HM200 Questions

[Craig Yanagi]

Originally Posted by Rick Miller

I take it this clip was shot on the RED camera?

No, the clip was shot on the GY-LS300, hence its placement under the model.

It's interesting that the NLE "thought" that the clip came from a RED camera...

[Howard Lane]

Does anyone know... The camera list the SD card needed for 4K to be a SDXC UHS-I U3. Would it be possible to use a UHS-II or does it have to be a UHS-I?

[John Nantz]

Good question Howard. These card types are a moving target. I just asked the same question in an email myself and hit the Send button before checking out this thread.

And then there are the HC1 and XC1 card versions.

What is also important about the card is that the write speed needs to be continuous throughout the use of the card and that it doesn’t diminish/slow down as it is filled up so the UH1 U3 is apparently what is needed. Just a guess.

HC1 or XC1 - which is best?
XC1: Amazon.com: SanDisk Extreme 64GB UHS-I/U3 SDXC Memory Card Up To 60MB/s Read-SDSDXN-064G-G46 [Newest Version]: Computers & Accessories

Also, for the write speed for 4K does it have to be 80MB/s or higher?

[Anthony Lelli]

I use a Transcend 64GB SDXC I class 10 U3 . No problem in 4K on HM200 (rated R95-W60MB/s)

[Rick Miller]

I am in the process of getting my HM200 ordered, just waiting to get a bit more $$$ together. At B&H, these Lexar cards are listed under accessories, so I assume they will work. They are UHS-II, and says they work for 4K. Someone even commented that they were using these cards on their GH4 in 4K with no issues. I will be ordering these unless someone chimes in on another better card to order. These look to be a great deal for the price.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1090745-REG/lexar_lsd128crbna10002_pro_1000x_uhs_2.html

[Howard Lane]

[At B&H, these Lexar cards are listed under accessories, so I assume they will work. They are UHS-II, and says they work for 4K.]

After reading the overview on these cards it says that tthey are backwards compatible for devices that are UHS-I. So my best guess is that they will work. And right now it seems that there are far better deals on UHS-II cards than the UHS-I cards.
But if anyone has tried it we sure would like to know what your real world experience was. Thanks in advance!

By the way, I have been using Lexar CF cards in my canon 7D for photo and HD video, they have worked flawlessly.

[Howard Lane]

Just wanted to let anyone who is wondering know that I have purchased the HM-200 and the Lexar SDXC 1000X UHS-II U3 128GB cards. So far the cards are performing perfectly. They are capable of 150MBs so should be able to handle the load thru the entire GB.

[Rick Miller]

That's great to know. I'm still trying to decide between the HM200, Sony NX3, and Sony X70.

What do you think of the HM200 so far? Specifically, picture/low light quality? Can you compare it to any of your previous cameras? I've read/watched the couple reviews online, most have been good.

Also, is there anyway you can shoot some 4K and post that clip online, full 4K, so we can download and see the quality?

Thanks.

[Kevin Balling]

Howard, there have been a couple of users, and a decent reviewer, who have indicated that the camera is "unusable" and too soft when the lens is at f 1.2, f 1.4 and basically below f 2. Are you also finding that this is the case? I understand that all lenses have a "sweet spot" in the middle, but "unusable" is really a different story. It seems like it would be completely unacceptable to anyone. Certainly for me.

Also, are the LCD screen and viewfinder "live" at the same time. Thanks.

[Anthony Lelli]

Originally Posted by Kevin Balling

Howard, there have been a couple of users, and a decent reviewer, who have indicated that the camera is "unusable" and too soft when the lens is at f 1.2, f 1.4 and basically below f 2. Are you also finding that this is the case? I understand that all lenses have a "sweet spot" in the middle, but "unusable" is really a different story. It seems like it would be completely unacceptable to anyone. Certainly for me.

Also, are the LCD screen and viewfinder "live" at the same time. Thanks.

yes lcd and VF go live at the same time. The problem with the HM200 is the "COLD" white balance in auto, that makes the picture darker and coder than is supposed to be. Correct the WB and the HM200 will be fine in low light with a decent noise up to 12 or even 15db. The fact that both the LCD and VF are very close to the actual footage recorded make the WB temperature crucial. I'm used to sony where the LCD shows a spectacular fiction because the actual footage will be very different, so the HM200 does it right.

1.2 is perfectly useable in 4K. but not in HD. I don't know why but that's how I see it. So it's 1.2 in 4K for me and 1.8 in HD at the widest aperture. Anyway I don't shoot HD anymore.

[Howard Lane]

Originally Posted by Rick Miller

That's great to know. I'm still trying to decide between the HM200, Sony NX3, and Sony X70.

What do you think of the HM200 so far? Specifically, picture/low light quality? Can you compare it to any of your previous cameras? I've read/watched the couple reviews online, most have been good.

Also, is there anyway you can shoot some 4K and post that clip online, full 4K, so we can download and see the quality?

Thanks.

Hi Rick, So far I like the camera.I think the picture quality is very good. I've only had it a short time and so far have only tested it in 4K. The low light performance is not as good as I'd like, but what I've learned to expect from a single sensor camera. I am a slow adapter so I just started working with HD in the last year when I purchased a Canon EOS 7D DSLR. Prior to that I used a Sony SD DCR VX-2000 3-CCD camera that did very good in low light, but it was SD not HD.
I think the HM200 does better in low light than the 7D does. And I find the picture quality to be excellent. I have set the picture quality to Cinema, Vivid which makes the focus a little softer and the colors richer in my opinion. This is great for the kind of work I do. And the autofocus works very well and is quick.
I have shot a little test footage in low light and using F1.2 thru F2.4 in 4K but don't know where I can post it on line. If you can tell me where to upload the .MOV files created by the camera I would be glad to do it.

[Howard Lane]

Originally Posted by Kevin Balling

Howard, there have been a couple of users, and a decent reviewer, who have indicated that the camera is "unusable" and too soft when the lens is at f 1.2, f 1.4 and basically below f 2. Are you also finding that this is the case? I understand that all lenses have a "sweet spot" in the middle, but "unusable" is really a different story. It seems like it would be completely unacceptable to anyone. Certainly for me.

Also, are the LCD screen and viewfinder "live" at the same time. Thanks.

Hi Kevin, I don't consider myself a pro, but I think the focus is good (not perfect but definitely useable) at 1.2 in 4K. Especially if there is good light. I have found that when using the autofocus while zoomed all the way tight it seems to have a problem finding the focus, but if you just back it off slightly then it is able to do it's job. But manual focus works fine when you are all the way tight. As to the sweet spot, I would say between f4.0 and f5.6.

[John Nantz]

Hi Howard,

First off, Welcome Aboard. [Navy pipe welcome]

Originally Posted by Howard Lane

I think the HM200 does better in low light than the 7D does. And I find the picture quality to be excellent. I have set the picture quality to Cinema, Vivid which makes the focus a little softer and the colors richer in my opinion. This is great for the kind of work I do. And the autofocus works very well and is quick.
I have shot a little test footage in low light and using F1.2 thru F2.4 in 4K but don't know where I can post it on line. If you can tell me where to upload the .MOV files created by the camera I would be glad to do it.

One good place to post videos, and the site without commercials on your work, is at www.Vimeo.com. If you use FCPX for editing the upload (Share) option is already built into the application so the workflow for to upload is just a few clicks away.

We'd really like any comments and to see anything you have to share on this cam. Hope this works for you.

[Paul Anderegg]

If you get or have an Outlook (live.com) account, you can upload a clip to Onedrive, and share a link to it. I have posted ProRes files previously, and it not only transcodes very high quality playing back on the link, but offers a download button for the ORIGINAL POSTED FILE. Not sure if there is compatibility with some strange JVC camera MOV raw file though, worth a try.

Also, on the f1.2 thing.........if the lens is f3.5 at telephoto, would that mean it would get sharper, or are we talking a few f-stops of blur from wide open as a problem?

Paul

[Kevin Balling]

Originally Posted by Paul Anderegg

Also, on the f1.2 thing.........if the lens is f3.5 at telephoto, would that mean it would get sharper, or are we talking a few f-stops of blur from wide open as a problem?

Paul

Like Paul, I really need to know more about the poor quality that has been reported when the lens is at the widest aperture settings. The review below says that it is unusable below f 2. Really?? Talk about deal breaker. Sure, it may not look as good as when shooting at the middle settings but "unusable below 2.0" is a way different scenario.

Review: JVC GY-HM170 / GY-HM200 4K camcorder - YouTube