Pro use/Home use...

B

Brad Neal

Well-known member
I am looking to possibly pick up an HMC40 as a B cam to use alongside my HPX500’s. I will primarily use it for tight spots where the larger shoulder-mount cam would be oversized. Has anyone attempted this, and if so, how close are things like color, and scenes or gamma modes compared to the 500.

Then on the flip side, I would like to know how intuitive the 40 is for non-pro shooters to use (i.e., wifey!). After reading the specs, it looks like it has pretty much full auto everything, but I didn’t see any built in mic. Does it not have one? And if not, any suggestions for an unassuming add-on? I have several shotgun mics, but I really want something that I can take on vacation and not look too conspicuous.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,
Brad
 
This camera was made for 'stealth'. ;) Its perfect for tight spots.
Remove the lens shade and the t-handle, and you have a VERY inconspicuous camera that could easily pass as a typical consumer camera. But looks are deceiving in this case.
The color has been heralded as nothing short of spectacular for a camera in this price range, and competes heavily with cameras 2 to 3 times the price.
The lighting becomes an issue in low light situations, but you can compensate for that by (1) Increase Gain. (2) Reduce the shutter speed.
Bob Diaz (The Professor) has addressed this very issue and provided us footage so you can see first hand. Here's his post.

Addressing your second question, It does have a built in mic. Just nothing to write home about. And based on what you said, it sounds like you would want to go the 1/8 plug option on the mic. I have heard that several people are happy adding the Rode Videomic

Its very easy to simply pick up and use in Auto mode, but all the truly stellar footage I have seen has mostly come from manual mode. No different than an SLR in that manner, I suppose. :)

Heres a link to the review that pretty much sold me, should you want.
 
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I found the HMC40 really easy to just pick up and start shooting with nice results - but I didn't just throw it on auto-pilot. I always lock the shutter speed, to be sure. I've tried out auto white balance (by accident a couple times) and auto aperture/gain, and both work fairly well, within reason for auto white and auto exposure (certainly better than some other cameras I've used over the years). I sure don't suggest auto white though - there simply is no such thing as auto white that works really good most the time (and it's tough to later correct color that shifts). Auto focus works pretty good (better than I expected - 1/4" imaging chips probably help that). There's a built in mic - seems decent, as built-in mics go.
 
Macfionn said:
Addressing your send question. It does have a built in mic. Just nothing to write home about. I have heard that several people are happy with the Rode Videomic
Click to expand...

I'm not really concerned with hot-rod audio when using the buit-in. Just something that will capture ambient audio when my wife grabs the camera at the spur of the moment when one of the grandbabies does something cute. For anything requiring good audio, I have a pretty wide selection of pro mics.

Its very easy to simply pick up and use in Auto mode, but all the truly stellar footage I have seen has mostly come from manual mode.
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That's good to know. Again - just looking for the "easy button" when my wife is in need of a point 'n shoot. And it does sound like quite a capable camera when you need full manual control.

Thanks for the feedback!!

-Brad
 
Yeah, this cam was made for "stealth" (like Mac said), but putting a mic on it, that's going to give you notably better sound than the on-board mic, really would make it considerably less of a "stealthy" cam. The on-board mic is reasonable for stuff like picking it up to shoot some quick clips of the grandkids and such.
 
Brad,

I just purchased the HMC40 as a B-Cam albeit to a 170 (not yet delivered). Stealth, IQ, and crane cam were my reasons. My goal will be to see how well I can get them to match up. In a few weeks, I'll start a thread on matching up scene files.

Grant
 
Macfionn said:
Brad, pictures are worth a thousand words.
You can see the mic here.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh... ok, thanks, Mac!

I just received the new issue of HDVideoPro magazine, and Berry Green actually has a review of this camera - this month. How cool is that?

After reading though the article, this sounds like just the camera I have been waiting for. And I can't believe it's under 2-grand.
 
Just to chime in, I've had this cam since mid-September '09 and have used it on several projects. I gotta say I'm pretty impressed with it. Low light can be a concern with the small chip size, but nothing that can't be taken care of with either off-cam lights or a Comer 1800.
 
It's not real hard to make a case for the HMC40 offering the best bang-for-the-buck currently - appearing diminutive like a kitten, but actually a bit of a beast with some serious strengths.
 
Does it come with a smaller lens cap so one can cover the lens when the lens hood is removed?

Thanks,
Brad
 
Nope, but I'm sure you could get one for a couple bucks when you order the cam. Get a salesman on the phone, with any reputable dealer, and they might just throw one in free if you ask. I suggest you grab a B+W MRC UV filter to protect the lens too.
 
Brad Neal said:
Does it come with a smaller lens cap so one can cover the lens when the lens hood is removed?
Click to expand...
No, but it has 43mm thread like most Panasonic consumer camcorders have. It even has the tiny secondary "hood" that you should unscrew for putting on attachments like an UV filter. So all consumer-grade attachments including caps should work for the HMC40.
 
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