Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 3CCD AVCHD 24fps Camcorder
- Full range of HD formats: 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p (Native); 720/60p, 720/30p, 720/24p (Native)
- Higher bit-rate recording than consumer models (21 Mbps PH Mode)
- 13X Wide angle 28 mm lens out of the box (35mm equiv.); 1/3-inch CCD Progressive Imagers
- Waveform Monitor, Vectorscope plus two Focus displays for accurate, quick focus
- 3.5-inch LCD monitor displays thumbnails for quick non-linear access to clips
- Full range of HD formats: 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p (Native) , 720/60p, 720/30p, 720/24p (Native)
- 13X Wide angle 28 mm lens out of the box (35mm equiv.) , 1/3-inch CCD Progressive Imagers
The cooler than cool AG-HMC150 drew big crowds at the 2008 NAB Show. Why? Simply because it offers an unheard of Bang for the Buck, in a 1/3-inch three-chip hand held tapeless HD camcorder, while retaining the core versatility of the DVX100B. The HMC150 sports a 28mm lens right out of the box and a new PH Record mode (21 Mbps) which offers higher resolution with a host of recording formats including 24p. Add to that, amazing low light performance, long record and battery time and professional Audio capabilities at a price that will make it an instant hit with a wide range of AV Shooters, Indie creators and Event video professionals.
NEEWER® Macro Ring LED Light – Works with Canon/Sony/Nikon/Sigma lenses
- 6 x Adapter Rings Included! (49mm/52mm/55mm/58mm/62mm/67mm)
- Specially designed ring shape is perfect for MACRO photography (close-up).
- This light has a double-duty power supply design which allows you to use 2 x AA batteries or DC power
- This lighting unit provide a continuous lighting (not flashing), the continuous lighting allows you handle exposure easily.
- Also great for portrait photography.
This LED Macro Ring Light is specifically designed for close shots. It will constantly emit light and provide permanent lighting for subjects. With the LED lamp mode controller, you can adjust the three modes: all light, half left light, and half right light; With the power mode controller, you can choose two different power input modes to offers you continuous light: 2 AA batteries that is convenient for outdoor shooting or AC adapter input. In addition, it includes 6 different thread adapter rings (49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm or 67mm) to fit wide range of lens models on the market.
Specifications:
Weight of Ring Flash Body: 125g
Weight of Control Unit: 60g
Weight of Electricity Charger: 115g
Weight of Step Ring: 100g
Size of Step Rings: 49mm/52mm/55mm/58mm/62mm/67mm
LED Index: Approx. 15GN (all light on)
Coiled Cord Length: Approx. 100cm
Voltage Range: 100-240V/50-60Hz
Electric Power Consumption: Approx. 5w (all light on)
Power Source: AA batter
NEEWER® 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable Ultra High Power Panel Digital Camera / Camcorder Video Light, LED Light for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic,SONY, Samsung and Olympus Digital SLR CamerasThis super lightweight 160-piece-LED video light can be used in video taking. either for lights setup or supplement, the light int…
POV ACG-20 4 GB Action Video Camera Sunglass Combination (Black)The POV ACG-20 is a unique wearable camcorder and polarized sunglass combination. The sunglasses are a popular style and weigh onl…
WOW 🙂,
I received my 150 a little over a week ago. Bought it because I wanted to move up to HD and get out of the tape business. It did not come with an SDHC card. Bought an 8 GB to carry me over until my 16 GB cards arrive via Amazon. I am still on the learning curve on it. Especially liked the large comfortable color view eye piece. I was also amazed by the clarity of the video play back on my 48″ LCD screen. Used the three cable output first, that came with the camera( Video, Lt. Rt. Audio )
Very clear video, much clearer than my trusty old Canon GL-2 It does not come with an HDMI cable. Bought one locally and tried it. Plugged one end into the HDMI out port on the camera and the other end into the HDMI port of my TV. I was blown away by how clear it was !! The video was clearer than some of the stations I view in HD.
On playback, you are given a thumbnail of the first frame of each scene you shot when you turned the camera on. On playback, you can skip around the scenes you want to view , or delete if needed. The focus assist is another nice feature. When you use it, it momentarily zooms in on the middle of your next shot so that you can fine focus if needed.
It has many other features that I have not tried yet. On editing, bought the Pinnacle 12 Ultimate because it is set up to handle the AVHCD format and a PC with the AMD quad Phenom processor with 3 GB of RAM. Waiting for a more powerful graphics card to arrive before trying to edit in this new format. The battery that came with it is small. Would recommend buying the larger battery as soon as you can to balance it out. Right now, it feels a little out of balance because of the smaller battery. Also liked the solid magnesium body. No plastic anywhere ! Overall, I am impressed with this camera.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Nothing new to add… other than I love this camera,
One thing you need to keep in mind is that editing AVCCam/AVCHD is a P.I.T.A. I’m using CS4 on a 2.4 quadcore with 8gig of RAM and Vista64 and it’s sluggish with frequent lockups. I’m getting Cineform ProspectHD v4 when it comes out to compensate. Vegas 8.0c and Edius works well I’m told, and FCP need to convert it to ProRes (or whatever it’s called). I think Avid needs to convert it to a native codec as well. Panasonic does offer a free converter to DVCProHD on there website
[Update 6/5/09… Premiere CS4 4.1 update is out, and editing is much easier. Also, Prospect v4 is out, and editing with the demo I’ve been trying has been a joy]
That said… the camera itself is awesome. Really. I’m coming from the DVX, and this is leaps and bounds above that (which is saying something). The images I’m getting are beautiful. I’m planning on going out now on my days off to shoot just for the fun of it.
I really can’t add anything that hasn’t been said already by others. But if you’re looking at the HVX200a or HPX170 (they all share the same chips, and the HMC shares the same glass as the HPX), but don’t want to deal with the costs of P2 or need all of the features of the HPX or HVX, I would HIGHLY recommend buying this instead.
Just be prepared for some editing headaches at first (the problem with bleeding edge technology is sometimes you need to get stitches).
Was this review helpful to you?
|I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,
It does what it says, basically. Some of my rechargeable batts will work with it and others won’t. That may be related to the shape of the battery contacts.
Having constant illumination is great for focusing, plus it allows you to choose higher shutter speeds instead of aperture if that suits your purpose.
The battery life is decent, but as you shoot if you’re tracking insects etc. you may leave it on to be ready at a moment’s notice. You may not notice your batteries are draining and you’re not getting much out of it. But gee, they included an AC adapter and if you’re doing indoor macro stuff, that’s a fantastic accessory to have. That more than offsets the downside IMO.
Being so lightweight, it doesn’t seem to tax my kit lens’s AF motor at all. The only real downside I have seen is that reflections of the ring light may be broken or jagged. That is, instead of a clean circle of light reflecting off a water droplet, you may see individual LEDs. I’ve been using it at very close range, though, and I think as you move farther from the subject that’s less noticeable or nonexistent.
The other issue TBD would be longevity. For my purposes it’s fine and I don’t beat up my equipment. If you’re a pro…well, why wouldn’t you invest the money on a serious ringflash setup if you’re a pro, right?
This gets the job done for me with little fuss or fanfare; it’s well worth the ~$50 I paid for it, easily. I’m very very pleased with it so far.
Update 5/28: I retested my AAs that wouldn’t work before. They work now. It could be that the battery compartment is just a bit fussy. I’m a little tempted to rubberband the back cover to the unit because it can come off. I do like the fact that the batteries are separate from the ring because there’s no point in adding extra weight to the lens if you don’t have to. Also I had a slight issue where the light was weak and I’d just put in fresh batteries. Either the cord is starting to short or the cord at the battery unit wasn’t making good contact but that was easily fixed. I’ve made hundreds (maybe a thousand by now) of shots with the unit though and remain very satisfied.
Update 6/5: I might start by saying that I use this 3-4x a week. Although I’ve had it about five or six weeks, I have probably used it 25x and made at least 1000 pictures with it.
I’m starting to have problems with it. Sometimes the cord from battery to light doesn’t want to seat properly; now I think the cord itself may be thin and not conducting the electricity well. I’ll try a quick fix of wrapping the “elbows” with electrical tape or something like that, à la Roger Daltrey and his microphone. If it continues to fail, I’d probably buy another and wrap it from the gitgo, treat it more carefully.
One thing I meant to do and haven’t: run a pencil on both sides of the adapter, the idea being to “lubricate with graphite.” Sometimes as the lens twists etc. it may strain the cord b/c it doesn’t rotate as freely on the front as I’d like (not that it alters picture quality or becomes a hassle—just that it may be what’s causing the wire to short). Were it to move freely, maybe I wouldn’t have the issue I seem to be encountering.
Should I end up getting a 2nd one, I guess it wouldn’t be a total loss. I’d have an “extra” battery holder. Also I haven’t used the AC cord much…that may be a tool to see where it’s failing, by process of elimination.
Was this review helpful to you?
|For Price – Amazing,
This unit comes with 6 adapters [49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, and 67mm). The adapters screw into the end of your lens or filter. For me I tested it on my T1i’s 18-55mm Kit lens, screwing into my Hoya 58mm UV filter with no problem. The Ring flash then slides over the adapter. The ring attaches to the battery pack (uses 2AA) which itself attaches to your hotshoe (a little loosely but I had no problems) On the battery pack you can choose Off/Battery/ or DC Plug (provided). On the ring light you can choose between Full/Right/Left to determine which LEDs light, either all or half. Obviously the ring can be rotated so that it you can light only Top/Bottom or almost any angle. The LEDs are Bright -I was surprised and impressed. As stated in other reviews they will reflect in reflective surfaces such as Glass/water/eyes. Since I tested them on an EF-s lens which spins the end of the lens to focus I did notice that the ring would turn, however it is easy to hold in place or reposition – I had no problem. The build quality does seem a little weak as it is all plastic but this product is 10% of the price of the Name Brand and works basically the same. The lights Do Not strobe or flash, but simply stay on until you turn them off. If you want to pay $360 more for that feature be my guest I dont need it. For me this is a great product.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Just what I needed,
Customer Video Review Length:: 1:30 Mins
I made this video since I couldnt find any when I was doing a research on this item. On the video you see how the 58mm adapter screws into the lens and then how the ring is used on the camera. As you will notice the ring light rotates on the lens. Some will find this an issue but not me. Is all plastic and only the lens adapter is metal. If you take care of it (like I do) you wont have any problem.
Was this review helpful to you?
|