AC130: Considering an AC 130A

T

tigerten02

Member
Hi,

I have been hanging out on DVX user for a while, but I don't comment much. I have been using an HMC 150 to shoot documentaries with for the last four years, and recently got an AF-100 to do interviews. The image quality really shows the limitations of the 150, but I like the run and gun form factor.

I am considering getting an AC 130 to supplement the AF-100. Is the image quality comparable? Will they match up easily in post? Are the scene files compatible? Does Barry make a book for it? I don't need the extras the AC 160-A has - The AF 100 does those already. I teach video production at a local university, and shoot projects for documentary and footage for other professors.

The HMC 150 got me through grad school, and I shot my thesis on it, but it is pretty long in the tooth. Any advice would be appreciated.

Jerry Westergaard
 
An AC130 can match very well with an AF100. There are scene files on the Panasonic site that can get the two cameras to match very closely. And the menu structures and operation are pretty much identical to the AF100 so you will have pretty much zero learning curve. And yes, the AC130A in the USA includes a copy of one of my books.
Hope that helps!
 
Thanks for the quick response, Barry.

I just placed an order with B&H for an AC 160A. I am looking forward to getting it.

Jerry
 
I was looking at the HMC150, but with further research, I think I have decided to go with the AC130 instead. It would be to use with my AF100 and as a more event/ run and gun camera. I have found a used model that I am considering. It is an "AC130P" B stock item. Is that a US version, Barry?
 
It's an AG-AC130P, so it's not an "A" model. I know about the upgrades for the A model, but I'm already stretching this purchase way farther than I wanted to. This one has 60 hours and is a B-Stock item that was used for demo or display use. It has 60 hours on it and has a 90 day warranty from Panasonic. For about $2,850 USD. From a seller with excellent feedback. What do you think?
 
My suggestion would be to go to the last page of this group and read the posts forward. You will be able to see what others have dealt with using the 130/160 and what they may have gone through to upgrade it to a 130A/160A. Most importantly... did they think it was worth the money? (I don't know if Panasonic still does the upgrade.) Like any buying decision in this industry, it's a trade off of features vs cost and budget. Do you need the benefits of the upgrade?

I understand that budgets are tight, but you may want to think big picture and "long term" on this decision. Are the upgrades needed and does a new camera with a three year warranty make more sense than a used model with a ninety day warranty?

Good luck and keep us posted on your decision.
 
If you are a manual 'shooter', then try and locate a 130 and save one money. The picture quality is the same as an "A" model.

i don't believe the update actually enhanced the auto-focus but has given the user a faster Turbo focus button and a magnification in the EVF. I set one of my user buttons to 2X zoom and use that to increase the focus capability in manual as I only own the 130 and not the "A" model. As far as the new Turbo button, my thoughts are that if auto-focus does not function for a split second, the Turbo may help, but a blurry picture for that split second will still appear anyway. I use manual focus, coupled with the red assist and detail enhancement. Also, the beauty of the camera is that even if you use auto iris and auto-focus, you can still override both manually while still in an auto iris and focus mode. Just my thoughts
 
seems like a good price if it is officially B stock and not a previously owned and registered
 
Yeah, it seems like a pretty legit seller. It's on ebay. BUT-- I just now saw that B&H has a discount going on the new model, bringing it to $3,395. So that's only about a $550 difference. Plus if you buy before August 1st, you get a free 5 year warranty from Panasonic. I hate to keep spending so much since I have already bought an AF100, wireless mic, and more this year, but it's been a very good year for my business and looks to be even better for the second half of the year. So I think B&H is probably the best way to go. And the 6 months interest free with Bill Me Later (which is part of PayPal) helps, too.
 
Keep in mind that the 5 year warranty offer is for educational institutions only. Individual owners get the standard 3 yr warranty. They're trying to get film schools and college media departments to invest in the AC line.
 
In my experience, the 130/160 is a big step up from the HMC 150. Much sharper image (the 150 is upscaling from a smaller chip, the 130 gives you a full raster chip). The focus-in-red is a godsend and works in the viewfinder for handheld. The stabilizer is quite good, too. Dual cards are great. It's a well thought out camera. If you rely on AF, do some research - it can be slow.
 
I'd be a bit worried about only having a 90 day warranty on the B stock camera. Having the 3 year warranty brings valuable peace of mind.
Just my .902.
Ken
 
Ed Kishel said:
Keep in mind that the 5 year warranty offer is for educational institutions only. Individual owners get the standard 3 yr warranty. They're trying to get film schools and college media departments to invest in the AC line.
Click to expand...

Ah, good catch! I just looked at the pdf, and that's exactly what it said. That's either pretty deceptive, or just incompetence on B&H's part. But I didn't see anything about a 3 year warranty on it-- is that just standard? It doesn't really matter either way. It's only going to cover manufacturer's defects, and if that is going to happen, it's going to be within the first year. And I have equipment insurance for accidental damage.


Michael Carter said:
In my experience, the 130/160 is a big step up from the HMC 150. Much sharper image (the 150 is upscaling from a smaller chip, the 130 gives you a full raster chip). The focus-in-red is a godsend and works in the viewfinder for handheld. The stabilizer is quite good, too. Dual cards are great. It's a well thought out camera. If you rely on AF, do some research - it can be slow.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was first looking at the AC90, but I didn't want to do without ND and part of the whole point of replacing my miniDV camera was to have one that I can sync timecode with on my AF100. So then I looked at the HMC 150 and was pretty decided on it until I learned that it is a 720p sensor (or maybe a little less?), and it just upscales it to 1080p. So that's why I arrived at the AC130. Besides, that's kind of a kicka** name for a camera. lol.

Plus, I'm coming from a 20x zoom on my V1U (HDV camera). And the 12x or 13x on the HMC150 just isn't good enough to work for a lot of situations. Like filming a college graduation. Or I was just doing prep for an upcoming event a few hours ago and estimated how far in 12x would go with the V1U and it wouldn't have been enough. So 22x on the AC130-- that's even better than the V1U.


kplo said:
I'd be a bit worried about only having a 90 day warranty on the B stock camera. Having the 3 year warranty brings valuable peace of mind.
Just my .902.
Ken
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree, but back to my earlier statement, any damage is most likely going to be accidental, which that warranty wouldn't cover either way. And my equipment insurance would. So if the price was right, I still think it would be a good deal. But now that I see it's only about a $500 difference between the old model B stock and the brand new A model.. I'm better off just buying new. So unless anyone else comes across a really good deal on a used one in the next couple of days (no more than about 60 hours on it), I think I'm going to go that route.
 
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BrandonT said:
But I didn't see anything about a 3 year warranty on it-- is that just standard?
Click to expand...
All the AVCCAM products (HMC/AF/AC) all get a one-year warranty from the factory as standard, and if you register the camera on the Panasonic PASS website, it will extend the warranty to three years. So yes, if you register, they all give a three-year warranty.
 
Well, Adorama has come through for me again! I wish I had been doing business with them for all of these years instead of B&H. Not that I have anything against B&H, but the customer service is just great at Adorama.

I looked today and they had just recently posted a used AC130A with 35 hours, with a "D" as in "demo" rating for $2,600. I called to check on its condition, and bought it with Paypal's Bill Me Later (6 mos. no payment, no interest) a few minutes later. The Bill Me Later service is really convenient. You're not signing up for a new credit card like with most no interest financing options. Then I packed up my Sony V1U to send to their used department. I should get around $1200 for it. So $1400 for a practically new AC130A-- not too shabby.

Then I went and checked out the new 11" Macbook Air at the local Apple affiliate store. I liked it. It will tuck nicely into my Think Tank bag. I ordered it from the Apple store online. And finally, checked how much I could get for my 2007 Macbook Pro from an online company that does repairs on Macs and it comes out to about 1/3 of what the Macbook Air was.

So, it's been a successful day of equipment acquisition and whatever you call the opposite of acquisition. It's nice to just go ahead and get it all out of the way at the same time so you don't have to keep researching it and worrying about it.
 
BrandonT said:
Well, Adorama has come through for me again! I wish I had been doing business with them for all of these years instead of B&H. Not that I have anything against B&H, but the customer service is just great at Adorama.

I looked today and they had just recently posted a used AC130A with 35 hours, with a "D" as in "demo" rating for $2,600. I called to check on its condition, and bought it with Paypal's Bill Me Later (6 mos. no payment, no interest) a few minutes later. The Bill Me Later service is really convenient. You're not signing up for a new credit card like with most no interest financing options. Then I packed up my Sony V1U to send to their used department. I should get around $1200 for it. So $1400 for a practically new AC130A-- not too shabby.

Then I went and checked out the new 11" Macbook Air at the local Apple affiliate store. I liked it. It will tuck nicely into my Think Tank bag. I ordered it from the Apple store online. And finally, checked how much I could get for my 2007 Macbook Pro from an online company that does repairs on Macs and it comes out to about 1/3 of what the Macbook Air was.

So, it's been a successful day of equipment acquisition and whatever you call the opposite of acquisition. It's nice to just go ahead and get it all out of the way at the same time so you don't have to keep researching it and worrying about it.
Click to expand...

Contratulations! It sounds like you got a great deal. When the 130 was announced I thought it would be the replacement for my Sony V1U's. However the focusing issues made it a no go for us as we have been spoiled by the Sony V1's great autofocus and are one of the few wedding / event videographers, apparently, who use it rather than focus manually most of the time.

I just purchased two Atomos Ninja's to extend the life of my Sony V1U's so I have effectively postponed having to make a decison on a new camera for a few more years!
 
Notlad said:
Contratulations! It sounds like you got a great deal. When the 130 was announced I thought it would be the replacement for my Sony V1U's. However the focusing issues made it a no go for us as we have been spoiled by the Sony V1's great autofocus and are one of the few wedding / event videographers, apparently, who use it rather than focus manually most of the time.

I just purchased two Atomos Ninja's to extend the life of my Sony V1U's so I have effectively postponed having to make a decison on a new camera for a few more years!
Click to expand...

That's great that you were able to extend the life of your V1U's with the Ninjas. In early 2011, I tried the product that Sony sells as the companion device for the V1U that mounts on the shoe and records to CF cards through Firewire connection. I tried it on one job, and ended up returning it after that and buying the Panasonic GH2 instead, for just a little more than the recording device was. After that, I only used the V1U for events that had to be filmed all the way through. Most of my work is corporate/ promotional or just a highlight of an event.

Now the autofocus has been a problem for me on my V1U, actually. But it's probably a situation that you wouldn't run into with weddings. It happened with sports broadcasts (football) or events like a college graduation. In both situations, it would be with the lens almost fully zoomed. So if it was fully zoomed, and then you zoomed out a bit (think like with a football game, the action is going, and you need to zoom out a bit to find your bearings and where the ball actually is)-- you could zoom all the way out and it would be completely out of focus. You would just see like a few bokeh circles of whatever the main lights in frame were. You could then usually zoom back in, and fiddle for a few seconds and it fix itself.

I hope the autofocus on the AC130A works well for me. I've gotten used to the red highlight with the AF100, so I think I'll be good with it.
 
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