Will the HMC 150 be the last CCD cam?

[D.R. Gates]

And if so, how long can we expect Panasonic to keep manufacturing it? I do wedding work, and that means that CCD's work best for me, at least while photographers are firing off flashes as if they were paparazzi.

[Mark Williams]

I am a big CCD camera fan. I have not heard of any of the big camera manufacturers are doing any more development along this line. The first company to implement a global shutter with CMOS will probably do very well.

[maranfilms]

I am a big CCD camera fan

I am too, I think it's crazy not to have a ccd cam in the tool box. Especially considering their so cheap these days. I still have two xha1's. just cant part with um.

[D.R. Gates]

The first company to implement a global shutter with CMOS will probably do very well.

Agreed!

[Barry_Green]

Given that the HMC150 came out in 2008, and no new 1/3" CCD cameras have come from them since, I think it may be fair to say that yes, the HMC150 will be the last Panasonic 1/3" CCD. And Sony isn't making any anymore either. And Canon doesn't make any tapeless CCD cameras. The only other option for a 1/3" CCD is JVC, and even they have started moving to CMOS sensors in their new cameras; only their 700 line and their HM150 are still CCD, all their newer models are CMOS.

[firehawk]

Shooting 2 weddings last Saturday reminded me of just how many flashes happen. Plus I often find myself shooting with the camera way above my head or gliding just above the floor, or on a jib or steadycam - all scenarios where I need autofocus to work. Add to the mix, theater/dance and high speed car videos and I really fear CMOS just isn't going to cut it (yet, anyway). I'm actually considering buying hmc150s now, even though they are old, can't do DV, or 1080/60p, and have a short zoom. Does jvc offer any CCD cameras that might be a little newer and better than the old hmc150?
I might actually consider them at this point.

[wannabeapilot]

i really wish ccd was still dominant, no skew is a lifesaver

[ChrisHarding]

Hi FireHawk

I found that only the 1/3" CMOS chips give an issue..the 1/4" chips seem way better...no skew and I haven't yet seen flash banding either and definately no jello..the thing that I really didn't like with the AC-130 was zoom in just a bit (say 4X) and if you touch the camera the image wobbles badly..on the HMC40/80 if you bump the image may move but it doesn't bounce like the 1/3rd chips!! I wonder why ..I sold my 130's after just 3 months !!!

AFAIK the only really decent JVC's are the 750 or 790 which puts you back into shoulder mount cams and they are a lot more to buy too!!! Over here nearly twice the price of the AC-130!!! However the lenses are awesome but again batteries are very expensive too!!! Their "newest" seems to be the HM790

Chris

[Wesley Byram]

Hi FireHawk

I found that only the 1/3" CMOS chips give an issue..the 1/4" chips seem way better...no skew and I haven't yet seen flash banding either and definately no jello..the thing that I really didn't like with the AC-130 was zoom in just a bit (say 4X) and if you touch the camera the image wobbles badly..on the HMC40/80 if you bump the image may move but it doesn't bounce like the 1/3rd chips!! I wonder why ..I sold my 130's after just 3 months !!!

AFAIK the only really decent JVC's are the 750 or 790 which puts you back into shoulder mount cams and they are a lot more to buy too!!! Over here nearly twice the price of the AC-130!!! However the lenses are awesome but again batteries are very expensive too!!! Their "newest" seems to be the HM790

Chris

I don't think that it's a 1/3" vs 1/4" issue. I have an HMC40 with 1/4" chips and it certainly exhibits all of the various cmos artifacts; skew, wobble, and flash banding. How much depends on a few factors, such as the frame rate. The skew in 60p is very well controlled, but 24p can get pretty jello-y if one is not careful. Zooming in can amplify the jello effect as well. I would be surprised if the AC-130 is actually worse than the HMC40 wrt skew when all factors (frame rate, focal length, etc.) are taken into account.

[Barry_Green]

The 1/4" HMC40 and HMC80 exhibit a lot more skew than the 1/3" AC130 does, in 24p. In 720/60p or 1080/60i they're more comparable, but in 24p the 1/4" cameras have a lot more skew.