Using The HMC 40 For Stills Hello,Perhaps someone can offer a bit of advice. I own the HCM40 and love the camera..The stills I get are sub par and I've been looking at DSLR and Bridge cameras. I'm not a Pro by any means and know little about photography - that said I would love to know what other owners think of using this camera for stills and how you folks are getting better quality still pictures.I'm also considering buying the HCM book by Barry Green and wondering if you guys would feel it's worth having - it has some great reviews.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H7QQE2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A20KAX6UVTY7PThank's in advance!Peter Suslock Using The HMC 40 For Stills Hello,Perhaps someone can offer a bit of advice. I own the HCM40 and love the camera..The stills I get are sub par and I've been... » Read More Using The HMC 40 For Stills Hello,Perhaps someone can offer a bit of advice. I own the HCM40 and love the camera..The stills I get are sub par and I've been looking at DSLR and Bridge cameras. I'm not a Pro by any means and know little about photography - that said I would love to know what other owners think of using this camera for stills and how you folks are getting better quality still pictures.I'm also considering buying the HCM book by Barry Green and wondering if you guys would feel it's worth having - it has some great reviews.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H7QQE2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A20KAX6UVTY7PThank's in advance!Peter Suslock « Show Less
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I wouldn't recommend this camera for stills. While it can take them it really isn't designed for it. Unless you have it tripod mounted and you're using a lot of light the pcs aren't going to turn out very good. Also, the Barry Green book is excellent but is very technical and loaded with info that may be beyond your level at the moment. That will make for dry, boring reading, much of which won't pertain to you until you're way down the road. But, I'd still get it if I were you because it's a wonderful resource and it'll help take you to those next levels.
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Peter, most of the video cameras that I have seen are very poor in still camera mode and the HMC-40 is no different. I think that the stills that it takes might be good for an opening interface of a DVD (such as is available in iMovie), but not much more. I might recommend that you get a relatively inexpensive DSLR ($600.00 range... look at Sony). This will give you crisp photos along with a second video camera to shoot with.
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They make cameras for that....DSLR or other 35mm or digital "Still Photo" type cameras (aka not a video camera). The HMC is a "video" camera and not truly intended for top notch photography use.
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Hello,I am the proud owner of the HMC40 and love the video quality I get from it. I rarely take stills with it because I also own a Canon 7D DSLR and can say I am very pleased with the quality i get from it as well. Because the stills with the Panasonic are sub-par is the reason I don't use it for stills.
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I was just at the store today looking at the TM90 and the Canon M41, hard to choose between the two! Johnny, do you miss having a viewfinder? And, the green tint scares me...I've read that in a lot of reviews.
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Gregory, I don't know if you are purchasing the Canon 20D camera body from the same person that I did. If so then this is what I think. After much research on the camera, I found it was the top of the line, of all cameras, when it first came out. The original price was up around $1800 and had more "bells and Whistles" on it than you could imagine. It was stated that it was in very good condition. When I got it in the mail, I found everything was sealed in its original wrappings and the manual's pages were not even bent. I really believe that it had never been out of the original box. It was in mint condition. I am using it strictly for astrophotography on my 3 large telescopes. It is performing flawlessly. I still had a couple of lenses from my old 35mm film camera, so I bought an adapter for the 20D so I could use the lenses. The photos are great. The 20D was made back in 2004, I believe, but it is far from being obsolete. It has a great range of speed and apertures and the ISO is very good. It even has an electronic noise reducer that gets rid of graininess when you go above 800 ISO. That works very well. Go for it. Ron
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Thanks Technology Guy...I have one more question since you guys know what you are talking about. I was just reading a lot of great reviews about the Canon PowerShot S90, it sells for the same price of the new Sony so price wouldn't be an issue. I'm just wondering from the Sony HX5V or the Canon PowerShot which one will be a better buy.
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I have another compact Sony with the EXMOR (Sony TX1) and it is faster than other compact cameras I've used. However, it is not fast compared to a digital SLR. A dSLR (like my Nikon D3000, or comparable Sony or Canon, etc.) can auto-focus much faster, shoot more responsively, be zoomed manually instead of waiting for a motor, etc. and lets you precisely capture moving subjects in a way that little compact cameras can't, even the newest ones. The claim of 10 frames per second doesn't mean that the camera autofocuses instantly, doesn't mean there isn't shutter-lag to start, and doesn't take into account time to write to the card after all 10 frames are shot. Another idea to mention though: if you don't need really high-resolution images, and 1920x1080 resolution frames taken from a HD movie are good enough, then another option to consider is using a camera like this to shoot your moving subjects in HDTV, then scrubbing through and exporting some of the frames you like as stills. If you just want snapshots or images for Facebook, then grabbing stills from the HD video can be a good solution.
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Thank you! I haven't heard of the sx40 i'll check it out. I really like the specs. On the sx230. The images looked better than the Sony hx9 I was gonna get. But the canon seem to beat it with quality of picture. Thanks again
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I agree with j-rob. Does anyone know how the newer model (HDR-XR500V) performs in low-light situations? They claim the Exmor-R sensor helps with these situations. It's too bad there's no easy or cost-effective way to upgrade. I'm not in the position to spend another $1k+ for a new camcorder that handles low-light.
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Hello Mary: To begin with, the camera you have is a Point & Shoot model (P&S), or all-in-one type. These kind of cameras are convenient because you can take them anywhere - in a pocket, purse, or whatever. But they have tremendous image quality tradeoffs and they employ a very, very small sensor. They often wind up displaying more levels of image noise and other artifacts than more advanced models. The GX1 is a Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Model of camera. It employs a much larger sensor and this translates into much larger per pixel sizes. As a result, the GX1 displays much less noise and does very, very well at much higher ISO scenarios. Yet it is still a very light camera, and depending on the type of lens you put on it, it can also be very compact. Now, most people who have a small P&S camera and want to "move up" tend to initially be leery about getting a larger, more advanced model. But you shouldn't be. This GX1 (I have two of them because it is such a nice model) will net you pictures that can knock your socks off - it's that good. When you get one, you can just put your camera into Program or Automatic mode, which means the camera makes all the decisions for you. But as you gain more knowledge, the camera grows with you, and once you really know what you're doing (assuming you're an amateur), the GX1 will really open up your eyes to what it can do. I can't speak highly enough of it and I do lots of photo work in various scenarios. I currently use around 20 different advanced cameras, yet the GX1 is one of my favorite models. And lately, with the almost "give-away" prices, you'd be a fool not to get one. If you want to see some photo samples taken with the GX 1, you can just email me at: benherrmann@centurylink.net and I'll gladly send you some so you can see the rich color tonality and nice definition of photos that this camera can generate. Ben Herrmann Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
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Subject: Re: Y. Callewaert commented on your answer to the question "Being a Mac user, will this camera work with my Mac and iMovie program?"You're welcome. I think the camera is great. Really nice hs pics. I did buy the cannon mike that mounts on top on the shoe and if u have the extra $150 I think it is well worth it audio wiseThe mic is made for the camera. We use it to record our church services so I needed better sound than the built in micDave
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M. Olson says:> the ability to shoot video that doesn't look like garbage on my 46" HDTV is the killer ap here.Yep, and also there is the possibility of AE lock, AF lock and more in video mode. You can download the "Advanced Camera User Guide" here:http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_compact_cameras/powershottx1_support.aspxAt the end there is a table of all possibilities in all modes.Important:Take care and don't buy the wrong 8GB SDHC card! It should be a Class 6 card, but not every card works. I had to send back my "Integral SDHC 8GB". Kingston should work, I read. Does anyone know if SanDisk works too? M. Olson says:> the ability to shoot video that doesn't look like garbage on my 46" HDTV is the killer ap here.Yep, and also there is the possibility of AE lock, AF lock and more in video mode. You can download the "Advanced Camera User Guide" here:http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_compact_cameras/powershottx1_support.aspxAt the end there is a table of all possibilities in all modes.Important:Take care and don't buy the wrong 8GB SDHC card! It should be a Class 6 card, but not every... » Read More M. Olson says:> the ability to shoot video that doesn't look like garbage on my 46" HDTV is the killer ap here.Yep, and also there is the possibility of AE lock, AF lock and more in video mode. You can download the "Advanced Camera User Guide" here:http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_compact_cameras/powershottx1_support.aspxAt the end there is a table of all possibilities in all modes.Important:Take care and don't buy the wrong 8GB SDHC card! It should be a Class 6 card, but not every card works. I had to send back my "Integral SDHC 8GB". Kingston should work, I read. Does anyone know if SanDisk works too? « Show Less
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I have a Canon SX40HS that I love. I'm not sure if you have the same camera, but it sounds like you do. It's the only small camera I have. My other is a Nikon D60 with a 200 mm lens. I love it too, but it's much bigger, and I only use it for serious photo shoots. My little camera does a great job, so it's the one I use most.
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The optical image stabilization used for still images is very good. The sensor is an older version of current sensors (this is a $250 body) so it has some noise. The digital stabilization for video is about what one would expect. On a tripod, the camera gives excellent video. Hand-held, it isn't as good as a dedicated video camera (as one would expect). It's a good camera for the price IMO. A nice, impartial review can be found at dpreview dot com. I added an excellent Richard Franiec handgrip to the too-smooth body. (Google him if you're interested).
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I also purchased the FZ8 and returned it because of the noise (grainy photos). I went ahead and got the Sony DSC-H7 and like it much better. My only wish is that it would shoot in the RAW format (the FZ8 did!). Overall, we like the flash better, the speed better, the grip and position of the buttons and the H7 camera overall.
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Judith; I have primarily used the camera for still /semi-still pictures. I have a friend who uses hers for live action at rock concerts and gets outstanding results. Hope this helps, R
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First, I'm in the market to buy this camera, I don't own one. I'm not trying to complain about the posts so far, but I'm wondering if you are simply using the auto mode when indoors, or have you tried other modes (Indoor Mode), ISO speeds, etc that the camera comes equipped with? If the images are "VERY POOR", what exactly have you tested? (Others report indoor images have been good).
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Thanks Janet, I kinda knew that, but was surprised that you would be using p&s.; I would love nothing more than to stick with a p&s;,but the shutter lag (for shooting puppies/dogs in motion)(low-key professionally) is KILLING me. Is it true, there is no p&s; with a truly shorter shutter lag?p.s. not to mention a big ol' black SLR scares heck outta puppies!
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I find it frustrating that the. Sx40 does not take pictures fast enough. I don,t want to use burst mode. After reading that it has 1 sec. Between shots which is a built in feature I m. Thinking of returning it for one that can shoot faster. Any suggestions oncameras that shoot faster and are just as good?