Press Release: Panasonic unveils HMC150 pricing and ship date

[Tim Polster]

Hey Dwian,

I have decided to go with the HPX-500 and two HMC-150s.

Since my shooting will mainly be in 720p60, I don't thinkthe EX-1 will be that much better and the HMC-150 is a lot better for longer record times.

I am hoping to pull the trigger soon.

[Darren Shroeger]

I too have decided on the HMC150 and I have had a pre-order in with my vendor since August 2nd. For my needs (industrial, light corporate and some broadcast) I am willing to put up with the transcoding workflow for now since hard drives are lot cheaper than P2 cards. While I have high hopes for a quick update from Apple to allow FCP to work with AVCHD footage natively, what about an Offline RT workflow with AVCHD? Has anyone ever considered this? It dawned on me yesterday that this MIGHT be the way to edit AVCHD on a less-than-buff computer system. I am currently editing on a Macbook Pro... I am all about figuring out how to edit HMC150 footage with "what I've got" :)

PS: I got a great price on the HMC150, anyone interested can PM me for details!

[Dwain Elliott]

Darren,

I had also decided that a Panny HMC150 was the one for me when they announced the pricing ($3500 @ B&H).

I later changed my mind in favor of the Sony Z5U when it was anounced at $3800, but went right back to the 150 when Sony said that there was a typo and the Z5U was really $5000.

[Bob Diaz]

Originally Posted by David Heath

Hello Bob! Sorry to revisit this, but I've been given (almost by accident) what I now consider the definitive answer, and I'm afraid neither of us was quite right!

The 1.5x figure I'm told is reasonable (for luminance) for any pixel shift system, but it applies to the system in total. Hence, for 960x1080 chips with horizontal pixel shift, it's equivalent to luminance chips of about 1440x1080.

The confusion with the Panasonic implementation is because it applies in 2 dimensions. The 1.5x figure is still true - but shared between the dimensions. Now, the 50% gain corresponds to an effective increase in the number of equivalent pixels for luminance - from 0.5MP to 0.75MP - and because they are shared between h and v, the effective increase IN EACH DIMENSION is the square root of 1.5 - 1.22x.

Hence it's reasonable to consider the effective luminance resolution as that of a chip with dimensions about 1170x660. Well, pretty close to 1280x720.....!? I believe some measurements have shown resolved detail a bit higher than those figures, but looking at zone plate results, I'm pretty sure they are aliases.

The problem when we try to figure out the factor and the equivalent resolution to use is that detail comes in three different forms: (1) Horizontal Only/Vertical Only Detail (2) Diagonal Detail and (3) Detail in BOTH Vertical and Horizontal Axes at the same time.


The simpler solution is to just look at the images and judge from there....

At 1280x720, the images seem sharp. If we compare to other cameras in the same price range, nothing will jump out as far as a major difference in sharpness.

At 1920x1080, the images look OK, but a comparison shows that the images of the HMC-150 appear to be softer than other cameras in the same price range.


There are other factors to consider, but as far as resolution, I think it's safe to say that the HMC-150 does a very nice 720p.


Bob Diaz

[Darren Shroeger]

Bob, Which cameras are you referring to "in the same price range?" Canon XH-A1? Sony V1U?

[Darren Shroeger]

Originally Posted by Dwain Elliott

Darren,

I had also decided that a Panny HMC150 was the one for me when they announced the pricing ($3500 @ B&H).

I later changed my mind in favor of the Sony Z5U when it was anounced at $3800, but went right back to the 150 when Sony said that there was a typo and the Z5U was really $5000.

The simultaneously-introduced HDR-FX1000 is $3200 + around $1000 for the HVR-MRC1K recording unit which places it in a similar price bracket as the HMC150...

[Dwain Elliott]

The FX1000 is a $3000+ "prosumer" camcorder, basically a Z5U w/o XLR inputs and the ability to attach the HVR-MRC1K recording unit.

In this price range, the HMC150 is still the best value. My only caveat is the need for a properly powered (in my case) Mac to efficiently and effectively edit AVCHD with Final Cut.

[Darren Shroeger]

Don't worry. This camera is ahead of computers/software at the moment but that'll change.

"If we build it they will come" - Field of Dreams

:)

[Darren Shroeger]

By the way, I spoke to Panasonic's HMC150 Product Manager Monday (Sept. 22) and he assured me that the first HMC150's are currently in the U.S. clearing customs. They should hit the first retailers by 9/25

[Darren Shroeger]

Originally Posted by Darren Shroeger

By the way, I spoke to Panasonic's HMC150 Product Manager today and he assured me that the first HMC150's are currently in the U.S. clearing customs. They should hit the first retailers by 9/25

UPDATE: My rep called me today to let me know they received the HMC150's today (Tues Sept. 23) and mine has been shipped to me. Should arrive Thursday. I will keep everyone posted on its arrival

[Bob Diaz]

Originally Posted by Darren Shroeger

Bob, Which cameras are you referring to "in the same price range?" Canon XH-A1? Sony V1U?

The list of cameras I was thinking about are:

Canon XH-A1
Sony V1u
JVC HD-110U

If we use B&H's prices to compare, they all fall within several hundred $ close to the HMC-150's price.


Bob Diaz

[Darren Shroeger]

Originally Posted by Bob Diaz

The list of cameras I was thinking about are:

Canon XH-A1
Sony V1u
JVC HD-110U

If we use B&H's prices to compare, they all fall within several hundred $ close to the HMC-150's price.


Bob Diaz

Yes, the XH-A1 is still an outstanding performer. My experience with the V1U was not as good. It struggles in low light with its first generation CMOS technology. I've not used the 110U, the 720p only kind of scares me even though that is what I plan to shoot 99% of the time with the HMC150 :)

[Stefan Immler]

You have probably all seen ...

The Panasonic AG-HMC150 is finally IN STOCK at B&H.

Originally Posted by Tim Polster

But overall, to me, what changes everything for all of these newer cameras is the ability to pull 4:2:2 out of the HDMI/SDI.

This gives the latent value of getting higher quality than is reflected in the price, which makes them a bargain in a way.

Are you going to make use of that with an external hard drive capture device, by any chance? Or directly to laptop somehow?

If it doesn't increase the size of what I have to lug around too much, I'd love a good, affordable & portable 4:2:2 solution.

Man, that'd be ideal... and with the 3CCDs, I imagine the colour would be nicer than what the EX1 gives, too. I <3 the almost 60s era color of the HVX. I think I'm starting to admit to myself that I love good color more than I love a little extra resolution. :)