Panasonic HC-X1500 Review
I have always preferred using a camcorder which for capturing live events over a mirrorless camera. However, even though they are practical in numerous ways they always seem to fall a little short. In this article we will take a look at the Panasonic HC x1500 and discuss a few of the standout features of this videomaking machine and some of the major issues that I had when I brought it to a wedding.
I currently use the Sony A6600 and the A6400. Both of these cameras are great budget options for shooting weddings. I use a variety of lenses, but mainly the Sony 18-105mm f4,the Tamron 17-70mm f2.8, and a few primes for when things are really dark. But honestly, I hate having to swap lenses, and it is annoying to have to remember to pull the ND filter off the front of my lens when I move indoors. And this happens multiple times during a wedding day. Also I have to put one of my cameras on a gimbal most of the time because any moving shots are terrible on my Sony cameras, even on the A6600 with IBIS.
These are some of the things I really like about the Panasonic x1500 – the built in ND filters, built-in stabilization, integrated lens, and all of the custom buttons are great. The lens has a crazy zoom range of 24x(25mm – 600mm). It’s really amazing, but I rarely need to zoom that much anyway. I feel like being able to zoom into 250mm is more than adequate for most live shooting. I also bought the detachable xlr handle so I can get mics plugged in with the ability to adjust my levels with a dials. Adjusting via a dial instead of through a menu on a screen like I do with the Sony A6600/A6400 is so much easier.
It also has a built-in light on the handle. Great innovation, but it is only 5600k in color. I wish it was bi-color. I love having dual card slots too. This is one of the things that is lacking on my Sony cameras. That piece of mind means a lot to me. It also has a variety of video codecs and can even shoot 4k/60 at 10-bit 4:2:2.
But here’s where things start to fall apart:
When you shoot wide, the lens is f1.8, but zoom in just a little and you quickly move down to f4 and with only a ½ inch sensor, your image goes to crap indoors. And the LCD monitor will fool you. It is one of the best lcd monitors I have ever used. Everything is bright and crisp, but so much so that it makes your grainy footage look clear. The Panasonic x1500 is not just bad in low light, it is bad in decent light. For a wedding I want more, and I also want to some shallow depth of field as well. I’m not sure why Panasonic didn’t put a 1 inch sensor in this camera…actually for that matter why not a micro 4/3 sensor? You put one in the DVX200 and even one of your pocket cameras – the lx100ii. I can’t understand that. The HC-x1500 comes with a 1/2 inch sensor which is really small compared to the sensor in my Sony cameras mentioned earlier. Unfortunately as a result everything in your frame will be in focus. As a wedding videographer, I shoot in a lot of picturesque places but despite that, I still like adding a little blur to a background every now and then. It really puts the focus on my subject whether that is the couple getting married, a parent, an aunt, a flower, a baby, a dog, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes the option is nice. Now it isn’t totally impossible, but it is much harder to achieve. Here a couple of examples taken from the Panasonic x1500 compared to the Sony A6400 with a 18-150mm f4.
Check out the full video here about achieving a blurry background with a camcorder: https://youtu.be/vfyCcFCcn9o
And here’s the last issue, if you want to have the best focus, the camera has to be shooting in full Auto. Check out this video for more info onthe AF issues with this camera: https://youtu.be/by7RGpHXPNY
Conclusion:
If you want this camera for outdoor events where the lighting is good, I think you’ll be very happy with the Panasonic HC-x1500. If you are indoors and the lighting is exceptionally good, you will be happy with it. Otherwise, if you don’t mind a little grain in your footage and some mushy looking shots, you might also be happy with it. It’s all subjective at the end of the day. This video has some more samples from the Panasonic HC-x1500:
