I have a Panasonic HMC-40 for weddings. Need a secondary camera. Suggestions?

B

bradywurtz

Active member
I shoot weddings with my Panasonic HMC-40 and I normally rent a JVC GY-HM100U from a friend of mine that I use to just set up as a wide camera that's unmanned during the ceremony for my safety shot.

He may be leaving the area and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a secondary camera to replace that?

I was thinking of just buying a used JVC GY-HM100U but they're a little pricey. Does anyone know of any good cheaper cameras that would be able to get great quality video for a little cheaper than $1,500?
 
Hi Brady,

Since you're already a Panasonic user and your camera is likely a couple of years old, perhaps up the budget just a little and get a new main camera and use HMC-40 as the backup? The Panasonic AG-AC90 is around $1700 and is a whole lot more camera than the HMC-40. Built-in XLR, has backlit sensor and clean gain that should provide better low-light, has 3 rings on lens (iris, focus, zoom), etc. And it looks a lot sexier. Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't spend $1500 on a secondary cam when that is all my main camera cost in the first place, would be looking to upgrade main unit to something newer/better if spending money.

I did just see a used HMC-40 kit online used for $950, so something like that would also be an option if you like the camera.

Regards,

Jeff
 
I would look at an ag ac8 which new is $1200 if you don't need XLR. It's got a wider lens and longer zoom and should do better in low light which I find is the worst thing about the hmc40.

The ac90 would be another good option as mentioned, yet more expensive.

Those are my recommendations but if you are happy with the hmc40, you could get another which would match exactly.
 
Wow, Thanks guys! I didn't know that Panasonic come out with any new options recently!

I really do like the AC90. The AC8 seems great, but it might not work with my setup (i use a glidecam during the weddings). I guess I just need to look at the AC90 a little more and see if it really is THAT much better than the HMC-40. I saw the demo video B&H had of it, and they said it does great in low light, but the demo footage looked pretty grainy. Plus they said the same thing about the HMC-40 before it came out, and the HMC-40 does terrible in low light.

The footage from the demo looks pretty similar to what my camera is doing, but there is just a slight boost in almost every single thing with the camera (better aperture, more physical controls on camera, better audio setup, better Mbps, etc), and it's SO MUCH CHEAPER than what i paid for my HMC-40. I feel like i spent like $2,200 on that almost. And this one seems so much better at only $1,700.

This really has changed my thought process on getting a new camera. I'll have to really dig deep into these cameras. Thanks for the suggestions!!
 
I have shot and edited with the AC90 and even though it still has tiny sensors, they are backlit and it does some in-camera clean gain that manages to bring the picture up pretty well in low light, wheras the HMC40 seems to just gain up to a horrible mess in low light. In bad light, the AC90 is close to the more sensitive HMC150 that we use...once all the in-camera processing is done, anyway.

Another plus of the AC90 and AC8 is the fact that they shoot 1080 60P which is good for slow motion instead of being forced to shoot 720 60P or 1080 30P with the HMC40 (or - akkkk, 1080 60i).
The AC8 while being large, is deceptively light weight but looks much more expensive and heavy than it is.
 
what do you plan to shoot? The Canon EOS70D gets high marks in the video department, have a look
 
I mostly plan on shooting weddings. I still do some corporate jobs every once in a while. small in house productions usually. But for the weddings, I really prefer to not shoot on DSLR. I need to record for a long period of time. I also need auto focus because I typically shoot with a glidecam, and I don't have time to pull focus while doing it. I also need good audio, and I don't really want to invest in a whole audio setup for the DSLR. I do like the low light and depth of field with the DSLR, but I do need auto focus for most of the time. so because of the ergonomics of the device, I'd much rather stick with a traditional camcorder setup
 
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