Panasonic HDC-TM700 demonstration and tech notes

[@SvenOkonomi]

This is the most magnificent Spec video ive ever seen, pointing out every single good and bad aspect I was wondering about. Thumbs up!

[@ConsumerDV]

@k9sound: Yes, the hotshoe cover can be trimmed. As to switching to auto, the camera switches to shutter priority mode when shutter speed is selected (not changed, but merely selected in the menu). Panasonic camcorders do not have aperture priority mode, only implicit shutter priority mode, when you select the shutter speed, and the camera controls aperture.

[@AncientMysteriesAndInnovations]

I have this camcorder, it's amazing. This video showed me a few ports and buttons I didn't even know were there lol

[@ConsumerDV]

@CATB0XFILMS The setting for 24p is called Digital Cinema. It is not native 24p, but rather 24p in 60i stream with 2:3 pulldown. Shooting in interlaced mode (Digital Cinema or not) produces interlaced video with 30 * 1000/1001 frames, interlaced. This is called 30i or 29.97i in frame-based notation, so iMovie is correct. In field-based notation it is called 60i or 59.94i.

[@ConsumerDV]

@bcnewsvideo Yes, white balance looks a bit off even in manual mode. Not sure what stabilizer problems you are talking about. No lens flare issues either, just do not shoot into a light.

[@ConsumerDV]

@Martins2012 Yes, there is a manual control for the mic, both for external and internal. Internal audio is 5.1, external is 2 channel stereo.

[@ConsumerDV]

@TheNoNameUsername Depends on isolation of the mic from the camera body. Even if you hear it, it will be very faint. For best results get a shockmount.

[@ConsumerDV]

@TheCroProGamer: I can edit with Vegas Pro 8, so I assume Pro 9 should have no problems. 60p means 60 progressive frames per second. These are not 720-line frames, but full-blown 1080-line frames.

[@ConsumerDV]

@Jonkri2 The SD700 records onto memory card only, it has no built-in memory like the TM700 has. Otherwise the cameras are identical.

[@ConsumerDV]

@mykoniato It is not a lens, it is a UV filter and a lens hood. Both are for 52mm thread, attached through 46mm-to-52mm step-up ring.

[@ConsumerDV]

@HDcamhelper As I wrote in my notes, the filter is built into the lens and is controlled automatically. Look inside the lens while having shutter speed locked, and try changing aperture - you will see the filter sliding in and out of light path.

[@ConsumerDV]

@LTPaiulellA Why do you want 22 MB/s? This camera produces video with bitrate no higher than 6 MB/s, so a ubiquitous Class 6 cards are perfectly fine. For higher memory capacity you may want to consider the HS700 version instead, it has a built-in 240 GB hard disk drive.

[@ConsumerDV]

@Florentinii Touch the arrow in the bottom left corner, or use the button on the side of the camera. You must turn off iA mode first.

[@ConsumerDV]

@iTimOSX No and no. But you can easily derive 1080p30 from 1080p60 by skipping every other frame. The camera records in 25PsF/50i/50p in 50 Hz variant, and in 24pSCAN/60i/60p in 60 Hz variant. There is no "world" version.

[@ConsumerDV]

@Fa9ooly323 Depends on what you want. The CX300 has good auto modes, wider lens, but not much for manual tweaking, and it is interlaced only. The TM700 has proper progressive recording in addition to interlaced, and more manual controls.

[@ConsumerDV]

You can control gain which is pretty much the same thing as ISO. You can increase gain only when the lens is fully open.

[@ConsumerDV]

@gigibertoli It is the Velbon-607 with PH-368 fluid-like head. It is a decent head for an amateur videographer, not very precise and with a bit of backlash when you stop panning, but I paid only $70 for the tripod.

[@revokdaryl1]

Thanks for the reply. I think I may just make a compromise and deliver the movie in 60p. I know this will give the footage a soap opera like look, but maybe that will work for the film I want to make. My only other question is how the movie will be played back on consumer TV's and Blu Ray players. Do you know if most new Blu Ray players support the playback of 1080/60p video? I've read that the HD Writer software that comes with the TM 700 converts 60p footage to 60i for playback.

[@ConsumerDV]

@SOSODEAF5 All modern camcorders are digital. How do you think it records onto memory card? The HV40 has native 24p. It is also tape-based, which you may consider good or bad depending on your outlook. It records MPEG-2 video, which is much easier to edit, that is, you can use a less powerful computer. But it does not have 1080p60 mode, which is the major selling point of the TM700/HS700. Decide for yourself what is more important to you.

[@ConsumerDV]

@ussprinceton2004 Yes, this camcorder will work great for sports, but so will any traditional camcorder that shoots interlaced video, all you need is to deinterlace it correctly: each field into separate frame ("bob"). With the TM700 you do not need to deinterlace and you retain higher vertical resolution. On the other hand, 1080p60 is not officially supported by Blu-ray players, also KZbin streams videos at average rate of 30 fps. So far, 1080p60 is for geeks and for future-proofing.

[@ConsumerDV]

@1313silverscreen1313 Insert the card into a reader, it will mount as a regular drive. If you don't care about preserving the directory structure (which will be needed if you are on Mac or you want to use HD Writer that comes with the camera), then navigate to /PRIVATE/AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM folder where you will see files with MTS extension. These are your videos. You can play them from a card if you have proper player and decoder (Windows 7 has one built-in). Copy and edit those files as you like.

[@ConsumerDV]

@TMALIVE, @toms900: Yes, it can shoot 1080p24, but records it inside 1080i60 with 2-3 pulldown. If you want to edit such a video properly, you need a tool capable of removing pulldown and restoring native 24p sequence.

[@revokdaryl1]

Thank you very much for clearing this up. I have a TM 700 and was experimenting with the Digital Cinema function and couldn't figure out why programs were interpreting the raw .MTS file as being in 30 fps or 29.97. I was planning on making a short amateur film, maybe around 40 minutes long, however I want to make it look as professional as possible. This is why I'd like to record in the camera's highest 1080/60p setting. Do you know of a freeware program I can use to convert 60p to 24p?

[@mykoniato]

@ConsumerDV ΙΝ 3:28 YOU 'VE ADDED LENS.. TELL ME PLEASE HOW MUCH COST YOU AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT IS PROPRIET FOR YOU CAMERA..?

[@ussprinceton2004]

would this camcorder take excellent HD video of sports, like basketball, baseball, football, etc. without the motion blur? What about if you pan from side to side to catch the action, will it have inter lacing problems? What camcorder would you recommend for capturing sports or any activity with a lot of motion?

[@ConsumerDV]

@assaissa The camera is ready to record in about 2 seconds.

[@FlorentineFilmsRogerSherman]

@ConsumerDV can you tell me where the manual control is found. i can only get to it by diving deep into the menu. not very good for adjusting while shooting. is there a way to have it on screen and adjust while shooting? thanks

[@ConsumerDV]

@SpeedFreakNO: I hate some of its idiosyncrasies, which I highlighted in the video, but image quality is awesome. The camcorder delivers the most detailed image I've seen from a consumer camera.

[@CATB0XFILMS]

can this do 24p, and if so, what is the setting called in the menu? Also, I assume the default setting is to shoot at 60 fps, but when I import it using Imovie it says 29.97

[@ConsumerDV]

I would not rely on 1080p60 if you want to deliver to broad audience. I'd rather convert to 720p60 which is a standard format for Blu-ray. You can avoid soap opera look by conforming to 30p, effectively throwing out every other frame. But BD does not support 30p directly, so you either will have to do it as 720p60 with frame repeat or as 1080PsF30. Do not convert 60p to interlaced. But I assume you will not be using HD Writer anyway for editing. It is very basic.

[@ConsumerDV]

@pennstat Sensitivity-wise it is about on par with popular HD models like the Canon HV20 and the earlier Panasonic's SD1. When gain is added, there is little noise but detail may be lost because of noise reduction. The lack of a dedicated auto/manual focus switch is the Achilles' heel of this camcorder. Some older Panasonic models like the SD100/HS100 had a separate auto/manual focus switch in addition to the Camera Function button. This model has everything lumped into one button. Poor design.

[@SirKyanite]

@FerrrisWheelPro The TM700 records 24P with pulldown. What this means is that it ADDS extra frames to the 24P video. At first, you get a video that plays back at 60i. So, what you need to do is REMOVE the extra frames that were added to get a regular 24P video. I don't think iMovie can get rid of the extra frames..

[@NessLikeWhoa]

So I have this camcorder and it's beautiful. However, my LCD screen broke and no longer works. However the camera still works fine.. Do you know of anyone or anywhere I can send it to to get it repaired or replaced?

[@throwmyshoes]

Hey, thanks for all the info that's in the description but I didn't see, what is the average price for the camera?

[@assaissa]

Please tell me how fast that camera starts and able to start recording?

[@FUTRIncluded]

Can someone who owns this camcorder please confirm whether the fan noise is picked up by the internal (and external) mic recording?

[@TheNoNameUsername]

if i get an external mic like the one in this video, will the fan still be heard in quiet situations?

[@MrFrostyTV]

does the touch screen only work with the stylist or can you use your finger?

[@camura5000]

HELP!!! I NEED HELP!!!! Alright... I have some questions that need to be answered. First the mic he hooks up to the camcorder; that's a shotgun mic right? Next I see he plugged it into the side of the Camcorder; does this mean when you press record on the camcorder not only will it record video but it will activate the mic and record audio simultaneously, is this correct???

[@whitenoisecentury]

HELP! cannot convert avchd video! how can i convert it?

[@TheSwayingOne]

Can I plug a lilliput field monitor into this via the HDMI port?

[@TMALIVE]

Does it have a 24p mode for 24 frames per second?

[@janthomas5147]

Hi, any tips and pointers for making quality music video for online and big screen and would be editing in imovie?

[@ConsumerDV]

Sorry, I don't use iMovie. I am on Windows, and use Sony Vegas.

[@janthomas5147]

@@ConsumerDV All righty, thank you

[@SirKyanite]

@FerrrisWheelPro It does record 24p but with pull-down added. :( So, you'd have to buy a seperate program that would remove the pull-down such as NeoScene. Then you'd have a pure 24P video.. (I don't know of any free ways of removing pulldown with the TM700). :(

[@ConsumerDV]

You can use a finger, if your fingers are small enough.

[@gigibertoli]

hi! can you tell me the velbon code support model? thanks

[@zenmode13]

i have this camera but havent figured out an easy way to get the videos from the card onto my computer, please help! Rad music btw (:

[@mrrandom177]

great video.

[@kendonichi]

is this camera good enough to shoot a documentary on?

[@cjdog23]

@TheNoNameUsername yes, it does

[@rayner1guerra]

Hello, Do you know some hack for RAW in panasonic HDC TM700? Thanks.

[@ConsumerDV]

+rayner1guerra This is what HDMI output is for.

[@rayner1guerra]

+ConsumerDV Do you test, review, de video recorded in SD card versus the video recorded HDMI output (with some mini matrox , for example) or other digitised equipmet? Some comparison.

[@ConsumerDV]

+rayner1guerra No, I find this too bothersome.

[@MasterKingKoopa]

Which Extra-Lens is this?

[@toms900]

does this shoot in 1920x1080 24p or only 1920x1080 60p

[@LTPaiulellA]

I would like to have larger-volume data storage and optimized recording performance with faster data transfer speed of up to 22MB/s. The Panny 64GB SDXC memory card RP-SDW64GE1K Class 10 can do this at a cost(I have beaten price from (£415 to £350). Is this going OTT for this camcorder. Can viewers recommend a card that would improve performance I need?

[@Fa9ooly323]

I want it the most for shooting cars and races, and some night shots. sorry about my bad english

[@E1VM]

Can you hook a DOF adapter to it?

[@SteelBustingBiker]

Believe or not...still shoot BD's, Wake's, Xmas Parties and Biker Rollouts. Not one problem other than slow down lateral panning. I see the comment below is 8 years old...oh well. But, thanks for the refresher.

[@ConsumerDV]

I still have it, it is a great camcorder! Sometimes the codec can be a little strained, which results in macroblocking, but it is rare. Later models have bitrate increased from 28 Mbit/s to 35 Mbit/s. I had a 4K camera, but sold it, because I find 1080p60 from this camera good enough. Thanks for commenting!

[@Fa9ooly323]

This one or "Sony HDR-cx300"?

[@dkhimekuriakose7]

Can you control the Iso?

[@TheNoNameUsername]

does this camera have a headphone jack?

[@mmstudios95]

nice

[@zenmode13]

@ConsumerDV ahh got it, thank you so much.

[@DarkShark190]

Where the hell is the image quality review anyway?

[@ConsumerDV]

Do not convert 60p to 24p, it will not look good. Rather look for programs that can remove pulldown from Digital Cinema video, restoring it back to its original 24fps rate. Or shoot in 60p and deliver in 60p or 30p. If you really want 24p then get a camera that records native 24p, you will save yourself from headache.

[@malestrom1969]

Yes excellent camera apart that you hear the fan noise.Paying 1000 euros for nothing......People don't buy this camera.Panasonic should have foreseen this.A fan next to the microphone.....