Panasonic HC-X1E Review: Professional Camcorder

I was looking for an upgrade from my Sony HXR NX100 (a very good HD camcorder) to venture into the world of 4K. and had a budget of ~£2,500. The logical step would have been the Sony Z150, which is essentially the same camera with 4K built-in.However, I did a huge amount of research, even downloading raw 4K clips from Vimeo to compare cameras.What I discovered was that many of these 4K camcorders are compromised in some way or have the dreaded in-built planned obsolescence. i.e. the 4K implementation was deliberately half-hearted so that they could bring out an improved model in 6 months time….Canon was out of the running -they don’t have a professional form factor 4K camcorder yet. Only, strange hybrid still / video cameras like the C100 with only consumer grade AVCHD codecs. Next !SonyAX1 – Tempting as it records 4K@ 50p/60p, However, the small 1/2 “ sensor is too small for 4K, hence very noisy in low light. Camera is 3 years old now, and part of the ‘Handycam’ range, hence the consumer grade XAVC-S codecPXW-Z100 impressive 4K @50p/60p at very high bit rates, but this requires very expensive XQD cards. The small 1/2 “sensor is too small for 4K, hence very noisy in low lightAll the following have Sony’s 1” sensorAX100 – The 4K is only @30p. Only consumer grade XAVC-S codec. Image quality is very good, but it’s still just a consumer camcorder form factor.RX10 Mk2 / Mk3 – impressive 4K video but only @30p, but these are just stills cameras with video, hence the usual lack of features a videographer would expect e.g. XLR audio, smooth powered zoom, EVF etc.PXW-X70 only 4k @30p, You have to pay @£400 for 4K upgrade. Awkward XAVC-L codec / format, Small form factorPXW-Z150 only 4k @30p, essentially an HXR-NX100 with half-hearted 4K implementation.PanasonicGH4 / GH5 – impressive 4K video but only @30p, but these are stills cameras with video, hence the usual lack of features a videographer would expect e.g. XLR audio, smooth powered zoom, EVF etc.Panasonic AG-UX90 -only 4K @30pPanasonic AG-UX180 – basically the same as the HC-X1 but with SDI output, but ~£500 morePanasonic DVX-200 -Slightly over budget. Quite a bit heavier/larger. 4/3 sensor is very impressive video quality.So it essentially boiled down to the Sony PXW Z150 vs. Panasonic HC-X1 and the Panasonic wins hands down for the following reasons –ProsThe first thing you notice when comparing raw ungraded footage is the much better dynamic range of the Panasonic. Blacks really look deep black and professional compared to the Sony’s dark grey ‘video ‘ tones.4K @ 50p – much more future proof. Motion is much more fluid and lifelike than Sony’s 4K @ 30pA wider choice of recording formats for .MP4, AVCHD and .MOV for PC/MAC users in a wider variety of bit rates/ resolutions.20x zoom gives much more flexibility at both ends (25mm -508mm vs. the 12x zoom of the Sony of 29mm-348mm)3.5” Touch screen OLED) (Come on Sony – your non-touch LCD screen looks like something from the ‘90’s !)Less grainy images than the Sony.The standard .mp4 format is much more versatile with more NLE’s / players.Around £300 cheaper than the Sony.Very slow “presidential” zoom is possible. The Sony has a minimum zoom speed – v. annoying.Much better aesthetics. The camcorder looks much more professional than the Sony – people really notice and say wowBetter ergonomics – the rubber hand grip, and foam strap are small touches that literally make handling the camcorder a joy, not to mention the advantage of a touchscreen,Records onto standard SDXC class 10 cards (up to 150mbps in 4K, 200mbps in HD)ConsNo SDI outputNo 4:2:2 10-bit in HD , but hey, if you are buying this camcorder primarily for its 4K, what relevance is the HD format? Virtually all 4K camcorder record 4:2:0 at 8-bit (apart from the Sony Z100)OLED screen is not very bright, so you have to use the EVF in bright light.Slightly larger / heavier than the SonyGenuine Panasonic OEM batteries seem ridiculously expensive @ ~£200. Non-OEM batteries are available though.There is a slight Moire effect when filming scenes with complex detail/ lines. But this is the case with any high resolution camera.The 4K DCI @ 24p setting is a bit pointless. It won’t even play on my 4K TV. Given that almost all so-called ‘4K’ TV’s and monitors are not actually 4K 4096 x 2160 but actually UHD 3840 x 2160 resolution, the UHD @ 50p setting is the one you will actually use.Overall I am very pleased with my choice of the Panasonic HC-X1 . It feels like a huge upgrade over a the Sony Z150 that has been deliberately ‘locked-down’ . The Panasonic isn’t perfect, but it has the least compromises and it is very very good outputting the best 4K footage I have seen.