Panasonic AG-HMC40 low light test compared with HF100

[1650million]

Super useful, thanks a lot for taking the time. And BTW, the HMC40 in low-light is not as bad as I was expecting, to be honest. Even though it´s a dark sensor, its gain seems to work pretty well, to me.

What are your thoughts, after all this time? Have you found a better camera/sensor?

Cheers!

[Nethfel]

@1650million I'll be honest, as much as I love the camera and its features, the majority of recording I need to do has been in low light at a distance - the distance is just far enough where the amount of light hitting the subject creates a lot of grain and a difficult time focusing. I'm strongly considering selling my HMC40 and my digital still camera and getting a Panasonic GH2 when one is in stock and I have cash. It would replace two pieces of my equipment, and the larger sensor of the

[Nethfel]

@Nethfel digital still should provide significantly better low light performance (at least from all of the footage I've seen from the camera) Plus it has most of the modes of the HMC40 (although at a lower bitrate, max I think @ 17mbps) and it will run till it fills the card unlike many other manufacturers (like canon or nikon). I'm still not 100% sure yet, but that's the direction I'm leaning.

[1650million]

@Nethfel Yep, I guess most of us are in the same boat. After watching many low-light vids with the GH2, I´m convinced its capabities are nothing sort of fantastic. But still, I´m gonna miss the external manual controls, the handle, the ability to adjust audio levels on the fly, the motorized zoom, the proper zebras... For run-and-gun situations, I still believe the hmc40 it´s the better camera, by a long shot. If you can do without them, by all means, get the GH2. Nothing is perfect... :)

[Nethfel]

@1650million Well, for me, the only real thing is the zebras. The handle doesn't do much for me since it sits on a tripod most of the time. The ability to adjust audio levels - I use a Juicedlink box, so I have audio trim control there, usually I don't touch the audio settings on the camera - just fixed to a certain audio level and tweak the juiced to make it fit. Motorized zoom - I usually bind my zoom to the ring; I'm very comfortable using the ring control because I'm used to that style of

[Nethfel]

@1650million shooting control (dating back to when I had a shoulder camera with interchangeable lenses) - the zebras are what I would really miss. That and the live histogram that's not tiny on the screen. I haven't gotten rid of it yet - getting a GH2 is kinda tough right now, and I don't have the cash to outlay for it so until I get to a point where I actually sell my HMC and have cash in hand, nothing will change. Now if I had a HMC150, I'd probably be happy as it has much better low light

[FloridaTalent]

thank you, I just bought this camera... i notice a lot of noise in the picture and I'm wondering if this is normal...

[Gothicmaster100]

help I need your advice.I have to make choice between Panasonic - High-Definition 9.15MP....Panasonic AG-HMC40 . I don't know which is better for me.I am not interested in sound recording quality because I need it for the music video.I also have to record at night so please tell me which one I have to buy.thank you

[Nethfel]

@Gothicmaster100 What other camera are you comparing to the HMC40? In terms of low light, I'm not sure what lighting conditions you're going to be working in, I know that although the HMC40 does ok, I definitely wish it did better in low light.

[UpstateNewYork1]

i film skateboarding....would this be a good camera for me?

[Nethfel]

@TylerSaysTV Well, it's not a camera for everyone. What are you looking for it to do for you? What kind of video do you shoot?

[BBrtqB]

@Nethfel any Tips on getting somewhere in film industry part time?, i was thinking of doing something on Demand Media so i can work with whatever schedule i like and get a fair sum of money buy what else is possible and how exactly can i find it? Im am saving for this cam too.

[mwegener2]

nice job but people also need to be aware that you can also kick the HMC40 all the way up to 32DB gain.

[Nethfel]

@mwegener2 True, you do have a point that I probably should have done at least a sample at max gain, but at that max level, the image isn't as nice as many would like considering grain and all.

[XMetalTube]

How many FPS?

[Nethfel]

@XMetalTube The HMC40 was @1080i60, so 29.97 fps with a shutter speed of 1/60.

The Canon was @1080i60, so 29.97 fps unknown shutter speed.

[granadajohn]

I think you made this just for me, I have both the same cameras. thanks for the info.

[Nethfel]

@granadajohn No problem, glad it could help! I've got some time before I need it to do real video work, so I'm trying as much as I can to get comfortable with the cam. It is quite different to shoot with then the HF100, but I do like it a lot.