Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

Love the camcorder. We film little kids racing on no pedal Striders and the camera works great. Outstanding steady shot (I can run full speed and get decent footage) and the camera handles changing light and environment very quickly. Only complaint is that there is no remote zoom control that I can use with the cradle that i film with. [...]

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

I bought the TM700 for my 3-week family trip to Australia and New Zealand. I wanted a quality, compact HD camcorder under $1,000. I searched for hours comparing with Sony and Canon. I have always had Sony. This time I decided on the Panasonic TM700 and made the best decision. The HD quality (1080/60P) quality is incredible. We watched it on our HD big screen in our hotel and my family was blown-away by the quality.
Cons: Finding an advanced editing 3rd party software for editing the 1080/60p (Panasonic's original format). It comes with HD Writer AE 2.1, but I like a more robust editing program. It is ahead of the times...advanced NLE programs will eventually handle this CODEC.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

For a low end HD camcorder with manual features it is average in performance but images are good. I don't expect professional features in this camcorder but I did need manual controls for obvious reasons such as recording a stage in a concert hall where auto focusing will focus on the head in front of me, etc. The focus assist does not seem to be accurate and visual focusing is better, however the viewfinder resolution is entirely useless as the image is way to grainy to focus adequatly especially in dim light. I am not sure why they went this cheap with the optical view finder pixel count. The LCD viewing screen is sharper and focusing is easier but still low resolution and uses to much battery power so I rather use the optical viewfinder to focus but can't. The manual focus is slow to respond and I end up with unfocused video for beginning part of a clip due to the time involved having to find the correct focus spot with the low resolution screens. I use external mic so I never heard any fan noise. Low light recording ok and OIS is good. There is no quick way to compensate for back light. Downloading and processing the video couldn't be any easier and faster. I only process AVCHD and blu ray and both come out excellent. The included video editing software is excellent for fast and fairly detailed editing and burns AVCHD and Bluray easily. However, I do not like the fact that when processing you have to have the camera hooked up because it uses something in the camera to speed up the process or it will take forever to process and compile the video. By the way don't bother processing HD 1080 60p if you don't have a high powered PC. You need a quad core and you should buy an Intel i5 at least. With quad core you shouldn't have any problem playing or editing and burning HD video. You don't even have a chance with a mid range laptop. The battery is propietary and clone batteries don't work as it has to have a special chip inside that only Panasonic makes. They made sure they included the lowest power battery so you will spend $90 to buy the high power battery. The flash is in a strange place, in back of the filter ring. I put a UV filter on then realized that if the flash went off the image will be washed out because the flash will refract through the glass filter which is in front of the lens. The photo quality is poor but I didn't buy this cam for the still picture ability and will only use in case of emergency when my real digital camera fails. The built in memory is good in case you forget to load a memory card in. This is no prosumer camcorder by any means due to the extreamly poor optical viewfinder resolution and poor LCD screen resolution and manual focus lag, and lack of features such as quick back light compensation and hard to reach manual menu, not to mention you have to flip the screen open to turn on and off the power and after focusing, when you close it. It will make a sound on your recording from the screen slapping against the camera body. The camera should have included 24p video since that is the HD standard. 60p is fine if running right from cam to HD t.v. In fact I do not believe there is such thing as prosumer anything. It is either for amateur consumer or professional. This is strictly an amateur camcorder with a couple more features not found in low end consumer camcorders such as manual control, external mic and headphone, and 3 MOS sensors, which by the way, are not as sharp as the CCD's that professional video cameras use. The low light ability is nothing compared to professional video cameras also. So there is nothing pro about this camcorder. But for taking clear home videos of kids and vacations it is good and light weight. But you still have to carry around a real digital still camera.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

For a low end HD camcorder with manual features it is average in performance but images are good. I don't expect professional features in this camcorder but I did need manual controls for obvious reasons such as recording a stage in a concert hall where auto focusing will focus on the head in front of me, etc. The focus assist does not seem to be accurate and visual focusing is better, however the viewfinder resolution is entirely useless as the image is way to grainy to focus adequatly especially in dim light. I am not sure why they went this cheap with the optical view finder pixel count. The LCD viewing screen is sharper and focusing is easier but still low resolution and uses to much battery power so I rather use the optical viewfinder to focus but can't. The manual focus is slow to respond and I end up with unfocused video for beginning part of a clip due to the time involved having to find the correct focus spot with the low resolution screens. I use external mic so I never heard any fan noise. Low light recording ok and OIS is good. There is no quick way to compensate for back light. Downloading and processing the video couldn't be any easier and faster. I only process AVCHD and blu ray and both come out excellent. The included video editing software is excellent for fast and fairly detailed editing and burns AVCHD and Bluray easily. However, I do not like the fact that when processing you have to have the camera hooked up because it uses something in the camera to speed up the process or it will take forever to process and compile the video. By the way don't bother processing HD 1080 60p if you don't have a high powered PC. You need a quad core and you should buy an Intel i5 at least. With quad core you shouldn't have any problem playing or editing and burning HD video. You don't even have a chance with a mid range laptop. The battery is propietary and clone batteries don't work as it has to have a special chip inside that only Panasonic makes. They made sure they included the lowest power battery so you will spend $90 to buy the high power battery. The flash is in a strange place, in back of the filter ring. I put a UV filter on then realized that if the flash went off the image will be washed out because the flash will refract through the glass filter which is in front of the lens. The photo quality is poor but I didn't buy this cam for the still picture ability and will only use in case of emergency when my real digital camera fails. The built in memory is good in case you forget to load a memory card in. This is no prosumer camcorder by any means due to the extreamly poor optical viewfinder resolution and poor LCD screen resolution and manual focus lag, and lack of features such as quick back light compensation and hard to reach manual menu, not to mention you have to flip the screen open to turn on and off the power and after focusing, when you close it. It will make a sound on your recording from the screen slapping against the camera body. The camera should have included 24p video since that is the HD standard. 60p is fine if running right from cam to HD t.v. In fact I do not believe there is such thing as prosumer anything. It is either for amateur consumer or professional. This is strictly an amateur camcorder with a couple more features not found in low end consumer camcorders such as manual control, external mic and headphone, and 3 MOS sensors, which by the way, are not as sharp as the CCD's that professional video cameras use. The low light ability is nothing compared to professional video cameras also. So there is nothing pro about this camcorder. But for taking clear home videos of kids and vacations it is good and light weight. But you still have to carry around a real digital still camera.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

Nice image quality. Super light and compact. Very good in low light.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

For the price I am really happy with this camera.
For it's size it can be very useful on a lot of projects. I needed something that I could use to break into HD until I could afford something larger and this is it. I've been with Panasonic for a while, and here a little longer.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

I received the HDC-TM700 just over a week ago and have spent much of the past week getting to know it and experimenting with it. So far, I am extremely impressed. The video quality produced by the camera surpassed my expectations, producing images that rival the best sporting events that you see on broadcast HD (at least for outdoor video). The image stabilization has advanced significantly from earlier cameras, and the "auto" setting for the camera makes it very easy to point and shoot. However, if you want to get into more detail with fine tuning, it is fairly easy to use the on screen manual adjustments. There have been some complaints here about fan noise in the audio. I have not yet had that problem, however most of the locations where I have shot so far have had a fairly high level of ambient background noise. My only complaint would be the relatively short battery life, and the fact that you cannot charge the battery at the same time you are using the AC adapter to power the camera. You'll definitely want a second battery, particularly if you're planning on using the camera on and off during the day without a chance to recharge it. The other problem is the editing software that comes with it. If you're serious about editing videos, you'll want to pick up a more hefty editing program than the one included(I am using Adobe Premiere Elements 9.0 and the results have been great). I bought it primarily because of the reviews, but also, it is one of the very few cameras in the price range that has an input for an external microphone and it has an eyepiece viewfinder (in addition the side monitor). Last summer I had purchased a Canon HF M30, but was disappointed with it and returned it. While the HDC-TM700 is a bit more pricey, if you're serious about getting a great camcorder compared to an average one, it is worth it.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

I use this camera as a Point of View camera when shooting models and dioramas. I have also used it in more conventional shooting situations. It has always provided great HD images with no problems.

I chose this specific camera because of the manual controls. I rarely use a camera with any form of AUTO mode because I need to be able to control the focus and exposure manually. There is nothing more irritating and amateurish than a hunting auto-focus in the middle of a shot. The manual focus is super-easy to set on this camera because of the video peaking used in the viewfinder. When focusing, the high frequency video (the fine details) are REALLY boosted, and the fine details almost jump out at you when you hit proper focus. Take your hand off the focus ring and a moment later the video returns to normal. The recorded video remains normal at all times, of course, even if you re-focus while rolling.

You will need an extra battery because the battery provided with the camera has only a couple hours run time.

The only thing I don't like about this camera is the placement of the AUTO/MANUAL button. I occasionally bump that button when handling the camera, putting the camera in full automatic mode. Fortunately the viewfinder clearly indicates what mode the camera is in. It is very easy to put the camera back into the MANUAL mode, with all the same settings (exposure, white balance, focus, etc.) you had previously set.

Overall I am very pleased with this camera.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

Read ALL the reviews, not just at B&H but all of them. Cam is everything they say and more. I bought an open box unit for [$]and right after that price went up from [$].WOW! This might be the 1st time I made money on a purchase, provided I'd wanna sell it, which I don't. Thanks for the great deal [...] B&H.A couple weeks after that I purchased a Panasonic ZS7 point and shoot open box unit. I love it so far too.Anyone wanting to buy any Japanese-made electronics should probly do it NOW before the prices go higher.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

The Panasonic HDC-TM700 got rave reviews in 2010. Several reputable reviewers gave it the top score for HD camcorders. I have used mine for a month and am favorably impressed by its following features:

The camera travels well, being light and small.

The controls are ergonomically well placed.

The power zoom is easy to control, permitting nuanced changes.

The camcorder takes video in 1080 progressive, sixty-frames-per-second format. When rendered into a film, clips provide very clear images, even when projected onto a large screen.

The TM700's automatic focus is excellent, even when the lens is zooming in or out.

The TM700 takes well exposed video, even in low light.

The lens cover opens and closes automatically when you turn the camera on or off. There is no problem about manually removing the cover, nor losing it.

The TM700 has a mini-jack port for an external mic, and menu controls for controlling the mic volume.

The TM700 has a headphones port for listening to incoming sound, and menu control over earphone volume.

Getting proper exposure is easy. The TM700 can be used very successfully on full automatic mode, or using scene presets which are helpful in getting proper exposure in various special conditions.

The TM700 has a focus lock feature that is very easy to use. On the LCD you touch the object that you want to stay in focus. The automatic focus then locks on to that object and keeps it in focus.

The TM700 has manual controls for adjusting white balance and iris setting.

There is a Zebra indicator. It shows which portions of the frame would be overexposed if one were to use the present exposure settings.

The TM700 has a histogram indicator, which shows the distribution of highlights and shadows in the frame. Using the histogram, one can manually adjust exposure to attain a balanced distribution of tones in the shot.

The focus ring on the front of the TM700 can be used to manually focus the camcorder(which may be necessary when difficult light conditions make it difficult for the automatic focus to lock on). The focus ring, when used under certain menu items, can also be used to toggle between menu choices.

The TM700 takes good still pictures, not equal to DSLR cameras surely, but nevertheless more than adequate for most video purposes. The resolution and aspect ratio are adjustable. It takes pictures in 16:9 ratio, which is used in HD video.

The TM700 comes with software, HD Writer, which makes transfer of stills and clips in AVCHD format to a PC very easy. Unfortunately HD Writer is not available for Mac.

The TM700 comes with a basic rechargeable battery, an AC-DC adapter which also serves as a battery charger, and a cable to connect the adapter to house current so that the camera runs on house current instead of battery.

The not-so-good features of the TM700:

Both of these relate to the small body of the camera, which is, as I've noted, very useful for portability and travel.

The LCD, which is necessary for accessing menus, is rather small. A plastic pointer is provided to make touching areas of the screen easier, but remembering to carry the pointer is awkward.

Accessing controls primarily by menus, which is necessary with smaller body cameras, makes adjusting the many features a training challenge. However, Panasonic has done a good job making the menu system fairly intuitive, which makes it easier to become familiar with the many controls.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

I really liked this camcorder. [...]

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

The camcorder performs amazing in good light. The only flaw is moderate performance in low light but the low price makes up for everything.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

If you do not care about audio, the camera is great. However, if you want to do anything that is mildly professional, stay away from this camera! The fan is completely audible in the footage. It doesn't matter what you do, even if you use an external mic (Rode, in my test). I had to return it.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

Stunning color. Easy to operate. Weightless.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

I bought this camera for my son who creates snowboarding videos for college classes. The camera quality is great. The size makes it easy to carry on the slopes. It is a little tricky to convert files for editing in Final Cut Express,but there are third party work-arounds that can make it work.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

I am a Novice user video taping scenery and people indoors and out. Spent a little more to get HiDef. Third video camera in 15 years. Plays nicely with Sony Vegas Movie Studio. I like the time lapse feature, excellent audio and video quality. Quick start feature is really nice. Just open the LCD and hit record. 1 star taken off for tough to use playback interface. Have to switch back and forth between showing 1080p videos and other videos in a tough to understand fashion. Couldn't figure out how to get info on videos. Finally learned that the zoom feature, will eventually get you to a screen that tells info about each video.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

I took this camera to the state girls high school basketball finals and shot about 1/2 hour of video. A friend used it later at the sports banquet. Picture is excellent and image stabilization works very well.
Small size takes a while to get used to.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

I've been using this for a week or so in my lab to shoot training and produce demo videos. It didn't take long to set up and the video quality was superb (my basis was a Flip Ultra HD). The zoom is excellent. My only complaint is that I can't view the .MTS files it records with Quicktime.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

great compact camera, with a powerful zoom and a still photo option built in. lightweight and comfortable. If you are trying to use with mac software products be advised you will need a third party software application like Click Wrap to transcode AVCHD to .MOV or ProRes. If you research apple and also this camera this model and a few others have compatibility problems- which we didnt find out until we bought and tried to ingest into Final Cut Pro. But with the 3rd party software we're happy.

Comments about Panasonic HDC-TM700 High Definition Camcorder:

So far this has been an excellent camcorder. The reviews at CNet.com and CamcorderInfo.com convinced me to buy this rather than a similar one from a different manufacturer. I like all the manual controls this has. For the money it is a great deal. Separate headphone and microphone jacks are useful for professional work, and the electronic viewfinder is handy for capturing action shots outside.The one thing I didn't care for was the HT-Writer software, but I never was a fan for software included with any product. Fortunately, I was able to remove it from my PC, and just use the Windows drivers. It acts like a flash drive when you plug in the USB cable (included). [...]Excellent company!