Jack Lam is a cinematographer based in Beijing and Hong Kong. His body of work includes TV commercials, seasonal TV drama series and theatrical feature films. His commercial clients include Cathay Pacific, Lenovo, Airbnb, Alibaba, and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. He also works with DJI as a design consultant for their cinema products.
This guest editorial has been lightly edited for style and clarity.
As a working cinematographer, I am super excited by Panasonicīs announcement of the Lumix S mirrorless camera system. The Panasonic GH5 is so well-designed, it has become a reliable workhorse for many video shooters. I have no doubt a full-frame version of it will be amazing, and everything I read about the S1/S1R confirms that.
However, Lumix S has the potential to become much greater that what we see in this product launch. With this brand new camera system, Panasonic has a unique opportunity to create the perfect small camera system for professional cinematographers. But doing so requires Panasonic to address a long-standing problem that is overlooked by all other camera makers, as well as some rethinking of conventional ideas on camera design.
This missing feature - one that can become a potential killer feature for Panasonic - is good manual focus control for video.
`Whatīs the big deal with MF?` one may ask, `Donīt most cameras already have MF?` Well, when I say good manual focus control, I mean good enough for real working professionals - advanced documentarians and Hollywood cameramen alike.
The new Lumix S series cameras present an excellent opportunity for Panasonic to redefine the interface between mirrorless cameras and cinematographers who need pro-level focus control.
I want MF control that is simple, accurate, reliable, repeatable, predictable, measurable and ergonomically sound. It should also be wireless-capable and highly integrated as part of the camera (so that we can keep the camera small and donīt nee ...
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