HMC40 Announced

David Saraceno

David Saraceno

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Over at NAB News.

Barry is blogging live: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=168707

HMC40: compact handheld camcorder. This is the mini-HVX-looking cam. Priced at MSRP $3195, with 2.2megapixel 3MOS imagers, 12x optical zoom, and it does 1080 @ 24p/30p/60i, and 720p at 24p/30p/60p. Has 10.6 megapixel still image capture, DRS, cine-like gamma, HDMI, USB 2.0, composite and component output, and two XLR audio inputs.

"It's the hybrid camera professionals have been longing for. It also offers high-end functions including Dynamic Range Stretch and a cine-like gamma mode for independent movie and music video producers."
 
David S. said:
Over at NAB News.

Barry is blogging live: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=168707

HMC40: compact handheld camcorder. This is the mini-HVX-looking cam. Priced at MSRP $3195, with 2.2megapixel 3MOS imagers, 12x optical zoom, and it does 1080 @ 24p/30p/60i, and 720p at 24p/30p/60p. Has 10.6 megapixel still image capture, DRS, cine-like gamma, HDMI, USB 2.0, composite and component output, and two XLR audio inputs.

"It's the hybrid camera professionals have been longing for. It also offers high-end functions including Dynamic Range Stretch and a cine-like gamma mode for independent movie and music video producers."
Click to expand...

Well I called the 3MOS, but the rest is kind of a suprise. I figured it would be more paired down than that.

So we're lookin' at a street price of maybe $2,400+ ??
 
Interesting... if the MSRP is $3,200, then the street price will really be in the $2,300-$2,500 range. Very interesting indeed. It sounds like the XLR inputs are similar to the Canon GL2's... incorporated in an add-on module. And If you read down a bit, Barry makes mention of the AG-HCK10 having "1/4" full-HD 3-MOS imagers (assuming the same chips as in the HMC40)."

It looks like it might be a good cam, but if the XLR's are extra, and it only has 1/4" chips, I would almost think it would make more sense to just fork out the extra $700 (minus whatever the XLR module would cost) and just get the 150.

My speculative $.02
 
The XLRs are the same way they were on the DVC30 -- a separate module. But it's not like a Beachtek that plugs into the mic input, it has its own socket to plug into, so they should have the potential of being better quality.

I don't know, I was looking at the HMC40 and I think it's gonna be a hot little number. It's got more going for it than the DVC30 did, because it's 24p and 30p and 60p and 60i, it's 1080 and 720, and it has niceties like the waveform monitor. It's gonna be MOS so it'll probably have the same issues; I should ask them if they're going to incorporate flash band compensation in it. That solves the #1 complaint about MOS imagers... It seems a lot closer to the 150 than the DVC30 ever was to the DVX. Then again, the price is closer too.

Supposed to ship sometime around August.
 
No pics. I was typing... all the press releases that get posted should have pics with 'em. But seriously, it looks like a little miniature HVX. This one was midnight black.
 
what about time lapse? such a small package would be perfect for backpacking and caputuring beautiful timelapse videos..
 
All I know about it is what buttons I saw on it. If time lapse is possible, it didn't show. This was a super-early prototype and the menus don't work at all, so ... I will try to remember to ask tomorrow when I can pin down the engineers or the product manager.
 
Hopefully it has scan-reverse, so using it with a 35mm adapter would be a great use... Many people will buy it for that. I would.

Paul Vicente
 
I don't know that I would want to buy it, as the 1/4" full 1080 chips initially make me question the low light abilities (thems' some dinky little pixels). BUT... this is coming from the standpoint of someone who's about to get back into the wedding/event market, so I can only speak to my own situation and needs. I think Barry is right... they're going to sell a crap load of these things to folks where lowlight isn't an issue, as I could see this hooked up to a 35mm adapter with good glass and a good lighting setup producing ridiculously good images. Especially if the picture quality of these chips is anywhere near that of the HPX300's.
 
Someone needs to throw some dry ice onto the lens barrel of the HMC40 and see if the focus ring gums up when it's cold..
 
I'm guessing an eventual reseller tag of $2499, based of the difference between the HMC150's suggested price and retail price ($700).
 
It's basically a more pro version of the Panasonic tm300, but with no onboard storage, that's pretty cool, down the road one of these may make a sensible addition for me.
 
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