JVC GY-HM170 deal - a 4K professional camcorder with free XLR adapter & dual card slots for $1795

The Rodney Dangerfield of camcorders

JVC is a video camera company with many years of professional camcorder heritage - and they make great cameras - but that doesn't seem to get them much respect.

The big buzz in high end prosumer camcorders last year was the Ultra High Definition "4K" Sony FDR-AX100, which lists for $1698 (on sale right now for $1598).

But few reviewers (or camcorder buyers) seem to be aware than JVC offers a professional UHD camcorder at about the same price, the $1795 JVC GY-HM170 (on sale right now with a free XLR adapter and top handle) .

Case in point: there was a big update/review of the Sony AX100 at Cinema 5D recently - in part because Sony recently updated the camera with 100mbps Ultra HD.

Lost in the excitement over the AX100 upgrade, however, is the fact that the HM170 has been recording UHD at 150mbps since its release last fall.

Sony has also recently released an XLR adapter for the AX100. The $598 Sony XLR K2M adapter mounts on the AX100's non-standard hot shoe.  This addition gives the AX100 XLR mic inputs - but appears to make the camera a little top heavy and awkward. There's still no top handle.

The HM170's $399 XLR adapter, on the other hand, is built into a standard pro camcorder top handle. With the top handle mounted, the HM170 looks like its big brother, the HM200.  In fact, they become identical cameras, with the exception of the HM200's live streaming feature.

The pro HM170 has other standard features the prosumer AX100 lacks - such as HD 4:2:2 color subsampling, dual SD card slots and manual control of color (e.g., color gain, gamma, master pedestal).

At $1795, the HM170 is only a couple of hundred more than the AX100 - but, as of this post, it is the only professional 4K camcorder you can buy right now for less than $2000 (the $1999 Sony PXW-X70 doesn't count because you have to pay another few hundred to upgrade it to 4K).

To be fair, the HM170 is a traditional 1/2.3" sensor camcorder and the AX100 (and the X70) sport the larger 1" sensor.  If you need a 1" sensor, the HM170 is not the camera for you.

That said, if your budget is less than $2000 and you want a 4K camcorder with manual color control, XLR inputs and dual card slots, the $1795 JVC GY-HM170 deal with the free XLR adapter/top handle is pretty much the only game in town.

I have shot with the HM170's large sensor 4K stable-mate, the JVC GY-LS300, and the latest generation of JVC camcorders are the real deal.  Great image quality, good low light performance, pro ergonomics and reasonable prices.  They ought to be selling a whole lot more of them.

Super 35 camcorder prices continue to fall - 240fps Sony FS700 now $4999!

First generation large sensor camcorder prices continue their steady march downward. First, the Sony FS100 dropped to $2499. Then the Canon C100 dropped to $2999. Recently, the Panasonic AF100's price was slashed to $1999. Now, it's the Sony FS700's turn with a $1000 drop to $4999.

With its 4K sensor, RAW output, 1080/240p frame rate and power zoom compatibility, the FS700 was a breakthrough camcorder in its time. It's still tough to find a camera in this price class with a Super 35mm sensor and 240fps HD slow motion. As a reminder, here's what that looks like:



If you don't need 4K or RAW right now, but want a very capable slo-mo camera with built-in NDs, SDI out, XLRs and great low light performance, this might be a good opportunity to pick up this great Super 35 camcorder.

Blackmagic wins NAB 2015

Best of Show

Micro-budget and independent filmmakers had high expectations this year after the excitement of last year's breakthrough NAB, which saw the introduction of the Panasonic GH4, the first interchangeable lens 4K camera below $2000; the Sony A7s, the first full frame camera with UHD output; the AJA Cion, the first 4K Super 35 shoulder mount below $10K; and the bargain priced Blackmagic URSA, the first UHD production camera below $7000 with XLR mic inputs and a standard external battery mount.

Canon was the odd man out at NAB 2014, with no major new camera announcements in this category. Their floor display was a live demonstration of the overpriced 4K Canon 1D C, which was already several years old at the time of the show.

So, when NAB 2015 rolled around, more breakthroughs were expected from the major camera manufacturers.  Would Sony introduce a 4K A7000?  Would Canon introduce an interchangeable lens competitor to the GH4 below $10K?  Would Panasonic finally give us a successor to the AF100 - with the GH4's features in a camcorder body?  What did Blackmagic have up its sleeve?

As the smoke clears from the big press conferences and announcements on Monday, it seems that all of the major manufacturers have chosen to rest on their laurels - except Blackmagic.

Sony had nothing to show in this market segment this year - while Canon and Panasonic did have new offerings for micro-budget cinematic shooters, the $2499 XC10 and the "under $5000" AG-DVX200.

Surprisingly, however, both of these cameras turned out to have fixed lenses, and "smallish" sensors. A little disappointing in a marketplace that has shifted towards interchangeable lens, large sensor cameras.

Panasonic's timing was especially unfortunate. In a series of leaks overnight and early on the morning of the DVX200's rollout - Blackmagic pursued their now-standard NAB strategy. They posted banners with images of their new cameras around the convention center for bloggers to find and post on social media. Images of their major new camera leaked from their pre-announcement party. And they posted images and tech specs for their new camera before Panasonic had a chance to make their announcement (even now, the URSA Mini product page is up, while there is nothing official to be found about Panasonic's AG-DVCX200 outside of a stale press release).

By the time Panasonic held its press conference Monday morning, Blackmagic had stolen their thunder with buzz surrounding a camera that both outspec'd the DVX200 and undercut it on price.

But it wasn't just a well executed communications plan that won the show for Blackmagic - it was a new camera with features the market has been asking for; an affordable, lightweight Super 35 interchangeable lens camera with good shoulder-mounted ergonomics, built in XLRs with phantom, standard battery mounts and solid 4K codecs (to include losslessly compressed RAW) - all in a rugged body.

It is clear when you compare the specs between the new Canon, Panasonic and Blackmagic offerings in this class, that Blackmagic has delivered what many micro-budget filmmakers and 'cinematic videographers' have been looking for with the URSA Mini:

	Canon XC10	Blackmagic URSA Mini 4K EF	Panasonic AG-DVX200	Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K EF
Price	$2499	$2995	$4195	$4995
Sensor Size	1"	Super 35	Micro 4/3	Super 35
Lens Mount	Fixed	EF (add $500 for PL)	Fixed	EF (add $500 for PL)
Max Resolution	3840x2160	4000x2160	4096x2160	4608x2592
Max HD Frame Rate	60fps	120fps	120fps	120fps
Codec	MPEG-4 AVC	RAW or ProRes	MP4/MOV	RAW or ProRes
Shutter	Rolling	Global	Rolling	Selectable Global/Rolling
Mic Input(s)	3.5mm	2xXLR w phantom	2xXLR w phantom	2xXLR w phantom
Headphone Output(s)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SDI Out(s)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Storage	1xCFast 2.0 1xSD	2xCFast 2.0	2xSD	2xCFast 2.0
Stabilization	5-axis (HD only)	No	5-axis	No
ND Filter	Yes	No	Yes	No
Power Zoom Lens	No	No	Yes	No
Viewfinder	No (LCDVF)	$1495 option	Yes	$1495 option
Still Photos	12MP	No	8MP	No
Weight	2.29 lbs.	6.6 lbs.	5.95 lbs.	6.6 lbs.

No, specs aren't everything - it will be important to see images from these cameras in the hands of real shooters - but if the indie market wants a 4K RAW (or 10-bit ProRes), large sensor, interchangeable lens Super 35 camcorder with 160fps HD slow motion and a global shutter that can be either handheld or shoulder mounted without breaking the shooter's back (or bank account), then URSA Mini is pretty much the only game in town.

As regular readers know, I've been looking for a replacement for my trusty Panasonic TM900 camcorder for a few years now.  I want a large sensor, interchangeable lens camera with camcorder ergonomics plus pro mic inputs and a strong, gradeable codec to pair with my GH3, and later, my GH4.

I had almost settled on the $3995 UHD JVC GY-LS300 - but its weak 8-bit h.264 compression was a challenge - and made it difficult to sell my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, with its robust, gradeable 10-bit ProRes and CinemaDNG RAW.

URSA Mini solves this problem.  I can now sell the TM900, the Pocket Camera, the GH1, GH2, GH3 and all of my MFT glass - then buy an URSA Mini EF (plus a $599 Metabones EF to MFT Speed Booster for the GH4) and skinny down to two cameras and one lens system.

Farewell, BMPCC - we hardly knew ye

So, for offering lightweight Super 35 cameras that shooters can afford - and for solving my personal camcorder dilemma - the Blackmagic URSA Mini wins HCR's first annual "Best of Show" award for NAB 2015.

Working on the awards banquet - perhaps at NAB 2016.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

And for the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube  - and circle us on Google+.

Five 4K camcorders threatened by the $2995 4K Blackmagic URSA Mini

Images courtesy eriknaso.com

Thanks to Noam Kroll and Erik Naso, we have a pretty good idea of what Blackmagic Magic will unveil in Vegas this morning - to include a truly revolutionary $2995 URSA Mini Super 35 camcorder, with interchangeable lenses, a global shutter, Blackmagic's standard CinemDNG RAW, 4K, 12 stops of DR (15 stops on the $4995 4.6K model), an optional EVF and easy compatibility with a shoulder mount.

Even before we see the detailed specs from the Blackmagic press event, we do know one thing - there has to be consternation in the executive suites at AJA, Arri, Canon, JVC, Panasonic and Sony (which is exactly what Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty set out to do when he started building cameras a few years ago).

If URSA Mini can deliver URSA's RAW image quality (or better) for $2995, here are the five 4K cameras that it clearly threatens:



1. $40K Arri Amira. Recently upgraded to 4K, this camera produces amazing images in a near-perfect shoulder mounted form factor. And with Arri color science, it is a perfect match for industry-standard Alexa. But at $40K, its cost is prohibitive for most indies and micro-budget filmmakers. This camera will continue to see considerable use at the high end of the market, but for indies, the price mismatch between Amira and URSA Mini is ridiculous - you could buy a Mini for less than the price of renting an Amira for a week.



2. $16K Canon C300 Mark II (and $2.5K XC10). Canon's pre-NAB announcement of these cameras was clearly designed to steal the limelight at the show. URSA Mini has pretty much stolen it back. The C300 Mark II costs 5 times is much and lacks the Mini's internal raw recording.  Plus, it requires expensive rigging to get it up on your shoulder. As for the XC10 - it costs almost as much as Mini, but is a fixed lens, 1" sensor toy by comparison.



3. $9K AJA CION. Beautiful ProRes images in good light and nice shoulder mounted ergonomics - but no internal RAW. Overpriced compared to every Blackmagic RAW camera, to include Mini.



4. $8K Sony PXW-FS7. With its shoulder mount, optional viewfinder and extensible hand grip, URSA Mini appears to be a clone of the FS7 - but for $5000 less. Plus, Mini has the internal 4K RAW recording the FS7 lacks.



5. $4K JVC GY-LS300. URSA Mini very nearly strangles the LS300 in its cradle. JVC introduced this promising camera late last year, but has yet to ship it in meaningful numbers in the States. Despite the fact that its h.264 compression gave it the weakest codec of any of the cameras on this list,  it had the advantage of being the lowest priced UHD "4K" Super 35 interchangeable lens camera on the market - until today. Unfortunately for JVC, even with the viewfinder and a shoulder mount, Mini will be about the same price as the LS300 - with higher resolution, wider DR and a superior codec - and the LS300 is another camera that needs expensive rigging to get it up on your shoulder.

As far as Panasonic goes, we don't know much about their new "heir of DVX100" camcorder yet, but if it is not competitive on price, it will be stillborn at this morning's press conference.

Bottom line is that URSA Mini will force prices down even faster and further than we have seen already over the past couple of years.   Even if you never buy a Blackmagic camera, you should send Grant Petty a thank you note (unless, of course, you just bought a $2995 4K Blackmagic Production Camera).

Please keep checking back during the day for more updates - and for HCR's view of what all of this means for micro-budget shooters.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

And for the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube  - and circle us on Google+.

Deal - Panasonic GH4 with Rokinon 14mm T3.1 cine lens and 32GB U3 card for $1999.95

If you've been looking for a 4K camera with a lens, but are on a budget, here is the best 4K deal out there right now - the 4K Panasonic GH4 with a Rokinon 14mm T3.1 cine lens and a 32GB U3 SD card for less than $2000 from Adorama via eBay .

You'll essentially be getting the lens and the SD card for $300. A great value for your money.

As of this post, there were only two left at this price. If you want one, you should pull the trigger on this deal now.

More GH4 bundles from the Adorama store on eBay here:





And, if you miss out on these Adorama deals, there are some pretty good GH4 bundled deals at Amazon too :)

Limited Time Sale - $300 off Panasonic GH3 - and $50 off the G6 with 14-42mm kit lens

The two best still/video cameras below $1000, the Panasonic GH3 and Panasonic G6, are now an even better deal.  For the next couple of weeks (while supplies last), the GH3 (body only) is marked down $300 to $797.99 - while the G6 with the kit lens is marked down about $50 to $697.99.

If you've been waiting for one or both of these cameras to come down in price, you may want to push your cart through before the price goes back up!

Panasonic G6 Marked Way Down!

As of this post, the best price for the terrific Panasonic G6 still/video camera is at Samy's via eBay or Amazon.

The price on this deal is too low to post - but if you're looking for the absolute best large sensor, interchangeable lens video camera in this price range, you should click on one of the links above or the display ads below and pull the trigger on this deal now. There are only 6 left at this price.

Tascam DR-60D On Sale for $199.99!

Great price for a great external recorder. I have the Tascam DR-40, and I love it, but I really want the DR-60D. Much better form-factor, real manual controls instead of software menus, high quality sound.

This deal won't last long, so, if you're in the market for a recorder, you should pick one up before they're gone.

Panasonic GH3 $998 Deal Ends Tonight!

According to this Gold Box Deals page at Amazon, the $200 off, $998 Panasonic GH3 deal ends tonight.
If you want the best still/video camera on the market today - and you don't want to spend more than $1000, you may want to pull the trigger on this deal today.