AC160 Do you use 1080p 60 a lot? Is the ac160 better to invest in and would you buy amazon

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Deer Film

Well-known member
When the 130 first came out, I bought one and had trouble with AutoFocus and then the card door would not work. I returned it I use my HMC150 a lot and using more manual mode then auto. I bought a few other cameras, but nothing compares to the HMC150.

So I am thinking that if I go with manual mode,that the 130 or 160 would be a good choice. There just really is nothing else out there for my needs.
The real difference I see is in the 160, SDI, uncompressed audio and 1080p 60. I won't use the SDI, and uncompressed audio I can get by without, but I wonder if I would use the 1080p 60 a lot.
Can you tell me where you are using it and see a need for.
Is there a big difference in file size compared to 30p?

I mostly shoot conferences, and interviews. On my own stuff I shoot a lot of green screen and wildlife.

second, when I shoot a conference with my HMC150, I set everything to manual except autofocus. Because the speaker moves around and I am working 3 cameras. Would the 130/160's autofocus be ok with this, or does it still get off track?

And last, I noticed the 130/160 on Amazon have good prices and only a 300 dollar difference between the two. Never bought a expensive camera on Amazon, do you see any problem with this?

I was waiting to see if Panasonic would come out with a new camera this year to replace the 150, but it does not look like it, so that is why I might go for the 130 or 160. Thanks for any help.
 
I use 60p most of the time, because I can.

Who worries about file size in a 2K camera when your option is 4K?

i tested auto-focus on the AC-160A extensively and posted several videos.

In general it hunts but for what you plan to do, it might be ok.
 
Hey Deer Film .. the 150 is tough to beat isn't it?? I must admit that I tend not to use 50P (we are PAL) on my Sony EA-50's and when I had the 130's they never had 50P ... I really cannot see any huge advantage with 50P unless you have a camera that has at least a 50 mbps bitrate in 50/60P ..Panny (and Sony too) are stuck on 28mbps and I have see a lot of posts where people say that 28mbps is just too slow on AVCHD !! To be honest I just haven't seen any magic advantages in using 50/60P anyway but if you are hankering after a 130/160 anyway I would rather get the 160! Funny but over here the 160 is actually less than the 130 now.
 
I've owned the 150… the AC130/160 is a big step up in IQ. As for 60p - I only use it for slowmo. But slowmo is a killer tool to have. Even for corporate interviews, it adds weight & drama to b-roll. People walking, manufacturing, etc all look great slowed down. Great for food & beauty/cosmetics as well.

As for Amazon - yes, if you're buying from amazon. Many people sell on their site and it's a lot of the same old cheap-price and then scam you on the upsell (nothing but the camera at that price - did you need a battery or a manual?)

But if you can get the 160 for an extra couple hundred, hell yeah, SDI out, uncompressed audio and 1080-60 are worth it. And resell value will be higher.
 
I like 1080 60P. I wish all my cameras could shoot it. I shoot about everything but the slow stuff with 60P. I would get the 160a over the 130a.....but.....unless I needed to get something now, I would wait a bit longer to see what else comes out. Panasonic may release something else. I don't think any of us knew the AC90 or AC8 were coming before they were released. The 130/160/250 were announced and there was a big waiting hype period but the AC90 and AC8 just showed up. I am hoping that some of the superior image stabilization and newer backlit sensor tech makes it's way into an HMC 150 / AC130/160 replacement as well as better front end and focus.
 
@Michael... Good point about slo mo. I agree that even just a bit of slo mo adds a lot.

In fact I would rank slo mo and slider capability over DOF because some clients don't seem to care about DOF but they sure like it for interviews when you roll around a curved track.

Of course having a 2nd camera pretty much solves the problem of recording from a constant position but when you are a one trick pony, there is no value having a 2nd camers.
 
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