ALL: Would you choose an AC 130A or AC 160A for interview work or something else?
- Thread starter kenackr
- Start date
LanceOregon
Well-known member
I cannot think of any further suggestions at this point in time. The goal posts are now moving, as you are now saying that you want to "future proof" your purchase, and would like to get some advanced features like 1080/60p and a long zoom lens, even though those are features that would not be useful in the interview work that you are doing.
You cannot have your cake and eat it too. There is no perfect camcorder. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.
The Canon XA20 is going to cost you about $840 more than a XA10. You will get all of these new features, plus an increase in image resolution over the XA10. Are all of those features worth another $840 to you? No one here but yourself knows that answer.
One fellow recently did do a comparison test between the XA10 and XA20, to show how they differ in image quality. While the XA20 does appear to be a bit sharper, as others have noted earlier, that really will not be any practical plus for doing interview work.
The other factor here is that both of the Canons will be dramatically different than your current camcorder in size and user interface. If you would like to get something newer, but still retain the sort of manual controls that you are used to, then a used HMC150 would offer you that at a price somewhere between these two Canons.
If you have not already done so, I would recommend that you download and read the manuals of all of the camcorders that you are considering. You will learn a lot about them that way. I always do that before I buy anything. I have a folder on my hard drive filled with camera and camcorder manuals that I used to help me make my buying decisions.
And the other thing that you should be doing would be to be searching for sample footage from all of these camcorders on YouTube and Vimeo. You will learn a lot viewing sample footage clips, and reading the comments posted about them.
.
You cannot have your cake and eat it too. There is no perfect camcorder. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.
The Canon XA20 is going to cost you about $840 more than a XA10. You will get all of these new features, plus an increase in image resolution over the XA10. Are all of those features worth another $840 to you? No one here but yourself knows that answer.
One fellow recently did do a comparison test between the XA10 and XA20, to show how they differ in image quality. While the XA20 does appear to be a bit sharper, as others have noted earlier, that really will not be any practical plus for doing interview work.
The other factor here is that both of the Canons will be dramatically different than your current camcorder in size and user interface. If you would like to get something newer, but still retain the sort of manual controls that you are used to, then a used HMC150 would offer you that at a price somewhere between these two Canons.
If you have not already done so, I would recommend that you download and read the manuals of all of the camcorders that you are considering. You will learn a lot about them that way. I always do that before I buy anything. I have a folder on my hard drive filled with camera and camcorder manuals that I used to help me make my buying decisions.
And the other thing that you should be doing would be to be searching for sample footage from all of these camcorders on YouTube and Vimeo. You will learn a lot viewing sample footage clips, and reading the comments posted about them.
.
kenackr
Well-known member
Lance,
Didn't mean to move the goal posts, but as alternative viewpoints are expressed and considered, it happens. That's the beauty of forums and other forms of communication sharing. Usually more heads may mean more confusion at first, but then out of chaos (for me) comes greater clarity. I'm not actually trying to future proof the purchase as much as I am the viewable work produced in this project.
It may NOT turn out to be the living memory history that survives for a while because other vets are helped by it and or J.Q. Public likes it, but it seems to me that the probability that it could, would only be enhanced by keeping the publicly desired viewing platform & "look" as current as my budget will allow at present. That is the point that has sunk in deeply to my small noggin'.
You are right to pull me back on course with regard to features that will not contribute to this project.
My own distractions from the goal for this project are because like the orphan gazing at the feast from outside it, I'd like to have some of it too and my mouth gets to watering. Pavlovian indeed.
Thanks !
Didn't mean to move the goal posts, but as alternative viewpoints are expressed and considered, it happens. That's the beauty of forums and other forms of communication sharing. Usually more heads may mean more confusion at first, but then out of chaos (for me) comes greater clarity. I'm not actually trying to future proof the purchase as much as I am the viewable work produced in this project.
It may NOT turn out to be the living memory history that survives for a while because other vets are helped by it and or J.Q. Public likes it, but it seems to me that the probability that it could, would only be enhanced by keeping the publicly desired viewing platform & "look" as current as my budget will allow at present. That is the point that has sunk in deeply to my small noggin'.
You are right to pull me back on course with regard to features that will not contribute to this project.
My own distractions from the goal for this project are because like the orphan gazing at the feast from outside it, I'd like to have some of it too and my mouth gets to watering. Pavlovian indeed.
Thanks !
kenackr
Well-known member
Rod,
You are correct, explanation is the KEY.
In the past, I've explained that I'm the best boy that she'll ever work with; and that to get the best grip for the key we'll need to do some shots on a dolly to enhance the action.
Seems to be fairly well accepted by those who have aspirations to be in videos.
You are correct, explanation is the KEY.
In the past, I've explained that I'm the best boy that she'll ever work with; and that to get the best grip for the key we'll need to do some shots on a dolly to enhance the action.
Seems to be fairly well accepted by those who have aspirations to be in videos.
kwkeirstead
Well-known member
I like Lance's comment that no single camera will suit all.
It's a good idea to check out footage that people point you to, but what you see is going to be a combo of the camera, the operator, the lighting, the sound.
I routinely post content asking for suggestions re ways and means of improving it.
See my 1st totally hand-held recording at the link below. I can see hundreds of ways of improving it. It was done with a Panasonic AG-AC160A. I need to stop chopping off the heads of MCs at events like this. Or, insist that they use MCs who are shorter.
http://youtu.be/b0H0X75qZdM
My take is if you want do to video on a grand scale, don't pick a camera only for interviews. Do your research, pick what you feel you will need/want for the
future (no hassle equipment, long zoom, XLRs, parallel SD card recording, 4.2.2. output) and if you cannot quite afford it, lease it and use the lease as
motivation to seek out paying assignments to cover the monthly cost of the equipment.
You probably have 3-5 years as a reasonable timeframe for a camera you buy. Whatever you pick be assured that as you go out the front door of the store, a
truck is rolling up at the back door with newer, better, possibly even lower cost options to what you just bought.
It's a good idea to check out footage that people point you to, but what you see is going to be a combo of the camera, the operator, the lighting, the sound.
I routinely post content asking for suggestions re ways and means of improving it.
See my 1st totally hand-held recording at the link below. I can see hundreds of ways of improving it. It was done with a Panasonic AG-AC160A. I need to stop chopping off the heads of MCs at events like this. Or, insist that they use MCs who are shorter.
http://youtu.be/b0H0X75qZdM
My take is if you want do to video on a grand scale, don't pick a camera only for interviews. Do your research, pick what you feel you will need/want for the
future (no hassle equipment, long zoom, XLRs, parallel SD card recording, 4.2.2. output) and if you cannot quite afford it, lease it and use the lease as
motivation to seek out paying assignments to cover the monthly cost of the equipment.
You probably have 3-5 years as a reasonable timeframe for a camera you buy. Whatever you pick be assured that as you go out the front door of the store, a
truck is rolling up at the back door with newer, better, possibly even lower cost options to what you just bought.
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LanceOregon
Well-known member
There are so many choices these days, that this all becomes sort of mind boggling unless one can focus on what your needs are, and what you value most. And there is always going to be even newer stuff on the horizon. For example, I don't see how Canon could not update the XF100 and XF300 with new models in the next year, maybe even before the end of this year. In my opinion, the ultimate "future-proofing" is to simply wait for the future to arrive. 
But if value and affordability are goals, then buying the latest and greatest fresh off the assembly line is definitely the EXPENSIVE way to do. So if you are trying to get your "best bang for the buck", doing that will certainly not achieve that goal.
I went through similar decisions earlier this year. I was also interested in the upcoming Canon 7D MkII, as there have been vague, but interesting rumours of its video feature set getting a major upgrade. But when that camera failed to materialize on the market, and looks to now be coming out around the end of this year or beginning of the next, my choices soon narrowed down to the Panasonic GH3.
The easiest way to choose something is to simply look at sample footage and find what you like. Then just tell yourself: "Hey, if he can do that, then why can't I shoot like that too?"
Anyway, I am most happy with my GH3. It is proving to be an amazing tool. Barry Green has raved so much in this forum about how good the Intelligent Auto feature is on the Panasonic AC90, that I decided to give the Intelligent Auto feature on my GH3 a try last night. So instead of using manual and fine tuning everything, I did just the opposite, and let the camera take full auto control. The only thing I did was to select the format to record in: 1080/24p 50Mbps IPB MOV
Here is a clip that I shot last night, a little after 8pm in the evening. Look at it full screen, if you have a good Internet connection. All I did in post was to do Shadow and Highlight adjustments, as the lighting was not even. The sun was extremely low in the sky, and thus coming in sideways from the right.
So here I bought the GH3 for all of its manual fine tuning abilities, and now I am discovering it has a great full auto feature too, just like the AC90.
And despite the lack of XLR inputs, I really don't find the audio to really be lacking .
This is a popular local Blues Band that we have here in Oregon: The Hank Shreve Band. Hank is a very talented young man, and he has oddly enough put together an extremely talented band of old and veteran musicians to support his talent.
.
But if value and affordability are goals, then buying the latest and greatest fresh off the assembly line is definitely the EXPENSIVE way to do. So if you are trying to get your "best bang for the buck", doing that will certainly not achieve that goal.
I went through similar decisions earlier this year. I was also interested in the upcoming Canon 7D MkII, as there have been vague, but interesting rumours of its video feature set getting a major upgrade. But when that camera failed to materialize on the market, and looks to now be coming out around the end of this year or beginning of the next, my choices soon narrowed down to the Panasonic GH3.
The easiest way to choose something is to simply look at sample footage and find what you like. Then just tell yourself: "Hey, if he can do that, then why can't I shoot like that too?"
Anyway, I am most happy with my GH3. It is proving to be an amazing tool. Barry Green has raved so much in this forum about how good the Intelligent Auto feature is on the Panasonic AC90, that I decided to give the Intelligent Auto feature on my GH3 a try last night. So instead of using manual and fine tuning everything, I did just the opposite, and let the camera take full auto control. The only thing I did was to select the format to record in: 1080/24p 50Mbps IPB MOV
Here is a clip that I shot last night, a little after 8pm in the evening. Look at it full screen, if you have a good Internet connection. All I did in post was to do Shadow and Highlight adjustments, as the lighting was not even. The sun was extremely low in the sky, and thus coming in sideways from the right.
So here I bought the GH3 for all of its manual fine tuning abilities, and now I am discovering it has a great full auto feature too, just like the AC90.
And despite the lack of XLR inputs, I really don't find the audio to really be lacking .
This is a popular local Blues Band that we have here in Oregon: The Hank Shreve Band. Hank is a very talented young man, and he has oddly enough put together an extremely talented band of old and veteran musicians to support his talent.
.
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LanceOregon
Well-known member
Here is an enlightening comparison done between the Canon HF G30 ( which has the exact same image quality as the Canon XA20 ) and the Panasonic HMC150.
While the Canon is definitely sharper, the Panasonic wins when it comes to low light performance.
So a used HMC150 is still definitely a viable option for many people, in my opinion:
While the Canon is definitely sharper, the Panasonic wins when it comes to low light performance.
So a used HMC150 is still definitely a viable option for many people, in my opinion:
kenackr
Well-known member
Very interesting. It doesn't get any better than that comparison. No question about sharpness or low light capability.
For someone who wants to shoot in as much ambient light as possible (like me) indoors, it really separates the wheat from the chaff or the cream from the milk.
Can't help but wonder if that is a primary result of cmos vs ccd ? I realize many things bear on both the light gathering capability and sharpness, but here the 3 x 1/3" ccdr sensors (aggregate area of .9" ?) clearly show who's boss in light gathering.
I confess I still don't understand the CMOS size rating. How do you make sense out of 1/2.84-inch ? Is that 1 sensor that is 2.84 inches or 1 sensor that is 1/2 inch and a little bit more? Seems like a poor way to communicate size to those of without a dance card. But that's the price we all pay for having jargon masters & jargon compressors who run wild in the streets of technology.
Getting back to the requirements for my project at hand concerning interviews, (as someone not too long ago reminded was the goal), my unprofessional opinion is that while more sharpness/resolution is seemingly a better thing in general, too much could be a possible detriment in the case of interviews. Specifically, who wants to have the viewer focusing on which nose hairs didn't get trimmed before the shoot, or just what is that "artifact" on his or her nose?
I agree that in the case of interviews, a used HMC 150 would certainly fill the bill for roughly the same money as the new G30, while the B&H advertised price for a new XA20 (~$2200) is another 4 or 5 Ben Franklins away, but with that new camera smell and full warranty that is so attractive to nervous nellies (read as poor - like me).
For someone who wants to shoot in as much ambient light as possible (like me) indoors, it really separates the wheat from the chaff or the cream from the milk.
Can't help but wonder if that is a primary result of cmos vs ccd ? I realize many things bear on both the light gathering capability and sharpness, but here the 3 x 1/3" ccdr sensors (aggregate area of .9" ?) clearly show who's boss in light gathering.
I confess I still don't understand the CMOS size rating. How do you make sense out of 1/2.84-inch ? Is that 1 sensor that is 2.84 inches or 1 sensor that is 1/2 inch and a little bit more? Seems like a poor way to communicate size to those of without a dance card. But that's the price we all pay for having jargon masters & jargon compressors who run wild in the streets of technology.
Getting back to the requirements for my project at hand concerning interviews, (as someone not too long ago reminded was the goal), my unprofessional opinion is that while more sharpness/resolution is seemingly a better thing in general, too much could be a possible detriment in the case of interviews. Specifically, who wants to have the viewer focusing on which nose hairs didn't get trimmed before the shoot, or just what is that "artifact" on his or her nose?
I agree that in the case of interviews, a used HMC 150 would certainly fill the bill for roughly the same money as the new G30, while the B&H advertised price for a new XA20 (~$2200) is another 4 or 5 Ben Franklins away, but with that new camera smell and full warranty that is so attractive to nervous nellies (read as poor - like me).
Barry_Green
Moderator
To calculate the area, you'd have to know the dimensions of the chip. The "1/3" doesn't mean anything specific, there is no dimension on a 1/3" sensor that measures 1/3. In general terms a 1/3" sensor is about 5.25 x 2.95 mm, so around 15mm2 per sensor, or 45mm2 for total size.
It's less than 1/2", in fact it's very close to 1/3". If you want to do direct comparisons, just actually do the math -- 1/3" = 1/3, or 0.3333 inches. (note, again, that it really isn't, but for purposes of comparison it'll do). 1/2.84" = 1/2.84, or 0.352". So it's a little tiny bit bigger than a 1/3" sensor. The numbers aren't exact, but the proportions should be.
FWIW I made that video comparison between the HMC 150 and the G30, and I did it because I'm trying to replace my HMC 150. I thought that the G30 would be a good replacement but after making that comparison I returned it. I'm now thinking about replacing my HMC 150 with an AC130, which is how I found this thread.
Whichever camera path you choose, good luck. And keep fighting those injustices.
Whichever camera path you choose, good luck. And keep fighting those injustices.