HMC40 announced
 

Panasonic announced a new HMC40 today, should be available around August for $3195. It's a high-def version of the DVC30, basically. Looks like it'll be a hot little number. 1080/24p from three 2.2-megapixel 1920x1080 CMOS chips, as well as 1080/30p, 1080/60i, 720/24p, 720/30p, and 720/60p. Waveform monitor, user buttons, manual focus/iris/zoom, headphone jack, mic jack, optional XLR inputs, HDMI output, component output... it looks like a miniature HVX200.

Hi Barry,

Thanks for the info. I'm not too excited about the CMOS feature.

Or the fact that chips are smaller than a quarter inch.

Its basically an HD version of the DVC30. It looks like it has the exact MOS chips that are inside the TM300 but with the added bonus of having slightly more manual features, XLR inputs and more recording modes.

For all the people that worried about the price point that JVC put on the HM100, this will cause it to drop quickly before the HMC40 is released. Now it’s up to Canon to release a successor to the GL2 and Sony to release a successor to the A1u.


How many semi professional camcorders with 1/3” chips are as small as the HM100 or the HMC40?

It is clearly a TM300 with XLR and more controls at more than twice the price. I too am waiting to see what will happen in this AVCHD area. I have been pleased with my SR7 and then SR11 and will likely get an XR500 but would really like an AVCHD replacement for my FX1. Even better if it was smaller like the old TRV900.

Ron Evans

Here’s a video of it:
Newsdetails: Film-TV-Video[day]=21&tx_ttnews[month]=04&tx_ttnews[year]=2009
Translated version of http://www.film-tv-video.de/newsdetail+M5f74422abb9.html?&tx_ttnews[day]%3D21%26tx_ttnews[month]%3D04%26tx_ttnews[year]%3D2009%0D%0A&sl=de&tl=en

I was hoping for much much better product from Panasonic. But for some reason recently the manufacturers have the tendency to copy the worst features from the competitors, price it sky high and wait for the miracle of huge profits. Focus/zoom on the same ring in a "pro" camera- are you kidding?! No PCi sound, recording format impossible to work with on the Mac and 75% of the PC's. 1/4 chips! Gee, who is doing a market research for these guys? Looks like a dud from a get-go.

I'd like to know how the HMC40 compares to the JVC HM100 for low light performance.

So is this an AVCHD cam? Or did Panasonic use the same MPEG2 like JVC?

It's AVCHD.

All Panasonic AVCCAM camcorders are AVCHD.

In other words, if it carries the AVCCAM badge, you know it's AVCHD.

HMC40 Lens
 

Chris,

Thanks so much for all of the info you have posted about this camera, I am very interested as a long time DVC30 user. I have tried to find more information about the lens but have not been able to. Can you tell us more about size, focal distance (1.8-3.4) and anything else. Thanks for all you do to keep us up to date.