Can the HMC40 be beat in the $2000 camera price range?

J

jrod81

Veteran
Hey guys
Looking to buy the HMC40 with the XLR option (putting it right at $2000 from BH) and just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing any other options in this price range.
This camera will be used in a lit studio environment about 80% of the time and then used for event shooting the other 20% (football games, ceremonies, etc). I have heard that the HMC40 is not too great in low light, so just wanted to make sure there wasn't something smarter here.
I am on a tight $2000-$2500 budget which rules out most of the new cameras coming out it seems. Matter of fact I am hoping to go with ebay and get the HMC40 for about $1200...
let me know
jared
 
In my opinion?

Overall - no. Not for the range of pro features, especially if your $2000 will get you XLRs as well. Canon and JVC's offerings are at least $500-1000 more than then HMC40.

You may get cheaper "handycams" with more modern sensors, and wider lenses, but if you want a semi-pro style style camcorder, there's nothing to beat the HMC40 at that price.
 
Another option with the same or better image quality in that price range might be the GH2.

Higher ISO options for low light, but possibly more money (and definitely more hassle) to get XLR inputs, ND filter, etc (and you still wouldn't have in-camera audio monitoring).

Interesting thread on the HMC40 vs the GH2 here.

For what you're trying to do, though, the HMC40 is probably the better choice.

Slightly better price for the HMC40 from 42nd St Photo ($1680) and for the XLR adapter from Texas Media Systems ($280). Both with free shipping.
 
Having used the HMC40 for a while now, in about 95% studio environment and then some shooting in other parts of our building where we have to bring in lights, it is a little disappointing how much light you do need. Then when you end up shooting outdoors, the lack of ND filters just sucks. I shot some stuff yesterday and can only hope that the person on camera isn't blown-out too much by the super-bright background and sky.

If you can manage to scrape together an extra $500, go with the HMC150. Its much better in low-light and doesn't have the XLR hiss that the HMC40's XLR adapter is plagued with. Both myself and the other producer here wish we had spent the extra money on the 150s, our only problem was that we had to buy 4 cameras and the 40s fit in the budget much better than the 150s because we needed a bunch of other goodies for the studio.
 
B&H have the HMC150 at around $3000, the HMC40 with XLR is $2000 - so it's $1000 more. In the UK the HMC151 is about £700 ($1200 more). It's a different price bracket altogether.
 
what about the new canon XA10??? how would it stack up against the hmc40? seeing them at $2k perks my interest just cause they are a newer camera...
 
Tha XA10 has a better LCD, it might be better than the 40 in low light...no one knows yet really, but it does have a faster lens. The HMC40 has more shooting options, like 720 24P, 30P, and 60P. It also has deep picture adjustments, like gamma curves, detail coring, etc.
I was just thinking about this today....in the $2000 range there isn't much out there for actual camcorders - (I'm not including DSLRs or used cameras)

There's the HMC40 @ $1600 - $2000 (with adapter)
The FX7 @ $1999
The GL2 @ 1899.....really Canon?
The XA10 @ $1999
The Sony A1u $2099
The Sony MC1500 (shoulder mount) $1599
The HMC80 (shoulder mount) $2399

The two in my opinion with the most professional level of control/shooting options/adjustments are the HMC40 and the HMC80.
 
jrod81 said:
Hey guys
Looking to buy the HMC40 with the XLR option (putting it right at $2000 from BH) and just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing any other options in this price range.
This camera will be used in a lit studio environment about 80% of the time and then used for event shooting the other 20% (football games, ceremonies, etc). I have heard that the HMC40 is not too great in low light, so just wanted to make sure there wasn't something smarter here.
I am on a tight $2000-$2500 budget which rules out most of the new cameras coming out it seems. Matter of fact I am hoping to go with ebay and get the HMC40 for about $1200...
let me know
jared
Click to expand...

The camera in the right hands is capable of making outstanding footage, if you want to play with the light, I highly recommend you Lowel Omni and DP lighting, a few Leds is a good idea also, if you want great audio Tascam an Zoom make great external recorders, better than any camera in the market. And the most important thing if you want to make good video start by learning photography, that helps a lot.
If low light is your target the camera does a fair job but don't use cine gamma type D use instead type V, and don't use DRS in low light because adds noise.
I can't believe how people under estimate a tool with this level of quality, No camera is perfect, perfection is achieved by the artist using the necessary tools and particular taste. My next camera will be the AG- AC130, and then this will be my camera B. Big sensor cameras like the AF100 when you want shallow DOF or in very dark situations. Also have seen a lot of footage from the Canon XA10 and the dynamic range is very poor as well as noisy footage, possibly because the 1 small sensor design instead of 3. If you want a camera buy it and buy it new, unless you want repair problems from previous hands who didn't know how to use the camera maybe pretending to find the magic camera to make pro quality without understanding what photography is
 
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thanks for all the input guys...
just so we are all on the same page... i am not really looking at DSLR in this thread. i already have a T2i and would rather get a true and proper video camera to leave in the studio so thanks for the GH2 recommendation but not what i am looking for...
 
thanks for the list... i am about to do some heavy comparisons myself on these

pulpfiction007 said:
Tha XA10 has a better LCD, it might be better than the 40 in low light...no one knows yet really, but it does have a faster lens. The HMC40 has more shooting options, like 720 24P, 30P, and 60P. It also has deep picture adjustments, like gamma curves, detail coring, etc.
I was just thinking about this today....in the $2000 range there isn't much out there for actual camcorders - (I'm not including DSLRs or used cameras)

There's the HMC40 @ $1600 - $2000 (with adapter)
The FX7 @ $1999
The GL2 @ 1899.....really Canon?
The XA10 @ $1999
The Sony A1u $2099
The Sony MC1500 (shoulder mount) $1599
The HMC80 (shoulder mount) $2399

The two in my opinion with the most professional level of control/shooting options/adjustments are the HMC40 and the HMC80.
Click to expand...
 
there are no ND filters at all? i guess people are just buying ND and screwing them on the front of the camera? man this sucks! bad news for my very limited event shooting

little bobby said:
Having used the HMC40 for a while now, in about 95% studio environment and then some shooting in other parts of our building where we have to bring in lights, it is a little disappointing how much light you do need. Then when you end up shooting outdoors, the lack of ND filters just sucks. I shot some stuff yesterday and can only hope that the person on camera isn't blown-out too much by the super-bright background and sky.

If you can manage to scrape together an extra $500, go with the HMC150. Its much better in low-light and doesn't have the XLR hiss that the HMC40's XLR adapter is plagued with. Both myself and the other producer here wish we had spent the extra money on the 150s, our only problem was that we had to buy 4 cameras and the 40s fit in the budget much better than the 150s because we needed a bunch of other goodies for the studio.
Click to expand...
 
jrod81 said:
there are no ND filters at all? i guess people are just buying ND and screwing them on the front of the camera? man this sucks! bad news for my very limited event shooting
Click to expand...
Get a matte box and 4x4 ND that you can use with most of the video cameras, or shoot high speeds or wait this fall for the AG-AC130 us $ 4.000
comfort cost money in about every aspect of life. Screw a filter and save , Personally money is not my deal, but the size , quality, and price
relationship from this little gem is unbeatable .
 
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Jared is looking for a $2000 solution... so a $4000 camera or a $1000 mattebox with $100s of 4x4 glass filters isn't really a sensible solution for him.

Screw-in NDs are fine if you have time to set them up. I have an ND 1 and ND2 from B+W - multi-coated filters, these reduce flare. Avoid temptation to buy cheap ones, these can produce flare and degrade your image.

All these compact pro video cameras are pretty much the same; they are based around consumer-type lenses/sensors and have no switchable NDs. Bigger, more expensive cameras do have them, but that's not much help if you don't want a bigger camera, or can't afford a more expensive one.

Jared, there is a built-in ND filter on the HMC40, which automatically kicks in below a certain f-stop. But in really bright weather it just isn't enough.
 
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