Upgrading to HD, Seriously considering HMC40

R

reinpro

New member
I have my own event videography company and will be making the jump to HD. After spending hours researching cameras, I whittled it down to the HMC40 and the JVC HM100. I'm leaning towards the HMC40 because I'd be able to get 3 of them instead of 2 of the HM100s, and most people who have posted on various forums, don't think the JVC is $1,600 better. I'm shooting with Sony PD-170s currently and love the low-light capabilities and overall quality for an SD camera.
So am I making the right decision if I go with the Panasonic HMC40s? and will there be a disappointing difference in the low-light performance compared to my PD-170s?
I shoot 50-60 weddings a year, the occasional recital, and sporting events in South FL.
Also, I edit in FCP 6 with an Intel iMac, from what I can tell it handles capturing/transferring of footage with no problems, right?
Any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated!!!
 
There will be a shocking difference in low-light performance between an HMC40 and a PD-170. The PD-170 is about four stops faster than an HMC40. However, in adequate light, the HMC40's video quality will be embarrassingly superior to the PD170.

Adam Wilt has published perhaps the most comprehensive HMC40 review I've seen; he actually is kinder on it in regards to low light performance than I am. I view low light as the achilles heel of the HMC40. It's amazing for its price, but you absolutely are going to have to bring lights and compensate for its lack of sensitivity.
 
The low light performance of the HMC-40 will not be as good as the HMC-150. Given that the Panasonic HMC-150 is about the same price as the JVC HM100, you may want to look or at least consider the HMC-150.


Bob Diaz
 
I think it depends on how you plan to shoot your weddings, somewhat intrusively with lights or not intrusively without lights and how you want the quality to be. I wouldn't consider shooting weddings with the HMC40 at all, even with lights, personally, but I like the natural feel of the atmosphere not all lit up with lights making a false looking atmosphere, which is really hard to do as you try to tell the story of a wedding day. Now, if all your shots are posed, rather than shooting the day's events and telling a story, then lights with the hmc40 would be no issue. I love mine, but I shoot nearly entirely outdoors in good sunlight, and it's an amazing camera for my purposes. But, I'm buying a comer 1800 on-camera light for those times I'm shooting inside expos/shows where the lighting is low, because it comes out quite bad with the hmc40 without lights.

Also, keep in mind unless you're shooting in manual mode and adjusting the iris manually, the hmc40 only has two decibal gain level maximums: 12 & 24db. Personally, I'd like a 6db option in an firmware upgrade. 12db doesn't appear to be half bad most of the time, especially when the light is decent. But, once it gets dark, it sucks pulling too much color out and pixelating the heck out of it. If I were going to shoot weddings, I'd get the best low light performer your budget can afford, but definitely something with 1/3" sensors at a minimum, not anything with 1/4" sensors like the HMC40. When I figure a good set of lights for stage/posed wedding stuff, the hassle factor and the loss of being able to "capture the moment", I'd think you'd recoup the extra cost of the nicer "low light performers" in a matter of a couple of weddings, personally.

FYI, I don't shoot weddings for fun or work, but I'm getting married at the end of the month and having spent a lot of time with the HMC40 and multiple professional videographers lately, that's my thoughts.

Chris
 
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