Hello

I am going to purchase a hm100 soon, and I have a question regarding the format choices.

This is my first Prosumer camera, and I am entering this market with excitment and also some apprehension.

I have read all of the threads here and I do thank you all for the insights it has given me.

However, I am confused with the CHOICES in the capture formats and varius settings.

#1 - i like the idea of capturing in .MOV as there it will be easier to just start editing.. however, i have been told that the quality wont be as good as using some of the other formats???

#2 - I also see that 720 is a preferable resolution. why? and what are the drawbacks of going higher. I will be burning Bluray, and would like to keep the bar as high as possible.

Please bear with me. Im sure I will learn quickly, but there are the questions i have going in.

thanks very much

Welcome.

The first thing I suggest is you buy Tim's DVD on how to use the HM100. It will really help you get the most out of the camera.

Whether your capture to MOV or MP4, the quality is exactly the same. These are just Wrappers. The codec inside the wrapper is MPG2 35mbit known as HDCAM-EX, the same as the Sony EX1. So if you are using a Mac, use MOV. If on a PC, use MP4.

For me 720 is the best as I shoot a lot of sports, action etc. 720 60p looks great once you set the camera up. 1080 60i looks good, but is seems to a lot of us to have a little more "noise" If you lower the detail, then it is ok. I personally feel 1080 60i is a little sharper, but not that much more than 720 60p. Shoot some footage and then view on a nice and big HDTV.

thank you and yes I am planning on getting that dvd right away.

your comments are good and I appreciate them