Newby question investigating hmc150

B

Bill10

Member
Actually I have more than one question.

I have only owned an older consumer camcorder. I will probably buy a hmc150 soon or at least this year but I am a cautious person and like to research awhile before I make final decisions for big ticket items.

First question.

I notice the HMC150 right now comes with Eduis Neo for editing which I have determined is what I want for editing so that is good. I though i read on this site that someone even got the "The HMC Book" free when they ordered the HMC150.

Does Panasonic have sales at certain times of year and/or with incentives (i:e: like free Neo) to by a camcorder?
Do the prices on HMC150 drop every so many years?

Trying to determine to if there is certain times of year better to buy when they come out with new models or they just automatically drop prices. I suspect it is not that easy to determine when a price will drop.

I already read threads to stay away from imports (hmc155) do to lack of USA warranty. Thanks for that tip.

Second question.

When ordering online how do you tell that a company is an official Panasonic dealer?
I read somewhere on this site that if official dealer they shouldn't mail you a hmc155 when you ordered a hmc150.


Third question.

I see Barry Green "THE HMC BOOK" is a good book to read if you buy a hmc40 or hmc150. Does it talk about general terminology for newbies such as what is wave length, types of noise, how to get a dark shot more brighter with certain settings,etc. Basically looking for a "bible" of film making terms and camcorder terms to learn the lingo and how to make good home movies and filming kids plays, family interviews,etc.
 
Order from one of the site sponsors and you will get official Panasonic Dealer. Spec-Com comes to mind.
 
Buying a camera is like buying a new mobilephone, you will never buy the most modern and latest because the technology is moving forward very fast.
Just buy the camera and enjoy using it- the HMC15x is a good camera for the money.

When it comes to general tips around basic camera settings, this forum should provide all the info that you need. But if you need the info or a reminder ASAP, you could look at this homepage; http://www.mediacollege.com/video/camera/
 
matt s. said:
Order from one of the site sponsors and you will get official Panasonic Dealer. Spec-Com comes to mind.
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Hmm. I looked for a forum that would list all the site sponsors and don't see one. I have been on other sites that do that to help buy from the sponsors to help support the web site.
 
Admir said:
Buying a camera is like buying a new mobilephone, you will never buy the most modern and latest because the technology is moving forward very fast.
Just buy the camera and enjoy using it- the HMC15x is a good camera for the money.

When it comes to general tips around basic camera settings, this forum should provide all the info that you need. But if you need the info or a reminder ASAP, you could look at this homepage; http://www.mediacollege.com/video/camera/
Click to expand...


Wow that link is great. Just what I needed. Looks like exactly what i was looking for. Thanks.
 
Don't worry too much about waiting for a price drop. First off, Panasonic seems to announce new cameras several months or so before releasing them. Since we don't have a press release in our hands, there's not a huge chance of seeing replacement cameras this year.

Secondly, even if there was a new camera coming in a few months, this is the type of industry where, if you're good, you can pay off your camera in a few weeks to a month. A couple members here I know paid theirs off in a week of work they got from it.

I don't have anywhere near that much work, I'm more of a hobbyist dying to invest more into it when I get more time (ha!), maybe you're in the same boat as me. In that case, sure, maybe a few hundred bucks is nice to save, but if you look at the big picture, it's not that big of a deal, and if you have a project coming up that you need the camera for, by all means go ahead and get it now if you can afford it. The payoff either financially or the work/colleague experience you'll get is almost surely worth the 5% or so difference you're describing.

That all said, the HMC150 is what... about two years old now? There's a fair chance of it being replaced next year. But do you really want to wait that long?

Good luck!
 
Hey TigerFX good advice. I checked out your video. Looks good except I have one question about it.

Not to criticise, I am trying to learn all I can before I buy a camera but it seemed choppy/ not smooth movement in some of the scenes. Did you do that on purpose or you still learning best way to make a film so you were exprimenting with settings? Just curious about settings you used to shoot that short film.

Good luck on your next film. Practice makes perfect.
 
Full compass is great. CALL to ask about pricing as I ALWAYS pay less than the website states. I talk to Jon, but I'm sure anyone in sales..

Just get the cam. As said before, there is always something new on the horizon. Upside is the intricacies of the camera or already known. :)
 
Denwa said:
Full compass is great. CALL to ask about pricing as I ALWAYS pay less than the website states. I talk to Jon, but I'm sure anyone in sales..

Just get the cam. As said before, there is always something new on the horizon. Upside is the intricacies of the camera or already known. :)
Click to expand...


hmm. how much less do you think I could get a camera off the list price at full compass?

Oh I just checked them and their price is $4000. No wonder you can talk them down since there at least $500 higher than other web sites I have checked.
 
I'll 2nd Full Compass. The price on the site is the MSRP, you need to call them for the actual price. I picked mine up when it first came out for around $3,200 with the DVXUser special (yes, they were running a special for DVXUser members at the time). But since then the street rate is around $3,200, so that should be the ballpark for them as well.
 
Thnaks Mike. The more I spend on this site before I start buying equipment the more money I can save and also not make bad buying decisions.
 
Bill:

Call Full Compass.

Ask for Shawn Tallard.

Talk to him and ask him for a written quote on a best price.

Or call Specialized Communications, and ask for Jasmine.

Same thing.

That is a suggested approach rather than posting here and asking others how much they think you could save.
 
Bill10 said:
How long ago was that and where? Did that come with anything extra like a book about best way to use HMC150,etc. ? And was it a hmc150 that you got the 3 year manufacturer warranty?
Click to expand...

Full compass and talk to Shawn or Jon and they are still around the same price. Full warranty etc.

FC and Spec comm are legit authorised sellers and you should only buy from legit, officially authorised company for obvious reasons.
 
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