HMC40 vs. HMC150

The HMC150 will absolutely shit on the HMC40 in lowlight.  In good lighting the HMC40 is "sharper" technically according to Mr. Barry Green over on www.dvxuser.com.

Some other differces. 3CCD vs. 1CMOS.  CMOS have the rolling shutter issue.

HMC150

i guess what i am asking is if it is worth all the extra money. i have enough money to get the hmc 40. is it worth saving to get the hmc 150?

HMC150 is a professional camera. The HMC40 is a prosumer camera.

Do you like filming, or do you like picking up a camera and pointing it at something that looks good? I ask this question not as an insult, but because you really need to consider whether both the extra money and the extra time/effort needed for the HMC150 (because there are muchhhhh more tweaks and adjustments to be made there). Make that decision and I think you'll know which one you want.

I believe the hmc40 is 3mos...

yes it is worth saving money for hmc150...

Corrected.  But my points still stand.

i am going to use 1337's format to answer your questions and any others
1) What is your budget? How much money can you spend right away, and do you think you can get more money to invest in the future?
-i have around $2000 now and can get more pretty easily if need be. I could also get more in the future for accessories.

2) What experience do you already have with cameras? Have you ever even used one before? Have you helped your friend out with his camera? Have you owned your own?
-I own my own camera and have 3 years of experience shooting and editing.

2) What gear, if any, do you currently have? (tripod, old camera lenses, mics, etc)
-I have a tripod and a few lenses. I will probably upgrade both though if I get a new camera.

4) What are you planning to shoot and how do you want to use your camera? Are you going to use this with the sole purpose of shooting skiing? or do you think you might try other stuff as well (movies, documentaries, short films, etc)
-I plan on using this camera to shoot skiing, biking, skateboarding, bar/bat mitzvah's, and shorts.

5) Do you want a camera that you can hand to your friends, that could or could not have film experience, and let them shoot you? or will you be doing all the filming?
-I will be doing all of the filming.

6) When filming skiing, how do you tend to shoot? (follow cams, leave it on record on a tripod and hike, film from a tripod, etc)
-I do all types of filming. I do follow cams, shoots from tripod, i will be making a slider and a camera crane/jib.

7) What computer do you currently have/use to edit (if not currently editing, what would you most likely use)? If you can provide specifics, such as hard drive space, RAM, processor size, that would be great.
-The computer i use to edit has 8 gb or ddr3 ram, a core i7 processor, and a 640 gb 7200 rpm harddrive. (hp envy 17-1011nr)

7) What program do you currently edit on? How familiar are you with it (1- just learning; 10- I can make tutorials and know the keyboard layout)
-I plan on using adobe premiere pro cs5. i am a 3 but will practice alot and devote time to learning it inside and out

The hmc40 is a consumer camera and hmc150 is a profession camera. If you're looking to make edits/movies for awhile, i'd get the hmc150. The hmc40 is made for kids to throw it on auto and film there friends but still get the benifits of a nice panasonic HD camera. The hmc150 will give you alot more options and is well worth the extra money.


You can find used ones for about 2000-2500 bucks and buying solid state (SDHC or P2) used its great because unlike a tape camera the hours of usage don't matter as much. I bought my hvx with 400ish hours on it and it works the same now with almost 900 hours on it.

Thank you that was exactly the kind of answer i needed.

I'm pretty sure the HMC40 has the gamma control, scene files, ect. just like the HMC150 does.