Canon 7D or HMC 40 or other?

S

supernovaexplosion

New member
Hello,
I am stumped as to whether I buy the Canon 7D, Panasonic HMC40 or the Canon HFS 100 or other. Sixty five percent of our business is doing commercials and website videos for businesses while 35% is for event videography. We are looking for a great camera/camcorder system that will meet many needs. What recommendations would someone have? I would appreciate any help on this. I love the Canon 7D, but will it serve the event video side of the business? If we go with the HMC40 are we getting the sharpest and highest resolution images to broadcast on television. etc? Oh by the way, I am on a budget. I'm hoping to not spend more than $5K on everything. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Jordan
FCP user
Canon XL2 user
 
although i am just an amateur user, i went through the same decision making process as you and opted for the 7D. but i mainly went that route because of the ability to take photos too, therefore requiring me to take only one camera (i.e. an SLR, not an SLR and a camcorder).

all told, i think the costs will be roughly the same, except for the fact that i will get a range of lenses that i actually want.
 
To cover the range of work you describe I would be a lot more comfortable with a video camera. I can't see going with the 7D.

A reasonable 7D setup would require at least 2 bodies with lenses, filters, viewfinders, separate audio, support systems etc.. A budget buster.

I have the 5D2 and the 7D, but for anything uncontrolled or under time pressure, I use my XH-A1.

I hope Canon launches a relacement for it soon. Come to think of it, this is the first time I have actually hoped my equipment would become obsolete.
 
Thanks guys for responding. Is it possible to get the Canon 7D and the Canon HSF-11 (b roll, wide etc.) and match them up in post? If not, in response to Jay's post, what camcorder available under 4K would you recommend? The HMC40 at 2K? The soon to be released Sony NX Cam at 4K?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...5U_NXCAM_Professional_Camcorder.html#features

or the soon to be released Canon at 4K in May?

http://www.dvinfo.net/features/canon-reveals-their-next-pro-video-cam.html


By the way Jay, are you part of the Minnesota Professional Videographer's Association (MPVA)?
 
supernovaexplosion said:
I love the Canon 7D, but will it serve the event video side of the business?
Click to expand...
The Canon 7D is about the worst possible choice for event videography. It does many things very well, but events is absolutely the furthest from that.

If we go with the HMC40 are we getting the sharpest and highest resolution images to broadcast on television. etc?
Click to expand...
Yes, provided you have enough light. Everything will be in focus though.
 
Hi Barry,
I've read many of your posts before I registered and have found your comments very informative and helpful. I also have your DVX 100B book and have learned much from that as I have the 100B camcorder. What video camcorder would you suggest for commercial work/website videos for businesses and event videography? Is there a camcorder out there that fits all of these categories and under 5k? I love the Sony Ex-1 camcorder, but don't yet have the funds to afford it.
 
Many camcorders do that work every day; the HMC150 and HPX170 both fit under your proposed price bracket. The HMC40 is really inexpensive, but for event stuff you'd need a lot of light to get the best from it.

If you wanted an all-in-one, the GH1 would be the only DSLR I'd consider for event work, as it has unlimited recording time and it's just overall a much better "video" camera, for taking video, than the 7D is. The 7D is a better micro-budget digi-cine rig, but as a video camera the GH1 owns it.

But for pro video work I wouldn't want to use either, I'd want to use a pro video camera that's designed to do the job.

Ideally, you could get an HMC40 with the XLR adapter and a GH1 and still be way under your budget; you could buy both of them together for just about $3500, and you'd have an excellent all-around video camera, plus a great little DSLR, and you'd have two cameras while you were at it.

I'd consider an HMC150 as the ideal solution, great low light performance and an excellent video camera which would handle all your commercial work and whatnot, and would excel at event coverage, but if you want the artistry that goes with the shallow DOF, the HMC150 doesn't get there by itself, and once you spend for a Letus or Brevis or SG Pro or whatever, your budget would really be climbing up there...
 
GH1 vs 7D

GH1 vs 7D

Barry_Green said:
If you wanted an all-in-one, the GH1 would be the only DSLR I'd consider for event work, as it has unlimited recording time and it's just overall a much better "video" camera, for taking video, than the 7D is. The 7D is a better micro-budget digi-cine rig, but as a video camera the GH1 owns it.

But for pro video work I wouldn't want to use either, I'd want to use a pro video camera that's designed to do the job.
Click to expand...

Hi Barry,

have been reading lots of stuff around and your comments have been always spot on. But your last comment about the comparison between the 7D and the GH1 has got me by surprise. Have been saving money to buy a HMC-151 since some time but I am kind of slow and was thinking that I am loosing time. Waiting instead of shooting :) So I started to investigate the DSLR world and fell in love with the 5D2, 7D and also GH1.
I am very much for the 7D and saw lots of reviews and video samples. But I don't understand why the GH1 would win hands down over the 7D.
Technically the 7D (vs the GH1) has a larger sensor (22.3 x 14.9 mm(3.32 cm²) vs 4/3 " (18.00 x 13.50 mm, 2.43 cm²) but similar pixel density (5.4 MP/cm² vs 5 MP/cm²) both with all kind of video recording resolutions. The 720p MJPEG rec of the GH1 is very appealing cos it seems that the 720 are already stretching the limit before the aliasing kicks in heavily in these DSRL units. And MJPEG is way easier to edit then H264 ntively (although requiqring larger HDD space).
But I still don't get the "hand down" way of winning for the GH1 :)
Hope you can shed some light and sorry for my English.
Cheers
CIPO
 
He was just suggesting it over the 7d for event videography, because of a few traits that the 7d lacks. That isn't concerning overall effectiveness, just the ability to use it properly for filming events. But the idea of using a DSLR for events at all just seems stupid and unnecessary if you ask me. It would be a pain having to switch lenses and there isn't really any reason to get a DSLR besides the depth of field IMHO so if you won't need that anyways, why bother with a DSLR? I would just stick with the hmc150 or 2 hmc40s. But if you are planning on making films or something that would require such shallow depth of field, a DSLR might be for you.
 
CiPO said:
But I don't understand why the GH1 would win hands down over the 7D.
Click to expand...
As a video camera, for shooting video, the GH1 is far superior to use. Between the autofocus being enabled in video shooting (which means you can actually execute a zoom during a shot, which you can't do on a 7D), the unlimited recording times (vs. the 12-minute limit on the 7D), the live histogram in video mode that lets you actually have an idea of what you're exposing and a good chance to get the exposure right, the articulated LCD that lets you position it anywhere and hand-hold the GH1 anywhere and still get the shot, the much-better 720p mode (which is the more "video" mode, if you want to take video footage), and its complete resistance to ever overheating, vs. the 7D's known overheating issues, there's just no comparison whatsoever. The GH1 is a DSLR that's a hybrid between a video camera and a still camera. The 7D is a still camera that has a video mode grafted onto it. Plus the GH1 is almost half the cost, it's going for about $1250 now for a kit with lens, vs. $2,000 for the 7D with lens.

Use them for a day, it's night and day between the two. Or, just read this big ol' article I did. I own both of them, and love them both for what they're each good at, but there are certain areas where each is head and shoulders above the other. Each definitely has advantages over the other. But as a video camera, as a substitute for a regular video camera, no question the GH1 pwns the 7D.
 
luke e said:
He was just suggesting it over the 7d for event videography, because of a few traits that the 7d lacks. That isn't concerning overall effectiveness, just the ability to use it properly for filming events.
Click to expand...
Correct!

But the idea of using a DSLR for events at all just seems stupid and unnecessary if you ask me.
Click to expand...
Agreed. As someone who used to make a living filming events, conventions, presentations, etc., I think the idea of shooting events on a DSLR is ... well, let's say it's profoundly inefficient.

It would be a pain having to switch lenses and there isn't really any reason to get a DSLR besides the depth of field IMHO so if you won't need that anyways, why bother with a DSLR?
Click to expand...
Agreed entirely. Shallow DOF just makes the event shooter's job harder, no pro audio connections, no timecode for sync'ing up multiple cameras, no power zoom, and (on the 7D) no autofocus and limited record times... it just all adds up to being the entirely wrong tool for the job.

I would just stick with the hmc150 or 2 hmc40s. But if you are planning on making films or something that would require such shallow depth of field, a DSLR might be for you.
Click to expand...
Which is why I suggested the hybrid approach, getting an HMC40 and a GH1 together might suit his needs and fit in his budget.
 
Barry_Green said:
Many camcorders do that work every day; the HMC150 and HPX170 both fit under your proposed price bracket. The HMC40 is really inexpensive, but for event stuff you'd need a lot of light to get the best from it.

If you wanted an all-in-one, the GH1 would be the only DSLR I'd consider for event work, as it has unlimited recording time and it's just overall a much better "video" camera, for taking video, than the 7D is. The 7D is a better micro-budget digi-cine rig, but as a video camera the GH1 owns it.

But for pro video work I wouldn't want to use either, I'd want to use a pro video camera that's designed to do the job.

Ideally, you could get an HMC40 with the XLR adapter and a GH1 and still be way under your budget; you could buy both of them together for just about $3500, and you'd have an excellent all-around video camera, plus a great little DSLR, and you'd have two cameras while you were at it.

I'd consider an HMC150 as the ideal solution, great low light performance and an excellent video camera which would handle all your commercial work and whatnot, and would excel at event coverage, but if you want the artistry that goes with the shallow DOF, the HMC150 doesn't get there by itself, and once you spend for a Letus or Brevis or SG Pro or whatever, your budget would really be climbing up there...
Click to expand...
Would the HMC 40 and the GH-1 match up well in post production? Good idea? or should I stick with the HMC150? What about other camcorders in the price range such as Canon's XhA1 or Sony's Z5U for all of the purposes for which I need it? Would these other options provide better resolution, low light etc. or does the HMC 150 hold its own to these others?
 
Barry_Green said:
Use them for a day, it's night and day between the two. Or, just read this big ol' article I did. I own both of them, and love them both for what they're each good at, but there are certain areas where each is head and shoulders above the other. Each definitely has advantages over the other. But as a video camera, as a substitute for a regular video camera, no question the GH1 pwns the 7D.
Click to expand...

Nice article and as you wrote there: "... as the budget digi-cine camera, the 7D is the go-to" which confirms my idea. It is probably among the tool for whom cannot afford an HMC151 yet but wants to try to create some nice piece of video :)
thx for help.
Edit: the GH1 (EU version) has also a limited time recording set to 29min (due to tax issue !)
 
Last edited:
Well, I have a friend in the business and he converted to Canon 7D's for all of his shooting. His primary business is filming weddings and live concert events. From what I know he loves them. Hope that helps.
 
They're not saying it can't be done...many people are using them for events and getting good results. But the road to get that result is a PIA as compared to using a dedicated video camera. For the best tool for this job...a dslr is not. More hassle than anything.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top