HMC150 vs XHA1?

No one can truly say for sure. The HMC150 isn't out yet.
The obvious difference is that one records to SD cards and one records to tape.
 
XH-A1

- HDV tape media
- mpeg2 compression technology (HDV)
- no 720p modes, but does have 1080p/i modes
- you can shoot in HD, 16x9 DV, and 4x3 DV
- longer zoom (20x), but less wide angle on the lens
- iris ring on lens (a very nice feature might I add)
- less buttons hidden under the LCD
- less comfortable viewfinder eyecup as opposed to the DVX / HVX style eye cups
- smaller LCD (although the actual sharpness of an LCD is more important in my opinion)
- lots of in-camera tweaking via the custom presets menu (although since the DVX and HVX have similar options I would assume the HMC will have something similar as well)


HMC-150

- SD card media, one card slot, no tape drive
- AVC-HD (which is based on mpeg4) compression. this is supposed to be much more effecient than mpeg2, although harder to edit in the native format
- has both 720p and 1080p/i modes
- as far as I know, no SD or 4x3 modes
- wider lens with a shorter zoom (13x)
- exposure/iris dial similar to the DVX
- larger LCD screen, but more buttons hidden beneath it
- large DVX / HVX style eyecup (very nice)
- 720 60p mode (this is a big one in that it allows the shooter to capture at 60fps in-camera)
- choice of recording modes (6 mbps, 13 mbps, 17 mbps, 21 - 24 mbps) for different quality vs. record times per SD card
- the Panasonic cinema gammas that people seem to love
- no worries about tape heads getting dirty
- instant playback of clips from the SD card (not sure about this yet, but it makes sense that it would have this)
- depending on your editing system, you may have to transcode your AVC-HD footage to a more managable codec for editing, thus causing extra card to computer transfer time (Panasonic has a free transcoding program that you can download from their site)

These are just a few that jump out at me. One thing that I have really gotten used to on the A1 is the iris ring on the lens. This is something that I wish all the camera manufacturers put on their cameras priced at this level.

Since there is no footage then there is no way we can directly compare the HMC with anything yet. As for the potential quality of the HMC's footage, it is being touted to have the capability to be even better than Sony's EX-1 XD-CAM due to the ability to go up to 21-24 mbps. Personally, I am going to wait until some HMC-150 sample footage turns up before I commit to one. Hopefully it will be good and will force Canon to get crackin' on an AVC-HD XH-A2.
 
seunosewa said:
Does the HMC150 have true HD sensors this time?
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As far as I know it has newer sensors that are supposed to do better in low light. I think it may be the same sensors as the new HPX-170, but don't quote me on it. As for the actual sensor resolution, not sure yet, but hopefully it will be sharper than the original HVX sensors. I'm afraid the only way to fairly compare the HMC's image quality with the A1's image will be with test footage.

Also, I forgot to add in my above post that the HMC may have better quality audio than HDV due to AVC-HD supporting less compressed audio specs. The HMC also has a waveform monitor and an extra ND filter stage built in as well as a 3-year warranty.
 
Nektonic said:
I think it may be the same sensors as the new HPX-170, but don't quote me on it.
Click to expand...
You would be correct. And I just quoted you on it. :D
Nektonic said:
As for the actual sensor resolution, not sure yet, but hopefully it will be sharper than the original HVX sensors.
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I had heard that the HPX170/HMC150 chipset was sharper than the original 200; that it had true 720p sensors, but Barry Green said he noticed no apparent increase in sharpness, so I guess I was wrong. Who knows?
 
Obviously based on specs but what about low light comparisons. Since the 150 is a step up ISO from the HVX how would it compare to the A1.
 
hey barry, Is the canon a1 still sharper than the 150, and is the colors better on the 150 than the canon a1?
 
I haven't put them side by side. I would say that based on the image improvements in the 150/200A/170 vs. the old 200, the 150 should look substantially "better" than the XHA1. I never really bought the argument that the XHA1 was "sharper" than the HVX anyway, as my side-by-side photos showed them to be extremely comparable (but then again, that was comparing 24F mode on the Canon; I'm sure in 1080/60i the Canon would be sharper).
 
It's an interesting comparison because the XH-A1 is starting with a 1.5 megapixel sensor then compressing it to HDV standards with 4.2.0 color. On the other hand the HMC150 is starting with a much lower resolution sensor and pixel shifting to give what many people consider a better 720p image, but a little fuzzier 1080 image.

So the real question is more like, what's worse? A bigger image squeezed down too much, or a little image blown up too much.

The result may be a) it depends on the situation, or b) pretty much the same, or c) depends on your expectation because of what you've worked with in the past. :)

It will be interesting when we see some real life comparisons.
 
Remember that the higher res sensor of the canon is interlaced.

Were the lower res sensor of the HMC is progressive.
 
MovieSwede said:
Remember that the higher res sensor of the canon is interlaced.

Where the lower res sensor of the HMC is progressive.
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Absolutely true, but the XA-H1 adds pixel shifting of the green channel on top of a 1.67 (1.5 in 16:9) megapixel sensor to the 24f image, where as the HMC150 starts with a half a megapixl sensor, pixel shifts that to 1 megapixel for a 720p image then blows that up to a TrueHD image.

Many people find the 1080 HMC150 images a little soft, which Barry admits to in 60i. Throw a 35mm adaptor in front of the HMC150 and what do you get... (Don't know, haven't seen it yet.)

The HMC150 has many great things going for it like the extra wide lens, the CF card system, light weight etc. and 720p (but no SD.) I note B&H now says "in stock".

The XH-A1 has 20x telephoto, easier broadly supported editing, SD, 60i, 30f, 24f. Even taking into account that it's interlaced it's sensor has 50% higher resolution than the HMC150, and pixel shifts up from there. Different technology.

That's why I believe a large part of people's perception of the comparison will be a result of their experience and therefore expectations. Barry's opinion would differ from others who operate from a different perspective. :) I can't help thinking that the HMC150 may give comparable quality to HDV, but at lower data rates, with the penalty being more computer power needed to edit.

One thing I haven't heard anyone mention on the HMC150 is the ability to save presets. The A1 can be set up to emulate different film stocks, bleach bypass, more vivid colors, handle blacks and knee differently. Does the HMC150 do that?

If they would have put the Canon 5D MkII sensor, or even the XH-A1 sensor in the HMC150, IMHO, they would sell like hotcakes.

I'd like to see the 5D recorded through HDMI, compared side by side to an XH-A1 and HMC150, not in default mode, but each optimized by people that know what they are doing.
 
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Duke M. said:
One thing I haven't heard anyone mention on the HMC150 is the ability to save presets. The A1 can be set up to emulate different film stocks, bleach bypass, more vivid colors, handle blacks and knee differently. Does the HMC150 do that?
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Feel free to correct me, but an ad inside event DV had an insert for the HMC150. It has six scene files which can be used or altered as one sees fit. I would assume that these would act like the presets the XH-A1 has.
 
I wish someone made a combination of the DVX setting switch and the Canon setting switch.

a dial switch that you can import different settings to.
 
MovieSwede said:
I wish someone made a combination of the DVX setting switch and the Canon setting switch.

a dial switch that you can import different settings to.
Click to expand...

Well, the HMC has a dial like the DVX... and you can import various scene files from one camera to another via the SDHC card, so I'm assuming that's what you mean.
 
Personally, I don't like the gamma on the A1. Just feels contrasty.

The DVX and it's rich colors, with it's great gamma (that of like the HVX), is something much more preferred by a filmmaker like I.

Now, being that the HMC-150 is like the DVX's brother, just HD, I would highly go for the HMC over the A1.

For one, it's 1080p, it's on cards, and it would be similar to the DVX, which are excellent features in my books..

Buying and getting to know a camera is your job, and you really have t read up about it.

I read a lot about the DVX before I bought it. (Hell, I didn't even ask about the clunk :))

Robbie
 
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