Feedback Please - HMC 150 next?

L

larrys

Well-known member
Hello all forum members. I have been reading and following your posts with great interest and appreciation. I am not a video pro, but have a great love for shooting and editing and i have a great desire to make a documentary.

I currently shoot with a canon hf100. I just shot a very short video for a friend today at her new photo studio while she was doing a photo shoot. I consider all the video I shoot practice for the documentary.

I have put this video online and wonder if you would watch it (it's two minutes long). Also, every shot in the video, including all the freeze frames, were captured on the HF100. The audio is captured with a sennheiser mic that I have going into an xlr adapter. As you will hear in the interviews, the audio I get is fantastic.

(I would appreciate VERY MUCH any feedback you can give on the quality of my short video, I know a number of you are shooting documentaries and I would love to have comments.)

Here's the link to my page where I test the video:

http://www.thewaybackout.com/Site/test.html

I don't think I am skilled enough to produce for theatrical release and my plan is that the documentary would be for viewing on it's own website.

The reason I am posting this information here is this...

I want to know if you think it would be important for me to move up to the HMC150 to shoot an internet only documentary. By the way, the reason I have locked in to the HMC150 is that I happen to love the avchd workflow on my mac and after using the sdhc cards, I would never go back to tape again. And, the footage I have seen that all of you have been shooting with the 150 is spectacular. But for my purposes, is it too much camera for me?

Thanks so much!
 
I have both the HF100 as a backup and a HMC150.

As long as you have plenty of light the HF100 works great. The HMC150 will have the following advantages:

-CCDs don't have the rolling shutter artifacts that you'll get with the HF100.
-You can shoot 720p60 and get buttery smooth slow motion.
-You'll have bulit-in XLR, though you already have an adapter.
-Higher bitrate of 24mbps, as opposed to 17mbps with the HF100.
-More professional looking than the tiny HF100.
-Much more customizable settings for getting the look you want.
-Larger screen, though it is low resolution.
-Focus Assist functions.
-Waveform monitor on the camera to get the right exposure.

If you're only doing one documentary for yourself and you won't be planning on making any money (or more videos) then staying with the HF100 may be a good idea, moneywise. But, if you are serious about producing other videos for money then the HMC150 would be a smart choice.
 
Hi JBH,

Thanks so much for the response. Since you mention light and since you have both the HF100 and the HMC150, how do they compare in low light environments?

I mostly shoot in available light. The video I gave the link to was shot in studio lighting while the photographer was shooting photos and the interview shots were done in a room that was a mix of light from a window and ceiling lights.

Anyone else with thoughts on this as well?

Thanks.
 
I also have the HF100 for personal use and the low light performance stinks.... It gets real grainy real quickly. I am sure for most people it is just fine, but being in the profession that I am, it makes me a little crazy some times... The HMC150 shoots great in Low Light... I use it for wedding and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs mainly and it has performed great...

I agree with JBH that if you are doing a Documentary for fun then stick with the HF100 unless the cost of the HMC150 does not put a dent in your wallet. If you want to market and sell videos then definately go with the HMC150.

You seem to have a knack and passion for video. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide to do...

Phil
 
Thanks so much Phil, the low light issue may ultimately decide it for me, to go to a hmc150.

Thanks!
 
cheap sd cards .
You dont have to worry about offloading when you're in the middle of nowhere.
IMO this little camera cam compete with any broadcast camera that cause 2 to 5 times more.

My only gripe is the short lens but I love the wide angle.

It's great for eventvideographers but better for documentarians.
 
Thanks Everts,

Is there anyone reading this that has some documentary video shot on the hmc150 that can be viewed online?

Thanks.
 
There are plenty of video samples available, but encoded to vimeo or youtube

Is there something you are looking for that a doc might show about the cam?
 
Thanks David,

I would really like to see how the camera does under available light and cinema verite type hand held shooting. I have also heard that the autofocus on the camera is weak and with the small cameras, like the hf100, you really have to rely on autofocus as the manual focus os so awkward to use. Also, I have seen a lot of the hmc footage shot outdoors and in good outdoor lighting, just about every camera looks good on the internet. I would love to see footage with a mix of close ups of faces, interviews and available light shooting where there is no time to set up lights. Any links to this kind of video?

Thanks!
 
its a bit slow on 24p modes
but ok at 30p and good at 60i and 60p
One thing you must not forget that this camera will be quite a step up from the hf100( love its the resolution) with full manual controls.

http://vimeo.com/user1111833.

and vimeo has some more wondefull examples.
 
In terms of content and editing -- your ad for that photography studio is among the best web video ads I've ever seen on a range of levels. It also seems perfectly appealing to what I'm assuming is the target market/audience -- so in terms of marketing it's also outstanding. The audio quality is first rate.

In terms of the appearance of the image/video -- could you hand it to a professional and pass it off as a broadcast quality video? No. Does it work for the web? Yes, perfectly.

Could you combine your skills with a better camera (the HMC150) to create pro videos? Yes. But, what you need to know, is that learning the HMC150 is a full scale commitment that will take weeks/months of genuine effort before you start to "wow" clients.

The difference between your Canon and the HMC150 is the difference between a really nice bicycle and a top of the line Volkswagen.

Yes, there's always some guy on this forum who will disagree and say he was ready to use his HMC in a few hours -- and when you look at his videos -- you'll be able to clearly see that his videos look like they were made by some guy who "mastered" his HMC in a few hours. Much of the better HMC footage you see comes from people who spent years on a DVX100/HVX200.

So -- the answer to your question is -- yes. But, you need to know that it's a full scale journey to get to the point I'm guessing you envision. In addition to learning the production end (the camera) you also need to master the post production end (software), and you may very well need all sorts of accessories spanning a fifteen dollar circular polarizer filter through to a five thousand dollar 35mm lens adapter.

If your heart is in it -- you'll love the journey. If your goal is a better bank balance -- I recommend looking into "AMWAY."
 
I am continually impressed with the video I see many of you making with the Panasonic...
 
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Hello AGMedia,

Thanks so much for your kind comments, I had no idea my little video was that effective, I am really surprised and very happy to receive your glowing review. And I appreciate all of your comments about the hf100/hmc150 questions I asked. I do understand and I think your advice is very wise.

As for Amway, no, not my cup of tea.

Best, Larry
 
Very nice. Well done. Say where did you get the music and what type of Sennheiser mic (eg lapel, shotgun, etc) did you use? Again, very nice... you have inspired me.
 
Hello DavDav,

Thanks so much for your reply and your generous comments. Truly, I am amazed to get such a strong positive response to my little video!

To answer your questions. The microphone I use is a sennheiser me66 / k6 shotgun mic. combo. This mic has continually captured amazing audio for me. I keep the sennheiser foam windscreen on it at all times. And I have this great bracket which keeps the camera, sitting on top of the xlr adapter, on the right side and the sennheiser over on the left. It's a great rig, and I shoot everything handheld, so the way everything sits on the bracket helps me get very steady shots. If you look at those interview shots on my video, they are all hand held. With a little camera like the hf100, this set up has been great.

Now the music... Originally, as a video enthusiast, I trained myself in Final Cut Pro but now when I do these little videos - and I do a ton of them for my website - I have discovered that iMovie '09 is so fast and efficient and allows me to do things so quickly that I use it extensively for my internet video. I still love Final Cut, but for my purposes, iMovie is quite incredible, truly. The music came straight out the many choices for music apple has included with the iMovie software. But for music, when I add it, I mostly use a program called Sonic Fire Pro which I love using to create royalty free music.

If you would like, visit my website and go to the "video" section. You can see a bunch of videos I have done in the manner I have been describing. (Most of them are testimonial videos) Also, you can see a pretty cool video media player that was designed for me for this website. The link to my site is:

http://www.meisnerteacher.com

Again, thank you so much for your comments. Inspire is a very strong word and I am very happy my little video touched you in this way. Also, I love this forum because I appreciate so much the great desire so many people have here to make a difference through their video and I love the striving I see here to be better at the craft.

Best,

Larry
 
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