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Bob1066

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Anyone know if Panasonic plan to upgrade the 150 to have 2 cards like the GY-HM100e ten you could shoot indefinitely (until the power runs out)
 
if you mean 2 card slots....I doubt it, they'd have to remake the camera, but I doubt they're going to continue the HMC series much longer.
 
I think even with the extended battery coupled with a 32GB card shooting at PH, it's going to be pretty close as to which will go first, the card being filled or the battery dying. Shooting at the other modes will give you longer record times but you're still going to have to stop recording to swap out batteries.
 
Well you could always plug into power and theoretically record forever if you had two slots.

Some user here spoke to a person related to Panasonic at a NAB-like event who hinted that two slots could be coming for the 150a.

But clearly I'm foggy and this'll be third-hand info for ya'll. So take that for what it's worth :p.
 
TigerFX said:
Well you could always plug into power and theoretically record forever if you had two slots.

Some user here spoke to a person related to Panasonic at a NAB-like event who hinted that two slots could be coming for the 150a.

But clearly I'm foggy and this'll be third-hand info for ya'll. So take that for what it's worth :p.
Click to expand...


I'll take credit for that one...it was last August, and while the Panny rep stated the dual card option was "possibly....maybe...perhaps slated for the next version" (wink wink nudge nudge) that he didn't think it would be out anytime soon. As we were talking about the next version of the HMC150 it was August and the HMC150 wasn't actually even out yet. So it was premature conversation, but the person in question is on the development team at some level....soooooo....take it for what it's worth.

There were some other questions I threw at him, and I don't remember exactly what all was said, but I remember walking away with the feeling that most of the little nits I have to pick with the HMC150 were being addressed in either already planned firmware updates or new features for the next version.

But plans are made all the time, and who knows what will actually come of it.

I would take an opposing view against any statement about the discontinuation of the HMC line. People said the same thing about the DVX right before the "B" version was released. They still sell a ton of those, and it's about 4 years later now.

The HMC150 is a viable option for ENG, event and similar video services. It's one of the best options in my opinion, and is really quite affordable (if you can actually find yourself a place to buy it these days). No one else really competes with it, and as previously mentioned, they fly off the shelves all the time.

I'd watch for a revision announcement on the HMC between the end of this year and NAB 2010 (not some special info I have, just an educated guess).
 
I completely agree. The camera is a real beauty in so many ways... especially the price. you can get two of these for about the cost of a set-up rig for the 170 or the EX1. The only thing that I really miss is the timelapse option. I know we can get it speed up in post and that, but I would really like that... but I wouldn't buy another camera for that. I would probably just get a DSLR and an intervelometer and be on my way.
 
Bob1066 said:
Anyone know if Panasonic plan to upgrade the 150 to have 2 cards like the GY-HM100e ten you could shoot indefinitely (until the power runs out)
Click to expand...
You can already shoot indefinitely until the power runs out. You can shoot for 3 hours on a 32GB card in highest-quality mode, and 12 hours in the "HE" mode. No battery will last that long.
 
Since it would be far easier to update the firmware (or hardware) for SDXC cards than add a slot, I don't see an additional slot ever happening. The SD commission could also increase SDHC limits from 32 to 64 GB since it's an arbitrary, not technical limit.

I would bet that SDXC firmware will be available soon, but since the Panasonic SDXC cards are not yet available (competitors are), there is no need to release it yet. It may also be possible that SDXC cards (64GB+) can just be re-formatted to FAT32, which is what SDHC is, for use in the HMC-150. However, probably the SD commission put obstacles in the specification so that can't be done.

The Panasonic class 10 cards are available, but the HMC-150 dosen't need them. It must be for the G1 camera or other new products.
 
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D'ohh

And here I thougth somebody was gonna bring up the pal /ntsc thingy up again.
Ooh I was getting ready to have my say.....BUMBER Everts :(
 
Nice thing about multiple slots is you could buy cheaper/smaller media. Likewise, you could reduce the amount of reuse on a single card (say, maybe you want to archive your cards INSTEAD of reusing them...much more viable option when you're only buying 8 GB cards).

As most of you know, two 8 GB cards will run you less $$ than a single 16 GB, and two 16 GB cards will run you MUCH less than a single 32 GB.

So having multiple card slots makes sense in that approach.
 
Current rough SDHC prices from Newegg:

8GB - $17

16GB - $31

32GB - $80


They will probably come down to $1.50 per GB over the summer.
 
One advantage on using more smaller cards is that you do not have all your eggs in one basket if a card failed
 
As most of you know, two 8 GB cards will run you less $$ than a single 16 GB, and two 16 GB cards will run you MUCH less than a single 32 GB
Click to expand...

what are you paying for 8GB cards, 16?
I find 1-16 to be cheaper (from the same brand) than 2-8!!!
 
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