Panasonic HC-VX980

Advantages: Honest 4K. Good Leica lens. Optical stab. IR illumination (night). Built-in flashlight. Possibility to work from a power bank. Hot shoe for on-camera light or wireless microphone. Swivel screen. Sharp 4K detail. Realistic color reproduction. 20x optical zoom. Stylish design and body. Light weight.

Disadvantages: Slightly lathers on the edges of the picture. Bad idea with a wi-fi remote as a smartphone instead of a regular remote. With a lack of illumination, the matrix makes a lot of noise. Gone from 3MOS and in vain, one 1 / 2.3 matrix is ​​worse than three 1/4 matrices. Too short operating time from a standard battery (can be solved by replacing it with VBT380 or a power bank). FullHD 1080 60fps is completely killed (apparently in favor of 4K). The price tag is too high. Maltz was too smart with the menu in terms of managing options. There are no hot buttons with an appointment (not a pro camera).

Comment: I've been shooting for over a year now. In general, for an amateur camera, it's pretty good. The picture is perfect at 4K 30fps. (switches to NTSC in the service menu). Immediately forget about any intelligent modes and switch to manual mode. We expose: Sharpness +1. Color +1. BB in the sun. Play with the exposure as you like. These will be the most honest UHD with a realistic picture. For my purposes, 4K is basically not needed. However, if you shoot in normal iframe 1080p modes. or AVCHD 1080p, then the processor simply kills the quality with disgusting soap, distortion in colors and BB. The solution is simple. We shoot in 4K, then SOFTWARE on a PC convert to 1080p. The quality is several times higher than the standard shooting modes in 1080. Proven in practice. I use 128Gb Samsung EVO plus 10 3 SDXC as a carrier. The bitrate from this card gives out ~ 62Mbit / sec, it's worthy. And remember, the camera is NOT SHARPENED for ACTION! For travel and hand-held shooting, take Goproshka 7th, and do not warm your head. This camera is for landscape, portrait, architectural, static "lamp" shooting from the STAND! Nature, sunsets, sunrises. Forest, birds, mushrooms, flowers, butterflies. Sea, pebbles, shells. Video blogging, interview sitting on a chair.All this is YES. Sharp dynamics, drive, handheld shooting in motion, sharp zoom. This is NO. And do not have any illusions, this is NOT a PRO camera, although it is made with a smell for it. Don't expect the impossible from her.

Advantages: - quite attractive price / quality ratio - 20x zoom is really good, it is good to shoot birds / butterflies - 5 volt power supply from a power bank - generally a credit to Panas - the image gives usable for further processing (color correction, editing) - convenient horizon levels can be displayed - excellent focusing range, I also bought a macro lens, now you can even shoot a microcosm in excellent quality - you can change PAL / NTSC recording modes through the service menu.

Disadvantages: - we slightly upset the intelligent modes, sometimes the images are washed out in the shade even with sufficient lighting, apparently the amplification / noise reduction is triggered - in the mode of specifying the focusing object, as in previous models, fluctuations in the brightness of the image often begin (there was such a glitch in the previous lines) - standard I don't use the hood, its dimensions are inconvenient, the camera does not fit anywhere and loses its convenience, screwing it on is still a quest - there is no lid, if you put a protective / effective filter, there is nothing to close, the hood can no longer be installed. I ordered Chinese penny crafts on e-bay - in low light 4k at the level of a mobile phone, 4k only in the sun - there are individual copies of lenses with soapy edges - this is the price of cheapness (quality floats), it is difficult to choose in the store

Comment: I shoot only with a tripod, I think this is a feature of 4k video, it's almost impossible to get a good picture from hands for a smooth, pleasant video sequence. Even on a tripod, touching the camera with your hands causes the picture to "jerk". Now, when a new line has been released, prices for a camera that are completely similar in terms of hardware are an excellent entry into the world of high quality 4k at a relatively low cost. Even if transcoded for viewing in HD quality, such a camera will give a better picture than originally shot in HD. Despite the indicated disadvantages, it is better (more expensive) and not necessary for domestic use. Some people don't like the fact that 4K is only 25/30 frames, but this needs to be changed in the shooting technique. Films generally shoot 24 frames, 30 should be enough.

Advantages: Very light, two GoPro in size Doesn't get hot Fast turn on Excellent quality of recording in 4k Excellent zoom 20x Normal cost Possibility to install an increased battery 3900 (1 h 45 min of recording in 4k)

Disadvantages: The touchscreen display is not particularly responsive when compared with current phones.

Comment: I use Samsung MB-MP128DA, no need to buy expensive cards with speeds of 40-60 mb, 15 mb is enough for 4k. Compared with SanDisk Extreme microSDXC Class 10 UHS Class 3 60MB / s 64GB writes in the same way, without jambs, as with Samsung.

Advantages: High quality shooting. Very lightweight. Charged by Power Bank. Unpretentious to memory cards

Disadvantages: Didn't reveal.

Comment:

Advantages: This format of devices - amateur handheld camcorders - has practically outlived its usefulness, I suspect that these are the last of the Macigans, so the very fact that there are still such cameras, and besides, in 4K, is already fantastic. Therefore, it makes no sense to list the advantages - everything is fine in it. And about the power supply from a power bank, an excellent stub, a screen with an amazing response - this has already been told by others.

Disadvantages: Well, it's still the amateur segment. And the cheapest representative. So expecting a picture with the same color depth and sharpness as a professional camera with interchangeable lenses on an electronic steadicam is like expecting a frog from a bar after a kiss to turn into Jennifer Lawrence. I bought a year ago for a promotion of a Panasonic brand store for 30 (!!!) tr. - what are the disadvantages ?! Compared to HC-X810 - heaven and earth.

Comment: If you need 4K - and the difference in detail compared to FHD is amazing - and it is in this format of the device, and not in an action camera or smartphone, then there are simply no other options for such money. Next comes the Sony FDR-AX100E at twice the price. Everything in between differs from the 980's trim levels (viewfinder, for example) and, not much, quality (software processing and stub).

Advantages: Shoots well on a tripod, can shoot in complete darkness at a short distance, built-in night vision eye, shoots in green.

Disadvantages: the stabilizer is full of crap, everything jumps on the go or on a bike, it feels like it does not exist at all. although maybe I turn it on in the wrong place or I don’t know how at all, I put everything on the car, there is no stabilization.

Comment: I have a panassonic HС-X810 I compared the quality, writes almost the same. At 810, the touch display works faster, but no 4K. You don't need 4k for a blog on YouTube. I bought it because of the Wi-Fi ability to use it together with other gadgets

Advantages: Fast and accurate autofocus Does not overwhelm the WB Good sound Optical zoom and stabilization system

Disadvantages: The matrix makes noise when there is a lack of lighting Weak battery in the kit You cannot put on a hood on a worn filter

Comment: The price is clearly overpriced. No outstanding achievements, with slightly above average performance. I liked the stabilization system, sane autofocus, and the sound quality in five-channel mode. I took it for video blogging.

Advantages: + Delicious price + Well balanced ingredients

Disadvantages: No

Comment: The device is perfectly balanced for its price: Leica lens (20x zoom), large sensor (1 / 2.3 "), fast percent Crystal Engine 4K processes video very quickly and with high quality, cuts out noise on the fly, which makes the task easier during subsequent editing. The output is a high-quality 4K or FullHD video with good detailing, natural color rendition and smooth color transitions. The ergonomics of the camera are classic, "handheld", so I started shooting with it immediately, without getting used to it. I also recommend taking a regular power-bank to the camera, which can be used for autonomous power supply by connecting via a proprietary USB-lanyard - very practical.