HMC150a revision...

KeithAndrews.TV

KeithAndrews.TV

Well-known member
I know, I know, what a cruel way to get everyone's attention, but hey, I was bored at work and figured I'd start a thread on what some people might want in the next revision of the camera.

I know the 150 has only been out for a couple of months and I absolutely love using the camera, but as with anything, there is always room for improvement. This post is a place where we can all share ideas, and comment on what we think could improve this little beauty, and who knows, maybe Panasonic will incorporate some of our ideas into the next revision. I'll start it off:

-Improved low-light capability, s/n ratio, smear control (the usual improvements)
-Improved quality with DRS function
-Ability to use USB storage devices (Type A USB port, not Mini-B)
-Double SD card slot
-Variable framerates
-Additional recording bitrates
-Focus assist options similar to HPX170
-Ability to use HMC150 as throughput (firewire port), or to playback material on SD card natively (without folder structure)
-Higher resolution LCD (similar to Sony EX1/3)
-No 4GB file size limit
-10 year warranty :grin:
-and of course...lower price.

Now some of the features above could be incorporated into a firmware update, but since that has not been Panasonic's regular practice in the past and instead they come out with new revisions of cameras (DVX100a, 100b), I figured I would list anything and everything I could think of that would really make this camera complete. Looking forward to everyone's thoughts and comments!
 
I think there are three things on the HMC that I'd most like to see revised...

1. I think that lower-bitrate modes should be available for 720p, the "sweet spot" of the camera, where lower-bitrates make most sense because they're offset by lower actual data rates (e.g., 720/24p actually generates only 40% of the data generated by 720/60p). I'd love to see a 720/30p 6mbps mode!

2. I'd like to see DRS available while shooting progressive

3. I'd like an option for uncompressed audio.

4. I'd like some way to record redundantly (either to a second SD card, or by streaming something out the USB port.. or when a nice cheap HDMI reorder appears).

That's it! The camera's pretty near perfect in general.
 
Why do people think a company with years and years of experience in building cameras, would "overlook" rather obvious flaws of a product?
Why make the 150 better, if it may prevent people from stepping up to a P2 camera system...?
 
Well in my opinion a P2-based camera like the HPX and the HMC target two different consumers. The people who want a camera like the HPX to coincide with their other P2 cameras and offers professional options like HD SDI out, and the other people who want a prosumer camera like the HMC which records to low-cost, readily available SD media and offers prosumer features like XLR audio and a slew of adjustable image settings.

If you think about it, the HPX and the HMC are not really direct competitors with one another. They both record with entirely different codecs, they're both offered at different price points and they both offer different features from one another. Most will see the HPX as a professional-grade camera, and the HMC as a prosumer-grade camera because of the feature differences and recording mediums.

The majority of the revisions commented on above are really more of a "wish-list" rather than must haves, or an overlook by Panasonic. Like I said in my previous post, a lot of them could simply be offered in a firmware update, whereas others may not be possible at all with the hardware in the camera.

It just goes to show that no one camera will offer everything that you want and be ideal for every shooting situation, but they can certainly come close and we as consumers are here to offer that feedback!
 
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The destinction between those cameras is exactly the one Panasonic wants to make.
The front-ends of both the 150 and 170 are said to be identical, which BASICALLY makes it the same camera.
This results in one production run, allowing cost effective manufacturing.
Who said a wedding videographer wouldn´t shoot DVCproHD to P2 if the 170 would be at the 150s price tag and P2 would be cheaper?
And of course which HVX/HPX owner would like to shoot to 100$ SD cards?
I don´t see different markets for those two cams.

Comparing the HPX and HMC is not like comparing a Volkswagen to a Porsche.
It´s more like comparing a VW Rabbit to a VW GTI. Same car, but one is a lot faster.
 
First off, I like your list....especially the 2nd card slot. That would be major.
But if all or most of these upgrades were made, the HMC150 would truly be an equivalent to to the HPX170, wouldn't it? Personally, I'd love that.

But there's a distinct possibility that if Panasonic were to offer variable frame rates, etc as found on the HPX, that could hurt HPX sales significantly. You can easily transcode AVCHD to DVCProHD. They do have the same imagers, same lenses, etc....so ading these upgrades would create a pair of cams with not much differentiating them, other than the codec. Would that be enough?
 
I don't know Spartacus... I doubt I'd be shooting DVCproHD if the media price was the same as SDHC because of the sheer size of the files it generates - from what I've seen after transcoding AVCHD to DVCproHD. It might be okay if you're shooting 4 or 5 major projects a year but for the small to medium size wedding studio shooting 30 to 60 feature length projects a year the data storage requirements would be astronomical (not to mention the physical studio/office space you'd need to store all of these drives), I mean you'd practically need to buy a new 300GB hard drive for every wedding you shoot.

DV, HDV & AVCHD seem to produce file sizes that are just right for archiving.

I'd like to see the a firmware upgrade that gets rid of consumer features like fade to black/white, digital zoom & Spotlight/Backlight auto iris, and replaced with more professional features like:
1) A proper Peaking focus assist
2) 720P recording included with all of the recording modes
3) Variable torque speed settings for the focus ring because it's difficult to pull off steady hand-held rack or focus pulls
4) If possible, better handling of burnt highlights, but then that's probably a lens issue :(
 
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It takes a few years before Panasonic comes up with the "a" camera, so the HMC-150a should come around NAB 2011 or 2012. :beer:

Come to think of it, we should see the HPX-170a at the same time too.

By then, all the camera makers will be offering solid state recording, so to make the new HMC-150a more tempting...

(1) Add option for loss less audio recording.

(2) Higher resolution LCD.

(3) Time lapse mode.

(4) Some over crank and under crank modes supported and audio would be recorded during over/under crank. (The 170 would support more over/under crank modes.)


Bob Diaz
 
I'd have say:

* Either 2 SD slots or a SD / Compact Flash option.
* HDMI and SDI-HD output.
* The ability to turn off the viewfinder when the LCD is open.
* Much larger standard battery.
* Bigger CCD's

That's not too much to ask for I don't think...
 
1 An option to shoot normal DV onto the cards for those boring shoots where they just want tape

2 Variable framerates which i guess will include time lapse.

3 high res lcd
 
I posted yesteday but for some reason I cant see my post.
Most of the things I want to see improved have already been metioned
So here it goes:

- I miss Firewire output
- Less noise
- A sturdier Lcd , because everytime I open that thing I have to hold my breath.
- A larger Viewfinder display.
- 16x lens
- The Long awaited "HMC stick in my Booth camp" book by yours truly Mr Green .
- SD 30p and 120p
- pal /ntsc swichabilty. Firmware version 2.0 wink wink
- texting capabilities , why not right ?

For now Im loving and learning my new HMC :)
 
Evro said:
I don't know Spartacus... I doubt I'd be shooting DVCproHD if the media price was the same as SDHC because of the sheer size of the files it generates - from what I've seen after transcoding AVCHD to DVCproHD. It might be okay if you're shooting 4 or 5 major projects a year but for the small to medium size wedding studio shooting 30 to 60 feature length projects a year the data storage requirements would be astronomical (not to mention the physical studio/office space you'd need to store all of these drives), I mean you'd practically need to buy a new 300GB hard drive for every wedding you shoot.
Click to expand...
I get your point, some areas of our job don´t need to have the best codec quality wise, but efficency wise.
But in a world where P2 costs where slightly above SD card costs, there would be no reason to not include AVCHD as a LowQual mode on the 170...
This reminds me of Apple´s marketing, the differences between certain quite similar products are small, but they are always important enough to consider them thoroughly.
 
I checked into the time lapse feature and here is what I was told BY PANASONIC:
The next camera will have time lapse. Actually this is a lesser camera than the HMC150.
The HMC150 will remain at the top of the AVCCAM line and the new camera will exist alongside it.
 
Mainly firmware-software updates.

-sd mode (for those projects you know will go direct to dvd).
-on camera metadata editing.
-small memory in the camera to hold multiple metadata files and user presets.
-The ability to turn off the viewfinder when the LCD is open.
-timelapse would be great.
-and the possibility of using other batteries.

and the long awaited book by our Master Barry (although that's not a firmware update.)
 
This is not a big one but one that should come in the box. I would like a simple lens cap for my lens. I use a mattebox and though I admit the new hood and cover is much better than what I have on my DVX (actually a Nikon cap since the Panasonic one broke) it would be nice to have the option of either or. Off to my local camera shope to buy another Nikon 72mm cap. Bugs me to have a Nikon cap on my Leica lens....
 
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