remote HMC 40 atop boom stand?

F

firehawk

Veteran
I'm looking for a lightweight camera to put atop this stand for weddings and events:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/546705-REG/Manfrotto_420B_420B_Combi_Boom_Stand.html

It would go on this remote head:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...c_mp_101_motorized_pan_head.html/prm/alsVwDtl

and the operator would control the pan/tilt/zoom/record from the ground below via remote controls.
Specifically, I would run a Bescor remote cable, Panasonic remote cable and HDMI cable from the camera down to a Varizoom controller and HDMI monitor which would be attached to a tripod and the operator would control it all there.


The idea is to get the camera up high enough (around 10 feet) to see over people.

The smallest lightweight HD camera I have found that has remote control is the HMC40.

Any suggestions?
I know the HMC40 is poor in low light. This would be used in good lighting.
 
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I use a c-stand and that exact pan/tilt head. For camera I use the HMC 150. I have full control over pan/tilt/zoom/focus/iris at up to 100'. Works great. Very stable. The one that you linked looks like it would be really wobbly once you have camera and pan head on.
 
Firehawk

Per Lance, I used to have a 40 and it is a terrific little cam, great mojo. The 40 really hits above it's weight on image quality. The only thing that continually frustrated me about the cam was the poor VF and flipout. With a remote monitor, this is a non-issue. Shallow DOF isn't the cams hallmark, so in the field critical focus isn't really a problem with the VF or flipout. As previously mentioned, you will want something more substantial than that boom-stand. I have a couple of those and they are great, but not for that.

Just a couple of other things; the combined ND-aperture thingy works well enough, but NEVER go past f/5.6 as the focus just crumbles. And there is not enough ND to make this work in bright light, so ALWAYS carry a couple of screw on ND filters.

While these issues are a frustration, it was a great sleuth cam and the images are great for the size and price of the cam.

Grant

Grant
 
Hey thank you Lance and ggrantly! +1 for both!

I'm finding some used HMC40s but it's not exactly the perfect cam for this either, though better than the 150. I already have HMC150 but it has manual ND which can be an issue when the sun comes out or goes behind a cloud and the camera is up high and you can't reach it during a wedding to change.

Lance, since you are using the heavier HMC150 on a C-stand, how high does that go up?
Maybe I'll get a heavier stand and make due with the 150. It sure isn't very hi-res on wide outdoor shots, though, whereas the 40 is much sharper
 
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