Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD Camcorder with 10.6MP Still and 12x Optical Zoom

List Price: $2,295.00 Price: Too low to display

Product Details Touch Panel 2.7 inch Widescreen LCD displays Thumbnails & Audio Metering Long record time: 3 hours with included battery (7 hours continuous with 5,800mAh Battery) HD formats: 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p (Native); 720/60p, 720/30p, 720/24p (Native) Three latest design 1/4.1 Progressive 3MOS Imagers for full HD resolution

Product Description

The AG-HMC40 handheld combines Full HD AVCHD video recording with acute-resolution 10.6-megapixel still photo capture, giving you the benefits of two professional cameras in one affordable container. Compact and lightweight, the HMC40 is a versatile HD camcorder offering high-value AVCHD recordings, high-resolution still photo capture, an submissive-to-use SD card workflow, and professional audio capabilities for a wide range of applications and markets including schools, superintendence agencies, event videographers, web designers and more.With a full resolution 3-megapixel, 1/4-inch 3MOS imager, the HMC40 produces paralysing 1920 x 1080 video in AVCHD (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264), delivering images far of a higher order to HDV. When used for digital still photography, the camera captures photos with 10.6-megapixel vow directly onto the SD card as a JPEG image. The camera can also be connected entirely to a PictBridge photo printer (no PC required). And unlike HDV tapes, video and photos can be accessed randomly and in a minute from the SD cards and played back on a number of consumer devices.

---

Customer Reviews

Panasonic does it again
Having acclimatized the AG-DVX100 in its various incarnations, Panasonic has established itself as THE price to performance leader in this price array, and the latest models do not disappoint. Although color and white balance can't quite live up to the DVX100, with instructions white balance (which should really be done manually anyway regardless of the auto settings on any camera addicted a little time beforehand), it is very solid. Both shotgun mics in the 1/8" jack and using the elective XLR adapter are excellent. The built in mic is terrible for all but the most spontaneous of shots, but I would rather judge a camera in the audio square footage based on its input options rather than on whatever is built-in.

Simply superb for documentary, indie veil, or basic TV purposes. Unbeatable in its price range. You can get better, but you will pay much, much more. The SD card is awesome too, I couldn't be happier to in the end be rid of moving parts. Manual controls can take some getting used to since they are really just undemocratic the internal electronics, but they are well thought out and uncluttered.

To put it very simply, I've used several TV broadcast cameras that charge 5 or 10 times as much, and yes, they are better. But unless you want to burn that kind of money, this is as far as I'm caring the current monarch of "prosumer" grade video cameras. Both JVC and Panasonic are titans in video cameras and this lightweight entrance has a very respectable number of professional features passed down from its older siblings.

2010-03-08 (Fayetteville, AR USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

---

Professional Camcorder
Very burdensome to get started because Booster software had to be ordered and mailed. The Serial No. on the camera is not the Serial No. toughened to register the product. The Serial No. has to be obtained on-line. Panasonic website is quite difficult to manuever. It was very hard to find anyone who knew anything about this new camera.

2010-02-06 (CA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

---

Most outstanding camera in it's price range
I've owned this camera for about two months now and I put faith I've found the holy grail as far as the best quality picture producing camera in it's price rove. HD is one of the best inventions that advanced technology has produced in the past ten years and the Panasonic AG-HMC40 is one of the best HD prosumer cameras on the demand today. For twenty years I have been buying and using various brands of camcorders and have always stuck with Sony, but I have lately been impressed with some of the new AVCHD cameras from Panasonic. I already own three other CMOS camcorders and have been impressed with the CMOS technology.
I would not boggle at a bit to recommend the AG-HMC40 to anyone looking for the best prosumer HD camera in this price range. If I had to pick a chat that best describes it: "spectacular!"

2010-01-05 | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5

---

A fine upgrade from the JVC HD-7
Needed a HD camcorder that would take over from my dead JVC HD7. The JVC had better manual controls in terms independent controls of Shutter and Chink. Manual Zoom was okay on the HMC40, handling was okay (very light weight), top treat is removable (but sometimes had to put back in -- screws don't align with socket). The image quality was okay too (not too saturated compared to the HD7). Sedan White Balance is okay, but not great -- just do a manual white evaluate. The touchscreen is a nice novelty (has dedicated record/ Zoom/ quick menu/ full menu/ Obliterate buttons at bottom of screen), and there are 3 independent USER1,2,3 buttons to customize the camera. It's only 12x zoom.

Converting AVCHD to DVD MPEG2 is a bit lacking -- I get wonderful pixelated results. On the internet, they recommend a high end encoder because the Adobe Media Encoder or Vegas Video don't do a advantage job. The Optical Stabilizer is Excellent compared to the JVC HD7's terrible stabilizer. Over a good camera, you rightful need a fast PC/Mac to do post-processing. In the CD disc, there is a utility to convert the AVCHD files to HDV, MPEG2, and Canopus DV codec. Still testing that utility...

I back Class 6 SDHC card to record, although the manual said I can use Class 4. On a 16GB SDHC dance-card with Highest Quality recording, you can record up to 1hr 30min. Stock Battery last about 90min. I highly recommend the outspread battery from Panasonic -- records up to 7hr with LCD screen open!

I did not get the XLR adapter, but was satisfied with the RODE Video Mic to the point to the HMC40's miniplug. Also I like the option to connect to a pair of headphones. Overall a nice cam for less than $2000. Get this cam if you're starting out or on a ill-fitting budget or just need a second camera.

2009-12-28 (Daly City, CA) | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 4

---

Superlative, convenient, high quality
I recently upgraded to this camera and am very satisfied. I am a layer student and the Hmc40 fit perfectly with my budget.

The image quality is indeed awesome, and the battery lasts to the nth degree long. Almost unnecessarily long compared to my last cam.

I highly recommend it

2009-12-22 (West St. Paul, MN USA) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 5

---

CaseCrown Deluxe AirCell Lined Case with Shoulder Strap for the Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40...

List Price: $143.99

Product Details Comes with an attachable adjustable AirCell padded shoulder strap. Padded and lined with lycra AirCells to provide the best protection. Additional pockets and compartments for additional organization and storage space. Protection for the Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD Camcorder with 10.6MP Still and 12x Optical Zoom

Product Description

Shop and carry your camcorder with this elite CaseCrown AirCell carrying anyway a lest. The interior is lined with premium lycra air filled AirCells that are perforation and tear resistant. These AirCells will cradle and protect your camcorder, providing the crush protection. Included comes with four partition barriers that you can easily creep into the bag to create compartments to adjust and create space in the case as needed. Also included is an flexible, attachable shoulder strap that is also padded with AirCells for maximum resourcefulness and mobility. The bag also offers additional compartments and pockets designed to hang on all of your accessories in an organized fashion, offering excellent visibility and storage break. The perfect solution for your protection needs!

---

Panasonic AG-HMC70 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory Professional Camcorder with 12x Optical Image...

Price: Too low to display

Product Details Records onto standard SD/SDHC cards to assure a fast tapeless production workflow 1/4-inch 3-CCD progressive image system with excellent sensitivity Includes 12X 38.5mm to 462mm (35mm equivalent) Leica Dicomar wide-angle zoom lens Features Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.)--Helps ensure stable image recording for ideal HD capture

Product Description

The AG-HMC70 provides entr-level professionals with an easy-to-use, high-quality, solid-shape HD recording solution at an affordable price.As the first shoulder-mount camcorder in Panasonic's professional AVCHD plan-up, the HMC70 utilizes the AVCHD high profile video codec, which offers compare favourably with image quality to HDV 1080i at about half the bandwidth. This second-beginning, affordable HD format offers longer recording times and partially the storage requirement of older systems.As easy to use as a digital camera, the HMC70 records onto type SD/SDHC cards to assure a fast tapeless production workflow. It gives you near access to content without fast forward or rewinding, and footage is without hesitation available to editing systems without the ingest delay and additional fetch of a playback deck.Using just one 16GB SDHC memory anniversary card, the HMC70 can record over 2.6 hours at 13Mbps, the HMC70's highest quality trend, or up to 6 hours at 6Mbps, the camera's extended recording mode.

---

Customer Reviews

All right value
This is the first "prosumer" HD camcorder I've reach-me-down. For the money I can't see the need for anything else. The video is great (as long as you get the correct lighting kit) and adding extraneous audio via a mic is a snap. Make sure you invest in a larger SD card. The 2Gb card that comes with it only gives you about 20min of video on the highest settings. Other than that the segment is constructed well and is light weight.

2009-07-20 (Huntsville, Alabama) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

---

Professional Dead ringer Quality in an Amateur Camera Body
As the retired main technology officer for a Fortune 100 company that developed their own digital cine camera, my principle interest was in image quality. This 3-CCD, 1440 x 1080i anamorphic 16:9 format camera produces first-class image quality -- closer to the theoretical limits of performance of 1/4 inch sensors than anything in its bounty range.

The complex optics (zoom with a telecentric focal length converter on of the prism assembly) should be expected to reduce the available contrast ratio because it has so many glass surfaces. Without the soign equipment to measure MTF (modulation transfer function) at home, I measured effective disentanglement instead, which was 576 lp/pw vs. the theoretical limit of 719 lp/pw in the horizontal axis. This is an indication that all the barometer surfaces are, indeed, causing a significant loss of contrast ratio.

Even so, the camera performs very well in almost all respects. Panchromatic eager range excedes 6 stops (I cannot reliably measure more than that) vs. a theoretical limit at room temperature of around 9 f-stops accepted the 4.4 um pixel size (horizontal axis). Color saturation falls off suddenly with non-optimum exposure. It measured out at ASA 100 with 0 dB of gain.

It has two XLR inputs.

So far, it warrants about four stars.

Now for the bad part: Narcotic addict features are poor. Perhaps they are adequate for ENG work and action footage, but nowhere near adequate for professional photography. This is like a kiddie toy wrapped around a very tainted quality lens + sensor package. This mystifies me: Putting a Trabant or Yugo fullness around a Mercedes engine. Here are the problems:

* The body is a big, mostly-empty box with mold lines showing, in a medium silver color, with labels for connectors and controls being molded in vs. silk-screened (which makes them fully unreadable in most lighting situations)

* No manual focus ring. Manual focus can be attained, but only by perpetual the focus motor through pushbuttons. THIS MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO USE THIS CAMERA FOR FOLLOW-FOCUS SHOTS, and will therefore completely turn down it for use by anyone that must have this capability.

* No manual iris ring, either. Again, buttons must be used with the menu to set depth of entrants.

* Gain cannot be set higher than 0 dB when the iris is closed below full-open. This takes away an important unsteady in depth of field control.

* Iris full-open is not marked. I still don't really know what it is. It's in all likelihood around f/1.6 or some odd number like that.

* White balance is available in only one of four pre-select modes.

* There is no visual anti-alias filter, so any pattern with detail approaching half the pixel-limited end result will generate moire patterns; even weave patterns in clothing.

In summary, this looks like two diverse design teams were involved. One for the internals and a separate (and thoroughly incompetent one) for the user tiller, form factor, and externals.

For my purposes, this is a high-quality hand-held prosumer camera in a kid's toy exterior and I cannot really use it for professional work. But, if you need a shoulder-mounted ENG camera for outdoor action photography, this might be well-grounded the ticket.

2009-06-18 | Helpful Votes: 19 | Rating: 3

---

First-class Video quality But Camera is Large
OK, I am not a professional videographer, but I have knowledge of what looks good on a nice television or screen. I tried the smaller HD camcorders (Canon HF 10, and Sony HDR-SR11), and they have bar video quality if you do not move the camera. I mean don't follow your kids around the yard or try to video a bird in abscond or pretty much anything moving. What happens is that you get a kind of ghosting in the video, so the High Def picture I was shooting for looked very pixellated and low standing. I decided to try a prosumer type video camera, and this one was the least expensive HD available at the time. Once it indoors at my house I used it to video several different scenes that gave me difficulty with the hand-helds. The importance of the video was astounding. I could get the same quality during moving shots that I could get with the static shots using the custody-helds. Great I thought I solved the problem of pixellated video in HD. However, there was one small dilemma. This Camera is Ginormous (Gigantic+enormous) Considerably larger than the old VHS style camcorders. I love the video nobility, but it is too big to carry to Disney World or a soccer game or pretty much anywhere that you are not set up to shoot video. The streak memory is excellent, and I have not noticed a huge difference in the picture quality of this camera utilizing flare memory and my current Sony HDR-FX7 utilizing tape.

2009-04-15 (Savannah, GA) | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 4

---

Most Pummel for your Buck: HD shoulder cam with xlr inputs
Fixed to look for an inexpensive shoulder mounted high definition camcorder: there are currently, as Feb. 2009 two models handy. The Sony HVR-HD1000 and the Pansonic AG-HMC70 (HMC70P, HMC70PJ are NTSC models, PAL models use different numbers). After examination out online reviews by Digital Content Producer and VideoMaker, I decided to go with the Panasonic camcorder.

The avoid models both use "professional" versions of consumer handheld cameras. So don't think that for 2 grand you are buying a camcorder that can contrast to the more expensive models. The Sony records HDV compression to Mini-dv tapes V.S. the Panasonic recording in AVCHD (13Mbps highest selection) to SDHC memory cards. While the HD video quality is sharper with the Sony, the Panasonic AVCHD still looks considerable without the blocky artifacts you sometimes see when recording motion in HDV compression. The biggest reason for me going with the HMC70 was that it had XLR inputs (use exotic mic instead of camera's mic), while the Sony only had mini-jack for mic input. I also wanted to use memory cards as a substitute for of tapes.

Check out online reviews for yourself before buying either camcorder.

2009-02-18 (St. Louis, MO United States) | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 5

---

spoiled hmc150 alcohol
i am one of those few population who own both hmc70 and hmc150.while my hmc150 is top notch product,i cant criticize my hmc70 if i look at the fact that it cost 1/3 of what hmc150 did to me.
hmc70 is consumer camera tailored into big body,but........this consumer camera will put lots of other professional camera to shame.
if u are looking for hd calibre under two grand look no further.i bought this camera when it was on sale 3 weeks ago.price went up since then.
pros: flagrant picture(under good light though),sound is good even with in built mic,very reasonably priced for 3ccd ,2 insensitive shoe,volume indicator ,decent view finder,great professional look for this guerdon,and above all no more tape(sdhc recording is really a revolution in professional video business)
1.this camera has 3ccd(1/4) which you cant find in other canera at this amount range(i always thought panasonic give more value to your money than sony,jvc let alone canon -canon dont have technology to offset ccd so it use pana ccds thats why it is always expensive)
2.these 3ccd produce very good and almost clean picture even when u not for publication at full 13mb/sec settings(you need good amount of light though- buy one on camera light , 100 watt at least.)
3.recording on sdhc use strategy act openly has changed equations forever,u will not look back to mini dv sony or jvc cameras.
dumping whole film in to your computer is similar to dumping photos from still camera.
4.avchd recording can be edited on corel video studio 12,adobe ranking element 7,pinnacle 12,power director 7( i would suggest COREl because it does not give up avchd after u finish editing,than mean u save time and image keep its quality,although u distress to turn on smart proxy for avchd editing,but then u can even edit this on single or dual nucleus,u dont need quad core computer.)
5.if your customer need regular dvd,u can still use this camera and then before u do editing,transcode this avchd to mpeg 2 using any of the above softwares.( cantrip here is that u should transcode avchd to mpeg with at least 9 mb/sec variable bit rate setting,so in case u need to put 2 hour on choose layer dvd ,u will get better quality,but if u have faster computer u can always edit in native avchd then output absolute file into mpeg2 )
5. best sdhc card is transcend,but you buy pana,kingston,sandisk,never buy adata name brand)
6.buy one extra battery(sad thing is No other generic battery is available so prepare to spend 169 more for okay pana battery)
please note this camera has few cons (because pana sont want to give you everything for this expenditure)
what those thing missing
1. no zoom ring
2. no focus ring(infact there is no ring on this camera)
3. no zoom oversee jack(so you cant use this camera with tripod remote)
4.nedd lots of light(understandable ,becuase u are paying under 2 respected and ccds are only 1/4 inch)
overall if you are in transition phase from dv to hd ,and dont want to lay out lots of money then this camera is number one choice,other wisebuy hmc150

2009-02-03 (ny) | Helpful Votes: 10 | Rating: 4

---

Panasonic Pro AG-DVC20 3CCD MiniDV Proline Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

Price: Too low to display

Product Details IEEE 1394 DV in/out terminal; video and S-video out; mic in and audio out Shoulder-mount design with extra-large handle grip and fingertip zoom control 2.5-inch monitor with Power LCD and new Zero Lux Night View features 3CCD optical system with advanced digital processing for sharp, vivid images

Product Description

The AG-DVC20 DV camcorder delivers importantly professional results with easy operation. The shoulder-held design keeps it stout when recording sports,weddings or other events. The 3CCD camera system, Advanced Redden Pure Engine, and 10x optical zoom lens deliver professional-straight with, high-quality images. And the navigation menu makes task one-touch easy. The AG-DVC20 has the competitive advantage of being a highly affordable keep company with side by side mounted camera with no competition at its price level.

---

Customer Reviews

Excessive Camera!
I use this camera for public tv production. I find it reliable and easy to use. It has good "low lux" sensing and performs excellent in studio and participants shoots. I've acutally (I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS) dropped this camera from shoulder height, and it suffered no internal hurt. It has a little bruise on the top of the case, but that's all the damage I can find. That incident was in August 2009, and the camera still works immaculately. As most of you know, I do not recommend using Sony tapes with this camera. Most of you understand that you cannot mix Sony and JVC/Panasonic tapes due to the differences in lubrication adapted to on the tapes. Make sure you get a good tripod for this camera; It will thank you for it later. One Terminating warning, throw away the strap that comes with the camera. It may cause the camera to balance of your shoulder. If I had the money, I would own three Panasonic DVC20s. I bought the optional six hour battery. It has never disappointed me. Some ads don't mention it, but the camera comes with two (2 hour) batteries.


sj

2010-01-15 (Douglasville, GA.) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

---

Perfect Prosumer Camera at this price range
The Panasonic AG-DVC20 is quite the best (if not only) "Pro-sumer" MiniDV camera in its price range. The DVX100 (and now the HVX) is the staple of the low budget filmmaker. But if you wish for a professional look at a lower cost the AG-DVC20 is the way to go. Here's why it's still better than anything you can get at BestBuy or Wal-mart.

These cameras were the workhorse of our College TV position. They were great for on location, news packages, interviews, sports etc. They toughed out freezing temperatures, snow, run you name it. We used them during live broadcasts of sporting events. They surprisingly held up with our PRO $10,000 cameras. We couldn't say the difference from the control room. Plus the camera ops always wanted to use them, because they were so light and had good coupй-focus.

It's MiniDV- still the media used by professionals. No one uses DVD recorders or HD camcorders that only record firmed video files (that probably won't be compatible with your editor). You can always get a hardrive to record the video using the DV out, so you won't have to capture tapes, if you don't hanker after.

Shouldermount- obviously for functionality and professional look, being shouldermount is one of the best features of this camera. It also has a employ on the top with a record button and zoom controls, so you can hold it low or in front of you. You can also hold the camera over your head or go off the deep end the LCD all the way around, to watch as you record a blog. It even folds closed with the screen facing out. The remote also comes in at the ready when recording yourself.

Has a mini microphone input, so you'll need to use an XLR adapter for your professional mics. But these days most consumer cameras don't have mic inputs at all. And more and more prosumer mics are made for mini, since it's becoming universal with this range of camera.

Has two shoes for mounting a light and a shotgun microphone at the same time. There's also cubicle quarters on the body for you to Velcro a wireless mic receiver, light battery pack or hard handle.

There is no ND filter built in, but you can buy one that screws on, as well as polarizer filters and the like. You will definitely need an ND cheesecloth in direct sunlight.

I would not say it is good in low light. I would try not to use the "gain" (as with any consumer camera). Instead arrive at an effort to supply ample light, buy an onboard light, or sharpen your skills in decree the best available lighting on your shoot.

Also, it is interlaced, which looks great if you watch the video from the camera on an analogue TV. But if your crop is going to be for Web or Progressive DVD, you'll need to check the de-interlace or interpolate fields box in your editor. But you'll get a friable image that easily.

All in all, this camera has many pro features, at en extremely low cost. It's designed for professional use. If a DVX is not in your price organize, this will make an excellent first camera.

2010-01-14 (Pittsburgh, PA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

---

One of my all measure favorites
It's presumed to be entry level but so far it's turned out first class footage for everything.. Of course, I do know how to shoot..but it will profession for anybody..and don't let the gripes about the menu discourage you. It's a simple menu and easy to use. I use a mobile powered sound board to mix sound before I send it to the cam..but this AG 20 records sound control superiors than any other I've ever used.

2009-03-22 | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5

---

Now all I be in want of to do is learn.
This is my very first camcorder. I really researched and bought a Canon GL2 two years ago for my elementary schools newscast. This is quite a bit bulkier, but was significantly less dear. My concerns were to make sure I got good sound and good low-light results. The low-pale results are there and with the external mic I picked up it satisfies my other concern. I am very pleased with the product for the price.

2009-02-20 | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

---

Very Dissapointed
This camera with three ccd paucity of brilliants color and the low ligth performance is too bad that i decided to sell it and buy and HV20 or HV30, controls are dark to use, the AG-DVC7 is a better model than this, panasonic went too backwards with this cameral, if u plan to buy a camera, get the sony hdr1000 o the canon GL2.

2009-01-25 | Hollowman (PLC , Venezuela) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1

---

Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 3CCD AVCHD 24fps Camcorder

Price: Too low to display

Product Details 3.5-inch LCD monitor displays thumbnails for quick non-linear access to clips Waveform Monitor, Vectorscope plus two Focus displays for accurate, quick focus 13X Wide angle 28 mm lens out of the box (35mm equiv.); 1/3-inch CCD Progressive Imagers Full range of HD formats: 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p (Native); 720/60p, 720/30p, 720/24p (Native)

Product Description

The weighty tapeless AG-HMC150 joins the Panasonic line of professional HD camcorders. This AVCCAM camcorder features decidedly-acclaimed functions for the popular AG-DVX100 Series of DV-tape based camcorders to tapeless HD recording. Using the get-saving AVCHD format to record onto SDHC or SD Memory In the offing media, the AG-HMC150 produces exceptional images and responds to resourceful production needs. It also features a 28mm (35mm equivalent) wide-try for lens - widest in a professional camera of this class - and a newly developed 1/3-inch 16:9 liberal CCD. It further enhances image quality by adding a higher-quality PH method to the clean, extended-time recording abilities of the AVCHD aspect. The AG-HMC150 handles full-pixel (1920 x 1080/1280 x 720) 24p and 30p reformer recording, and includes cinelike gamma and other versatile functions to dispose of the special needs of creative image production.

---

Customer Reviews

A- all around indie-budget camera!
one of the first-rate equipment investments i've ever made!
this camera has loads of pro features with the convenience and cost-savings of SD recollection card recording.
produces one of the most gorgeous images you can get from a 3 chip HD camera for under $4k.

feels like a camera i will have for the holiday of my life and that i'll always use and be happy with the images i can make with it.

from commercials, corporate video, documentary films, knee-breeches narratives, wedding videos and webisodes, this camera is the new HD workhorse that will always give you a lot back for your money.

2010-01-09 | www.GreenGorillaMedia.com | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

---

A A-OK starting point for transitioning from film
I knew I would have to do it sooner or later. Even shooting Wonderful 16mm is (a) too expensive and (b) too heavy. I have seen so many good documentary films that originated on HDV or AVCHD based camcorders that I musing I should really make an effort to go digital.
As it happened, I attended a Panasonic seminar that convincingly touted the value of a contemporary H.264 type codec for the "filmakers" vision. So the Sony and Canon alternatives were movingly eliminated as options by the smooth presentations given by Panasonic. This left the choice of cameras down to the HMC40 (cheaper and lighter) or the HMC150. Both can do the things I miss to do (24P being a requirement)and both are designed to create a "film-like" look to the image.
My choice of the HMC150 was based on the susceptibilities that 3 1/3" imagers are going to be less noisy than the 3 1/4" imagers installed in the newer HMC40 camera. I did not do any side-by-side balance testing but I am guessing that I am correct in this assumption although the degree of difference may not be noticeable in the final representative.
It has been about two months that I have been using this camera. What it can stuff into a tiny SD memory card is amazing to me. The images have been leftover for a television camera and really not too bad for a cinema camera. I miss interchangeable lenses and convenient depth of field but I don't miss changing the magazine after a few takes and I dont miss paunchy battery packs and Nagra sound recorders.
I did find that the manual iris control on the camera is farcical to use while shooting and that manual focus is also clumsly and can create sound noise while filming if you are using the on-directorship mic or even the mounted shotgun. The simple solution was a Vari-zoom remote and that fixed the two major operational problems I had.
The camera was packed with GVG's Edius Neo. That works a treat with AVCHD and as great as you have a decent modern laptop with sufficent speed and memory, it is fast enough to operate and to transcribe out edit files to disk or SD card. I prefer to have the final finishing completed by a essential editor (probably using FCP) but I can manage the rough edits with Edius without too many problems.
So, I am not star-crossed. This is the first digital cinema type camera that I have purchased and it will probably be the gateway drug to a Red One or something like that. I let slip by film but if you are not making a feature film with multiple rented 35mm cameras (paid for by someone else), why not use a camera like the HMC150? The charge of the hardware is more than offset when compared to running a S16mm camera to create 60 minutes of smooth projectable film. SD cards are cheap. Digital projectors are getting better and DI from reasonable digital cameras to 35mm film neg is possible if the content is good enough to justify the cost.

2009-12-29 (Los Angeles CA) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 4

---

Gargantuan image quality, but don't be misled by promotions
I've had the camera for three months now, and as video cameras go, it's at the top of its grade and price range.

My gripe is with Panasonic's rebates, however.

The free card never materialized. Initially, I was told it would be broached automatically by registering at PASS, which is one of the worst manufacturer support sites in the world.

Six weeks passed, no carte de visite. Meanwhile, I had to buy cards from Amazon. The Transcend Card I purchased corrupted my files. So I called Panasonic's kick back department. They had no record of the request. I downloaded a form, cut out the UPC symbol, filed the request that way.

Another six weeks obsolescent. No card. My rebate isn't in the system. Now the UPC cutout is gone, and they have no record of it. It's past the deadline, anyway.

So it's another case of being tricked into buying a output and not getting the incentive.

Bottom line: Buy this camera on its own merits, not the outside chance you might get something for free from the industrialist.

It just seems to me that if someone is putting $3,300 on the counter for a product, they could just include the stupid $30 (true value) card as a good gesture and appreciation of your business, not make you jump through jewelry like a circus dog for three months, only to find out there's no doggy bone at the end of the hoop line.

It's poor client PR and service.

2009-12-12 | cfeather (KINGSVILLE, OH USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

---

Panasonic AG HMC150 vs AG-HVX200
We very recently bought our HMC150 & the ease of using the SD cards is FANTASTIC as opposed to the minidv tapes & P2 cards that our HVX200 takes. The savings in the tariff of the SD's vs P2's is astronomical as anyone reading this already knows. My son shoots weddings & business profiles for the internet along with hunting videos for outfitters, as he is pro help for various hunting gear companies.
Unless you are needing to shoot an Indy haziness or something like that, the resolution from the smaller ccd's is adeqate for his/your needs without the exorbitant costs for the HVX's P2's, bigger tripod system, firestore etc....

On the Pro side, the as much as possible angle lens that it comes with is great & it the camera as a whole is MUCH lighter for those LONG hand held shoots & you can get by with a lighter tripod/precede combo than needed for the weight load of the HVX while not sacrificing that FULL size "PRO camera" look for a job! Lets clock it when someone is forking over $1,000.00 for a wedding, they don't want to see a little camera that looks like they would use to assassinate family movies with no matter that it is HD ect....
Also we bought a Wind netbook that we can download footage on plot to free up the SD cards so we only need a couple of them & the netbook is so much lighter & smaller than a full size laptop rigged up to use as a firestore for the P2's!

On the Cons, we could NOT use our Sennheiser shotgun mike that frenzy perfectly on the HVX as it appears in the shot unless you are zoomed out 1/2 way! I don't know if there is some kind of an adapter that we can use to raise it up & out of the way yet.

My son is currently in Missouri on a Hunt that his dad is filming him in with the HMC150, so I'll have him update this review with how it performed in the scope in rough conditions with an amatuer at the controls! The temps are dropping & we have had a LOT of rain...........so we'll undeviating have more to share as they are filming full day shoots for a week in extremely inclement weather conditions!

BTW... you might dearth to Immediately go ahead & buy the long life battery & UV filter at the same time you buy this as they are a DEFINITE "must" to keep safe the expensive wide angle lens that it comes with & to NOT lose a shot when filming because your freestyle died!

2009-10-16 | Expert Mom! (TN, USA) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 5

---

Weighty Camera
I got this camera about a month ago, and I notion of I've figured out every possible manual control on the camera and the best ways to use them.
Everything is great about the camera except a few things.

The mobile is tiny. I bought a larger 4 hour battery works great, $170 from J&R
The van focus is poor, it's very slow
The on-board mic is bad

but what do you expect.

Audio controls are nice and comfortable to use.
Video quality is excellent. A little noisy, i wish the sensor was bigger.

Editing with a quad insides 2.66GHz PC with 6GB of RAM.
Editing works great, with Sony Vegas 9.0 Pro
However I need to get some more RAM because when full editing lags more.

Entire a good camera. I'm shooting a wedding this weekend. I'll write another review after that experience.

2009-10-13 | ZarProductions (Louisiana, USA) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 4

---

What is that thing called that is on most professional camcorders?

Q: On most professional camcorders, they have this jet-black rim around the lense, I would assume its to omit surrounding light from entering the lenses. They have them on for norm a Canon GL2 and 1. I want to know so I would be able to buy an outside one to add to a Panasonic GS-500
Here is an example of what I mean.

http://wize.com/photos/stinting/18473.jpg

---

A: They are called Lens hood and it can either be Straightforward or round, depending on your camera model.