170 or 150

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nklaeser

Well-known member
I was looking at getting second camera and was going between the 170 and the 150. i am told that they are essentially the same camera? my main concern is when I am using the footage in FCP will I have the same work flow as with my current HPX 170 or will I have to do some sort of transcoding with the 150 footage?
 
The cams are very similar, if not identical. The real difference is the output codec. The 170 outputs to dvcprohd codec and the 150 outputs to avchd. The 170 records to p2 cards, and the 150 to sdhc cards. If you are looking for the best match, stick with the 170. If you need long form and can't afford p2, get the 150. Yes you will have to transcode avchd into fcp. IMHO, the 170, with the I-frame codec is a better setup, though slightly more expensive because of the ubber-reliable p2 memory.

Grant
 
as an owner of a 170 who occasionally uses a 150 (when i shoot for clients, with their gear). i HATE using a 150. the end result is in the same ballpark (you probably wouldnt know the difference unless you were trying to) but the menus and interface of the 150 pales GREATLY by comparison.

and yes. on the avchd vs dvcprohd subject you will have to either transcode up front OR re-render every edit point on the timeline. if you have a good machine, neither is a deal breaker.
 
Yeah, you will notice a stark difference between using the 170 and the 150, and you won't be able to do everything with the 150 that you can with the 170. The only advantages of the 150 are the price of SD cards and the longer recording times. Other than that, the 170 is superior.

Image-wise, it's the difference between taking the same base image and recording it in an intra-frame, 4:2:2 codec (170) and an interframe 4:2:0 codec (150). The former is superior, but only you can decide if it's enough superior for your purposes.
 
Image-wise, in my opinion the difference isn't negligible. Sure if you won't do any colour correction work but if you plan to push the picture you're going to see some big differences.
The DVCproHD codec is (for me) the best thing on the HPX171. With out it, it would be just another grainy 1/3 chip camcorder:)

I'll be selling mine 171 shortly if you want it?:):)
 
Since most of my recording on the 170 is long format (i.e. seminars and meetings). I would probably have to invest in two 64gb cards which I have now with my current camera. Does anyone used any outboard recorders? I know that there are several available and I believe that you can even select .mov recording if you are using FCP.
 
nklaeser said:
Since most of my recording on the 170 is long format (i.e. seminars and meetings). I would probably have to invest in two 64gb cards which I have now with my current camera. Does anyone used any outboard recorders? I know that there are several available and I believe that you can even select .mov recording if you are using FCP.
Click to expand...

I used to have a Firestore 250GB and it worked well. You can get a used one for quite cheap these days. Look in the marketplace I'm sure you'll find one and you won't pay more than 400$ for it. And if you want to you can swap the internal disk for a SSD if you want to. It's pretty easy.
 
 
Does the 170 have a cleaner image? In low light?
And how much better is it when keying?

I haven't keyed with the 150 yet but I was amazed at how much I could push the image in post.
I took a dark wedding recorded at 0 gain and using Sapphire Hue Sat plugin made it look like they had all the lights on and it actually looked nice.
I imagine the dvcpro hd codec is a limitation about the 170, compared to the avc intra100 of the replacement hpx250, which I hear is quite a keying machine.
 
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