HMC150 good for Africa?

L

lowep

Well-known member
I am trying to figure out if it is a good idea to upgrade my TM300 camcorder to a HMC150 for on-going work on small documentary projects in east africa where light can be quite challenging. The TM300 can produce suprisingly good results for a prosumer camcorder in good light but leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to handling low or harsh light. For example, when interviewing people with very dark skin the TM300 autofocus system has a lot of difficulty figuring out what to do and when filming in anything but the sweetest early morning and early evening light the contrast between the bright sky and deep shadows is often too much for the TM300 to handle.

I figure the 1/3-inch 16:9 progressive CCD of the HMC150 should be able to do a better job than the three 1/4.1" CMOS sensors of the TM300 encoding at 1080i when it comes to dealing with tough lighting but maybe this is just wishful thinking?

I am also unsure if the autofocus system of the HMC150 is better at figuring out what to do in tricky lighting than the TM300? A lot of people seem concerned about the speed of the HMC150 autofocus system but what I am concerned about is the accuracy and ability of the HMC150's AF system to find and track a meandering focus point. Like an eye?

I am sure there are plenty of more expensive cameras than the HMC150 that can do a better job when it comes to the points I mention. But I do not have a big budget, am used to the SD card workflow, and the stuff I produce is for the internet not broadcast so I figure a legacy AVCHD system like the HMC150 may be a good step up.

Or should I smash my piggy bank and invest in a different system like the Sony EX1?
 
Well I like the hmc150.
For an HD camera, it's good in low light.

For interviews it should do great. Concerning the dark skin/autofocus..
It does sometimes autofocus on the background instead of the subject so one must pay close attention. The LCD isn't very sharp so it's not real easy to tell focus but there are focus assist tools to help.

It's the right size and weight for a handheld camcorder and despite it's age, there are reasons why people are still buying and like it so much.

Shooting detailed landscapes at 1080 is a little mushy compared to the newer and sharper cameras.

Anyway it's a great camera. I wouldn't be afraid to take it to shoot there.
 
Not sure about those cameras but reading your post, it might be good to upgrade and in time to practice with it.

We've just returned from our second trip, a month in Africa. If you've never been there before, you need to research, medical considerations, visa requirements, luggage weights and credit cards. We were advised to take anti Malaria tablets regardless and some countries need Yellow Fever accreditation.

This time we travelled in South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique and had 9 flights with 18 customs checks, all flights originate from Johannesberg and they're all classed as international flights. I watched others getting frustrated with the delays, but there's nothing you can do about it, you're on Africa time. We had no trouble with checked in luggage, but I'd carry the camera on board in a Pelican case or similar. Power is 220volts but you need an African adaptor, available at Joberg airport.

If you travel there in Winter, the light goes early and lotsa dust in the setting sun, can give a bright red/orange look, careful with your white balances. Dust can be a big problem, we carry large white plastic bags to quickly throw over the gear if the wind gets up. This time I was surprised how many places had WiFi available, good for cloud backs ups but don't count on it. Try and get to see the Big 5 animals, they call it the African Experience. Hope this helps.

Cheers.
 
Thanks for the encouragement and good advice. Looks like the true answer is "you get what you pay for" so I need to think more about this. What I am sure about is I don't need a hummer but maybe something more than a suzuki samurai could be useful. How to strike the right balance between up grade and over kill???
 
Another good thing to do if you're travelling around in Africa, take a good supply of pencils for the little kids.

In your travels you'll come across schools and many have a short ceremony where you present them to selected kids who accept them for the school.
You sign the school thank you roll and can take pix.

We got that advice and I managed to buy coloured pencils in packs of 50 at our local supermarket before we left. We took 300 and cut about 100 in half
for the littlies. Also took some pencil sharpeners. Don't take biros, there's no refills there.

Be prepared, the grateful looks on those little kids faces can make you very emotional. In one school we visited, they have one book between 3 kids
and some of them walk 30kms a day barefoot, just to get there and back home.
Makes you realise how fortunate you are.

Cheers.
 
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An HMC in Africa... I'd consider upgrading to the best image you can afford, and definitely something with dual cards. When I shot with the 150, I always thought "this is a lot of eggs in a very tiny basket" in regards to data and cards. A dual card camera does ease my mind a bit, and going into very dusty or difficult conditions, I'd want some sort of safety strategy. (I never lost data on the 150, but my film-school son used it a few times and lost a lot of footage to a bad card).

My minimal kit for the 150 (actually I'd suggest getting an AC-130, better in so many ways) for a travel/documentary gig:

Some sort of shoulder mount kit that gets the EVF right up to your eye;
As good a tripod as you can travel with;
A backup strategy for footage (laptop?);
A 2nd backup strategy (a small USB drive that travels in a separate bag from high-value gear, should your laptop get stolen);
No laptop? I'd get a pile of cards and lock each when full;
A carry-on legal case for the camera;
A good polarizer;
Plenty of batteries (I've had no problems with cheaper batteries from Amazon);
A decent off-camera mic or wireless if you're doing interviews - with wind protection;
Maybe some sort of popup reflector.

Learn to focus manually - focus-in-red helps on the 130. Neither camera has stellar AF.
 
Everything Michael said, except....

For a not to expensive cam (I assume you are buying used) you might also consider an HPX170. It is very similar to the HMC150 overall, but has more pro features including the very bullet proof P2 storage cards. It also uses a superior codec and has some other desired features. P2 is still a bit expensive, but the HPX has the ability to download directly to a hdd for storage; no laptop needed. You can buy milspec drives for greater security, they are slightly more expensive, but give peace of mind. HPX170s can be had used with a few P2 cards for $2000. There are of course more modern cams, but both the HMC and HPX are very proven in tough duty.

Grant

And for sure, think manual focus.
 
Thanks "HPX170s can be had used with a few bulletproof P2 cards for $2000" sounds good so I will look into this and also in what way the codec is superior to the HMC150? For sure in an idea world manual focus is the way to go meanwhile I find AF is important for example when trying to do an interview and run the camera at the same time. Have also found AF useful for tracking fast moving animals that pop up beside the road when I am driving then race away. My TM300 records to either the built in HD or CF cards that I back up to my old macbook and second back up to an external HD without losing anything but as you point out bad surprises happen so this could change from one moment to the next. Lost my whole laptop HD two years ago that I partly blame to bumpy roads and dust but also on myself for tieing the knot of my shoestroing budget too tight and have since replaced the laptop HD with a solid state HD that works much better. Fortunately I had a back up of everything on a portable HD.
 
Rule of thumb, the better the cam, the worse the AF will be. It isn't a feature that pro cams feature. You can help any auto focus by shooting at a higher frame rate such as 60/fps since it provides more samples. If you really want AF, you might be better off with a good quality pocket cam. Don't know for sure, but I suspect Canon has the best AF in general. But any small sensor cam will struggle in lower light.

Another thing to do is shoot for maximum depth of field.

Grant
 
ggrantly said:
Rule of thumb, the better the cam, the worse the AF will be... If you really want AF, you might be better off with a good quality pocket cam. Grant
Click to expand...

thanks Grant this very useful tip saves me from one headache...gives me a different one to consider. I guess it is logical for bigger chips to be harder for bells and whistles like AF and image stabilizers to handle but hadn't thought about this before.
 
I would second everything that Michael says. I shot a video in East Africa this summer and had great results with my AC160 (I also took along my HMC150 as backup, 2nd camera)

I used knock off batteries as well, but sometimes had problems with them when they started to run down. I would always make sure I saved my Panny battery for last, just in case my knockoffs gave me issues.

I double recorded onto cards, cheap insurance considering the price of cards.

Here's a link to the video:
https://vimeo.com/76431590
 
jchristie said:
I shot a video in East Africa this summer and had great results with my AC160 (I also took along my HMC150 as backup, 2nd camera)

Here's a link to the video:
https://vimeo.com/76431590
Click to expand...

Thanks John for posting the link. It is good to see this. What were the key differences that decided you on using the AC160 as your main camera and the HMC150 as back up instead of the other way around?
 
Having used both the 160 and 150... the 160 would be my primary as well.

There are a few great features the 160 has over the 150 for primary use: sharper image, hd-sdi out, dual card slots, better AF, better LCD screen.

Although the 160 is a beast in size compared to the lightweight 150.
 
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