritizing dynamic range. Could that be the reason? As I'm 50 years old, I cannot honestly tell that much of a difference between the 4k and the 1080p that is oversampled. Also, I always turn off sharpening and NR. For me, the image looks acceptable. Is it 2024 awesome image quality? Maybe not, but I doubt anyone could tell the difference that much. It sounds like the GH7 is the one for you in that it really has that internal raw capability and you can add what you want in post. For me, I know way less than those Panasonic engineers and I'm just going to tweak the settings they gave me- good enough, job done, and Bob's your uncle. (I was looking for an opportunity to use that phrase- not British).

Yes, but you'll pay $2500 at the end of the day (including sales tax) with that Payboo B&H card scheme. In Europe, you're going to pay about $715 dollars more. No joke. We're back to 1990's price differences where you can purchase a ticket to NYC and back, buy your camera, and have a good weekend of travel.

Why is it that Nikon hits Europeans so hard. USA price is roughly $2500 at B&H (with their credit card scheme) and in Europe it's 3000 euros ($3215) with tax. In Panasonic world, the prices are almost always lower in Europe than in the USA. That's a heavy hit.

Now I understand why they cost so much. Damn, I would not want to be the engineer to design and produce such a contraption. There would have to be a huge hidden cost with every minute change in chassis.

Something seems off in those numbers. Are you saying they would make a whole different chassis for 1mm? That cannot be right.

I wish "organic" were a defined term, but it's not. To me, in Standard profile, it just looks the way I remember it being. The skin tones look diverse enough yet not accentuating skin blemishes. What I don't like is when I need to put more contrast in the skin tones because the camera reduced the contrast too much. At least for my caucasian skin, it looked nice. The files and colors just seemed to have some depth to them. I never noticed this; nor can I fathom why this would happen, but I cannot say with any certainty it happens not. What I did notice was it was practically impossible to confidently manually focus with large aperture lenses. The magnified image seemed too soft. This is unlike the GH5. I'm not sure about the GH7, but I have asked about without a real response. For everything you said about the AF, I soon realized that the GH6 couldn't be fully dependable and it was always better to use manual focus and make good use of the [AF] button on the screen or assigning a button. For video and AF, I think it's clear that PDAF is essential in 2024. Any testing of continuous AF with the current contrast systems seems futile and almost a waste of time IMO. I don't really understand why, but I've always thought Olympus had much better contrast AF than Panasonic (even with the millions they'd probably spent on testing, engineering, and especially marketing Depth by Defocus). In good light, Olympus cameras performed as their PDAF counterparts. I also didn't really notice a big difference from the GH2 to the GH6- what does that say? There was only a lot more boxes on the screen but the results were practically the same.

I forgot to mention that, back in the day, the cost of 1500 feet of reel would be roughly the equivalent of the cost of one Panasonic S9, not including the development. Also, to get the camera to be quiet enough for dialogue, you'd need a blimp only adding to the complexity. None of that on the S9! Good times.

Hell, I get excited about my camcorder (VX-980)- and that's even smaller than 1", AND it crops in on that too. The one thing it does that my GX800 and S5ii don't do is basically remove wrinkles on faces (without doing some beauty effect). For older people, they would much rather look at a "smoothed" effect. Although it gives a detailed image, it doesn't do it with such confidence as the GX800 and S5ii do. Also, if I hand my wife my S5ii, she's immediately overwhelmed (and I completely set it up for her). If I hand her the VS-980, she knows exactly what to do.

I had one of those deals in France. It was just too good to pass up in November of 2022. When you wait and buy, you usually don't end up losing that much when you sell it back. However, what happens when you love the look of the camera? With the GH7, it looks as though Panasonic has addressed EVERY problem there was with the GH6 with the exception of a chunky body, but many people like that too. The image is 98% of the image of the S5ii (with the right lens), but you have that screen which is so much better than the flip-out only screen on the S5ii- it's a major usability issue. Also, there's the high frame rates. I currently have the Olympus 17mm f/1.2, a prefect lens for that body... we'll see in November. I will probably dump the idea though if a M43 small camera comes along because I'm still a believer in keeping the format relatively small and that is not the GH7.

I just had a look at my GH6 footage that I took before selling it and I must say it looked great! It has a super organic feel to it and loved the colors in just Standard profile. I also tried shooting in Vlog quite a bit, but Standard really did it for me. I took it to the French Alps last summer and it performed so well for photos and video. Sure, it didn't have PDAF, but when you learn to work around it, it's really no big deal. Honestly, I hope to have a similar opportunity with the GH7.

Granted the title of the thread is "Panasonic GH7". However, invariably with any camera release that is not full frame, the discussion goes only to sensor size and how inferior the sensor is because it's not FF. It's quite ludicrous. This might sound crazy, but usually have better discussion about aesthetics, creativity and productivity with ChatGPT. Sure, it can be predictable sometimes, but I seem to always learn something and it can point me in the right direction. When talking to humans, it would seem there are always games being played: Trolling, Sock Puppetry, Brigading, Flame Wars, Sealioning, Astroturfing, Gaslighting, Spamming, Doxxing, Dogpiling, Shitposting, and Griefing. With ChatGPT, you never have the feeling you might lose something and true discussion can actually happen. I know, it's a sad state of affairs, but that's life on the internet. Fortunately, there are people don't do any of those things.

I know some of us have been harsh on the S9 regarding the recording limits, but it's important to remember that a 15 minute limit in 6k open-gate is still nothing to sneeze at. That would be the equivalent of a 1500 foot reel at 24fps, something unheard of even in the 1990s. Also, you'd need a minimum of 2-5 minutes to change the reel. Can a 15 minute recording limit get the job done? Yes. You'd probably be fine with 5 minutes or a 400 foot reel. By the way, the dynamic range, detail, and workflow would also be way better. We're spoiled.

On the IBIS front, we've gone from taking out micro-jitters to gimbal replacement. IMO nothing truly replaces a skilled steadycam operator. However, if you're one man show, the Panasonic S5ii/x has the best IBIS in the business in June 2024. Sony is far, far behind for out-of-camera gimbal like shots on their FF bodies. Nikon and Canon still have issues with warpy corners on wide shots (the majority of shots for "gimbal replacements"). Coming from M43 and used to Panasonic and Olympus systems crushing FF bodies, I was amazed how Panasonic did it.