Please compare other cameras to the HMC40 here, Thanks.

So, I'm wondering, in the last 5 years or so, has any product come close to matching the price/quality ratio in the range of the hmc40? I know when I was searching for a prosumer cam a few years back it seemed below 2k was consumer stuff and prosumer stuff started at 3k.

I've been using the company hmc40 and I've been fairly pleased with it, but now I'm trying to figure out if I want to invest in one for my freelance work. HDSLRs are close to the price range, but require the purchase of a lot of extras while also having a lot of issues that need workarounds. I'd really want an HDSLR in ADDITION to a camcorder, not as my sole means of acquisition.

Does anyone see another camcorder coming out in the near future that will be a competitor to the hmc40?
 
I'm planning on moving from my current DVX up to the hmc40. I'm sure a lot of folks in this forum have made a simliar jump. How would you compare the low light performance between those two. I do mostly wedding work and have been able to work with the sensitivity of the DVX but am wondering if the hmc is more or less sensitive by comparison.
 
The low light difference will be shocking. The HMC40 is much, much, much less sensitive. If you're used to shooting the DVX in 60i, the HMC40 will be about four stops less sensitive.

So if you want to compare the difference, take your DVX into a low light situation, and set it on f/2.0. Then stop down to f/2.8, and flip in the ND filter to 1/8th. That's what an HMC40 would be like, in the same scenario.
 
Thanks Barry. That's not what I wanted to hear but it is good to know. Do you feel the HMC150 is more analogous to the DVX? Might just have to save my pennies.
 
The HMC150 is the direct successor to the DVX. And while the HMC150 has slightly less sensitivity than the DVX, when you use gain and downconvert to SD, the HMC150 actually looks quite a bit better than the DVX.

DVX was king of the SD hill forever, but the HMC150 just plain beats it.
 
I've heard a lot of people say that they'd like to get a DSLR to go along with the HMC40. Wouldn't there be a huge problem matching the footage?
 
odonnelly99 said:
I've heard a lot of people say that they'd like to get a DSLR to go along with the HMC40. Wouldn't there be a huge problem matching the footage?
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I was wondering that myself for dance recitals, etc.

I'd set up my GH1 on wide angle on the stage and have a pair of 40s or, hopefully, 80s ;) to capture all the action closeups and pans on stage.

How would they match?

sincerely,


ian
 
obi1jacobi said:
So, I'm wondering, in the last 5 years or so, has any product come close to matching the price/quality ratio in the range of the hmc40? I know when I was searching for a prosumer cam a few years back it seemed below 2k was consumer stuff and prosumer stuff started at 3k.
Click to expand...
Well, prices have generally been falling.

But I guess I'd nominate the Sony HVR-A1, since that's the camera that the HMC40 replaced here. That was the early-ish days of HDV, and like the HMC40, the A1 was based on consumer DNA. Ok, it was a whole lot more consumer DNA if you take the consumer version, the HC1. Sony apparently decided very early on that it was too good for consumers, so the HC1 was quickly replaced at the $1200-or-whatever level. But you can still buy the A1 new. Yeah, it was like $2500.. but that did include the XLR module and a "kit" mic (soon replaced by a Rode, but it wasn't terrible).

obi1jacobi said:
I've been using the company hmc40 and I've been fairly pleased with it, but now I'm trying to figure out if I want to invest in one for my freelance work. HDSLRs are close to the price range, but require the purchase of a lot of extras while also having a lot of issues that need workarounds. I'd really want an HDSLR in ADDITION to a camcorder, not as my sole means of acquisition.
Click to expand...

That's exactly right.. the camcorder is still the right tool for video. Current DSLRs are not gears to be general camcorder replacements, though for special effects, or if you're longing to emulate the experience of 10-minute limited shoots you'd get with a 35mm film camera, the DSLR is fine. I do expect my next camera upgrade will be something to replace my Canon Rebel Xt (350D) with a video-capable model.

obi1jacobi said:
Does anyone see another camcorder coming out in the near future that will be a competitor to the hmc40?
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Given that the NAB show just finished up, I'd bet most of the annoucements are done for awhile. But you know the electronics industry.. if you don't like the current products, wait five minutes.

Canon's finally got pro/prosumer tapeless, but they're more expensive. And for some crazy reason, they use Compact Flash, not SDHC/SDXC. Higher end, they do 4:2:2 video at 50Mb/s... ok, there's a good reason to use CF. Well, no, 50Mb/s should technically work to Class 10 SDHC (80Mb/s guaranteed writes). But try to find 32GB and Class 10... not common.

Panny showed off a 4/3-system camcorder -- DSLR tech in a real camcorder body, but it's like 6-grand. Canon's also rumored to be working on one, but I'll bet APS-sized DSLR-derived camcorders are going to be pricey for awhile. And even if the body's cheap, you have the same issues as DSLR... lenses, so many lenses, so little money.
 
Cranky said:
This has been deinterlaced with "single field" from 60i into 30p: http://www.vimeo.com/5450665 I think it is fine for a Web video. For home viewing I use full 60i, and additional temporal resolution makes up for lower spatial resolution.

This has been deinterlaced with "single field" and then slowed down to 24p, because at that time Vimeo did not support native playback of 30p: http://www.vimeo.com/2695330 It made pretty decent DVD because there is no line twitter.
Click to expand...
Roald
I can not see this video: one is "personal" the second is "password protected"​
 
PDR said:
That still doesn't explain it completely; because native 24p from HMC40 (or any other AVCHD or h.264 source) is decoded with interlaced chroma within Adobe Premiere and AE CS4. Your screenshots should have showed the same thing with the HMC40 (ie. interlaced chroma), but they didn't

It might have more to do with the source filter and splitter (by splitter , I mean the directshow splitter before it hits the decoder) , or how your NLE or HDLink interprets how the footage is wrapped (interlaced flag)

If I switch decoders to Divx h.264 (which is based on Mainconcept AVC decoder) instead of libavcodec, it still decodes fine (HF10/11, HMC40 samples , 24pN, 30P in 60i , etc...)
Click to expand...

What about Adobe Premiere Pro CS5?
 
Should have posted my January 18 Comparison Grid HMC 40 compared to Sony SLT55 and Sony NEX VG10 in this thread, new to forum and did not see this until after I posted---don't know how to move my comparison grid to this thread. Dennis
 
Denniscasey,

Don't worry about it. When the HMC40 first came out we were seeing several different threads comparing the same camera to the HMC40. With all the different cameras out there it was generating quite a clutter on the forum. At the time, I pushed for a single thread to keep everything together and avoid the clutter.

Today, we don't get as much activity in camera comparisons, so a few other comparison threads won't generate any clutter.


Bob Diaz
 
PDR said:
They both look fine


1zzgz21.png


k1rp69.png




For the 24p footage, I used avisynth and TIVTC to IVTC back to 24p. In the Adobe comparison for 24p, I used AE to IVTC

In your case, I suspect the issue is probably with HDLink. If it's using directshow for the conversion, the output pin is probably conveying an interlaced signal so it thinks the content is interlaced. Make sure your ffdshow build is fairly recent to rule out other possibilities

You can test this for yourself if you know how to use avisynth, just make simple script e.g. DirectShowSource("Canon_30P.MTS") , using ffdshow to decode, and encode that in vdub using anything, even cineform, you will see it looks fine

For the IVTC script:
DirectShowSource("Canon_24P.MTS")
TFM().TDecimate()

Cheers
Click to expand...

Hello!
Superb pictures!
Are there any video player which can play the videos of Canon AVCHD camcorders so perfect? (without atrifacts and other problems) Have these video codecs CUDA or DXVA accelerating supports? (Win7 x64 system)
 
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