AC90: How are all you AC90's holding up since you purchased.

M

MarcM

Active member
I'm wondering how everybody's AC90's are doing since its release. Some of you have had them for what, about a year now? I just got mine and would like to know how much abuse they can take or on the other side of that, how much babying they require. My questioning of the toughness of the AC90 comes from my DVX100A and how the lens mechanics broke, requiring service plus the auto iris function broke so when in manual mode I went to use the manual iris thumb wheel the auto iris would click in and close the iris completely. So I would open it up and [click] it closed again. Eventually it worked but it was a time consuming drag. Also the +48 mic phantom power broke too which made so I couldn't use my wired lav mics with it. Basically while taking very good care of the DVX it still broke quite a bit.

So, how are your AC90's doing. I feel pretty good about this unit but am still wary of quality of Panasonic. Also, after receiving my 1st AC90 a couple weeks ago it came broken direct from B&H. I sent it back and just received a replacement but that doesn't help with my quality control concerns about Panasonic. Everybody still happy with theirs?
 
I still like mine and I've had it since this Spring. The LCD is probably the weakest point but not nearly as fragile as it was made out to be by some. Treat it with respect and it will be fine.
 
Mine is holding up well.
even though the main body is not metal it does seem resilent to minor knocks and bumps.
So far I luv it.

Al
 
it is still not my trusty friend like my canon XH-A1 was. i don't like the white balance, that button/menu is awkward and the autoWB setting doesnt satisfy me.
the zoom ring doesn't have the feel i want it to have. you can only change audio settings when not recording.

i could get used to that.

*but* the impossibility of checking the LCD and viewfinder at the same time is driving me nuts!!!!
i feel like a complete dork when i fiddle flipping in the LCD screen if there is a little too much sun or i want to double check focus, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to do without severely shaking the camera!!

i recently bought a panasonic G6 and i am pretty sure the people who developed it work at the other end of the office from the AG90 crew. the G6 has so many options, and a sensor to switch off LCD when viewfinder is used. perfect white balance. all this and much much more for half the money. (ok, no xlr and sound output)

please panasonic, at least give an option (firmware update) to leave LCD and viewfinder both on at all times, or i may sell this cam one day.

david
 
A tad over 60 hours on mine. With the exception of a bad SD card it has recorded flawlessly. Have used it in direct sun light, in 105F heat, high humidity (South Texas) and indoors. No issues on the part of the camera.

The microphone holder gets in the way and I took mine off since the cold shoe works just as well.

The menu can be tiring some times but overall I love this camera and after some practise you will have to go a long way to beat it.
 
had mine for not quite 5 months, but it is a great camera for me. It even survived a fall from the tripod (LCD screen was safely tucked away at the time.

I am not a videographer, and it's been a bit of a learning curve for me, but I feel like I am starting to get the hang of it and am finally getting the quality of footage I have been wanting to get.
 
I dumped mine. I guess because I already had the 130 and the picture looked better under lose light. Not soft. Better DOF.
 
I dropped my ac90

I dropped my ac90

I DROPPED MY AC90!! My tripod legs were fully extended and I was trying to mount my AC90 - it slipped out of my hands, fell to the ground (about a 6 foot drop) then BOUNCED about 3 feet and hit the wall. I was expecting the worst. However, I picked it up and there wasn't a scratch, ding or crack on it. Ive used it on 5 jobs since then - no problems functionally or cosmetically. Its incredible because you had to have seen that thing bounce!

If this thing was made of metal or magnesium it would have surely dented or even cracked. I have come to appreciate a plastic shell on my camera since this indecent.

As far as image quality and all that, I have discovered the camera's strenghts and weaknesses. In short, with good lighting the camera takes amazing video. In bad lighting, the images are still pretty decent because there is almost no visible noise however high gain/ISO shots do look a bit soft.
 
I have mixed feelings. I've done about a dozen weddings with mine. Biggest plus is battery life and the fact that I could use my existing DVX batteries. Camera is quirky though. It feels like Panasonic stripped some features that wouldn't have cost them to include. Namely the ability to use both the view screen and viewfinder at the same time. Weak built-in ND filter. And for me a biggie; I can't switch audio inputs while recording. I know others think this is fine, but not for me as an event videographer. I personally have no use for the 5.1 mic and would prefer better onboard stereo controls including auto gain. Low light is ok if you tweak the settings, but primarily because the gain is so clean. 1/4" chips still suck even if they are back lit. It's front heavy. I think for the price it's not a bad camera, but I miss the days of the DVX100/PD150 where you could have a professional tool that handled almost all conditions with aplomb for less than $3k.
 
It's front heavy

I got one of these extra long Manfrotto sliding plates for mine:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000OPRVQ2/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Stupidly high price but but does a good job.

Another modification is I've added two step-up rings to the front. The 1st is a 49mm to 52mm and the 2nd is a 52mm to 58mm. I can then put a 58mm filter on without having to remove the hood (which can be detached if you take off a small screw underneath). You can't go straight from 46mm to 58mm etc in one step because the hood design doesn't have the space to do that ... if you see what I mean. A 72mm and a 77mm polaliser filter will also fit within the hood but a 77mm variable neutral density filter will not as its diameter is too wide (Lightcraft Workshop version).

I'm happy with my AC90 overall.

Pete
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top