In your case I would go for the EX-1.

I would not spend any more money on a tape based 1/3" sensor camera. The XH-A1(S) just dosen't represent a good value.

Im not going to rehash it, but except for absolute best case resolution, the HMC-150 does everything else better. You should download HMC-150 and EX-1 raw footage files before making a final decision.

The EX is tempting, I have hired second camera men to shoot weddings that used the EX1 and the footage looked great except for the rolling shutter. One first dance - the hired photographers (2) and several in the audence started snapping shots and the rolling shutter was so bad that I ended up using mostly my XHA1 footage. I am not a big fan of CMOS for that reason.

one more important factor in the EX vs 150 comparison is the lens ramping during
zoom. the EX stays at 1.6 the whole way through, which is HUGE for low light work.

No it doesn't Scott - whatever gave you that idea?

are you sure? i was shooting with mine inside the other day along with the HMC,
and the aperature didnt change. I thought it was constant, it may be 1.9 not 1.6,
my bad.

OK Scott, Sony's PDF on the EX1 is very quiet and vague about this, so I've taken my knowledge from those who have experience with the camera.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/sony-xdcam-ex-cinealta/109754-lens-2-8-full-telephoto.html

tom.

...and with a smaller chip to cover, the Z7's 12x lens is faster at full wide (f/1.6) and a lot faster at full tele (f/2.0).

As far as sharpness comments go, then whilst I haven't compared a 150 to an XH-A1, I have compared a 150 to an EX, and can only say the EX trounced the 150 for resolution.

I'd expect the EX1 to be a better camera, especially since it cost twice as much as the 150. Throw in another 2-3 grand just for media on long shoots, and it's even less of fair match-up.

I was all set on getting the Sony FX1000. I loved it's low-light capabilities and long lens. But doing mostly wedding work, I didn't want the rolling shutter issues.

So I'll be getting the Panny 150. IMHO, it's the best camera you can buy for $3200.

I was all set on getting the Sony FX1000. I loved it's low-light capabilities and long lens. But doing mostly wedding work, I didn't want the rolling shutter issues.

So I'll be getting the Panny 150. IMHO, it's the best camera you can buy for $3200.

I agree that the HMC-150 is the current best of the bunch for most applications.

All these 1/3" sensor cameras are similar but do have a lot of variables in their features, of course. I only know what I hear and see in examples on here about rolling shutter issues, and to me, that seems like a total deal breaker for a wedding videographer (i.e. constant flashes). I have enough problems in post without potentally dealing with that.

Also, the HMC-150 is from the Panasonic Professional segment. You get a lot of technical support that is truly helpful from Panasonic Professional. They have even released one firmware update and some scene file stuff already. They also send out questionaires asking about your pros & cons of the camera. I never got that from Canon or JVC.

I'd expect the EX1 to be a better camera, especially since it cost twice as much as the 150. Throw in another 2-3 grand just for media on long shoots, and it's even less of fair match-up.
I don't know what the US prices are, but in the UK the price of an EX1*without any media* is about 50% more than a 151 without media - about £4,000 v £2,600.

Regarding cost of media, can I point you towards Summary: SDHC substitute for SxS cards - The Digital Video Information Network (http://www.dvinfo.net//conf/showthread.php?t=138485) ? It's no longer necessary for long shoots with an EX1 to need 2-3 grands worth of media. As that thread makes clear, it's now possible to use SDHC cards with the EX, same as with the 150 - ans a lot of users have been doing just that for some months now.

I've just come back from using a (hired) EX in anger for the first time, and am very impressed. I had 16 16GB Transcend SDHC cards with it, enough for over 15 hours of filming - which cost me a total of £400!! I was initially a bit apprehensive, but the system was rock solid stable, not a single problem. Unless you want to do a lot of overcrank, or very fast downloading is important, you really don't need to use SxS.

Averaged over a period of (say) 4 years, that means the difference between the 151 and the EX is about £350 a year, and compared to other business expenses that doesn't seem very much. The differences between the two cameras are not solely picture quality either. The EX codec is much more edit friendly than AVC-HD, the EX has a true manual lens and much better viewfinder, and the EX is easily the best sub-£5,000 camera for low light. Use SxS and the EX will allow for overcrank - the 151 just doesn't have the option.