Swissified wrote:Does BMD require pre-orders to finish their new products? If not, why not announce them when the prototype is finished and at least some production has begun?
OK, as much as we would all like everything to happen the way we'd personally like them to happen, here's a brief history, from one person's personal experience with the camera and the process - that some people seem confused about.
First, many people watched the announcement of the P4K as Grant displayed the fully functional prototype in a live stream event with a live audience - right down to shooting said audience by attaching a Samsung T5.
Then some of us ordered the P4K immediately - like in minutes, because we understood what kind of demand this game changing camera would have. And we all knew that day, that we would have to wait until Fall before we got them - and life went on.
Then many of us who did this, got them when we expected.
Then after producing with them we were genuinely rewarded by the experience. They are, in a rare sense, everything and more than many of us expected.
Then we wrote about how great the camera is and, through the magic of the internet, more and more people ordered them.
Then, because of the vagaries of new camera production and supply (that virtually none of us knows because that's beyond our purview) people, who are justifiably excited to get the camera they ordered, have gotten frustrated.
And all the time, by all accounts from buyers and retailers, the orders have kept streaming in. So more and more people are waiting.
To recap:
P4K gets launched with a functioning protype, ready for production.
Many, many people preorder it around the world.
Many get them, according to BlackMagic's timeline, love them and say so on the internet (where a cheesy video can go viral in a few minutes.)
The now proven success of BlackMagic's vision means more and more orders.
Regular guys try and explain why that's not the sign of a faulty camera or bad planning - just a really big success and sometimes unexpected demand can overwhelm a supply chain.
And finally, to reward your patience, I say again: The P4K is the best small camera yet produced.