Does the AC90 feel cheap?

[Matthew Chambers]

Does the body feel cheap or solid. Thanks

[Coral Cook]

I wouldn't say it feels cheap. It's just very light-weight, and probably not you're used to for a professional video camera. There's a huge difference between holding the AC90 and holding my XHA1!

[Matthew Chambers]

The AC 90 trumps the A1 in everything else though? Is it roughly the same size?

[Steve Struthers]

I had a quick test drive of the AC90 on Saturday at a camera shop. I found the camera doesn't feel particularly cheap. Some of the switchgear and dials do have a bit of a cheap look, but that's to be expected in a camera that delivers what the Panasonic does and costs what it does. That tells me that Panasonic put most of the good stuff where it matters - in the guts of the camera.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Matthew

I never owned AC-90's but did have a pair of AC-130's and compared to the older HMC cameras yes, it's a LOT more plastic -like and far less solid feeling than the previous models. However I suspect that's because the cases would have been made in a different factory or out-sourced.

It has no bearing at all on the workings of the camera but simply means a lot less weight ..much the same as modern cars .. The AC-90 will still be an awesome camera regardless of whether it might look more flimsy than older models and after using it for a few hours you will probably thank the manufacturer for saving a little weight when your arms get tired. I also used to have the much older AVC-20's (PAL models were called the MD10000) and they were a big and ugly hollow box way too large from what was inside but, they worked like a dream!!!

Look at the 90's end results and forget the casing and you will be happy

Chris

[Mike Beckett]

In 5 months of intense use (by my standards), build quality of the AC130 has not been a problem.

Build quality of the cameraman is another issue...

[Chris Harding]

Hi Mike

I never questioned the build quality as such, just the fact that the casing is thinner plastic than the older cameras but as already said, that does affect anything inside.

Chris

[Tom Roper]

Originally Posted by Coral Cook

I wouldn't say it feels cheap. It's just very light-weight, and probably not you're used to for a professional video camera. There's a huge difference between holding the AC90 and holding my XHA1!

I used to have an XHA1 and now have an AC90. I just last week was mixing some XHA1 footage I shot, so it is fresh on my mind. With purely in-cam settings, using Stephen Dempsey's XHA1 "VIVID RGB" preset (that I helped come up with in a small role), the XHA1 delivers a colorful image that needed no further grading. That was nice because otherwise, HDV footage doesn't grade as well in post, and suffers more in second generation. But credit where it is due, that footage I shot with it holds up easily and I didn't need to re-encode it, so the native quality was intact.

The XHA1 feels much heavier and more robust because of that hulking piece of Canon L glass, which is outstanding. Now if you take that glass out of the equation, it becomes apparent why the AC90 is much lighter weight and more balanced, the lens and glass is much smaller due to the 1/4.7 inch 3MOS BSI chips. The AC90 in actuality is probably MUCH more robust than you would believe with the XHA1 because it doesn't have to contend with a fragile tape transport mechanism. So it's not just the plastic on either one, the AC90 uses simpler switches, lighter weight glass and omits tape transport, is the reason it's much lighter and faster handling than the XHA1.

The AC90 is much better in low light, I needed a light to work with the XHA1. The AVCHD 2.0 compliant 24 mbps codec is cleaner and more gradable than CANON HDV. And the chief distinguishing feature of the AC90 compared to most pro grade cams is 1080/60p.

[Mike Beckett]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Hi Mike

I never questioned the build quality as such, just the fact that the casing is thinner plastic than the older cameras but as already said, that does affect anything inside.

Chris

No worries Chris... it was just a general statement about AC range build quality, I wasn't pointing fingers.