Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

I recently started my own videography company and decided to treat myself to a professional camera that had many features all-in-one. I looked around for a long time and read every review on the net and was on the fence whether to go with a professional camcorder or the 5d mark 3. Then the 5d mark 3 had light leak issues so i took it as a sign and went with the panny. It had all the features and was great looking too - but i just wasn't satisfied with the footage, especially in low light which is where i shoot very often. The camera i was using before was a Canon T2i with a few lenses in the L range and the quality of the footage was superior to the panny so i returned it and received my refund - and i've decided to go the 5d mark 3 route.

I think it really depends on what you require the camera for. In it's range this camera was the best i could find so i chose it, but it turns out that i'm willing to go through the hassle of having the accessories and taking the time to attach them before i shoot in order to obtain the low light advantages and the crisp quality footage. I shoot marketing videos so manual focus is what i use anyways and it's always from a tripod so stability isn't a requirement either. If i was shooting sports or live events then i don't think i would be able to go with the DSLR.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

I have bought 3 Pro Video cameras over the last 2 years. This is the best for the price. Picture quality is stunning. The sound with external mic is great ( Using AT 897). Enjoy the over ride features. The only thing that needs to be change is the on off way to easy to turn on and turn off while holding it for the next shot or setup. Price was very good for what your getting.
Lens is perfect & you will not get anything better out there until you can change to primes.
A must buy for Doc's and reality like I do. Work flow, you can be editing footage is a couple of minutes after shooting.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

Have used the 160/130 cameras for 6 months under extreme conditions all over US filming dog show events. Simply fabulous units! Our shoots have un-controlled and strange lighting conditions, often shooting directly into shaded areas with sun backlight, mixed mercury halogen, incandescent and fluorescent lighting, etc. The 160/130s handle these high contrast weird white balance situations with ease.

The new 22x zoom is really super. We have not had the focus issues that some talk about. Overall the field is flat. We do notice, however, that low contrast single color fields are more difficult to hold in focus at Z99 zoom. That would be true, though, of any long lens.

We do find that when running on A/C power (we often film 8 - 10 hours per day) that any variation in power (e.g., brown out when a hair blow dryer is turned on) causes the gray screen of death on the 160 and requires a repair/recover on the SD chips. That is a real aggravation. Our shooting locations often do not have the best power. We have solved this by picking up a small APC battery backup power supply. Plug the 160/130 into this and you can eliminate the power brown-out/surge issues that trash the video I/O to the chips. Saves time on a long shoot.

We also emphasize what Barry Green has to say about chips. BUY THE BEST! We've used Sandisk chips - which are great - but repeated in and out of the camera and computer and we see indentations on the contacts, and problems with the plastic. Switched to the Panasonic chips. They are more rugged. So far they withstand the abuse that we put them through with (very) repeated use. And, they are fast!

One aggravation about the recordings for events is that every time you re-format the chips, the stream files are re-indexed to 0000. That is a pain. It would be handy to have a continuous counter that could be re-set at the beginning of an event so that successive chips would name the stream files sequentially based on the last one written (not re-indexed to 0000 on formatting).

Final note to Panasonic is that the duplicate chip recording system is not 100%. For short bursts of video - minutes at a time - the writes out to both chips simultaneously work just fine. However, when recording for hours as we do, we see 1 - 3 times per day that there is a write error. We get the gray screen of death and have to recover the files. This is a real aggravation. I guess if you were shooting a feature, short or commercial with many clips of short duration, all would be fine. For us, we often record hours at a time. The duplicate record function is not yet stable under this circumstance.

One last note with kudos to Panasonic. One of our brand new 160s arrived from BH with a defective lens assembly. We overnighted to Panasonic in New Jersey. They fixed the same day and returned. Fabulous service!

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

I purchased two of these for work...we shoot instructional exercise videos, Q&A type stuff...huge step up from the sony hdcam we were using before. I will say it is a lot easier to use these cameras post production once we upgraded to FCP10.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

This camera is a good upgrade from the HMC150. It's heavier, though. Well built. The 22x zoom lens is great and the full raster sensors are a nice enhancement. The auto white balance works exceptionally well. The auto focus can wander a bit, so shoot manually for best results.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

I'm using this camera for ducumentary film production and promo videos for non profits

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

After months of researching I finally came to the conclusion that this was the right camera for me. And man, was I right. I Love it! This is a great camera. First off the lens/zoom is dynamite. 22x wow!.
I purchased the 160 in time for a new documentary and the workflow is smooth. The cards deliver at a fraction of the cost of P2. Coming from owning a DVX 100 its easy to start shooting with the 160. The image quality is wonderful, and packed with all the features, such as being able to change the color temp and frame rate quickly, as well as the ability to do time lapse in the camera are a great addition also. Plus a nice waveform monitor and vectorscope. SDI and HDMI out and the ability to shoot PAL. Nicely done!
There are a lot of camera's out there, they're all just tools for the job really. The trick is to find one that suits your needs. And for the money, the 160 delivers the right amount of bang for the buck!

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

I work as a freelance videographer and this is just what I needed for some of my longform recording where my HPX170 was lacking in affordable media and long record times.

I love the 22x lens and the redundant record capability, it is lightweight and quite respectable in size.

I wish that it atleast had the option to record at a higher bit rate but that was not a dealbreaker for me.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

I bought three of these right after Christmas and have already done weddings, concerts and interview/documentary work with em'.

I don't see having to buy another camera for a long while.

I do have issues with the auto focus but I prefer shooting in manual most of the time anyway.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

I absolutely adore this video camera. The features are solid. Choose a variety of HD loadouts. Time Laspe and Frame Rate are excellent on the AC160. It's relatively lightweight to handle, even with the battery (three hour battery life what's out of the box). I heavily recommend to read the user guide that B&H graciously included in the order. Very easy to import to Final Cut Pro. Overall fascinating video camera in the evolving state of digital media. There's a lot of potential that the AG-AC160 can unearth.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

Best Replacement for a Canon Xh-A1. I think that say's it all.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

I use this for independent Film and all types of events. Has so many features for the price. I really like the Variable Frame Rate function. I have used this in a few scenes. Sure you can do it in post but to see realtime on the movie set it is great. The 22X optical lens has performed very well. One main feature is that a firmware update that will come out by spring 2012 will enable it to shoot 1080 60P with the LPCM audio. I even received a free copy of Barry Greens AC160/130 book ($80 value) from a card that was in the box. The pricing on this has dropped a bit since i got it. [$] that is now but for such a great camera I am still very happy. I bundle this with my Canon 5D Mark II and its incredible to do anything I want. I use the Mark II to have the flexibility of Interchangeable High quality lenses for different needs and the photography option.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

A very usuful Camcorder, easy to use.
I recommend.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

This is a great camera. I am very pleased with all the footage that I've shot. I use it for a lot of run and gun but also documentary work. It has convenient adjustable shutter and frame rate wheel, and I can get some DOF. I've shot all day and have not been tired because it's very light. Even with increased gain, shots are still good. Paired it with the Sachtler FSB-4 tripod. I never use the sound but you could get sound you can hear and understand.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

Use it daily for church productions, Bought 1 and then liked it so much our church bought 2 more for a total of three. This is way better than the Sony NX-5. Great for its price.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

I'm a news shooter. The camera is light, accurate and friendly. I do both HD and DV use - happy so far.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

For months I researched, and researched, and researched... And while there are plenty of great cameras out there in this price range, the AG-AC160 continued to rise to the top of the list... Since purchase, my AC160 has been performing flawlessly and with stunning imagery captured. The VFR is wonderful, but the biggest checkbox in the PRO column is the lens. You'd swear it could zoom THROUGH things.Because at my time of purchase, there was little in the way of footage posted online, I created a user group for the AC160 (and AC130, too) on Vimeo, which I invite you to check out (no sign up required to view sample videos from myself and others). Go to: http://vimeo.com/groups/ac160/videos to see the camera in action. Its imagery speaks volumes of the camera.A few thoughts: • At first blush, the camera feels "cheap" to hold, but it's actually well constructed and made of a combination of magnesium alloy and plastics. • The switchgear is of lower quality than I would like (Sony's is much nicer in this regard), but I realize Panasonic had to trim some corners to hit the price point. It reminds me of my Subaru: not the best interior, but I bought it for the chassis...• I lost the lens cap on the second shoot -- it seems to have no ability to grip the threads of any standard filter you may screw on. Tether it to the camera (annoying, but necessary, lest you wish to buy a new one).• When you pull the camera out of the box, don't freak out about what sounds like a loose part in the lens. It's the Image Stabilization mechanism at-rest. There's nothing wrong with your camera• At distances less than 6 feet from subject, you can actually zoom in fully, but know there is a transition the lens goes through to enable full-zoom AND Macro simultaneously. There is an example of this on the above listed Vimeo Group. Again, nothing wrong with your camera, only a function of this amazing lens to do it all.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

Used as a handheld/remote professional video camera, the Panasonic AG-AC160 has exceeded our expectations. It delivers quality video in just about every light setting (indoor, outdoors). Great zoom range. Dual SDHC card slots and long lasting battery (2+ hours) are a plus.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

As a person who retired from shooting news in D.C. for over 30 years and still wanted to shoot occasional projects, I had to buy my own cam and the choices within my budget always fell short of my expectations until this cam was introduced. To me it feels and performs like the real deal. It has enough weight to sit steady on my shoulder, the controls are located just right, very little going to the menu and the lens itself was worth the wait. The video and sound are top notch and the camera feels solid. The manual controls feel like the pro Sony I used to shoot with except the auto focus is a welcome upgrade for my aging eyes. This is my third pro Panasonic cam. I own the DVX 100A, the HMC40 and now this. I really like the scene file dials, the ND filters, the manual lens controls and the audio controls. Having always held my cam on my shoulder, Ive never liked holding the rig in front of me. This camera weighs about six pounds and so I used a shoulder device that I had been usung on my other Panasonics. It is made by Smith Victor, B&H # SMCS1, sold by them for $59.95. Once you get used to this rig you can hold the cam rock steady and go all day with no fatigue. I'm now 70 and this setup makes me feel like I'm back in the saddle again only with pristine video and top quality audio. Finally.

Comments about Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder:

We purchased two AG AC160' and soon a third, for a local run/gun television show. Our first impression is that the camera is perfect for manual use. The manual controls are perfectly located. The focus, zoom and iris rings together make it easy to adjust quickly. We found the colors to be vibrant and stunning. They also perform very well in low light conditions.

We are using the Anton Bauer Elipz battery, Eledz light panel, Spoke w/mount, A.T. mini shotgun and a A.T. dual wireless receiver. With the extra weight the camera is now just under 10 lbs. which is a little hard to handle. A shoulder mount will have to be added. The only negative is that there are only two audio inputs.

We recommend. B.T.W., Panasonic AG AC160's will be used during the 2012 Winter Olympics in London.