jvc hm100 with a canon 7D?

[Andrew Maclaurin]

has anyone used a jvc hm100 (with LED) to shoot weddings?
i'm thinking about replacing my sony pd170 and getting a video camera to compliment my canon 7D.
my idea is having the hm100 locked off getting a general shot in church and using the 7D for the pretty stuff. when the actual vows are being said i'd probably switch to using the hm100 handheld then back to the 7D. then hm100 as a wide cam for dances.
would it be able to handle these situations?
lighting? (the churches are reasonably well lit and it'd have a cn160LED or equivalent)
wide angle and zoom? how do they perform?

*notes-weddings here are chaotic affairs and no fancy set ups can be used. they are very much run and gun. i've shot a whole one with the 7D and it turned out ok but i'd like a video camera as back up in key moments. the hm100 interests me as i could use it for corporate work as well as i don't like shooting in DVPal and in some cases a 7D confuses clients.

[Long Truong]

I've never put my hands on the hm100 before but I've recently started using a Canon XA10 along with my 7Ds and it works great so far. I use it mostly during ceremonies and receptions to get a safe continuous shot and use my 7Ds for creative shots.

[Les Wilson]

Some information:
JVC GY-HM100 Review

[Jeff Harper]

jvc has 1/4" chips, which is no big deal, but if you shoot in low light, forget it, IMO.

I am pretty darned happy so far with my XA10, it looks like a toy, but I'm super impressed with it so far, I also shoot with the GH2.

[Andrew Maclaurin]

yeah the wee canon xa10 looks interesting but i don't like the price. i could spend 800-1000€ more and have a canon xf100 or a sony nx70 which look better when doing corporate stuff.
the reason i've been looking at the jvc hm100 is that i'm seeing them second hand for 1200-1700€ which might make more sense than 2000€ for a xa10. xlr and looking more "pro" are important but so is the image, especially with weddings.
has anyone actually used the hm100 with LED lighting in darkish places?

[Jeff Harper]

There are guys that mix the hm100 with dslrs, I've seen them talk about it. The issue is matching a camera with a 1/4" chip with over a 1" sensor. Someone who has the camera will come along and comment, but I would simply say the JVC, which is a fine camera in good light, will not cut it for weddings. I don't know of anyone that makes a 1/4" sensor that will. You can go that route, but I would try to look at it realistically. 1/4" sensors perform like 1/4" sensors in low light, we just cannot get around it.

I was on the edge of the XF100, but after seeing I would end up spending at least $500 on CF cards, $300 on batteries, and then dealing with the mess of 5 minute clips, I am very glad I didn't. MXF codec is not my friend. I agree the XA10 is small, and I hate that, but after I put a wireless receiver and shotgun on it looks pretty darned decent. Toss the new Canon WA adapter on it and you're looking pretty darned good, but that's another $400.

Best of luck, you're at a difficult price point. I personally don't care for the HMC150, but if you could find a good deal, it might work, a lot of guys really like that cam with DSLR. Good luck.

[Stephen Daugherty]

Why not a 60D/T3i to compliment your existing Canon gear? If you're worried about the record length limitation a Panasonic GH2 with the new powered adapters such as the Redrock LiveLens mFT will let you lock off a camera while keeping compatibility with your EOS gear.

[Jeff Harper]

Good recommendation Stephen. I suspect he needs/wants a real videocamera though.

[Andrew Maclaurin]

cheers jeff and stephen.
yeah, i need a "real" video camera as some corporate clients are put off by the DSLRs. i also shot alone so monitoring the lights, dslr (sometimes 2!) and zoom recorder can be a bit tedious! sometimes it's nice to have a video camera ready to go with no faffing about.

[Jeff Harper]

Andrew, if you have the money and can waite, the upcoming AG AC130 by Panasonic, I'm told, is the camera to buy. There's always something new coming out, I know, but This one is supposed to be really great. As you can tell, I have no brand loyalty to Canon, or for anyone for that matter.

[Corey Graham]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Andrew, if you have the money and can waite, the upcoming AG AC160 by Panasonic, I'm told, is the camera to buy. There's always something new coming out, I know, but This one is supposed to be really great. As you can tell, I have no brand loyalty to Canon, or for anyone for that matter.

Right you are, Jeff. This camera looks like it's going to rock.

I have no brand loyalty either, but I've always tended to gravitate towards Panansonic, with a brief 2-year affair with Sony. I just like the look of, feel of, and results from their equipment (in general). And I like the fact that I'm not mixing formats/codecs within a project.

That being said, I'd jump to Sony/JVC/Canon/etc. in a heartbeat if I saw fit. In my eyes, it's dangerous to devote yourself to one company exclusively.

[Jeff Harper]

My first camera was a Pansonic, and I loved it, but the guy I worked for showed me how much better the PD150 was in low light, and I sold my new camera and it wasn't a week old, best decision I ever made.

But yeah the 130 (that's what I meant to refer to above, not the significantly more expensive 160) looks sweet!

[Corey Graham]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

But yeah the 130 (that's what I meant to refer to above, not the significantly more expensive 160) looks sweet!

I'm sure this is the wrong thread to ask and is basically off topic, but what's the difference between the 160 and the 130?

[Jeff Harper]

I don't remember, sensor is the same, I believe, which is key of course.

[Corey Graham]

The only thing I can find is from a Panasonic brochure: "[the 160] provides slow/quick motion recording, high-quality LPCM audio, and HD SDI output." Otherwise it's the same as the 130, for almost $1K difference.