need advice concerning my possible hmc150 purchase, alternatives?......please help

blake2404

blake2404

Well-known member
First off guys ill eliminate a few......xf100,xa10, jvc hm100u, etc

the fist two for body size/wieght, the jvc for lack of low light capabilities.

the budget is 4000-4500 after suffiecient memory, extra batt, taxes and shipping.

currently the hmc150 would come in at about $3650

the hpx170 is interesting but after batt/memory comes in about $5300

looked into the jvc ax2000 $4200 and the nv5u $4750

tell me what you think.....im concerned that the hmc150 seems to be ideal at 720p......is this still my best bet under $5000 (after all costs/taxes)?

needs: 24p (native), 60i, decent size body, manual control, tapeless, 3 lux or better. (and preferably 3 chip)

uses: weddings, music videos, complimenting 7d, short/feature films, events, etc.

thoughts?
 
Sounds like the HMC150 would be right up your alley. We do similar work (promotions/concerts/commercials/weddings) and I use two HMC150s. There are only two drawbacks, to me. First, shallow depth of field is difficult to achieve without an adapter. Not impossible, but certainly nowhere near the HDSLRs. Second, no variable framerate. So no stop motion. I do, however, love overcranking my footage. Shooting 60fps, dropped it to 24fps and getting gorgeous slow motion.

The price just can't be beat. Since there's no tape deck, there is alot less to be concerned about when considered a used unit. Very few moving parts.

And yes, it has all the manual controls you are looking for!
 
Barry is the authority for sure, but I remember reading a thread a while back about 1080p 24fps, being superior to 720p 24fps... Colors being more accurate, so forth. MINOR differences, but still noticeable. Barry posted screenshots showing differences in shadows/colors, and 1080p yielded a slightly better result, which was a bit surprising at first. Being that the bitrate is the same, but the frame is larger, one would think that 720p would yield a better, less-compressed image. Apparently its not a big difference.

Personally I shoot everything 1080p 24fps UNLESS I'm going to do slow-mo in which I shoot 720p 60fps.

The AVC codec is very efficient.
 
I was in your exact position a year ago and I bought a used HMC-150 and couldn't be happier. I saved enough monies buying used that I was able to get a wireless audio system and an on camera monitor and stay within my budget. Now I'm saving up for a Mixpre and a Ninja, to round out the kit.
 
cool, i feel more at ease now.......in your opinion what would be the next logical step up from the 150. Would it be the hpx170, cause ive heard the diff isnt that noticable
 
probably cant wait, unfortunately, ill look into that though. There are two interesting camera's that come in around $7000 after taxes, shipping, extra batt, memory.

Sony fs100
xf300

Thoughts on them?

the ex1 would be at around $8200
 
oh and just to throw this out there.......if i get a 2,000,000 insurance for my company how much can i expect to pay annually?
 
Hi guys........very comfy with this hmc150 now thanks........in case my budget increases, heres a list of my current preffered camera list order of price......keep in mind prices include, extra batt, media, taxes, shipping. (fs100 includes quality budget lenses)

hmc150 - $3700

nx5u - $4750??

hpx170 - $5300

fs100 - $7000

xf300 - $7300

ex1 - $8200


change anything?
 
For the money and the cost of media, I would get the HMC150 over the HPX and NX5U. The HMC is a better deal IMO than the Sony and the HPX's media costs quite a bit more.
That leaves the more expensive FS100, XF300 and the EX1
The FS100 is a whole different camera style than ALL the others in your list, so unless you want to be changing lenses and NDs a lot (meaning unless you REALLY love the image and the cine style) I'd pass on it.
Personally I'd get the XF300 over the EX1, just because of it's great codec, ergonomics and the images I've seen from our members have been stellar.
So:
Lower budget- HMC150
Higher budget- XF300.....unless you're dazzled by the extremely sensitive imager of the FS100.
....and like Barry said IF you do end up waiting...look at the AC130 - It looks like it's going to be a BIG winner to me.
 
the ac130 just looks like an updated 150 with the same codec, why would this camera be sooooo much better than the 150?
 
blake2404 said:
the ac130 just looks like an updated 150 with the same codec, why would this camera be sooooo much better than the 150?
Click to expand...

1. It has the chips from the HPX370...(much sharper resolution and great sensitivity as well)
2. It has a 21x zoom lens vs the 13x of the HMC150
3. The LCD and VF are MUCH better than the HMC150
4. It has DV recording...so it's like having an updated widescreen DVX100B inside that records to cards (pretty cool in my book)
5. Other minor updates to the body style are nice as well.

I also don't think it will be soooo much better than the HMC150....but it takes the weak points of the HMC (often mentioned.....LCD, lower rez) and gets rid of them for not that much more money (street price)
 
uhhhhh, ok i didnt know all that, ha, ha.....thanks, yes, might be the best 4000 dollar camera when its released, sounds great anyway.
 
hmmmm thats a good point, i love hand held work.......i think in the end i will opt for the hmc150 or maybe wait on the ac130, if my budget goes way up, then the xf300, the ex1/3 is just so damn sexy!!!....lol
 
blake2404 said:
hmmmm thats a good point, i love hand held work.......i think in the end i will opt for the hmc150 or maybe wait on the ac130, if my budget goes way up, then the xf300, the ex1/3 is just so damn sexy!!!....lol
Click to expand...

Everytime you start thinking the EX1 is sexy, just remember it is mpeg2 ;-)
 
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