Help: Canon 7D or panny hmc40

M

Mkvackay

Active member
Ive gotten many reasons why i should go with the hmc40 (or equivalent) but now i want to hear from the DSLR side why i should go with the dslr route. i am mainly going to be shooting skiing, snowboarding and shorts/docs. I am not looking for the 5d mkii for budget reasons. but ive been getting convinced by a fellow graduate who went from a dvx to a t2i and he says the dslr route is becoming industry standard. i am looking to make a decision in the next month so please help me out.

thank you very much
 
I have a Panasonic HPX 500 and a 7D so I think I may be able to shed some light on this. If you are shooting mostly action stuff you will be far happier with the Panasonic. The 7D is beautiful but does not do so well with rapid pans and tilts.
 
while phudsontx is absolutely correct regarding the 7d...i have been able to tame it to do action by managing it well...with a counterwieghted DIY shouldermount. so it can be done...just have to know how to do it within its capabilites. that said...any dedicated CCD video cam will do better and be easier.

But the lenses man...the lenses!! hdslr's....yum. I'll always have my dvx....but i dont think i will be going back to another fixed lens camera. I hope i can afford the AF100.

edit: check out vinnyminton...he's a member here...he does AMAZING rollerblade videos with alots of movement and action.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=201663&highlight=vinny

he's using a glidecam and a wide angle lens there and he's skating also. but in a recent post i;ve seen him with a new shouldermount rig.

i cant see ur snowboard vids being more taxing (in regards to camera movement) than that. And if you are doing snowboarding i would highly suggest you get the 7d and not the t2i for its weather sealing.
 
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Here's my opinion. In broad daylight which I assume most skiing is done the Hmc40 wil show a cleaner higher resolution image.
Now if you are face with a night time shot or early morning/ evening it is no question that the Hmc40 will perform HORRIBLY compared to a Canon 7d, I mean it's not even close.
If you plan on doing documentary work the Hmc40 does not have good audio options, neither does the 7D so they would both need some kind of audio adapter to work. The only advantage I can think here is that the HMC40 as being a standard video camera has no Record Time limits as opposed to the 7D 4gb/12 min HD file size limit.


D.O.F. Hands down the 7d and in my opinion the image that is produced by these DSLRS are more film like than most video cameras.
Having the option to change lenses on your camera is something amazing as well, just like another poster stated I could NEVER go back to a fixed lens camera.
Overall I would never purchase an Hmc40 because it is a small chip camera that requires a lot of light to give you a nice image. If you are going to buy a DSLR you should be looking into the Panasonic Gh1, T2i, 5d or 7d.

With the new Hack the Gh1 has become an even better camera, but still these Canons are better in Low Light. If you plan on shooting in extreme condition as you said though I would buy the Canon 7D as it is a professional camera that has a weather sealed body just for that.
 
i think for what you need it for you should go with the pani. if you shot narrative, then yeah the 7d. other wise you going to need some really wide lenses to shoot skiing.
 
Fr action like you are shooting I would recommend hmc40. The HDSLR can be more stunning but you need time to set up your shots and focus. I know there are exceptions and ways to work around that but if you don't need the DOF and can get by with the zoom on the hmc40 I would say go for it. For narrative and interviews ...HDSLR hands down.

IMHO!
 
boulder said:
but if you don't need the DOF and can get by with the zoom on the hmc40 I would say go for it. For narrative and interviews ...HDSLR hands down.

IMHO!
Click to expand...

But when you say "don't need the DOF" what you really mean is the lack of DOF. I see that term used and confused more and more often here.

What we should say is shallow focus or deep focus. IMO
 
Personally, I'd go with the HMC40 first, then add either a GH1 or T2i at some point later.

Right now, there is NO single-camera solution for your needs, in my opinion.
 
Both would be the best option, lol.

I know you probably don't want to hear that, but for action sports its true. My buddy owns an action sports video co., and he uses an HVX and 7D both. Neither handles all his needs completely. The 7D provides the artsy content, and the HVX provides jello-less footage.
 
Yeah, I've really fallen in love with the little HMC40 (as a partner to the 7D/GH1) for a couple of reasons. First, it's designed for video, with features that make it easy to KNOW you're getting the shot (real focus assist, waveforms, etc.). Second, with the XLR adapter it's a great-quality audio recorder as well for interviews (and as an interview b-camera).

They complement each other perfectly.
 
thank you for all the feedback. i also plan on getting a glidecam for moving shots, altho i do not want to striaght up follow skiers. more of a half follow (start left and move slowly right, up/down) i was also looking up some eazy handle for the 7d and they have some nice skate videos. Just throwing those out there. thanks again
 
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