This Highlight is from a one camera documentary shoot with an enhanced Highlight. It's the first wedding that I shot with the HMC150. It was shot in 1080/30p and edited in Edius.

The ceremony location was dimly lit, but to make matters worse, the B&Gs faces were in dark shadows. You can see how the congregation was nice and bright compared to the B&G. Notice when the couple face each other and how dark their faces are on the camera side and how much brighter their faces are opposite the camera.

I shot ceremony in a 30 shutter speed because it was so dark. I remember looking down at the LCD screen and then looking up at the couple and noticing how much brighter the LCD was than in real life.

At the reception I used a combination of on camera and off camera lighting.

In post, I color corrected the ceremony. I did not brighten the ceremony footage, just color corrected it. All other footage is untreated so you can see the true abilities of the camera unfiltered. I shot everything in Scene File 4. I was told that Scene File 4 is good for weddings or other low light conditions.

http://vonweddingfilms.com/preview/HMC150Highlight.wmv

Mark,
your comments about the ceremony made me think it was going to have a cave look. Frankly while I see some shadows due to the backlighting from the windows the footage looks really good. The content and the edit of course are typical VonLanken. Superb as usual.
This camera is really beginning to intrigue me-thanks for posting the clip. I have to say it looked like it handled the low light quite well.

that looked great. the low light performance looked good too.

thank you for posting.

Hi Don and Martin,

Thanks for the kinds words.

Mark: good stuff!

Have you noticed any problems with the audio recorded on the HMC? I'm asking because many people are experiencing audio pops and cracks when recording high decible sources and even with ALC turned on...

Mark,
At the risk of hijacking this thread I have a question. you said you shot in 1080 30p. I have the GY-HD100s whick shoot in 720 30p I have been trying to get rid of them because they have a "studdery" look which I blamed on the 30 fps. I kinda figured they were made for film guys and not weddings so I have been looking at the HMC-150 just so I can shoot in 60i. Do you like the look of the 30p? I can see where it will work for a hi light portion but what about the whole video? Do your brides like it? or notice it?

thanks
randy

I am interested to hear Mark's thoughts on this as well.

Mark: good stuff!

Have you noticed any problems with the audio recorded on the HMC? I'm asking because many people are experiencing audio pops and cracks when recording high decible sources and even with ALC turned on...

Hi Yang,

Thanks. No I haven't. I keep the audio in ALC and watch the levels. If it is approaching the redline, I just back the levels off.

In the EventDV clips there is an example with a band in episode 3. I was not hired to shoot this wedding. I was just tagging along with a photographer friend to test the camera, so I did not mic the band like I would on a paid gig. I just used the on camera mic and walked right in front of the speakers without any problems.

Mark,
...you said you shot in 1080 30p. I have the GY-HD100s whick shoot in 720 30p I have been trying to get rid of them because they have a "studdery" look which I blamed on the 30 fps. I kinda figured they were made for film guys and not weddings so I have been looking at the HMC-150 just so I can shoot in 60i. Do you like the look of the 30p? I can see where it will work for a hi light portion but what about the whole video? Do your brides like it? or notice it?

thanks
randy

Hi Randy,

If you are considering the HMC150 to replace your JVC HD-100s, I can think of several reasons why the HMC150 would be better for wedding work, but I never considered the ability to shoot 60i as one of them, but if 60i is a really big deal for you, then I say go for the HMC150.

30p and 24p will give the "studdery" look as you called it. Many people like the look because it looks like the rhythm of film. The HMC150 will let you shoot 60i, 30p and 24p.

I have shot 60i for 13 years, so going to 30p looks different. I do like 60i better for slow motion, but I can get adjusted to 30p, especially when not using slow motion. It may also depend on what speed of slow motion you select. Most of the time I am using 50% slow motion.

You can see footage shot in 24p, 30p and 60i on episode 3 of the EventDV review I did on the HMC150. I show examples in realtime and in 50% slow motion.

thanks Mark,
Im really on the fence, I dont know if it bothers my brides as much as it bothers me. Part of me wants to sell them both and take the plunge. Another part of me wants to wait for a year or two. I assume the HMC-150s are MUCH better in low light too?

Randy

Hi Randy,

I have only had hands on experience with the JVC HD100 one time, so I do not have a lot of experience with it. I feel confident that the HMC150 is significantly better in low light.

Is there a local dealer that you can do a side by side comparison with your JVC? What kind of a price can you get out of your cameras today? Then consider how much they will be worth if you hold off six months or a year. Depending on your business plan, it may make sense to make a move now, or wait a while.

You can see footage shot in 24p, 30p and 60i on episode 3 of the EventDV review I did on the HMC150. I show examples in realtime and in 50% slow motion.

Mark- can you check the eventDV website. I see where they have posted episode 3, but there is no video there (at least for my web browsers). If it is there when you look, can you post a link?

I have been viewing my footage on a Intensity pro card that doesnt really support 30p so I have a HD spark coming next week Edius allows for more "wiggle room" with formats maybe i'll play with the frame rate settings a bit and see if I cant get it less studdery. I have learned to live with the cameras low light performance for now. I think id like to wait and save up cash instead of running into something if I can.plus NAB is next month.

thanks
Randy

Mark- can you check the eventDV website. I see where they have posted episode 3, but there is no video there (at least for my web browsers). If it is there when you look, can you post a link?

Hi Mike,

I just checked it and episode 3 was online here.
EventDV-TV.com (http://www.eventdv-tv.com/)

Mark: good stuff!

Have you noticed any problems with the audio recorded on the HMC? I'm asking because many people are experiencing audio pops and cracks when recording high decible sources and even with ALC turned on...

I noticed this the first time I used mine. It came mostly from the wind (ALC on, mics cranked to 12:00 position). I just turned them down, but it got me worried. Have you heard about this problem as a serious issue?

Mark, your videos are beautiful, as always. It's nice to see how well the HMC150 can be when used optimally. I'm excited to use mine even more now.

Hi Brendon,

Thanks. The HMC150 not only delivers great images, it is also a joy to work with. It does not take long to get comfortable with the camera and at that point, you can located the different knobs and selectors by feel, without having to look for them. Enjoy your HMC150.

Hi Mark,

I'm trying to fig out how many batteries I would need.. how many hours of shooting will the 5400mah batteries give you with the flip out LCD turned on?

I was actually a bit shocked to see the Minutes counter for the puny battery the HMC came with, I think I can use that to cover the entire bridal preparation.

Yang

Hi Yang,

The 5800 mah battery is rated at about 4 hours. I have never emptied the 5800 battery, but our coverage time for weddings is usually no longer than 6 hours. I do have some longer days coming up in the future, but to date, nothing longer than 6 hours of coverage time.

If you have really long days, you may want to go with two big batteries and one small one. If your days on not that long, you could use the little battery for prep and then charge it while the big battery is running the camera. The good news is that through March 31, Panasonic has a rebate for a large battery and 8 gb card. I don't know how long it takes for the battery to arrive and I don't know when your next shoot is.

I don't like to charge batteries on location, especially if the prep, ceremony and reception are all in different locations, so I have two large batteries, plus the small one for each camera.

Thanks so much Mark for the time you've spent on making the footage from this camera available. I feel so much more confident about investing in this camera.

Very nice work! I saw this highlight elsewhere, and I was not aware that it was shot with the HMC150. I was thinking more in the lines of HVX170. I was skeptical about this little camera, but after seeing what you accomplished, I may just end up getting that instead on the 170.

Again, very good video. Congratulations.

Hi Jason and Frederic,

Thanks for your kind words. I'm not that familiar with the 170 but I know it has advantages over the 150. The two advantages the 150 has over the 170 is the purchase price and the 150 is much better at long form productions since it uses SDHC cards instead of P2 cards.