HPX250: Hpx250 vs hmc150?

F

firehawk

Veteran
I need one more camera. Using hmc150s and hck10 (hmc40). I think the hmc150 does a good job, especially for the price.
A lot of our work is weddings, which means dark ceremonies and even datker receptions often with only DJ lighting. So I frequently find myself struggling for light. Using on-camera lighting when we can, sometimes 24p with slow shutters to gain a little more.
Using gain some and using a sapphire "hue sat bright" plugin to help even more.

So my questions, if anyone doesn't mind are:

How much better is the hpx250 in those conditions?
Is it really much better in low and crazy light?
Can the codec be pushed that much more in post to make a worthwhile difference?

I know the 250 will he sharper and handles highlights differently. During long recordings how well would the avc50 match up with avchd footage, or must I have enough cards to use intra 100?

I don't really want to add a lot of work trying to match cameras in post. But if the 250 gets a lot better footage than it might be worth it. The longer zoom would also be useful and the 4:2:2 for keying,

Having said all that. Might gut feeling is to get by with another 150 because I think with the new backlit sensors, super gain and superior ois showing up, there may soon be a camera better than the 250 once panasonic brings the ac90 enhancements to their slightly more pro line of cameras.

Any thoughts?
 
I shoot the 150 and 250 in mostly low light (music event) environments. They both have similar sensitivity when the 250 is in PAP2 default mode. I can see a difference in that the 250 is sharper, and they blend well in terms of color balance.

As an example : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KZbFy29mKs
This is a location with terrible stage lighting. The HMC150 is on a tripod located in a balcony. There is also a HMC40 on a tripod to the left of the stage. The rest of the shots are the HPX250 and a Sony Z5 as run and gun in front of the stage. The Sony was the softest and hardest to color grade. So if you compare the best clean shots angled up, it is the 250, and the 150 is shots pointed down from the balcony.
 
Thank you, Terry. On the panasonics, are you using the same scene files or did you have to spend some time beforehand testing and tweaking to get them to match that well? Looks like the less sensitive 40 was doing alright, too.
 
The 250 is a great camera and super sharp. I do some weddings (not as many now) and it works well, however it is heavy after awhile. I now shoot mostly in 720 at AVC 100 so I can get much longer record times. Here is a mini promo I put together quickly as they wanted something so show

You must excuse the soft focus at times as I am currently having an issue with the lens moving the focus when I zoom in and out haven't had time to send it in yet.
This was all shot in 1080 AVC 100 at 24p in PAP1. I had no gain and allot of headroom.

If I were needing another camera I would best stick with what I know best if the price is right. I wont by old tech anymore if I can avoid it, saying that I would not buy another 250 for weddings. I would get a AC90 because of its steady cam like features and size. As far as light goes, it is what it is. You need light to make a clean shoot, but its not always there or where you want it to be.

If you go 250 you will need most likely 2 64GB P2 cards on ebay around $600 per card so add up all your costs. The 250 is a great camera and in my option best when its on a tripod. Only you know what most of your work will be, keep it simple unless you need the high quality and longer zoom.
 
Firehawk,

Embarrassed to say this, but I shoot all the cameras in the factory default scene file 1. This is because I know they work for me, and switching would require a lot of testing with all the cameras. I do use Avid color grading, but that means adjusting the waveform monitor for proper black and white clipping levels. I found I don't need to change the relative "color" for the Panny cameras in Avid, which is good so that I have the time to work matching the Sony Z5 color which is generally way off.

Another important detail is that I set a custom color balance on each camera prior to the shoot. During the setup, I ask the lighting/sound guy to turn on what ever passes for white light on the stage, and then I balance each camera to a grey card on the center stage floor. The Panny's seem consistent, unlike the Sony.
 
Speaking of Scene file settings...
rzr219, what Scene file setting do you use most often and for the footage you just posted? I was using Barry's downloaded Scene file "Portrait" for the past two shoots and it seems
like this Scene file setting may be why I'm feeling the camera is not as sharp as could be. I am going to go back and try a slightly modified Scene 1 file setting and see if this makes a difference.
 
I am currently using STYLN. I have tried other settings and some of my own, and so far I like the color saturation I get. Its not over the top, but it makes it pop. I also run around F4 with an external monitor set to peaking so I can easily tell when focus is dead on. Or I turn the lcd to b&w and use focus in red, helps greatly along with the wave form. I know the color will be good, but hard to tell sharpness when color is on. I might start using the DSLR setting to match my 5DIII only if I shoot both as I don't like editing color in post if I don't have to (rather be shooting).
 
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