Skip to main content
  • Introduction

  • Product Tour

  • Color & Noise Performance

  • Motion & Sharpness Performance

  • Low Light Performance

  • Audio

  • Compression & Media

  • Manual Controls

  • Still Features

  • Handling & Use

  • Playback & Connectivity

  • Other Features

  • Canon XH A1S Comparison

  • Sony HDR-FX1000 Comparison

  • Canon XL H1A Comparison

  • Conclusion

  • Photo Gallery

  • Introduction
  • Product Tour
  • Color & Noise Performance
  • Motion & Sharpness Performance
  • Low Light Performance
  • Audio
  • Compression & Media
  • Manual Controls
  • Still Features
  • Handling & Use
  • Playback & Connectivity
  • Other Features
  • Canon XH A1S Comparison
  • Sony HDR-FX1000 Comparison
  • Canon XL H1A Comparison
  • Conclusion
  • Photo Gallery

Introduction

Product Tour

 

**Lens & Imaging System**


 

The Panasonic AG-HMC40 appears to have the same lens and sensor setup as Panasonic's high-end consumer camcorder line—the HDC-TM300, HDC-HS300, and HDC-HS250. Yes, the AG-HMC40 is essentially a trumped-up consumer camcorder in a bulkier body. Unlike Panasonic's consumer camcorders, the HMC40 comes with a detachable lens hood and large, rectangular lens cover. The camcorder's three CMOS sensors are smaller than the sensors featured on the Canon XH A1S and Sony HDR-FX1000, but the AG-HMC40 offers a much larger effective pixel count than those models.  

 

**Front**


 

**Right**


 

 

 

**Back**


 

 

 

**Left**


 

 

**Top**

 


 

 

**Bottom**


 

 

 

**In The Box**


 

 

Color & Noise Performance

 

**Color***(11.8)*


The Panasonic AG-HMC40 managed a color error of 3.39 in our bright light test, which is a very good score. The camcorder rendered strong, deep colors and it earned a saturation level of 94.6%—a higher level than any of the other pro cams we've tested. While this good showing by the AG-HMC40 is impressive, keep in mind that all pro camcorders offer multiple color controls and settings. So, if you don't like the colors produced in auto mode, you can easily fine-tune the color settings if you desire. (More on how we test color.)

In the Error Map shown above you can see the AG-HMC40 did very well with color accuracy across the board. Greens and blues were a bit troublesome for the camcorder, but no specific color was rendered all that poorly. The Panasonic AG-HMC40 has lots of color modes and settings for manipulating things like saturation level, gamma, color phase, and color temperature. Below are a variety of these options. The last color mode shown below, Scene File 2, is a preset scene file that is meant for shooting in high-contrast situations.

Since color quality is essentially based on personal preference, we won't go on and on about which camcorder we feel produces the most pleasing colors. What we will say is that all of these camcorders rendered accurate colors and each of them offers a variety of manual color control options. The Panasonic produced some slightly warmer and lighter colors than the competition, but the difference is very slight. Check out the close-up color comparisons below for a better picture of what we're talking about.

 

 

 

**Noise***(8.2)*


At best, the AG-HMC40 registered low noise levels in this test at just 0.46%. Since the AG-HMC40 doesn't have any manual noise reduction settings this noise level came when we tested the camcorder in auto mode with 0dB gain. (More on how we test noise.)

Normally, if a model offers a noise reduction setting we graph its noise performance over gain settings compared to its noise levels in auto mode. Since the HMC40 doesn't have any noise reduction options, we omitted this graph. Below is the Panasonic AG-HMC40's noise levels compared to the other pro camcorders we've tested. Even though the Panasonic does not have any manual noise reduction it did very well compared to the other camcorders—particularly when we used high gain levels on the HMC40. With 18dB gain, the other pro models appear quite noisy, while the AG-HMC40 barely shows an increase in noise.

Both of the Canon pro models we've tested include two manual noise reduction features (as well as selective noise reduction options) that can be used in conjunction or independently. The Sony HDR-FX1000, however, does not offer any manual noise reduction settings.

In addition to showing the presence of noise, the crops above also do a good job showing sharpness. In the above images, the Panasonic AG-HMC40 looks quite good and is just about as sharp as the Sony HDR-FX1000, which had the best sharpness scores of the pro camcorders we've tested.

 

Motion & Sharpness Performance

Low Light Performance

 

**Low Light Sensitivity***(1.49)*


The Panasonic AG-HMC40 has a much higher pixel count than the other pro camcorders we've tested. This, combined with the fact that it also has smaller CMOS sensors made for rather disappointing results in its low light performance. Without any gain boost the AG-HMC40 showed serious problems with low light sensitivity—requiring roughly 290 lux of light to reach 50 IRE on our waveform monitor. This is roughly five times as much light as the tape-based pro models we tested required (see the table and chart below). Now, the HMC40 did redeem itself a bit when we tested its sensitivity with auto gain, as the camcorder required just 9 lux of light to reach the same levels on our waveform monitor. Still, when you are considering the AG-HMC40, keep in mind that you will consistently need to boost the gain when shooting in even moderately low light situations. (More on how we test low light sensitivity.)

The gain system on the HMC40 is a bit different than most other pro models. You cannot set the gain levels manually on the Panasonic until you have opened the aperture all the way. This is extremely discouraging and it severely limits the amount of control you can hold over the camcorder. Since you can't adjust gain and aperture independently this means it is impossible to play with depth of field in low light because the aperture always has to be opened fully (unless you're shooting under light that is much brighter than 290 lux).

When shooting in Auto Gain, the Panasonic AG-HMC40 allows the user to set the gain limiter as high as 34dB (called high sensitivity). This is higher than the auto gain limiter available on most prosumer camcorders—though many allow you to manually select a gain level this high. We felt, however, that using the 34dB limit was fair, since the results show considerably less noise than the 36dB setting on the Canons. In fact, we suspect that the decibel levels reported on the Panasonic are not comparable to those reported on the competition, since 12dB on the HMC40 does not look anything like 12dB on one of the other models. Even so, you could choose to set the Panasonic's gain limiter to 24dB, which resulted in the camcorder requiring 24 lux of light instead of 9 lux to reach 50 IRE in our test.

Shooting with the AG-HMC40's 30p and 24p modes resulted in a better low light sensitivity performance. The improvement was only slight, however: the camcorder managed an auto gain low light sensitivity of 8 lux when we tested these alternate frame rates. With the auto gain capped at 24dB, the camcorder needed 19 lux of light to reach the same levels using its 30p and 24p record modes.

 

**Low Light Color***(3.91)*


In this test you can see first hand what we talked about in the Low Light Sensitivity section above. The AG-HMC40 simply cannot produce a workable image in low light unless you boost the gain setting. With 0dB gain, the camcorder managed a whopping color error of 11.36 and an absolutely abysmal saturation level of 12.12%. These are just numbers, however, so check out the images below to get a visual idea of what we're talking about. (More on how we test low light color.)

As you can see, the HMC40's 0dB gain image is almost completely black with just the faint hint of a colored image (the test chart is there, trust us). Look at the comparison images below to see how much worse the AG-HMC40 did in this test than the other pro models. Keep in mind that Panasonic AG-HMC40 has a much higher pixel count than the models we compared it to, thus making it more difficult for light to hit the camcorder's sensors. The HMC40 also has smaller sensors than the Canon XH A1S, XL H1A, and Sony HDR-FX1000 (each has three 1/3-inch chips, while the Panasonic has three 1/4.1-inch chips).

Things got a bit brighter when we bumped the AG-HMC40 up to 6dB gain, but the image was still not very good. The other camcorders each showed a bright, crisp, color-accurate image with 6dB gain, while the Panasonic mired with a 9.13 color error and a saturation level of 29.4%. In comparison, the Canon XH A1S had a saturation level of close to 90% in this test.

 

You can really see the AG-HMC40 is the odd man out in our low light testing. Both Canon models offered very similar images and the Sony FX1000 appears just a tad darker than the XH A1S and XL H1A. You can see the AG-HMC40 offers some deep colors in its image, but the 6dB gain simply isn't enough to produce a bright, workable image.

With auto gain, the Panasonic AG-HMC40 produced a good image in low light, although it still wasn't quite as bright as the images produced by Canon's pro models. Panasonic finally managed a respectable color error with its auto gain setting (4.69) and its saturation level was a decent 77.75%. In the comparisons below you can see that the HMC40 produced an image similar to that of the HDR-FX1000 with its auto gain setting engaged. The AG-HMC40 did, however, have deeper blues and lighter greens than the Sony.

 

 

The table above recaps the AG-HMC40's color error and saturation numbers across the various gain settings we tested. Even with 12dB gain, the HMC40 still didn't produce a very good image, but the camcorder did quite well with its auto gain settings. So, if you want to shoot in low light with the HMC40, be prepared to boost the gain settings quite a bit.

 

**Low Light Noise***(3.37)*


Unfortunately, the Panasonic AG-HMC40 couldn't redeem its poor low light color performance with a solid showing in our low light noise test. The camcorder offered mediocre noise scores in low light, although it did have less noise than the competition when using its auto gain setting. With the 0dB gain setting, the AG-HMC40 measured 2.7% noise. This number is likely high because of how dark the HMC40's image is at this level. In the crops below you can see how much darker the AG-HMC40's image is than the other pro models we tested. (More on how we test low light noise.)

It is still difficult to see the HMC40's image when we bumped the gain up to 6dB, so there's no sense in trying to spot any noise in its image. Our software measured the noise on this test at 1.5%, which is comparable to what the other pro cams did at 6dB gain.

At 12dB gain you can start seeing some of the noise in the crops below. Each of the tape-based cams have a fine layer of noise as they all registered noise levels hovering around 2%. The AG-HMC40 averaged 2.02% noise in this test as well and you can see some blocky pixelation and discoloration in its image below—even though it is still very dark.

The AG-HMC40 managed its lowest noise levels when we set the camcorder to auto gain—just 1.01% noise—and its image was finally bright enough to be considered usable. The thing is, the HMC40 didn't have the sharpness or detail in its low light image that the other pro cams in this set had (particularly the Sony HDR-FX1000). The HMC40's image is quite blurred, which you can see by looking at the bottom of the vertical trumpet.

The table below shows the HMC40's noise levels in each of our low light testings. The camcorder's good numbers in auto mode suggest it may be best to leave the manual gain setting alone on the HMC40. (It also had the best color accuracy with gain set to auto). While the AG-HMC40 didn't impress us with its noise scores, it actually didn't do much worse than the Canon XH A1S in these tests (both the Sony HDR-FX1000 and Canon XL H1A did a bit better).

 

 

 

Audio

**Audio Features***(4.0)*


The audio features on the AG-HMC40 are lacking, particularly when you compare it to most pro camcorders. The HMC40 has no XLR inputs, which is the most noticeable absence when it comes to audio. The Sony HDR-FX1000 also lacks XLR inputs, but most pro models have them (both the Canon XL H1A and XH A1S feature two XLR terminals).

Onboard Audio

The onboard mic on the HMC40 is nothing special. It's a small mic that records Dolby Digital 2-channel audio and it is located on the top of the camcorder, just behind the lens ring. This mic placement isn't great, however, because we found ourselves accidentally rubbing the mic when we adjusted the lens ring. Still, it is out of the way from wandering fingers most of the time. With this onboard mic you can manually set the audio levels, use a wind cut feature, and you can view an audio level display on the LCD. Adjusting the audio levels is performed by using the LCD touchscreen, which, as with all touchscreen adjustments, is a nuisance.

Additional Audio Controls

For external audio options, the AG-HMC40 has a 3.5mm external mic input and a hidden port labeled as an XLR adapter terminal. For an extra $300 you can purchase the AG-MYA30G, which connects to the XLR adapter port and gives you access to XLR inputs, phantom power switches, and line/mic selection (the AG-MYA30G can be attached to the accessory shoe when used with the camcorder). We're excited to see Panasonic offer this option because it means you can use XLR mics with the camcorder if you want to—you just need to shell out some extra cash.

When using the XLR adapter you cannot set audio levels manually using the camcorder's touchscreen interface. The XLR adapter box has its own dials for adjusting audio levels in addition to various switches (like phantom power). You also cannot turn wind cut on when using the XLR adapter.

Below is an extended list of the audio features on the AG-HMC40. The rest of the pro camcorders we've tested all come with audio adjustment dials on the camcorders themselves, which are a lot easier to use than a touchscreen system. Even though the Sony FX1000 does not offer XLR inputs, it still has a small audio adjustment dial near the back of the camcorder.

 

Compression & Media

 

**Compression***(8.15)*


The AG-HMC40 records using AVCHD compression, which is the same compression that is used in the consumer camcorder industry (by nearly all of the major manufacturers except Sanyo and Samsung). Many manufacturers have been weary to implement AVCHD recording on pro camcorders, probably because of the difficulty involving editing AVCHD footage. Most pro software can now handle AVCHD, however, and as long as you have a powerful computer you shouldn't have any problem working with the footage.

One of the downsides of the AG-HMC40 is its lack of any standard definition recording options. The tape-based pro models we reviewed all had DV (standard definition) video options in addition to their HDV recording. Having a standard def option gives you more versatility—especially in a market where some people aren't ready to jump onto the HD bandwagon. The HMC40 does include a 1280 x 720 recording option, however, which does give you some flexibility. There are also a number of quality settings for 1920 x 1080 video recording.

Panasonic's consumer camcorders top out with a 17Mbps bitrate for Full HD recording. The AG-HMC40 uses a maximum bitrate of 24Mbps in its highest-quality record mode (PH mode). 24Mbps is the highest bitrate available on AVCHD and this extra boost in bitrate may help out in scenes with lots of detail or motion. We're not convinced this difference in bitrate will improve video quality too much, but its good to see Panasonic push the AG-HMC40 to its highest possible bitrate.

The table below lists all of the AG-HMC40's recording options. PH is the highest quality setting and it records at a maximum bitrate of 24Mbps. The camcorder has a number of frame rate options—including a native 24p mode and a 720/60p setting. All of the camcorder's record modes capture AVCHD video.

 

**Media***(3.0)*


The AG-HMC40 is part of a new breed of pro camcorders that record to standard consumer memory cards. In the case of the HMC40 it records to regular SD/SDHC cards—the same memory cards used in most flash-memory consumer camcorders (Sony uses its proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo cards). So, with the AG-HMC40 there's no need to purchase any expensive SxS or P2 cards that are required for some of the higher-end pro models. Of course, the AG-HMC40 doesn't have a FireWire port, so connecting an external flash-memory or hard drive recorder to the camcorder would be an issue.

 

There's a lot of benefits to recording to SD/SDHC memory cards: they're cheap, compact, and easy to find. The thing is, they don't have the capacity of larger cards like SxS or P2, which is something that can be an issue on long shooting days. We would have liked to see Panasonic include a second SD/SDHC card slot, just to give the camcorder some extra recording versatility.

 

**Editing***(5.0)*


For a limited time, Panasonic will be including (for free) the Edius Neo 2 editing software with the AG-HMC40. The Neo 2 program is better than the very basic software packages that come with consumer camcorders, but it isn't nearly as extensive or useful as a professional editing program (like Final Cut, Adobe Premiere, or Avid). In addition, the Edius Neo 2 software only works with Windows, so if you plan on editing on a Mac you'll need to purchase some additional software. Our recommendation is to stick with the high-end professional software programs if you can afford them—Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, and Avid each offer an excellent interface and a wide array of features for editing your video. They are leaps and bounds ahead of Edius Neo 2 in their capabilities.

Editing footage taken with the AG-HMC40 isn't any different than working with any camcorder that shoots AVCHD video. As long as your editing software is up-to-date and has the correct plugins for handling AVCHD, you should be fine. AVCHD can, of course, be very taxing for your computer to handle. So, if you plan on doing extensive editing make sure you have a robust computer that is up to the challenge of working with AVCHD (footage can take forever to import and export on slow computers).

Since the AG-HMC40 records 24p footage natively, you'll need a professional editing program if you want to edit the 24p footage in a native 24 frames per second timeline. Most pro software out there can handle this kind of setup, but check with your software manufacturer first to be sure.

While the AG-HMC40's ability to record to non-linear media does make the post production process easier (compared to using tape), there are other pro models out there that offer more seamless editing experiences. The JVC GY-HM100, for example, has the ability to simply 'drag and drop' video files directly from an SD/SDHC card into Final Cut Pro—with no importing or encoding necessary. Remember, however, when you're working with non-linear media you don't have a tangible tape or disc to rely on if your digitized footage gets corrupted. Backing up your video clips to a hard drive or media storage device frequently is your best bet for avoiding disaster.

Manual Controls

 

**Auto Mode***(6.75)*


Even though most of the appeal of pro camcorders stems from their ability to be controlled manually, it is still good to have a dedicated auto mode to use when your in a pinch. The AG-HMC40's auto mode switch is located inside the LCD cavity and it puts the camcorder into a fully automated setting. The auto mode works well for the most part, but it does have some strange quirks that really don't make sense. For example, if you rotate the lens ring in auto mode the camcorder will change the focus—only to have the auto focus kick in and focus the image after a few seconds. You can also turn on focus assist in auto mode (by pressing the focus assist button), but there's no point to this as you cannot set focus manually in auto mode. Why wouldn't Panasonic simply block these settings from being activated while in auto mode?

One cool feature in auto mode is the spot focus option that allows you to tap the portion of the LCD that you want to bring into focus. This feature is taken directly from Panasonic's consumer line of camcorders, although the AG-HMC40 does not have the nifty AF/AE tracking options that are found on the consumer models.

Also in auto mode you can rotate the iris dial to slightly alter the exposure levels. Strangely, the camcorder doesn't display EV values or any numbers at all on the LCD when you rotate the dial. This is very poor design on Panasonic's part, as this means you could accidentally bump the iris dial and not realize you made an adjustment to exposure. The adjustments made in auto mode are very slight, however, so it isn't a huge deal.

Most of the auto functions on the AG-HMC40 work well. The camcorder focuses quickly, exposure levels are adjusted with accuracy, and the auto white balance isn't bad (although we would have liked to see more white balance presets). If you venture into the camcorder's menu, which is accessible in auto mode, you can set the auto iris level (like an auto exposure shift) and you can register a user button to control backlight compensation.Unlike the other pro models we've reviewed, the AG-HMC40 does offer face detection, but it is only available in auto mode.

Low Light Modes

The only feature you could consider to be a 'low light mode' on the HMC40 is its high sensitivity gain option. Engaging high sensitivity, which can only be done by applying the option to one of the user buttons, allows the camcorder to use up to 34dB gain (instead of the normal 24dB limit). At 34dB gain the HMC40 definitely has more noise than 24dB, but the levels aren't that bad and the image is still very usable—nothing like the 36dB setting on the Canon XH A1S and XL H1A (both of which offer an unusable image at 36dB).

Scene Modes

There are no scene modes on the Panasonic AG-HMC40, although there is a spotlight setting that can be applied to one of the user buttons.

 

**Zoom***(5.75)*


Zoom can be controlled on the AG-HMC40 using three different methods: the lens ring, the zoom rocker, and the zoom buttons on the LCD panel. Of these three methods, we found the zoom rocker to be the most comfortable to use, although the lens ring was an intriguing choice. The thing is, the lens ring is really better suited for focus or iris adjustment. There's also a slight delay when you use the zoom ring to adjust zoom, which can be frustrating to deal with.

We like the zoom rocker quite a bit on the AG-HMC40 and it is very similar to the rockers on the Canon XH A1S, XL H1A, and Sony HDR-FX1000. Strangely, the HMC40 does not have any zoom speed preset controls, but you can adjust zoom variably by applying more or less pressure on the zoom rocker (or by rotating the lens ring at various speeds).

The camcorder does have a feature called Smooth Zoom Stop that creates a gradual, smooth stop to your zooms when you release the zoom rocker. If you turn the Smooth Zoom Stop function off, then the camcorder's zoom will stop abruptly when you cease zooming. It is an interesting feature, but it is one that is easily overlooked.

The zoom buttons on the LCD panel don't do much good—especially when you consider the quality of the zoom rocker on the camcorder's right side. The zoom buttons are hard to press, don't offer variable speed control, and they aren't very easy to reach. We strongly recommend sticking with the zoom rocker or lens ring for adjusting zoom.

**Zoom Ratio***(9.0)*

 


The AG-HMC40 is equipped with a 12x optical zoom lens, which isn't as long as the 20x optical zooms featured on the Canon XH A1S, XL H1A, and the Sony HDR-FX1000. The 12x optical zoom on the HMC40 is also the same zoom length found on Panasonic's high-end consumer HD line (the HDC-TM300 and HDC-HS300). In fact, the lens on the HMC40 appears to be identical to Panasonic's consumer line.

There are three digital zoom options on the HMC40—one increases the zoom by 2x, the other by 5x, and the last by 10x (making the max digital zoom 120x if you include the 12x optical). Using any of these digital zoom settings will result in a loss of image quality, so we recommend sticking with the optical zoom if you can.

 

**Focus***(9.0)*


Focus is set manually on the HMC40 by rotating the camcorder's large lens ring. The camcorder only has one lens ring (unlike the Canon and Sony pro models that have three), so it shouldn't be confusing as to what ring we're talking about. The ring is definitely comfortable and easy to grip, but it is a bit too loose for making precise focus adjustments. We prefer a ring with more resistance when adjusting focus.

 

The camcorder has a few interesting focus assist features, but neither of them are the traditional 'peaking' systems found on many pro cams. The first focus assist is a simple digital zoom that magnifies the image so you can focus easier. The second assist is a strange bar system where a line appears on the LCD that gets longer the more in focus your subject is (the line shrinks when everything is out of focus). It is a strange system and we're not convinced of its effectiveness. Still, if you're not a fan of peaking, then Panasonic's bar system may be a good alternative.

 

**Exposure***(4.0)*


Regular exposure adjustment on the AG-HMC40 is oddly limited. Nowhere in the camcorder's manual is an explanation for a plain old exposure adjustment (not even in auto mode). That doesn't mean exposure cannot be adjusted, however. When the iris is set to auto you can still rotate the adjustment dial to alter the exposure. Now, when you change the exposure in this manner there are no incremental EV steps that appear on the screen—the exposure simply changes and you can see it in the brightness of the image.

Now, if you're willing to go into the camcorder's Scene File menu you can make adjustments to the auto iris level, which is somewhat like setting exposure manually. This is rather time consuming, however, and it would be much easier to simply adjust the aperture to change the brightness of the image.

**Aperture***(10.3)*


Panasonic calls aperture adjustment iris on all its camcorders, so if you're looking for a setting that says aperture on the HMC40, you won't find it. You can control the iris by using the small dial on the left side of the camcorder (labeled as the iris dial), or you can set the lens ring to adjust iris. All these options make controlling the aperture on the HMC40 one of the best processes on the camcorder. There are tons of f-stop increments (33 to be precise) in a range from f/1.8 to f/11.

 

We recommend using the iris dial for controlling aperture and leaving the lens ring for manual focus. The iris dial is easy to reach on the fly and you can switch things back to an auto aperture setting by simply pushing in on the dial.

**Shutter Speed***(3.8)*


Shutter speed is kind of a mess on the AG-HMC40 because you have to use the touchscreen LCD to make adjustments. There are plenty of shutter speed options on the camcorder, but we can't really imagine pros taking to kindly to using a touchscreen to set them. The touchscreen specifically makes shutter speed very annoying to change while you are recording.

If you forget about the wonky touchscreen interface, the AG-HMC40 has a decent offering of shutter speed options. The range goes from 1/2 a second to 1/2000 of a second with various shutter speeds in between (the shutter speeds are different depending on what frame rate you're shooting in). Photo mode also has a few additional shutter speeds—1/180, 1/350, 1/750, 1/1500—that aren't available in any video mode.

 

Panasonic also throws in a synchro scan feature that lets you fine tune the shutter speed to match the frequency of a monitor or television so you don't get noise when you shoot those screens. This isn't a huge feature (unless you find yourself recording screens or monitors a lot), but it is a good thing for Panasonic to include. In regular 60i recording the synchro scan feature allows you to set the shutter speed from 1/60.0 to 1/250.0 in 0.1 increments. Just like setting the shutter speed regularly, the synchro scan option also must be set using the touchscreen.

 

**White Balance***(3.0)*


White balance options are limited on the AG-HMC40 and even simple settings—like conducting a manual white balance—can be very confusing the first few times you use the camcorder. We don't understand why Panasonic made setting the white balance on the HMC40 so difficult. It is almost as if Panasonic decided to make the white balance system more difficult to use just because the HMC40 is a pro camcorder.

To pick a white balance setting, you must press the white balance button on the left side of the camcorder. Continual pressing of this button lets you cycle through the white balance options. You cannot view the options as a list or set of icons, so if you go by the option you want you must continue pressing until you get back to it again. This is just lazy design on Panasonic's part. The white balance options include ATW, ATW Lock, AWB P3.2K, AWB P5.6K, Ach, and Bch. If all these names sound extremely confusing that's because they are extremely confusing.

 

 

ATW stands for Auto Tracking White, and it is essentially the camcorder's auto white balance setting. The ATW Lock is also an auto setting, but it won't continually adjust the white balance when you move to a different light source (it will 'lock' the white balance). AWB P3.2K would be much easier to understand if it was simply written as a halogen light preset (3200 Kelvin). The AWB P5.6K is a 5600K preset meant for outdoor light.

The Ach and Bch setting are the most confusing names, and they are also the most important. Each is a manual white balance option that can be saved and switched between using the function menu on the LCD touchscreen. By naming the manual modes 'Ach' and 'Bch,' Panasonic seems like they are trying to confuse us. Why not just call them 'Manual A' and 'Manual B?'

Setting the Ach and Bch is a bit confusing and it is definitely something that requires a quick    read of the instruction manual. You must press the white balance button until Ach or Bch comes up, then point the camcorder at a white target, then hold the white balance button (not the Ach or Bch button) until the screen goes black and a message pops up to say the calibration worked. We found this system unnecessarily complex compared to the one-push system used on Canon's consumer camcorders.

 

 

**Gain***(6.75)*


The AG-HMC40 has manual gain control, but it is tied to the camcorder's aperture setting. You must open the aperture (iris) fully before you can boost the gain levels—a silly limitation that restricts the versatility of the HMC40. This makes it nearly impossible to control depth of field unless you're shooting under ideal lighting conditions.

 

When you do open the aperture all the way, the camcorder offers gain settings up to +24dB at 1dB increments. You can also boost the gain up to +34dB by setting one of the User Buttons to High Sensitivity. In photo mode the gain can only go as high as +18dB.

 

**Color & Image Controls***(10.4)*


There's a lot of color and image controls on the AG-HMC40 and most of them are located in the Scene File menu. Panasonic's Scene File system is very similar to the Custom Presets found on Canon's pro models and the Picture Profile system on the Sony HDR-FX1000. The AG-HMC40 doesn't have quite the amount of controls as you'd find on the Canon XL H1A or XH A1S, but it has about as many features as the Sony HDR-FX1000.

 

**Other Manual Controls***(5.0)*


 

 

Still Features

 

**Still Features***(9.7)*


The Panasonic AG-HMC40 has something most other pro camcorders don't—a generous amount of still features and strong photo specs. The HMC40 can capture native 8-megapixel still images, offers three different aspect ratio options, and includes ten separate choices for still image resolution. Even with these impressive specs, we're left wondering why anyone would actually use the HMC40 as a still camera. Yes, there are benefits of using still photos for reference, but why does the camcorder need to capture high-resolution images for this purpose? Still, even if they aren't that useful, the HMC40's still features do represent an advantage over the other pro models we've tested.

Switching to photo mode on the HMC40 is harder than it needs to be. You must slide the mode switch over and hold it down until the camcorder switches to photo mode (to get back to video mode you need to repeat this process). There is no Scene File menu in photo mode, but you can set the detail level, chroma level, auto iris level, and turn on skin tone detail. There are also a few features that are only available in photo mode like a waveform monitor, guide lines (for framing), and a histogram. Manual controls like shutter speed, aperture, and gain can all be set in photo mode, although some of the increments and ranges for adjustment are slightly different.

 

**Still Color***(10.03)*


The AG-HMC40 did a very good job in our still color test, but all of the pro camcorders we've tested have performed strongly here. The HMC40 earned a color error of 3.49 with a saturation level of 102.1%. These scores are very similar to what we measured on the Canon XH A1S, Canon XL H1A, and Sony HDR-FX1000. (More on how we test still color.)

 

The AG-HMC40 is the only one of the pro cams shown below that can take photos in various aspect ratios (the rest only shoot 16:9). Since the HMC40 takes its highest-quality photos at 4:3, that's the aspect ratio we used in our testing—it is also why the Panasonic's image is a different size than the rest shown below. In photo mode on the AG-HMC40 you don't have access the the same amount of image adjustment controls as you do in video mode, but you can still manipulate chroma level, detail level, and skin tone detail.

 

**Still Noise***(1.85)*


The AG-HMC40 averaged 1.12% noise in its still photos, which is higher than we'd like to see. This is roughly twice the amount of noise measured on the photos taken by the XH A1S. This test isn't all that important, however, because most pros aren't likely to use still photos with the HMC40 for anything other than reference files. (More on how we test still noise.)

 

**Still Sharpness***(5.35)*


Here's where the AG-HMC40 really has an edge over the competition. While HDV pro camcorders usually top out with a 1920 x 1080 still image resolution, the HMC40 is capable of snapping native 8-megapixel photos (3264 x 2448 resolution). This is a huge difference and it allows the HMC40 to take much larger photos. Despite all this, the camcorder was a bit of a disappointment when it came to still sharpness. In our testing, the HMC40 measured a horizontal sharpness of 2005 lw/ph with 64.3% oversharpening and a vertical sharpness of 1795 lw/ph with 66.2% oversharpening. It is these huge oversharpening values that are most disconcerting because it means the camcorder is applying loads of internal processing in order to make its still photos sharper.  (More on how we test still sharpness.)

Even though the AG-HMC40 didn't impress us with its still sharpness results, it did end up producing much sharper still images than the other pro camcorders we've tested (which have all been HDV models). So, even though it is a somewhat insignificant category, we must say the advantage here clearly goes to the Panasonic.

Handling & Use

Playback & Connectivity

 

**Playback***(4.5)*


There's two things you should know about Playback Mode on the AG-HMC40. Firstly, it is organized well. Clips are arranged in the classic thumbnail format, but you can control (using the zoom toggle) how many thumbnails are displayed on the screen and you can arrange the thumbnails by format or shot marker (which we'll talk about later in this section). The second thing is something that bugs us—the HMC40 features terrible VCR controls that are entirely located on the LCD touchscreen. There are no hard buttons on the camcorder for pausing, fast forwarding, rewinding, etc. You can use the provided wireless remote, however, which we strongly recommend.

So, that's basically it. The camcorder has good clip organization in playback, but it has terrible VCR controls. On numerous occasions we had to tap certain buttons 6-7 times before the LCD touchscreen responded with the appropriate reaction. Not to mention these VCR controls also take up a good portion of the tiny LCD screen, thereby limiting the amount of viewing space available. Check out the animated screen grabs below to see for yourself what the HMC40's Playback Mode looks like.

 

One more feature we should mention is called Shot Mark, which allows you to mark your clips so they can be organized together during playback. To use the feature you must set Shot Mark to one of the three customizable User Buttons and you can mark your clips while you are shooting them or when you are in Playback Mode (thumbnail view only, not during playback). In Playback Mode you can then select only the clips that have been 'marked' to be played back. This is a pretty basic feature found on most consumer camcorders, but Panasonic manages to make it sound more confusing by forcing you to set the feature to a User Button and making you do more work than you should have to.

 

**Connectivity***(5.5)*


Compared to what many pro camcorders offer, the AG-HMC40 is limited when it comes to connectivity. It doesn't have any onboard XLR inputs, no HD-SDI terminal, no BNC connections, and no FireWire port. What it does have is a small collection of ports on its back side right next to the battery compartment. Located here is a column of ports that are protected by three separate port covers, all of which are made of flexible plastic.

At the top of this column are the AV-out and Component out ports, below these is a headphone out jack, and at the bottom are two Cam Remote terminals. The two Cam Remote terminals are designed to work with a wired remote like the VZDVR130 from Panasonic. The Focus/Iris terminal is a 3.5mm mini jack and the Zoom S/S is a 2.5mm super mini jack. Coming around to the camcorder's left side, you'll find an SD/SDHC memory card slot that is just beneath the LCD panel (there's only one card slot on the camcorder).

Swinging the HMC40 around to the right side you'll see another small collection of ports. This set is located behind a larger, thicker piece of hard plastic that is not very flexible. Here you'll find a regular HDMI terminal, USB port, and a 3.5mm mini mic input. Hidden beneath these ports, just behind the camcorder's lens is an XLR adapter terminal for connecting an external microphone (like the AG-MC200G) or an XLR microphone adapter box (like the AG-MYA30G). We're happy to see this port on the AG-HMC40, but we'd prefer it if the camcorder simply had an onboard XLR input instead.

 

You'll notice the HMC40 does not have a DC-input. Instead, it comes with a battery adapter that has a phantom battery (connected to a cable) that must be inserted into the battery compartment to run the camcorder off of wall power. This can be a nuisance, mainly because the wired battery pack is a lot larger than a simple AC adapter input would be. Also, it means you must remove your battery and turn the camcorder off whenever you want to switch from battery to wall power (or vice versa). The camcorder also has a cold accessory shoe that is located on the top-center of the HMC40, or on the tip of the handlebar (if the handlebar is attached).

As a side note, the AG-HMC40 does come with three small PIN-BNC conversion plugs that allow you to connect a regular RCA input into a BNC terminal (or vice versa). This is a useful addition, but these connectors are small and easily lost, so they aren't nearly as advantageous as having a dedicated BNC terminal on the camcorder.

 

 

Other Features

 

**Other Features***(3.5)*


Pre Record

Allows you to record three seconds of video and audio prior to pressing the record button (the camcorder continually stores three seconds of video on an internal buffer). This is a helpful feature if you're trying to capture an action-oriented moment or unexpected surprise, but it also drastically reduces battery life when engaged. Panasonic's consumer camcorders also include this feature.

Interval Record

Interval Record allows you to do frame-by-frame recording at specified intervals, which is designed for capturing things like a sunrise/sunset or a blooming flower. Single frames can be captured per second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minutes (at 24 frames per second). No audio is recorded when using Interval Record and the max shooting time is 24 hours (you'll also need to use the AC adapter for long shots).

Canon XH A1S Comparison

The Canon XH A1S is quite a bit more expensive than the AG-HMC40, but it comes with a lot more features and a much sturdier design than the Panasonic. The XH A1S isn't the best pro model we've reviewed (in fact, the Sony HDR-FX1000 is probably a better deal in this category), but it is a much better product than the AG-HMC40. The Canon fared better in our low light performance testing and its plethora of manual controls, as well as the variety of rings and dials for adjusting them, gives the XH A1S a significant edge in handling, versatility, and design.

This doesn't mean the AG-HMC40 isn't without its advantages. It features a far lighter and more compact design (we're talking less than half the weight of the XH A1S), and it offers non-linear recording to SD/SDHC memory cards. It also has a better designed viewfinder and more still image features than the Canon XH A1S. That's about it as far as advantages go on the HMC40—except for it's  price, which is roughly  $1700 less than the XH A1S.

If you're looking to upgrade from a consumer camcorder, or you simply want to go with one of the cheapest options on the pro market, the Panasonic AG-HMC40 is the better option here. If you want a quality prosumer camcorder, however, the Canon XH A1S is the stronger choice (unless you want to stay away from tape-based recording). It handles better, captures higher-quality video, and has more features than the HMC40. It also looks and feels like a pro model should—strong, sturdy, with lots of dials and switches for making manual adjustments.

 

 

 

 

Sony HDR-FX1000 Comparison

The Sony HDR-FX1000 is one of the cheaper tape-based pro models out there, but it is still around $900 more expensive than the Panasonic AG-HMC40. the Sony FX1000 did surprisingly well in our performance testing, however, often outperforming the more expensive models from Canon. Like the HMC40, the HDR-FX1000 has some design flaws, but its button layout and handling are still better than what Panasonic offers. Mainly we like the fact that the FX1000 doesn't rely on a finicky touchscreen interface like the AG-HMC40.

Even though the HDR-FX1000 is on the lighter side for a pro model it is still weights more than two times as much as the AG-HMC40. Most of this weight is a result of the MiniDV tape deck on the camcorder's right side (the HDR-FX100 records video to MiniDV tape only). The FX1000 has roughly the same amount of controls as the Panasonic HMC40, but the Sony has more lens rings, dials, and switches for making adjustments. It also has a much larger and higher-resolution LCD than the Panasonic.

The Sony HDR-FX1000 is one of the best deals out there for a tape-based prosumer camcorder. It doesn't have the best connectivity options (no XLR terminals), but it does offer excellent performance at a price that is much lower than many other professional-grade camcorders. The Sony's performance was quite a bit better than the AG-HMC40 in our stabilization, video sharpness, and low light tests, which makes it a much more compelling option if you are looking for top-notch video quality. Still, you must consider the benefit of the AG-HMC40's lower price, compact design, and ability to record video to SD/SDHC memory cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canon XL H1A Comparison

With an MSRP of $5999 (with lens) the Canon XL H1A is the most expensive pro camcorder we've reviewed. It's also the only pro model we've tested that offers an interchangeable lens system (one of the main reasons it has such a high price tag). The XL H1A is also a shoulder-mount model, which means it offers a much different user experience than the rest of the pro models in this review (all of which have hand-held designs).

As far as performance goes, there wasn't too much of a difference between the Canon XL H1A and the Canon XH A1S. This makes sense, as the two are essentially the same camcorder internally (except they have different lenses). What the XL H1A does have is a larger body, so there's a lot more space for switches, dials, buttons, and rings. We really like a lot of these extra dials and buttons as it makes certain features (like shutter speed, for example) far easier to adjust on the fly. Still, the XL H1A had some problems with balance—it tended to tilt to the right when we mounted it on our shoulders—and it is a very bulky camcorder (roughly 4x the weight of the AG-HMC40).

If you want a shoulder-mounted pro camcorder that records to tape, the Canon XL H1A is a decent option. Its video performance didn't blow us away (in certain aspects, the Sony HDR-FX1000 was better), but it does handle very well and its controls are all easily accessible. Its design is essentially the complete antithesis of the Panasonic AG-HMC40, so we don't expect there to be much of an overlap with people deciding between these two models.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

Meet the tester

Jeremy Stamas

Jeremy Stamas

Managing Editor, Video

@nematode9

Jeremy is the video expert of our imaging team and Reviewed.com's head of video production. Originally from Pennsylvania and upstate NY, he graduated from Bard college with a degree in film and electronic media. He has been living and working in New England since 2005.

See all of Jeremy Stamas's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next