The confirmations are coming from various sources and they all say the same thing. Panasonic is NOT giving away the V-Log upgrade. After teasing us all for months now with images of the beta tested images, the mystery may finally be over. The latest confirmation came from a very reliable site, 43Rumors.
It is going to cost you $99.
Is that too much?
Despite the trend that other manufacturers have gone like Samsung with the NX1 or Atomos with the Shogun, Panasonic wants to reach into your pockets and grab a little more cash. It also sounds like you will have to visit an authorized Panasonic dealer to pick up a box. As to what’s in the magic box is still unsure. Is there anything else in the box? How much more dynamic range are we buying 1 stop? 2 stops? Of course it could be worse like Sony who pretty much just ignore customer input.
The wait won’t be too long. The surprise is supposed to be revealed tomorrow.
What exactly is V-LOG and do you need it?
First of all, LOG is short for Logarithmic encoding. Regular cameras encode the video image and record it with preset profiles, correcting the color and giving the video a “look”. With LOG recording, the camera doesn’t process the video, it delivers it RAW, thus allowing us to apply a look or adjust video from multiple sources to match. A side benefit is that we also get increased Dynamic Range. That is, we get more detail in the blacks and whites of the image. This fully utilizes the sensor data to the fullest.
Do we need it? Well yes and no. It really depends on how and why and what you are shooting. If you are a professional, the answer is a wholehearted, yes. If you are a dedicated amateur, maybe. If you are Joe Consumer taking videos of the kids, probably not. The choice is yours. Plenty of professionals have been getting by without LOG for a long time. But it is nice to have.
How do you feel about it? Should Panasonic be charging? Should they follow everyone else and give it away to build brand loyalty? How many customers will they loose by charging? Obviously, there are going to be some as the boards have had a good share of people saying just that. We’ll know soon enough.