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‘That article was more like gossip’ Panasonic’s head of cameras talks downsizing, GH5 and the 8K era

08 May
 Yosuke Yamane: Division President, Imagine Network Business Division

Yosuke Yamane, the Director of Panasonic’s imaging business visited DPReview on a recent trip to the United States. He spoke to us about the GH5, the promise of 8K, reports of downsizing and why we haven’t seen on-sensor phase detection in one of the company’s cameras.

Initial response to the GH5

Given it’s the company’s latest product and that Yamane arrived after visiting the video-focused NAB Show in Las Vegas, we started off asking about the GH5.

Early response has been positive, he says, pointing out that it immediately topped the sales chart at one of the US’s largest dealers. ‘The sales were more than we’d originally planned for,’ he says: ‘It depends on the region: some regions sold three times more than we planned and others it was one-point-five times. We’re very satisfied with the result.’

‘Based on our survey, the first customers are mainly videographers,’ he says. But he expects this mix to change: ‘The GH5 provides the best still picture as well as the best moving picture quality ever in any Lumix, so we expect hybrid photographers and videographers to be 50:50.’

‘For video users, the specifications of the video are very important whereas the stills photographers tend to want to evaluate the image quality, based on pictures taken with the camera. In that sense, more and more photographers will come to the GH5. That’s what we expect.’

Who is buying the GH5?

We pressed Yamane on whether he thought the GH5 was selling beyond existing GH4 owners. ‘We don’t have any specific numbers,’ he says: ‘but my gut feeling is that many GH4 users are upgrading to the GH5, this is a decent portion of our first buyers. But, beside GH4 users, maybe it’ll be Canon EOS 5D III and IV users, or Alpha 7S Mark II users. Especially, my feeling was that EOS 5D Mark III users are very much interested in GH5.’

‘The majority of GH5 sales have been body only: that means lots of GH4 users are buying GH5. But also, at the introduction of the Sony a7S, it took share from the Canon EOS 5D Mark II because of the size. I think the same tendency is happening here: Canon EOS 5D Mark III customers are coming to the GH5 because of the compact size and the quality.’

‘The professional camcorder users coming to the GH5 because of the 4:2:2 10-bit video. 4:2:2 10-bit capable cameras are usually very expensive. It’s a feature mainly incorporated in cameras costing over $ 10,000 but we realized these functions for the GH5, so it can easily become part of their workflow at a very affordable price.’

Stumbling over Log?

On the topic of high-end video users buying the camera, we asked about the popularity of the paid upgrade to add V-Log. ‘We started selling V-Log as an upgrade with the GH4,’ explains Yamane: ‘We don’t know the exact attachment ratio but I know we sold more V-Log packages than we expected. When it comes to the GH5, because the stills side is improved, we don’t know if the attachment rate will be higher or not.’

Yamane was very open about the reasoning behind selling the V-Log feature as a paid upgrade: ‘If we incorporated it into the camera, we would have to charge a higher price for the GH5. As of now we believe it’s appropriate to offer V-Log as an option.’

‘It’s not a cost issue, it’s that Log is recognized as having a certain value in the market. If we want to add that value into this camera, we need to keep the value of Log video to the industry.’

Improvements to be made

With the GH5, Panasonic took the unusual decision to launch the camera with the promise of more features that would come after a few months. Yamane confirmed that the delay to introducing 4:2:2 All-Intra recording was simply because it wasn’t ready in time for the planned launch, though it’s noticeable that the V60 cards guaranteed to support its 400mbps write speed aren’t widely available yet. However, he confirms the engineering team is working on more than just delivering the promised features: there will be an update to improve movie autofocus.

‘Now we are brushing up the smoothness of DFD for video. We don’t know when we can announce it but there will be firmware.’

‘The most important part of video autofocus is not just speed but also the smoothness. We need to find a concession point for the smoothness of autofocus and the speed of autofocus. First we realized fast AF on the stills side using depth-from-defocus (DFD). Now we are brushing up the smoothness of the DFD for the video category. We are working on it right now. We still don’t know when we can announce it but there will be firmware.’

Why not adopt the phase detection approach used by many of its rivals, we asked. ‘On-sensor phase detection doesn’t work any darker than F8, [which can be a problem in video]. It’s not necessarily true that phase detection is better than DFD plus contrast detection.’

‘We think our DFD is going to be better than [the best of our rivals]. That’s our target.’

‘We are also aware of other brands’ excellent [phase detection-based] autofocus: we really respect the quality of their sensors and their technology. But if we wanted to do the same; to make our own sensors [using a comparable technology], we’d have to apply those sensors to all of our cameras. The development costs for this kind of sensor would be huge.’

‘Our DFD system is not dependent on a specific sensor, so from the viewpoint of expandability, we should probably go with DFD technology.’

‘But,’ he says: ‘we think our DFD is going to be better than [the best phase-based AF]. That’s our target and we want to realize that accurate autofocus.’

Engine of change

This bold claim is likely to stem from Yamane’s confidence in the GH5’s underlying hardware. This was the most difficult aspect to develop, he says. ‘Really at the core of the camera is its performance, which comes from the LSI’s development: the new processing engine. I truly believe this is the most special engine in the entire industry. This is not only for DSC but also for consumer and professional camcorders.’

He gave examples of all the things that are asked of the processor: ‘4:2:2 10-bit codec is 64x as much data as before. 4:2:0 8-bit at 60p. Also the DFD system’s speed, Dual IS stabilization, the best image quality for Lumix all need to be calculated in a very short time.’

The challenge extended beyond simply making a powerful processor, he says: the chip has to be efficient so that it allows good battery life and doesn’t generate excessive heat. ‘The heating issue was very tough to overcome. How to make the most efficient engine and how to dissipate heat was the most difficult part of the product development.’

Lenses for a hybrid camera

The Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm / F2.8-4.0 ASPH. / POWER O.I.S. is the first in a range of F2.8-4.0 zooms for the Micro Four Thirds system

Moving on from the GH5, we expressed our surprise that the company would introduce a range of variable aperture zooms alongside such a capable video camera.

‘We are not just targeting GH5 customers,’ he explains: ‘we’re targeting all the other Micro Four Thirds cameras users. We’ve also taken other cameras’ sizing into account, and it also fits on the G85 and the GX85 and some other Micro Four Thirds cameras.’

‘The benefit of Micro Four Thirds style is that it can be smaller and lighter. If we made constant aperture F2.8 lenses, they’d be more expensive and bigger. Considering the benefit we can provide stills photographers we decided to go with F2.8-4 and give rather smaller lenses at reasonable prices.’

The lenses include stepless apertures, to minimize any impact on video while zooming, and, he suggests, for anyone concerned about changes in exposure while video shooting, there are workarounds: ‘Videographers can use them as a constant F4: I think we can also give videographers a solution in that way. I agree that in the future we need to offer lenses that best suit videographers but this camera is targeting hybrid users, both videographers and stills shooters, so we decided with this direction for the next three or four lenses.’

Ambitions and focus

It’s unusual for camera makers to talk much about the future, but during our discussion, Yamane set out some pretty bullish ambitions. ‘For Lumix, the United States is a very strategic market. Our target is to double the business volume by 2020.’

We asked him how this would be achieved.The current business in the United States is 30% mirrorless and 70% compact camera,’ he says: ‘though nearer to 50:50 if you count interchangeable lenses as well.’

‘For the future, to double the business, we’re going to focus on high end product: mirrorless cameras and high-end compacts. We expect a decent increase of the compact market to be sustainable.’

In addition to this, he says: ‘We’re also going to strengthen our product for the high-end video market.’

But, initially at least, this is going to be through cameras like the GH5: ‘firstly we’ll focus on the hybrid form factor. Also help photographers interested in making additional income from providing video. I think this camera will help this kind of photographer.’

In terms of compacts, we’ll focus on the ZS (TZ) series, such as the ZS100. Then the LX series, we’d like to strengthen. In this category the Sony RX100 series is very important, we have to directly compete with that. Our strength comes from ZS series. We’ll focus on that strength and FZ series long zoom.’

One camera he didn’t mention was the LX100, which we know to have an avid following. Should we expect a successor, we asked. ‘As I said, RX100 competes directly with LX10 but LX100 is one step higher. So as the customer expects LX200 we will also strengthen the successor of LX100. How will we answer to the passionate customers of the LX100? We will study how we’re going to answer these customers.’

Trickle-down of technology?

Yamane (center) was accompanied on his visit by Terry Takabayashi (left), General Manager, Merchandising Department and Kazuki Sugahara (right), Manager, Americas Section, Imaging Marketing Group.

One method for refreshing models might be through the trickle-down of technology, Yamane suggested: ‘After we introduced the GH4, which was the world’s first 4K mirrorless camera, this 4K technology has been applied in models like G7, G8 and LX100. For the development roadmap, the new technology will first appear in the flagship and then, looking at price and value for money, we will expand the range.’

‘we would like to expand the [GH5’s] technology to other models’

The rationale is pretty straightforward, he says: ‘R&D development of technology requires a lot of investment. So to amortize that investment we have to apply that technology to other models to expand the volume and realize a return on our investment. After we get a return on that investment we have to reinvest that return in new technology: we have to continue that kind of cycle to evolve our product.’

This means using the GH5 technology more widely, without under-selling it, he says: ‘With GH5 also we would like to expand the technology to other models, looking at striking a balance between offering good value for money and at the price zone at which a customer can expect that technology.’

All of this comes back to a phrase that recurred throughout our talk: the use of features such as 4K and 6K Photo modes to ‘create a new photo culture.’

Nikkei, restructuring and gossip

This all sounds very ambitious for a company reported to be considering scaling back its camera business. Yamane says customers shouldn’t worry too much about what the Nikkei, which published the story, said.

‘That article was more like gossip, saying the business may be moving towards the smaller side in the restructuring,’ he says, before explaining what’s happened.

‘Panasonic has four companies. The camera division used to be in the AVC Networks business but, as of the first of April, we moved Digital Camera and Camcorders to the Appliances company.’

‘I’m really proud of the engineering groups that made this camera available to the market’

Moving cameras and camcorders away from the pro video division and into the same company as refrigerators may seem odd, but Yamane explains the logic: ‘The Appliances business is much more consumer focused than the AVC group, which has a significant business-to-business component.’

‘The move will bring our marketing, manufacturing and R&D departments together in one place, so we gain better integration [by moving]. We’ll still co-ordinate across with the AVC business on advanced technologies but [the restructuring] means our R&D and marketing efforts are together.’

The coming of the 8K era

Along with its ambitious targets for US sales, Yamane says the company has ambitious targets for hardware, too. ‘Towards the year 2020, 4K will evolve to 8K. Panasonic has supported the Olympic Games for a long time and in 2020, when the games are in Tokyo, the era of 8K will start, [and] we will develop the hardware to develop the 8K picture.’

This doesn’t necessarily mean 8K video, though: ‘As far as for the customer category, we don’t know if we will be able to record all of the output from 8K video. So the question is how we utilize 8K information and create a new photographic culture’

‘In 2020, when the [Olympics] are in Tokyo, the era of 8K will start: we will develop the hardware to develop the 8K picture’

‘8K Photo will completely change the photo shooting style with 33MP resolution. Whether that’s a 4K crop from 8K or 2K cropping from 8K or it’s 33MP images on the stills side.’

But Yamane makes clear that he’s not just interested in the technology: he’s interested in its photographic benefits to users: ‘Based on the customer voice and the customer opinion, we will make the maximum effort to develop strong products to answer the needs of the customers.’

A team effort

Yamane is immediately clear about what’s going to enable the company to achieve these ambitions: when asked what he was most proud of, he was quick to give credit. ‘The engineers who make the product: my team. As the director of the imaging group I’m really proud of the engineering groups that made this camera available to the market. I am proud of every single feature and I respect the engineers who made each function. As long as those talented and reliable engineers are with me, I believe we can make even more innovative products.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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12 December, 2014 – Special Antarctica Offer and An Article About Color and Human Vision Anomalies

12 Dec

A few years ago I was traveling with LuLa’s good friend Bill Atkinson.  Over dinner one night we got into a conversation on color and how the human eye and mind see color.  It was quite fascinating not to mention mind boggling.  Bill is one of the industries experts on color. Over the years, we have published stories about Color and Human Vision.  The way the eye sees color is quite fascinating. Today Charles Johnson Sr. shares his article on Observing and Managing Color: Dealing With Human Vision Anomalies.   An interesting read on understanding how we see color especially when working photographically.

A Special Message from Michael Reichmann

The Luminous Landscape, together with John and Roxie Walker of Switzerland, have created an opportunity for one or two people to join our January 26th, 2015 photographic expedition to Antarctica (there are two berths available).  The Walkers were early registrants for this extraordinary odyssey, unfortunately for personal reasons they will now not be able to fulfill this dream opportunity.  However, in the spirit of the season and with a deep desire to advance the art and craft of photography, we are pleased to offer the following unique opportunity:

Rather than simply resell their two berths,  Kevin, the Walkers and I have found a "silver lining" in this unfortunate turn of events and, as a result, we are pleased to make these two berths available as a thank-you gift for a meaningful donation to The Luminous Endowment for Photographers.

READ THE DETAILS AND MORE INFORMATION. . . 


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Top 40 of the Year: Essential 2013 Article List for Urbanists

01 Jan

[ By WebUrbanist in Culture & Cuisine & Global. ]

urbanist 2013 year montage

As any experienced urbanist can tell you, city life is rarely dull and this year has proven no exception – from traffic-topping articles to staff-picked stories, here are WebUrbanist’s must-read highlights of 2013. Skim below and skip ahead as desired, but be sure to click the blue links inline along the way for full article access. Share your favorites with family and friends … and thank you, as always, for reading!

urbanist secret water tower

Starting with the world of architectural anomalies of the West, a London skyscraper became a global sensation when its curved glass surface began starting fires in neighboring structures. Many readers were also amazed to discover faux facades hiding everything from train tunnels to power stations in plain sight in cities including New York, Toronto and Paris. Speaking of NYC and secrets, don’t forget this temporary abandoned water tower-turned-speakeasy on a Brooklyn rooftop.

urbanist east architecture update

Meanwhile, in the East, we witnessed a Tokyo company add a top-down twist to building demolition in Japan. Nearby China, in turn, presented designs for an incredible car-free city whilst simultaneously making the news for an array of deserted urban endeavors, including a surreal smaller-scale replica of Paris.

urbanist space sea technology

In the realm of futurism and fantasy, this year included a Russian space hotel design and artists making floor plans from famous American television shows. But fact can be stranger than fiction, as many commented on how much this dark tower in South Africa resembled the setting of a dystopian film. And in a bid to push urbanism beyond the borders of continents and countries altogether, one entrepreneur floated the idea of an entire high-tech offshore city. In turn, IKEA is also stretching the boundaries of architectural interventions with its portable $ 1000 flat-pack refugee shelter.

urbanist abandoned wonders series

Our ongoing 7 Wonders Series is a long-standing fan favorite and well worth browsing for travelers and urban explorers. Many of these collections showcased abandoned places around the world, including top-secret buildings and underwater wonders; some were classed by broad type, including military, residential, commercial and industrial architecture, while others were organized by region, like Antarctica and New Zealand. Still others were even more specific, including sets of abandoned ski resorts, swimming pools, bookmobiles and unfinished nuclear power plants.

urbanist interiors rooms furniture

Shifting back to contemporary creations and cutting-edge design, we have seen some great innovations when it comes to modular rooms and convertible furniture, including an apartment where everything its occupant needs is hidden in floors, walls and ceilings. For those with a bit more space (and money) and an eye for luxury, there are also secret in-floor swimming pools that hide right under your feet – perhaps a reasonable place to deploy your fold-up suitcase kayak, too. Almost everyone, it would seem, loves a helpful space-saving design or a mysterious secret room, hidden passage or trap door.

urbanist art technology graffiti

In the arts, we saw everything from invisible-ink graffiti and hyper-realistic artworks to the world’s most-vandalized landmarks and ancient Greek statues turned into modern-day hipsters. In technology, we looked back at idiotic inventions from times past and forward to futuristic materials that actually exist today. And at the increasingly interesting intersection of art and technology, we found graffiti artists tagging low-tech cellophane as well as the most powerful man-made tornado in a museum.

urbanist logo 2013

WebUrbanist has managed a few milestones itself this year, with over 10 million visitors in 2013 alone (60 million+ total to date) and over 20,000,000 article views, also breaking a single-day record with nearly 500,000 pages viewed in one 24-hour period this fall. The site has topped 10,000 followers on Twitter and is nearing 50,000 fans on Facebook; those with a preference for  Google+ can now add WebUrbanist to your circles there as well. We are (as always) working on some new directions and innovations of our own, with more surprises to come in the new year. Meanwhile, it may sound cliche but it bears repeating: you readers, fans and friends of the site who share our articles and support our team … you make all of this possible, and you have our sincerest thanks and best wishes for 2014.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Culture & Cuisine & Global. ]

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Article: Blending images in Photoshop

10 Mar

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Photographer and imaging professional Jean Miele demonstrates how to combine images in Photoshop for seamless and natural-looking results. In this article he takes you through the basics of making Gradient tool adjustments to layer masks. Follow along with a simple tutorial that adds a dramatic sky to an interesting foreground. 

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Article: Theme and Variation

08 Mar

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Great landscape imagery doesn’t have to involve travel to faraway locales. Photographer Carsten Krieger believes there’s much to be gained by shooting close to home. Over the years he has challenged himself to shoot from the same vantage point; a task made feasible by choosing a scene only minutes from his home. Learn how lens choice and attention to seasonal patterns can lead to surprisingly varied imagery.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Article: The DSLR field camera

26 Dec

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Landscape photographers have always placed a lot of importance on capturing as much detail as possible, which is what made large format cameras such desirable tools in the days of film. Professional photographer Carsten Krieger shows how today’s high-resolution DSLRs can be used to create multi-exposure composite images that edge closer to the large format ideal than ever before.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Article: Breaking Compositional Rules

11 Nov

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Photographers have no shortage of compositional rules to turn to when trying to create better images. Pro shooter and educator Thomas Park shows how you can actually make more compelling images by breaking these rules – as long as you understand them first.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Article: Fashion Shoot Tips from a Pro

21 Oct

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With beautiful models, elaborate lighting set-ups and an army of willing assistants, the idea of a fashion shoot can seem very glamorous. In this article, professional photographer Martin Evening takes you behind the scenes with a look at the amount of often mundane preparation that goes into making a beauty or fashion shoot come off seamlessly. Click through to find out why taking the picture is ‘the easy part’.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Technique Article: Photoshop CS6 Blur Gallery

30 Mar

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Introduced in the Photoshop CS6 beta, a collection of photography-styled blur filters makes it easy to simulate depth of field adjustments using tools that let you adjust the effect directly on the image. Photographer and author Ellen Anon explains how to make the most of these tools with a tutorial that shows you how to selectively blur an image as well as mimic the effects of lens bokeh.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Article: Photoshop CS6 features for photographers

22 Mar

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We’ve written a breakdown of the photography-related features Adobe is preparing for Photoshop CS6. The beta version shows a substantially redesigned interface and a selection of new tools and enhancements. These include photographically-styled blur tools and greater support for video editing. CS6 will also include Adobe Camera Raw 7, bringing the Raw processing tool back into line with Lightroom. Read on to find out about the changes CS6 is likely to bring.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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