AC160 Still with my Panasonic Ag-AC160A

kwkeirstead

kwkeirstead

Well-known member
After 2 1/2 years and some 300+ hours, I am starting to feel that I am getting good results with this camera.

Here is an archive recording I made for a PHd music student at a University concert hall.

https://vimeo.com/96146167

Comments/suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Looks good.

...If I could change anything, it would be nice to have a second angle of your performer, say a high mounted DSLR locked off at the side or back of the stage ( I have a DSLR camera mount that fits on a light stand for this sort of thing ) or even a DSLR set-up to shoot with the same framing that you used, so that you could then use the full 22x zoom of your AC160 and come in really tight on the performer's face or hands.

I also use small light stands with ball-heads to place portable audio recorders ( like the Tascam DR-07 Mk2 ) just at the edge of the stage ( or below the edge ) which puts your mics within 5-10 feet of your performer. Even a single recorder can produce excellent sound if the environment is quiet enough. ( making sure the limiter is on to prevent clipping )
 
Thank you for the input.

I have a Tascam DR 100 Mark II that I use the way you say. It has an auto/limiter toggle but I have never it turned on. Will have to try that.

The 2nd cam is a good idea. I suppose in my case the Panasonic GH4 would be the way to go.
 
The video quality is excellent, superior to what I can achieve with my old cameras. The too-brief opening title is distracting though, eliminate the motion and leave it on screen a little longer and fade out. Might also want to work on framing - extra space on the left side of stage. Could've centered the drum set and that would also allow then to zoom in a little tighter to better utilize the available screen real estate.

Thanks for sharing the clip, neat subject
 
kwkeirstead said:
I have a Tascam DR 100 Mark II that I use the way you say. It has an auto/limiter toggle but I have never it turned on. Will have to try that.
Click to expand...

The limiter is definitely worth having on, as it will often save your bacon if things get quite loud and you aren't there to monitor the sound being recorded.

kwkeirstead said:
The 2nd cam is a good idea. I suppose in my case the Panasonic GH4 would be the way to go.
Click to expand...

That would be my first pick, as you would have most of the same camera controls that your 160A camera has, and the 4K image could be very handy when it comes to re-framing your image in post. ( the camera batteries last close to 3 hours too )
 
I use the 130 often - I think the 160/130 series is a great evolution of the 1080 "video" camera, which I think of as an all-in-one shooter with power zoom, XLRs, decent audio, etc. Get second nature with the iris, ND, and gain buttons and you will get 99% of your shots. At this price point, I really couldn't ask for more.

Now that DSLRs have hit a pretty decent "post T2i" IQ level (for me the Nikon D7100) I use the Panasonic a lot less than before - the image lacks the beauty you can get from a DSLR and good glass. But man, it's unbeatable for events and run & gun. Every time I use it I think "DAMN, this is a good camera".

The manfrotto remote for focus and iris is a must-have in my book. When I shoulder mount the camera, I stick the remote by the handgrip and turn on focus-in-red. I've got focus and iris right at my fingertips and I've found the red peaking to be very accurate, unlike the "everything's in focus" peaking you see a lot of these days. On sticks, the remote keeps you from bumping the framing on tele shots. It's a really well made piece of gear. My zoom/trigger control is something I soldered up, but the manfrotto is just killer.

One of the smartest buys ever for me, and it may be a couple years before something comes along that would make me replace it. The only things I'd add are 1080/60 (Which the 160 has) and 4K for reframing.
 
I looked at that one but I use the markable wheel on the Manfrotto too often!

And man, the preset near and far focus has been really handy for me on more thought-out stuff... though rack focusing with a small chip camera isn't something you really do much of.

But these days, if the shoot has time to plan out focus points and whatnot, I'm probably using a DSLR or a BM camera.
 
I also also shoot with the Nikon 7100 with various lenses. When it is all said and done, I will take the Panasonic anytime over my Nikon.



Michael Carter said:
I use the 130 often - I think the 160/130 series is a great evolution of the 1080 "video" camera, which I think of as an all-in-one shooter with power zoom, XLRs, decent audio, etc. Get second nature with the iris, ND, and gain buttons and you will get 99% of your shots. At this price point, I really couldn't ask for more.

Now that DSLRs have hit a pretty decent "post T2i" IQ level (for me the Nikon D7100) I use the Panasonic a lot less than before - the image lacks the beauty you can get from a DSLR and good glass. But man, it's unbeatable for events and run & gun. Every time I use it I think "DAMN, this is a good camera".

The manfrotto remote for focus and iris is a must-have in my book. When I shoulder mount the camera, I stick the remote by the handgrip and turn on focus-in-red. I've got focus and iris right at my fingertips and I've found the red peaking to be very accurate, unlike the "everything's in focus" peaking you see a lot of these days. On sticks, the remote keeps you from bumping the framing on tele shots. It's a really well made piece of gear. My zoom/trigger control is something I soldered up, but the manfrotto is just killer.

One of the smartest buys ever for me, and it may be a couple years before something comes along that would make me replace it. The only things I'd add are 1080/60 (Which the 160 has) and 4K for reframing.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for posting. I am in between the PX270 (which is A LOT of money for me) and the AC160. I love the price and the convenience of SDHC media, but I am an old school broadcaster that listens to the BBC when it comes to which camera to buy.

I have no ties to them, and the media I will be making won't need their approval so it opens up the possibility of AVCHD . . . . . . this footage looks very good, even considering that it's been compressed on Vimeo's site.
 
I still love my AC130 after all this time... a good, solid documentary camera which does everything I need it to. Never a problem with it, built like a tank. Never a focus problem either (unless I forgot to focus... oops...). The zoom reach is still mind-blowing.

I'm at the point where I have the right camera, and will probably not upgrade until it falls apart. I really don't get excited about the latest and greatest models any more, and just want something that works for me.

For remote zoom control I use this: http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/rc-clamp-panasonic-lanc

My Libec gave up the ghost (I didnt't find it robust), and I tried the Studio 1 device but just could't get on with rotary knobs instead of the usual zoom rocker. But everyone's different!
 
I have the 160A and the af102. Both great cameras and both very capable for pro work. I find I use the 102 more for the indoor set piece marketing type of work and the 160 for the induction training type of video, mainly because of the vast focal lengths it is capable of and not needing the bokeh of the wide apertures possible on the interchangeable lens 102.
Most of my industrial training stuff is shot on location, much in the open and sometimes very dusty ( see Ravensdown lime video on my site.) An interchangeable lens system here is just inviting lime dust into the camera. Horses for courses I guess and the more I get to know these two cameras the more I like them.!
Cheers!
Rod
 
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