Panasonic HC-X1 4K Ultra HD Professional Camcorder (Black)

I bought the HC-X1 in April and (in my very limited use) I've been pleased.I'm not a professional videographer/photographer however I've learned a few things over the years as a storm chaser. For many years I've wanted to upgrade into the professional level but found it hard to justify the cash investment. My main camera previously; the Panasonic HDC-HS300 was too light (weight) for hand-held use, I was using it for too many things causing me to miss shots, and it was getting old. I needed another work horse.I went through a two-month period of a DETAILED research torn between DSLR/Mirrorless vs. camcorder. With storm chasing, low light performance is important and having a full frame sensor DSLR would be ideal; however I decided I wouldn't compromise my workflow to get it. The less time I spend changing lenses and processing the images later, the better. DSLR's have provide no competitive advantage and are not built for video. There are some mirrorless cameras out there touted for video quaility but they all come with compromises lacking basic features that should be in every video camera! I could have settled for 4K consumer camcorders such as the Sony AX100 but it didn't feel like an upgrade/rolling shutter issues. The HC-X1 was my conclusion for one main reason; it fits me and improves my workflow. Very few compromises.HC-X1I prefer to set most settings on auto and let the camera do the work. The HC-X1 out of the box does a pretty good job. I recommend setting your user buttons, zoom speed, and calibrating auto focus right away. I tested gain levels and found +12 or less to be preferable,so I set +12db at the high gain preset. There is a learning curve and you want to make sure you start with the right base with your preferences.FORMATS - I tend to shoot in UHD 30fps mode. I really like it, it "handles" just like HD 1080p from the HS300. I love the .mp4 format which lets me quickly import files to the computer without waiting for import software to fire up. My experience with UHD 60fps had been good but post-processing will get bogged down. That's not really the camera's fault, but my computer is no slouch either. I like the UHD 60fps capability because as mentioned in other reviews, I feel it's future proof. Also flash band compensation can be enabled at that frame rate (as well as 1080p 60FPS I believe). I haven't truly been able to test the flash band compensation on lightning during a thunderstorm, but I'm hoping it produces a much cleaner image when slowed down. Flash banding is a cancer. Lastly, slow motion. I wasn't going to stretch for 120fps + slow motion offered by DSLR/mirrorless. This camera has 120fps at 1080p but I'm not in a big hurry to use it.STORAGE - I use two Lexar Professional 1000x 128GB SDXC UHS-II/U3 Cards; thus far I haven't filled either up in one shooting. Two 128GB cards will get you about 5HRS of UHD 30fps. This fits my needs perfectly.LOW LIGHT - I HAVE NOT fully tested low-light capabilities yet so this is a knee jerk reaction. I don't feel there is a major improvement in low light performance over the HS300's 3 1/3" CMOS setup at 0db+ gain in terms of sensitivity. I feel the 4K image provides much more DETAIL, therefore a better image but not necessarily more sensitive. I love the end result. I recently filmed a night-time thunderstorm from a parking lot and felt the camera did a great job capturing what I was seeing in the moment. It was nice to have the capability to increase the gain if needed but it did well at 0/6+db. It's possible I could be understating the performance here.BATTERY LIFE - The first charge got me through FOUR minimal use chases/shoots. If I had to guess, battery life on the battery provided lasts somewhere between 2-4 hours. I assume this might be something someone shooting professional grade for awhile might expect, but coming from the consumer level it's a magical moment. For comparison I can easily use three batteries on my HDC HS300 in one chase, each lasting between 30-45min. Yea, 2-4 hours is a HUGE deal. I recommend fully draining your battery the first three times before recharging to preserve battery life.WIDE ANGLE LENS - With the HDC HS300 I attached a wide angle extender to make the best structure/ timelapse/ interval record videos. It was irritating to have to screw and unscrew the adapter whenever the shot "composition" changed. The HC-X1 and it's 24mm wide angle lens is perfect for storms. Bliss. When the sky is too big I use the GoPro and DSLR (ultra- wide angle lens). In comparision to the HDC HS300 I loose a little bit of the zoom/focal range, but I'd rather have a wide image and crop in via post processing or get simply closer to the subject.AUDIO - The onboard microphone works well for my needs. I prefer the ambient noise and it does a great job in my opinion.CONCLUSION - Bang for your buck. $3200 will get you a DSLR body then you will spend $3200 more just to get the same focal range as the HC X1. If shooting in uncontrolled environments is your thing, HC-X1 will work. There are a lot of options out there so I recommend finding the camera that fits your needs. I will update this review as I learn more about the camera.PROS24mm Wide Angle lensBattery LifeUHD 60FPSLens Hood Shutter (as opposed to detachable lens cover)Dual SD Card SlotsCONS (or compromises)Touchscreen is dim. Need to use my hand to see the image sometimes.Zooming in will decrease the exposure (variable aperture). It's acceptable.

Maybe I just missed it somewhere, but I don't remember reading in the product info that it came with a battery (and one would assume it would.) There's also a choice to buy one that has a battery charger and that version is an extra $100. I remember thinking why would Panasonic (Amazon) sell expensive of a camcorder w/o a battery to operate it? So, I side-ordered a dual charger and two batteries. Now that the video cam as arrived, I find that I now have three batteries it total (not a horrible thing per se) and two double battery chargers. The package I ordered ($3,197) turns out had everything anyone would need except for SD cards (understandable) and no extra battery. Most folks, (even just hobbyists) are going to want - a battery back-up. The double charger that comes with the camera is a nice (above and beyond) touch.I had to give this product a rating but have only just opened it today and I haven't operated it yet. This is my first camcorder in many, many years. There's a learning curve here with this new technology. I knew there would be. I will tell you that the camcorder, while it's a bit bigger than some of the latest high tech camcorders and therefore a little heavier I am VERY impressed with the quality of the materials its made of!I may edit this in a few weeks as I learn the ropes and see the quality of video I'm getting. Stay tuned. So far, everything "looks" terrific!

Meh. This camera is ok. But one of the mic jacks is dead, and I have no clue how to get it fixed. If you have a better option, even if you have to spend more money, BUY IT.

Yes, I have a great DSLR with expensive lenses. Nothing's going to touch the easy to use pro production quality of this camera period. Yes, the LED isn't so great in bright light, but a lens hood will fix that! For under $3000 there isn't a remote possibility you'll be touching this beautifully made, feature rich and impressive looking easy to use video camera. And it comes with a 3 year warranty from Panasonic, loving it!

Still learning the features and menus but very happy so far. Not the best tool for low light.

This camcorder is a lot lighter than it looks.So many things to like about it:-> Dual SD slots, 4K 60fps, relay recording to the SD cards, and the best part: a really long zoom.It is sturdy, works well, and battery life is excellent.

Panasonic cares nothing for their customers, don't expect any quality support from them. Return the item and exchange it for another brand that will provide adequate support for their own product

I bought the HC-X1 over the UX180 because both are the same (except time code and SDI in/out) and it had a three year warranty.But I found it noisy as it's about 6 times smaller then a Full Frame sensor.Many features/user controls of the DVX200 but with about half the sensor size of the DVX200.Lens is smaller diameter then the DVX200 and semi parfocal as it won't consistently maintain focus zoom after zoom so I'm returning it.Want 4:2:2 10 bit out via HDMI and save $2000. Look at the Panasonic: LUMIX FZ2500 Digital Camera, 21.1 Megapixel, 1-inch Sensor, 4K Video, 20X LEICA VARIO-ELMART F2.8-4.5Same lens and most likely 1" sensor for thousands less!