Build Quality of HMC40

G

Goldenplates

Member
There is only one review of the HMC40 posted on Amazon, with comment about the quality of the construction --

"The build of the camera surprised me a little as this is supposed to be a prosummer camera. To say it politely, it is less than sturdy. "

For those that have this camcorder, would you agree that it is "less than sturdy?"
 
I don't have much to compare it to, except consumer cameras (Sanyo and Sony). There are not many moving parts (lcd, viewfinder, the lens ring, a couple of cover flaps, etc.) and they seem to be reasonably engineered. The Amazon reviewer was not very specific, but I don't see any glaring problems. And as the reviewer stated, it does have a 3 year warranty.
 
The frame is not magnesium alloy like on the 100/200/170/150, it is plastic, in some materials I think I've seen it has been called carbon fiber. Not sure that it is indeed carbon fiber, that should be more expensive than magnesium alloy.

On the preproduction unit the viewfinder was wobbly and shaky, how does it feel on production units? Other than the viewfinder, I did not find much to whine about when I looked at the cam at NAB.
 
the hmc40 might be getting some of the bad wrap the 150 got when it came out- the magnesium alloy body sounds like plastic when tapped on. Be sure- it is not plastic. I dont know what the 40 uses but they are meant to compliment eachother. Panasonic toughbooks use the same material. See the thread where the user dropped it off the back of a racing motorcyle, and it still works.
 
Cranky said:
The frame is not magnesium alloy like on the 100/200/170/150, it is plastic, in some materials I think I've seen it has been called carbon fiber. Not sure that it is indeed carbon fiber, that should be more expensive than magnesium alloy.

On the preproduction unit the viewfinder was wobbly and shaky, how does it feel on production units? Other than the viewfinder, I did not find much to whine about when I looked at the cam at NAB.
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Are you sure of that? What is the source of your information?

I recall that some believed that the HMC-150 was only plastic, but they were wrong.


I'll ask Panasonic at the DV Expo show next week....

Bob Diaz
 
I suspect it is not magnesium. The HMC150 description goes out of its way to indicate that it uses a magnesium body. The HMC40 descriptions says: "Lightweight, yet durable, design with removable handle" - that description makes me suspect plastic.

However, I am not particularly worried about the body material - today's technology is quite capable of making a satisfactory plastic body. I am more concerned about the LCD and viewfinder hinges, since at least in my case they get a "workout."
 
Cranky said:
David, you could find it yourself it you googled for "HMC40 carbon fiber".
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Cranky said:
The frame is not magnesium alloy like on the 100/200/170/150, it is plastic, in some materials I think I've seen it has been called carbon fiber.
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Could you provide support for this from Panasonic. Because you are stating it as a fact, and all I've not seen anything that confirms that from the Panasonic.

Unless you know this first hand, then it remains a guess.
 
David S. said:
Could you provide support for this from Panasonic.
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No. Are you saying that Abel Cinetech is not reputable enough for you to believe what they post on their website? As I said, you can find similar info page -- word for word -- on other websites that offer the camcorder, so I assume this being the standard Panasonic's PR info.

Feel free to disregard it.
 
David S. said:
Look, if you know, tell us how.
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The only way for me to know it for sure is to get one, break it apart and perform spectrography analysis. Otherwise these are just someone else's words. If you believe Panasonic's PR more than vendor's PR then feel free to disregard what I posted.
 
What Panasonic's PR are you referring to.

You represented the build quality of the cam as a fact based on what a vendor stated in an ad. You may be correct, but it's a fair statement to say you don't know this as a fact.

I would prefer to wait until we have an authoritative statement from the company rather than anyone quoting what some company states in an advertisement.

best
 
ANY Panasonic's PR. Anyway, let me rephrase my prior statement: "from what I've read on various websites that are owned by resellers/dealers, the HMC40 seems to have carbon fiber frame".

On the other hand, the viewfinder on the preproduction model at NAB seemed PERSONALLY TO ME as wobbly and unreliable. If Panasonic fixed this in the production model, then kudos to them.
 
jplevinski said:
seems sturdy to me... the only complaint I have so far is that it is only mediocre in low light.
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I agree with Jplevinski on both points. I just finished a shoot today with the HMC40 (both indoors and outdoors) and found it to be reliable and easy to handle. The controls are well laid out, easy to access, and the build quality is certainly more than adequate. The LCD hinge is firm and works well, as is the viewfinder pivot. On the other side of the coin the low light performance is somewhat lacking, but nothing that can't be overcome with an on-camera light or supplemental lighting on stands - and I used both types of lighting today.

All in all I'm fairly pleased with the HMC40. As with any device, it has its strengths and weaknesses. The trick is to learn both and employ the best strategies to get optimal images.
 
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We've had the cam for two weeks.

I don't know if it is carbon fiber or something else.

But it seems to be a pretty solid 2.5 lb cam to me.

We like it as a companion to our 170, and other than low light issues, it produces some pretty darn good images.

We'd suggest that you treat it like any other $2k USD purchase.

As to the LCD, it doesn't seem "wobbly" but the cam's light weight makes it imperative that you be aware of the LCD when the cam is moved.
 
David S. said:
As to the LCD, it doesn't seem "wobbly"
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I was talking about the flip-up eyepiece. Mark said that the viewfinder pivot does not feel loose or wobbly, so I assume that what I experienced at NAB has to be attributed to a hastily glued together preproduction unit.

Anyway, I will try the production version in a week at DVExpo.
 
It isn't the highest quality I've seen, but for its purpose, it seems all right.

To be honest, this cam does not have the fit and finish of the 150 or the 170.

But compared to other $2k cams I've seen, and some lesser quality $1k cams, it seems to be in league.

I'd love to compare it to the $3k JVC.

Perhaps some one can based on fit and finish.
 
Cranky said:
I was talking about the flip-up eyepiece. Mark said that the viewfinder pivot does not feel loose or wobbly, so I assume that what I experienced at NAB has to be attributed to a hastily glued together preproduction unit.

Anyway, I will try the production version in a week at DVExpo.
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The key term here is, "pre-production unit". Things aren't always the same from pre-production to production units; close, but not exactly the same.

I missed the fact that you are in San Diego. Also, are you going to the presentation by Panasonic on Thursday? ... or are you going on Wednesday?


Bob Diaz
 
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