I find it funny that so many users of these cameras go for a "film look" but then complain that the HMC150 (and others) is not as sharp as a full raster cmos etc.., when film has always been softer video, especialy HD. For a film look I had to turn the sharpness down, so unless you want it to look like "video", ie sports etc, then this really is a non-issue.
Canon Competitor
- Thread starter Jim Simon
- Start date
(Oh, and my controller has a switch to convert from Panny's standard to LANC, so it'll work with either camera.)
I'm with ya there!
What type of work do you do? I ask because I am sure that my clients could really tell the difference. But I still strive to give them the very best I can.
I use a pair of HMC150's and occasionally a Canon HFS-10 for some small crane work. Clients seem to love the look I get from the Panny.
Another point to consider between them is the form factor. The XF100 is primarily menu driven, if we believe the initial reports. HMC150, not as much. it has a lot more controls accessible via external buttons and switches. So if you are accustomed to the larger size of an HMC150 type cam and go down to the size of the XF100 and its greater reliance on menus to control key functions, you may need to think about whether or not that is acceptable to you.
If it were me buying, and I was interested in a cam the size of the XF100, (might well be, we will see) I would really be looking at the XA10 as well. Same chip, same lens, but no MPEG-2. Uses MPEG4 instead. I think that's a good thing.
But XA10 won't do 720p. That's not such a good thing.
I'm with ya there!
What type of work do you do? I ask because I am sure that my clients could really tell the difference. But I still strive to give them the very best I can.
I use a pair of HMC150's and occasionally a Canon HFS-10 for some small crane work. Clients seem to love the look I get from the Panny.
Another point to consider between them is the form factor. The XF100 is primarily menu driven, if we believe the initial reports. HMC150, not as much. it has a lot more controls accessible via external buttons and switches. So if you are accustomed to the larger size of an HMC150 type cam and go down to the size of the XF100 and its greater reliance on menus to control key functions, you may need to think about whether or not that is acceptable to you.
If it were me buying, and I was interested in a cam the size of the XF100, (might well be, we will see) I would really be looking at the XA10 as well. Same chip, same lens, but no MPEG-2. Uses MPEG4 instead. I think that's a good thing.
But XA10 won't do 720p. That's not such a good thing.
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scapsinger
Well-known member
Switch or no switch, it is my understanding that Panny PZFI is the only one that lets you control iris on the integrated lens. Canon integrated lenses are zoom/focus/record only on the LANC. Now if you're using a Fujinon lens, it's a whole different story (but I haven't heard of any PZFI > Fujinon controller adapters). I know the LANC protocol has support for iris control, but last time I checked, nobody had the support built into their lenses, and neither Sony nor Canon had LANC iris controllers available.
Now I could be dead wrong on that (it was true up until a few years ago, the last time I gave LANC a good look), but if you're planning to remote control iris, you'd definitely want to be sure you can before you plunk down your cash.
From just a pure image standpoint, you can produce an amazing video product for your clients with most of the current crop of camcorders, whether "full resolution" or not. The actual tool in your hand will decide how fluidly you are able to perform your videography. That's where the multiple on-camera switches and buttons of the HMC150 and similar cameras come through.
From your client's perspective, I'd assume that your existing clients will be wowed by the increased quality over standard def, and the your future clients won't have that same critical eye that you have (unless you're doing something besides corporate/weddings/etc). So you're only choosing the smoothness of the HMC150 or the sharpness of the XF100 for your sake.
At some point, you have to look back and think about how many projects you have not been shooting in HD the last few months/years while you waited for the perfect camera. I know there was a whole lot of regret when I finally bought my HMC150 because I too was waiting for something better (well, something like the AF100 became, really). I went back and thought about all the projects that would have benefitted from increased resolution and ease of tapeless workflow. What a waste of my time!
Not encouraging an early adopter mentality of course, but it's worth figuring out how much longer you want to wait before you at least JUMP off of the SD bandwagon. You can always sell your camera and buy a new one later, as any good camera will hold enough of it's value you justify the shooting you did on it. I know that I personally plan to sell one of my HMC150 cameras in the next 12 months to grab an AF100. I expect to make about 2/3 of my investment back when I sell my HMC150, and I've certainly done enough work to justify using $1,000 worth of value on the camcorder. Heck, at the least, it saved me nearly $500 in MiniDV tape costs over my previous work on the DVX100B, that was just in the first year! So really, the HMC150 hasn't cost me anything (versus paying for new MiniDV tapes all the time).
Good luck whatever you do, but if you are currently working on projects in SD, I'd highly encourage you to do SOMETHING soon so that you can take advantage of at least some of the advances that are available today, even if it's not the Holy Grail you've been waiting for.
Now I could be dead wrong on that (it was true up until a few years ago, the last time I gave LANC a good look), but if you're planning to remote control iris, you'd definitely want to be sure you can before you plunk down your cash.
From just a pure image standpoint, you can produce an amazing video product for your clients with most of the current crop of camcorders, whether "full resolution" or not. The actual tool in your hand will decide how fluidly you are able to perform your videography. That's where the multiple on-camera switches and buttons of the HMC150 and similar cameras come through.
From your client's perspective, I'd assume that your existing clients will be wowed by the increased quality over standard def, and the your future clients won't have that same critical eye that you have (unless you're doing something besides corporate/weddings/etc). So you're only choosing the smoothness of the HMC150 or the sharpness of the XF100 for your sake.
At some point, you have to look back and think about how many projects you have not been shooting in HD the last few months/years while you waited for the perfect camera. I know there was a whole lot of regret when I finally bought my HMC150 because I too was waiting for something better (well, something like the AF100 became, really). I went back and thought about all the projects that would have benefitted from increased resolution and ease of tapeless workflow. What a waste of my time!
Not encouraging an early adopter mentality of course, but it's worth figuring out how much longer you want to wait before you at least JUMP off of the SD bandwagon. You can always sell your camera and buy a new one later, as any good camera will hold enough of it's value you justify the shooting you did on it. I know that I personally plan to sell one of my HMC150 cameras in the next 12 months to grab an AF100. I expect to make about 2/3 of my investment back when I sell my HMC150, and I've certainly done enough work to justify using $1,000 worth of value on the camcorder. Heck, at the least, it saved me nearly $500 in MiniDV tape costs over my previous work on the DVX100B, that was just in the first year! So really, the HMC150 hasn't cost me anything (versus paying for new MiniDV tapes all the time).
Good luck whatever you do, but if you are currently working on projects in SD, I'd highly encourage you to do SOMETHING soon so that you can take advantage of at least some of the advances that are available today, even if it's not the Holy Grail you've been waiting for.
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My current cam only has zoom/rec functions, so the only controller I have is for that, which would work on both cameras with the flip of a switch. Once a new camera is purchased, I'd acquire the appropriate focus/iris controller.
I do agree that the cam's form factor will affect my ability to do my job. That's something that will weigh appropriately in the decision.
The main point of this post is that I'm not so sure my clients will be wowed by the jump from SD to the HMC150's HD. I certainly wasn't. In fact, watching both an SD export and an HD export of the same 720p/24 footage, I saw very little difference. That's why I wonder if the full-res XF100 might provide a "better" image.
And I wholly agree on the need to do something. I'm just working out what exactly that will be as I await the funding.
I do agree that the cam's form factor will affect my ability to do my job. That's something that will weigh appropriately in the decision.
The main point of this post is that I'm not so sure my clients will be wowed by the jump from SD to the HMC150's HD. I certainly wasn't. In fact, watching both an SD export and an HD export of the same 720p/24 footage, I saw very little difference. That's why I wonder if the full-res XF100 might provide a "better" image.
And I wholly agree on the need to do something. I'm just working out what exactly that will be as I await the funding.