HI-DEF CAMCORDER/120G HDD/GUNMETAL GREY

• 35mm Wide Lens


• Full HD 1080p


• 20X Intelligent Zoom

More detail ...

Excellent Camcorder with one really MAJOR flaw

Panasonic finally released a 1920x1080p60 camcorder to the market (Sony still refuse to add Progressive and canon max out at 1920x1080p30 or p24)



With the TM700 Panasonic did combine the smooth motion of 1080i60 with the crisp image of a progressive motion

I can not praise the footage quality from this camcorder it's basically the best camcorder i have ever used it beats my HF100 and HF S100 when it comes to sharpness and motion by far (I still prefer Canon colors though however Panasonic colors looks exactly as we see them in real life Canon colors are unrealistic but looks more fun to me)



The wide angle 35mm~ is much better than my previous canons (Canon 43mm~ a little bit zoomed in) but still not as wide as Sony latest camcorders 29mm~ The stabilization From TM700 is really groundbreaking All low hand shake are completely gone! as if you are using a tripod almost as good as Sony stabilization (Sony stabilization is the best in the market Canon got the worst stabilization from the major companies)



Now about the Major flaw with TM700... something i didn't see coming and would have properly canceled my order if i knew about it before i bought it the Audio is really noisy ! TM700 got a built in Fan on the side (Sony/Canon does not have a fan like tm700) the fan is noisy and the microphone will pick up the noise now if you think closing the LCD and using the viewfinder will eliminate the fan noise you couldn't be any wrong! close the LCD and the fan noise will be even higher ! problem is I'm afraid that it will collect dust over the months and it will properly be even louder by then or might even break.



Other than the Fan noise (It sound like older tape camcorders noise through the entire video if you are familiar with tape noise) it's an excellent camcorder you can capture low light indoors without any problem (Much better than my canon camcorders when it comes to low light) you can't hear the fan noise if you capture outdoors or in a noisy environment but for indoors or a quite environment you will hear it.



Finally about the 1920x1080p60 you really need a quad core to even playback the footage! my Dual Core 2 Duo 2.5GHZ laptop can not play the footage at all (Trust me i tried everything it's not a codec problem but you need power to play the footage) even PS3 can not play the footage smoothly the PS3 will struggle to playback the video (Will freeze about half a second for every 4 seconds of playback)



There is no 1920x1080p30 option in this camcorder it's either 1920x1080p60 28Mbps or 1920x1080i 17Mbps

The camcorder playback the footage just fine though



Some people are having trouble to edit the videos well i use Sony Vegas Pro 9 and had no problems editing the 1080p60 footage.



If you use an external microphone that only pick sound from the front you properly wont care about this flaw but for my use (Traveling etc) i need my camcorder to be as portable as possible so using an external microphone is not an option



This camcorder would have gotten 5 Stars from me if it were not for the Fan issue.



Update : Fan issue Test done by someone else [...] "Just search in VIMEO" "Panasonic TM700 indoor audio test"



Update 2 : Returned the camcorder.... the noise issue is really ruining my videos the noise is not stable it does change when you pan or change the position of the camcorder read my 6th comment in comments below for video sample since amazon wont let me post linksMore detail ...

Powerhouse Camcorder for Power Users

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3P5NINJ0LEBSL The Panasonic HDC-TM700 is a rare camcorder in that it breaks new ground. The key upside of this camcorder is its 28 Mbps 60P mode -- the camera is capable of recording at 1920x1080 resolution in 60 PROGRESSIVE frames per second. This captures TWICE the image information of the interlaced method resulting in smoother motion. The TM700 also capture more vertical resolution than other consumer camcorders when used in 60P mode.



There are many features of this camera that blur the line between "consumer" and "prosumer."



Whether you dub the 35mm lens "wide" or not it's a hell of a lot more wide than any other consumer cam lens I've tried. My $6500 Sony EX1 has a 31.4mm equivalent lens so the TM700 is in the same ballpark. For me this make a big difference in the practical use of the camera. No longer do I need to carry and constantly attach/detach a wide angle adapter. This also makes me more likely to use the 18X zoom (since there's no wide angle adapter on the cam).



One nice TM700 feature I haven't seen discussed elsewhere is peaking. Quite simply "peaking" means that the camera outlines objects in focus with a color so as to help the camera operator achieve correct focus. The camera does include a peaking function when switched to manual focus. Panasonic calls it "manual focus assist." This really helps achieve critical focus with the 260k pixel LCD screen. The peaking color is blue; I prefer yellow but will gladly settle for blue.



Another upside to the TM700 vis-a-vis other consumer cams is the manual control ring. Panasonic has done a nice job implementing this feature and it's easy to quickly adjust zoom focus shutter speed & iris using the ring. This is a slam dunk win for the TM700 because the competition doesn't even offer a control ring (the control wheel is a far less satisfying alternative).



Some have expressed concern over the cooling fan. The fan does generate some noise when it activates although it's not always on. The fan has really not been an issue for me so far. I usually use an external mic when I'm serious about capturing quality audio.



I'm a picky camera buyer who usually finds flaws with consumer equipment. But I haven't found many with the TM700. It has a number of nice features like facial recognition (automatically exposing for certain faces) outstanding low-light performance with minimal noise and strong color reproduction an almost "instant on" technology (you can power on the camera simply by opening the LCD screen or extending the viewfinder) stellar image stabilization plenty of menu customization options all the benefits of tapeless workflow...and I could go on.



If you are shopping for a "flagship" consumer camcorder when considering the TM700 you must ask yourself whether you really care about 60P. After all it's the 60P mode (and resulting high image quality) that sets this camera apart from its Sony & Canon competitors. I believe that the TM700 in 60P mode produces arguably the best image quality you can find in a consumer camcorder. But you need a fast PC with the right software to edit this material. If you intend to edit your footage do some homework on this point before making a purchase decision.



If you want 60P...and you can handle 60P... then you will love this camcorder.



More detail ...