A Camcorder in 2024? Panasonic AG CX350 First Impressions after 90 Days

#camcorder #panasonic #filmmaking
Who uses a camcorder anyway? I do, and I love them. Let me share with you my first impressions of the Panasonic AG-CX350 Monstah!
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Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:24 Why This Camera Is Important
01:16 All The Good Specs
02:31 The 1080 All-I is Beautiful
03:32 Differences Between Newer Models
04:48 Fan Noise
06:31 The Accessories I use

[@MrDnStepanov]

CX-350 is the beast. I bought it year ago and I love it. Using it with GH5s. I think, that owning a mirrorless cam and a camcorder is the best choice for a freelancer videographer. In my region (Russia, Krasnodar) just a few freelancers have a camcorder. Most of videographers use mirrorless cameras. Still, there a some jobs, that can be done only with a camcorder. Like shooting a concerts, theater, run and gun, jobs for TV channels and etc. Thankfully to my CX350, I get that jobs and successfully complete them. Also, a camcorder is a really multipurpose tool. You have great lens, sound, quality right of the box. You need to buy a good tripod, shotgun mic, lavalier, SD cards and batteries, and you are ready to complete 70-95% of the jobs on the market (depending on the region and personal preferences). That is very hard to achieve with a mirrorless camera. You need to buy at least 2-3 lens, that will cost like a whole camcorder, and still it will be not as good in term of performance and functionality. The lens itself on a camcorder are different and made for shooting continuous video. They are parfocal (focus point does not change when zooming) and you can change aperture smoothly. Also the AF is great. And it is very reliable. It does not overheat, battery life is incredible. Yes, CX350 is not a new cam, but it will be relevant for 5-6 years at least (thats 10-12 years from release). There is no mirrorless camera, that will be relevant for so long :) Because the main reason to buy mirrorless is the image quality, and every year they get better and better. Main reason to buy camcorder - reliability and professional features, and this is never getting old. Thats just another philosophy of shooting. For broadcast this camera is simply one of the best on the market. P.S. By the way, Robert, your videos helped me a lot to make my decision to buy CX350. There is not much info about professional Panasonic camcorders, and your blog is really precious for a fan of them like me. Thank you very much for your work!

[@RobertHamm]

Thanks for your comment. Yeah, for some jobs a camcorder is best. Mirrorless cameras and DSLRs always get updates first, and the newest technology, and that's because they sell so many. But, I love my camcorders. They do jobs that my mirrorless cameras just can't do. Fast easy workflows. Everything is all at my fingertips from audio to an excellent lens, just like you said. So I like them for that reason. Thanks for watching my videos, and I'm glad that my information about the earlier panasonics were helpful to you. Cheers.

[@user-gy2wf7pk4m]

А по русски нельзя? И привет из Туапсе 😊

[@MrDnStepanov]

@@user-gy2wf7pk4m Привет, земляк 😁

[@FaithHope21]

Hiw do you match up the image quality between the gh5 and the camcorder? I have both at my studio and I'm having a hell of a time getting these cams to look the same.

[@BlackwoodHinterlandVibes360]

We are still filming with the HC-X2000, just recently on a safari/roadtrip in Namibia and Botsuana. The zoom is phenomenal for wildlife, and I don´t have to carry a lot of stuff.

[@RobertHamm]

That's a great camera. Low light can be tricky, but I like mine a lot. Cheers.

[@RobertHamm]

Yeah, I agree. A lot to like in a small pacakge.

[@BlackwoodHinterlandVibes360]

@@RobertHamm Only "problem" I have, is, that my PC is not able to handle 4k footage very well in NLE-Software (Vegas Pro 21). Currently I am saving money for a mac mini oder macbook air.

[@petercofrancesco9812]

My Cx350 doesn't have a fan whine but I've learned that as a camcorder hours go up into the thousands the fan bearings become loud. Some manufactures will recommend a new fan after so many hours. Whether its worth a couple hundred dollar repair is up to you. For me I use the camera primarily for theater where it be difficult to hear the fan over the performance. I can see for quiet sit down interviews the backup on camera shotgun or internal picking up a loud fan.

[@RobertHamm]

Thank you so much for the feedback! I appreciate it. I'm just dealing with it. It is audible, but not on my wireless mics. I have considered replacing the fan myself. It's a pretty easy teardown of the shell and a snap connection to remove/replace the fan itself. Cheers!

[@petercofrancesco9812]

@@RobertHamm Btw I was playing around with the audio. This camera has an unusual audio setup in regards to channels 3 & 4. These two extra tracks are usually the internal mics. But it you set the physical buttons on the camera 1 & 2 to internal then 3 & 4 can either be empty or if you have a shotgun in 1 can put that in 3. Normally I wouldn't care but 3 & 4 get put into your in your timeline no way to turn them off or know for sure what the camera will put in them.

[@file1man]

Robert, we wish to upgrade from our sony ax700 30fps 4k to a 4k60, reviewing both the ag-cx350 $3000 used at b&h and the hcx2, $3300, new. Can you explain if the used pricing of around $2500 at keh was decisive in choosing the 350 over the x2 in your work use. Or were there specific features of the 350? Also, my impression is panasonic often upgrades a line around 5 years, now just past the 2019 intro date for the 350. Not certain what a new version would bring on the 350... any hints. Perhaps we should wait 5 more months knowing we do 40 video in those 5 months. We film both real trains outdoors and model trains indoors so the sdi and broadcast capabilites of the 350 are not required vs the x2 but you did say you especially liked the 350 bought used from keh which we see for around $2500. Gary

[@RobertHamm]

Hey Gary, thanks for your question. That's a good question, too. My purchasing decision was not based on price. I do consider price, and don't mind purchasing used from a reputable dealer to save a little money. However, between the HCX2 and the CX 350, price was not a consideration. I would have paid a higher price for one of or the other had it been the one I wanted. I wanted to CX 350. HCX2 is an excellent camcorder. It has a couple of features and user amenities that are a lot nicer. Consider them an upgrade over the CX 350. The LCD display is of higher quality, and slightly larger, and I believe in a more widescreen format on the HCX2 as compared to the one on the CX 350. The LCD on the CX 350 works well, is sharp and bright, and I like it. However, between the CX 350 and the HCX2, I prefer the HCX2 LCD. This one's a bit more difficult to describe, but the user interface just works better on the HCX2. This has to do with the way the engineers design the interface. The CX 350 is designed based on the AG series of professional live broadcast camcorders. This means the philosophy of execution is different. For example, I can't just dial in any particular shutter speed that I want. I can only dial in the specific shutter speeds for use in the available format on the CX 350. This is different than on the HC series which you can dial in shutter speed just like you would with a camera. I understand what I'm saying may be difficult for readers to envision, but just know that the AG CX 350 expects to operate like a cameraman for a new station would use it. For example, if I'm shooting 30 frames per second video, I can't lower my shutter speed to the synchronization speed of 30 frames per second unless I'm in the correct mode. This is just an older menu operation system. I have to go out of it, going to variable frame rates, and then I can synchronize my shutter. However, when I'm in auto mode, it just takes whatever the base shutter speed is for what you're shooting, and it can go down to the synchronization with the frame rate. But it will never tell you that when you're looking at the screen. But it will do is also make the shutter faster if need be to help control exposure, but many of those options are not available as easily in manual mode. Of course, you can get to them, but that's not how the camera wants to be used. The AG CX 350 wants to use iris to control exposure more than anything else. This is different than my experience using the HC X1, at HCX 1500. It's also different than I would expect on the HCX2. This will let you dial in your shutter speed however you like and won't necessarily put more emphasis on Iris then shutter. None of this really matters if you don't use auto exposure mode often. Although I love to shoot manual, I have found Panasonic camcorders, the prosumer and ENG ones, to have excellent auto exposure. I often use auto iris with Iris compensation and a set shutter. The camera works a treat. I'm talking about the AGCX 350. Another strange quirk of the CX 350 operation is the inability to select a particular gain amount. Don't get me wrong, there's a switch that I can switch between three separate gain amounts. However, this is much different than on the HCX series. On the HCX series you will press a button to switch between low medium and high gain. You can set any of those points to be any particular ISO or game that you like. On the HCX series you can even set one of them, say high gain, to be variable gain this would allow you to select high game and then use the menu to dial in a specific gain amount. You could dial in 11 decibels or four decibels. There is no such functionality on the AGCX 350. It's just not there. Another important difference is the shutter speeds. We talked about this earlier, but the AGCX 350 does have a higher shutter speed of 1/10,000 of a second compared to 1/8000 on the HCX2. That little bit could be important, but again, the AGCX 350 has this because it expects to operate in a single gain and shutter mode at any particular time with auto iris as the emphasis for exposure. When combined with the neutral density filters, that extra fast shutter speed is helpful in extremely bright lighht. How much does any of this actually matter to the user experience? That depends on how you want to use your camera. I would say overall, anyone could pick up and use either of the cameras easily within just a day or two of becoming familiar with it. The AGCX 350 also offers four channels of audio. Now these don't allow you to add for distinct discrete microphones, instead you can use the 2XLR inputs for whatever you want and still record the other two left and right internal mic to the track. Thereby, you have four channels of audio. I have found this great for all the reasons you could imagine. The HCX2 only has two channels of audio. The CX 350 also gives you additional codecs for higher bitrates. The highest bit rate of 422 10-bit 400 megabits per second all I recording is available in 4K and it's beautiful. In fact, it's more than beautiful. They're all I recording mode from Panasonic even in 1080p, I guess especially 1080p because I absolutely love it in 1080p, is excellent. I just have to say I love it. You won't get the same recording codecs and bit rates on the HCX2, but you will get some of them. I think handling is better in the HCX2. The HCX series seems to have a more modern approach to user experience, however, the menu layout will be the same. Another thing you may want to consider is the pull out and twist LCD style of the HCX2 makes it impossible to be on the opposite side of the camera from the normal side and see the viewfinder. On this CX 350, you can angle the viewfinder up and to the side so you look at a 90° upward facing image, but at least you can see it from the opposite side of the camera. This is important if you do any work on the opposite side of the camera. The CX 350 also has HDR and log gamma built in. If you need that, you can't get that in the HCX2. It may seem like I have made the case that the AGCX 350 is the way to go. And that's probably because I bought one :-) however, these are just my thoughts. Either camera will do the job for you, just pick the one that you think you will enjoy the best. I did have an experience buying through KEH. It wasn't the greatest it wasn't the worst. I did an exchange of my camera, twice, because of fan noise. The reality is that none of that was a problem in practical use, but none of the camcorders I have ever had from Panasonic have ever had fan noise. Mine sounded like a 400 Hertz wine at -67 to - 60 decibels. You and I both know that would never be picked up on the internal microphone, or at least at regular settings. However, it bugged me. So I bugged them about it. They ended up giving me a small price concession, so I got a little bit of money back, and kept the final unit. I did a lot of research to find out if this is something normal for the AGCX350 but I couldn't find out anything. So, I have just enjoyed using mine. My HCX1, a camera that I absolutely loved using, had no such fan noise. At some point I will replace the fan myself. I've already looked it up online, I know the type of fan to use, and it seems relatively simple to take the case apart to get to the fan. However, that hasn't been necessary because I never have any fan noise on my videos. But, in the end, KEH got me a great camcorder and stood by their promise. It was easy to talk to someone about the exchange, and I never felt like I was left behind. I enjoy buying from KEH for that reason. After all this, you know I'm going to ask: you got to let me know how it goes. Cheers, Rob.

[@file1man]

@@RobertHamm Rob, you detailed answer here was just what we wanted from you, especially with what you wrote in other commentary. We will let you know the what and why of our final decision. Thanks so much. Gary and Ryan.

[@57JackCaptainSparrow]

Robert, awesome content. You have a deep command of the Panny camcorder lines! I am a pro videographer and alot of my work is in theatre, such as musical performances, dance, etc. I currently use 3 Panasonic x1500 for this, but not as happy with the low light results. Would the Panasonic AG-CX350 or the HC-X20 give better results in low light?

[@RobertHamm]

Hey, thanks for your question. I appreciate you kind words about me knowing about Panasonic cameras. I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I am good at reading the manual and I like to shoot and use my tools rather than just look at them. So in that respect, I think I have a pretty good understanding of how I use them. I do know that there are features that I don't often use, and I'm always happy to hear how other pros use their tools. So if you have any suggestions after watching some of my videos, please send me an email. When it comes to image quality with the x 1500 camcorders, there are some compromises for their small size. I'm no doubt sure that the use of these cameras indoors for stage productions is made a lot easier by the on stage lighting. However, your entire game will change when you switch to a CX-350 or HCX2 or HCX20. Prior to switching cameras, because it's an expensive endeavor, set one of your camcorders to shutter synchronization with the frame rate. That may dramatically improve your low light performance. It will immediately give you twice the brightness. Assuming your observing the 180° shutter rule currently, and filming in 24 frames per second, your frame rate is likely 1/48th of a second. Synchronizing your shutter to 1/24th of a second will make a big difference immediately. As long as you're not doing a lot of panning or fast zooming on your cameras, this should not affect sharpness either. Some panning and zooming at a slower speed will also work fine and not affect sharpness. This will either give you the ability to shoot at a lower gain or ISO, or Brighton a dim image that You would generally fix in post. Either way, give it a shot if you haven't tried it. I'm sure you're also familiar with all the different ways to adjust your image. I go through that quite a bit and improve my master detail and horizontal and vertical detailing as well those are important. Also bumping up your coring, while lowering your noise reduction in camera, will give you a better overall noise control when adding something like topaz noise reduction or need video noise reduction in post-production. When it comes to an upgraded camera, my suggestion is always to buy used from a reputable dealer. I use KEH. With regard to the AGCX 350 or the HCX2 or HCX20, there are some choices to make. The biggest difference will be the HCX series feels more modern than the AGCX series. I guess the best way to put this is the AGCX series seems to be built with old school videographers in mind. Consider just the three-way switch for adjusting gain, and the AB switch for white balance. You know, it's just one game setting per switch. You can't dial it in between without going into the menus. That's the mindset of the AGCX series. Contrast that to the HCX series and there's no switch, just a button, but that button cycles through your main steps like a switch would do, but you can also dial in the in between settings if you want. Same with the white balance. These aren't big differences, but they make a big difference if you're trying to shoot quickly. When it comes to image quality, I can't say for certain because I don't have a lot of experience with the new HCX2 and 20 models, but their sensors appear to come from the same generation as the AGCX 350. I know, crazy. In fact the HCX 1500 and that line of camcorders all stem from this same generation of sensors. The difference between the 1500 and the other camcorders I've talked about here is the sensor is quite a bit larger in the 1-inch category as you know. The image quality is beautiful. There are a couple of other differences between the HCX and AGCX 350 series cameras, and these are quality of life upgrades such as improvements to the viewfinder and such. If you don't need SDI, or prefer a pull out screen instead of a flip over screen, then the HCX series may be for you. I went for the AGCX 350 and I absolutely love it. That camcorder is probably my favorite piece of camera technology that I've ever had. I absolutely love it. I love everything about it. I love the image quality, I like most of the audio routing options although they're not as helpful as they could be. It does allow for four audio inputs, but it's only ever going to be two XLR inputs plus the other two left and right onboard stereo inputs. It's not like you could add four inputs. I think that's silly. But, it's still four sources of audio. You won't get those four channels of audio on the HCX series. There are a couple of other things you won't get onto the HCX series, such as access to the 400 megabits per second all I recording. They all I recording is gorgeous. Even in HD, the all I 100 megabits per second is just beautiful video. I'm sure that it that's the same on the HCX models as well. Panasonic does a good job of upgrading their lines like this. Since they've combined the UX HCX and AG series into this conglomeration of cameras and camcorders, I expect nothing but high marks from the HCX series. Anyway, this is long enough. Check it out, and keep in touch please. I'd love to know how it works out for you. If you ever want to shoot me an email we can set up a call, I love talking about this stuff and you might too! Cheers.

[@HongPong]

my main issues outdoors are autofocus going wacky + blown out highlights. any tips on this? i think the issue is not the codec. especially since dynamic range is supposed to be good. agree of course the zoom is excellent, love audio controls.

[@pilgrimheart]

Can you please show a video from an actual event’s footage? Trying to decide based on the footage also

[@SportFlow]

I find the CX350 is somewhat "less professional" than the AG-HPX270, which currently is the top of the line palm-size camcorder (at least in HD). Picture quality is fine (not awesome), AF is mediocre and the zoom is slow. The "consumer" equivalent model, the HC-X2 has some benefits and some drawbacks. The biggest benefit is the LCD screen which is sharper and brighter and this is a game changer. But misses some interesting features like SRT, remote control from professional Panasonic RCP, etc.

[@RobertHamm]

I wasn't familiar with that model so I did some digging. It was released back in 2014, and was the top of the line then. I'm sure that it has filled its role, and still produces beautiful images. I wonder if you can get them for cheap on the second hand market. I looked around and didn't see many other than eBay and they still seem to catch a pretty high price which means they're probably still pretty good to use today. If you need an HD workflow, maybe this is it. As far as professionalism, I think I understand what you mean. I enjoy using the CX 350 quite a bit, it's a little different than some of my other camcorders, and operates completely differently than a camera, but they're all pretty similar when you get right down to it. I absolutely love the 200 megabit all I 1080. Even the 100 megabit all I is great. So, I can imagine why you like the HPX 270. I'm sure it looks great. Cheers.

[@SportFlow]

@@RobertHamm I know some TV news stations that still use the HPX270 and have ditched the CX350 because it is more fragile and does not whistand the day-to-day abuse. News is not really into 4k yet. I'm not saying the cx350 is a bad camera, but if you have ever touched a Sony pxw-z280 you'll understand what I'm talking about.

[@miguelceron4934]

Hi Rober, now is the time to ask about the difference low light quality of the AG-CX350 and the HC-X2000 and if you think it is worth changing it just for 1 inch of the sensor, I hope for a comparison when you can, Best regards and we continue to follow your interesting conclusions..

[@RobertHamm]

Hello. Thanks for your question. However, I have talked about this before. I've been using 1 in sensor camcorders for years. Bigger sensors are always better at low light. In a previous video, I talked about the difference between the older generation HCX1 compared to the newer generation HCX 2000. The HCX1 is a 2016-2017 camera with a 1-in sensor compared to the HCX 2000 with a 1 over 2.5 in sensor from 2019. It was my finding at the time that in low light the larger sensor from the older camera was better than the smaller sensor from the newer camera. In a technical aspect, it seemed like low light was about twice as good on the older sensor then the newer sensor. This makes a lot of sense because the sensor is about twice as big and from a 1-in sensor compared to a 1/ 2.5 in sensor. When discussing the HCX 2000 compared to the AGCX 350, the low light performance has no comparison. It is quite a bit better. However, I never really talked a lot about the HCX1 because so many people wanted to know about the HCX 1500 series. But anytime anybody asks me, I will always tell them a bigger sensor is better than a smaller one in low light. That rings true here. This is especially so with Panasonic's newest sensors in the AGCX 350 lineup and beyond.

[@harlemwoodstudios]

Useful info. I currently have the HCX2000, among several lumix mirrorless cameras. I am looking for a camcorder (preferably Panasonic brand) for low-light indoor multicamera shoots. Any recommendations?

[@RobertHamm]

Yes. The CX350

[@harlemwoodstudios]

Thanks for the recommendation. Any reason why you choose that over the HC-X2?

[@KevinMullarkey]

Camcorders...what's not to like? longer zoom, comfortable and ergonomic, built in ND filter, easy access audio controls, no need for extra lenses ('blurry' backgrounds....really?), no need to 'rig it out' to make it comfy to hold! Time to retire my Lumix S5 for one of these

[@RobertHamm]

I like them for all those reasons.

[@petercofrancesco9812]

I bought a Panasonic X2 which is almost the same camera as cx350 do you know if the record lights next to the SD card slots are supposed flash yellow while recording? Every camera I ever used is solid red, I couldn't take a chance there was a problem filming a live event so I switched back to my old camera that I brought along as back up until I broke in the new camera.

[@petercofrancesco9812]

Never mind found it in the manual. They no longer use solid red for recording. Get this blinking Orange is writing to the card. Rapid blinking Orange or slow blinking Green indicates a problem. 😆unintuitive.

[@KYwx]

This camera has been a money maker for me for sure, but I wished I'd never gotten it. For me, this camera was a huge let down coming from the Panasonic HPX 350 in many ways. I wished many times that I had known about the Sony Z280 at the time I purchased this one. I think the Sony is the better smaller form ENG Camcorder for what I do and want out of a camcorder. However, I do love the codecs of this camera and the camera for the price makes sense to many people.

[@BrettBarnes]

So you like the 350 vs the HC-X2? Which would you take cost no object as I need to pick very soon:

[@RobertHamm]

Hey, thanks for your question. I answer all subscribers questions.. So, subscribe.. otherwise, Google :)

[@BrettBarnes]

I am a subscriber. Which is how I caught this video.

[@cybertechproduction]

I’ve just recently bought my tenth .. yes 10 x HC-X1 cameras they have been superb reliability work horses since 2017 and still going strong the cx-350 looks beautiful

[@RobertHamm]

Wow, that's a lot of HCX1's. Great camera so I know why you bought so many. I owned the HCX1 for about 4 years and it was a very good camera. I made a nice video about I last year. Good shots of sunset and Norfolk at night. I since traded it for the 350.

[@cybertechproduction]

@@RobertHamm yes I’ve noticed your like me a fan of Panasonic it’s tied out as a couple of cameras roundabout 2017 I do multicam concerts for the last 22 years and all of a sudden I just started buying more and more of them and a few bargains popped up. We’ve even had two of our films that were completely shot with them broadcast on BBC iPlayer one was live and one was pre-recorded