How good is the HDC-TM700 (for professional use)

Paulo Teixeira · December 4th, 2010, 09:36 PM

Here's what I've read in another thread:

"One nice TM700 feature I haven't seen discussed elsewhere is peaking. 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."
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panasoni...hdc-tm700.html

I'm not sure if that's any different than what's on the SDT750/TM750.

Andy Wilkinson · December 6th, 2010, 03:55 AM

Thanks for the extra info and the product links etc. I've now read pretty much all of that along with practically every camera/camcorder website product review and every customer review of the TM700 and SD700 I can find on the amazon USA and UK sites...about 80 odd (yeah, I know, I should get out more! (currently, I have a cold so spent most of yesterday in front of a log fire with the MBP - that's my excuse!)

I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick one of these up early in the New Year (after CES in early Jan... just in case Panasonic announce a killer replacement that I might want to wait for).... and after I get paid for a few jobs I've just just finished. The feature/perfomance/price/portabability combination seems way too good to ignore.

One thing. I still can't find out if it's possible to white balance these cams with a card (something Les asked also) or can you set a Kelvin temp manually? Anyone know? (The AWB does seem unreliable/laggy from my armchair reading).

All it says in the (otherwise extensive) official Panasonic product info that Les linked to is this - is "White Set" what I hope it might be?:

"Select from Auto, Indoor, Outdoor and White Set according to the location, weather or type of lighting. You'll always get the best possible coloring even if the light source changes"

Dan Carter · December 6th, 2010, 08:49 AM

Hello Andy,

Yes, it is possible to manually set White Balance with the TM700. It is actually a very simple process. There is no ability to choose Kelvin by number though.

I think you'll be surprized at the power and portability of this unit.

Andy Wilkinson · December 6th, 2010, 02:40 PM

Thanks Dan!

One other question (sorry, I've been reading too much...). The Panasonic blurb suggests that the TM700 records onto it's 32GB internal memory and then switches automatically to the SDHC card "so you don't miss anything etc." What about if I want to do it the other way round - set it record to the SDHC card, then let it switch to the internal memory (if the card gets full). Is this possible in a menu option?

I've lots of fast 16GB SDHC cards already in my EX3 kit (in KxS and KxT adapters along with my regular SxS cards, and others around the place) - just trying to establish the benefit of the TM700 over the SD700 as the ONLY difference I can see is 32GB of internal flash memory on the former - otherwise they are absolutely identical. Sure, I well understand the limitations of a cam that has only one card slot and no internal memory like the SD700 but this will rarely impact my use of it. Right now in the UK you can get a SD700 for about £590 compared to about £750-810 (from reputable dealers) for the TM700. Seems a VERY expensive way of buying 32GB of flash memory (although I'm sure it's nice to have as those 1080p50 files will eat up space relatively quickly at 28Mbps).

And another Question. I've read a few complain that the "power brick" in the AC lead is not multi-voltage (i.e 110-240V, 60/50Hz, e.g. like the Sony ones are - or any camera I've ever had, laptop etc.) but "fixed" to the current of the country of purchase. Is this true? I am hoping it's "continental travel friendly" as one of the big advantages of a cam this size is that I'll take it everywhere....(unlike my EX3!)

Still find it amazing that this cam has zebras, blue peaking (manual focus assist), 3 sec pre-record buffer (is this only TM700 I wonder - as surely that needs internal memory?) and lots of other cutting edge features in such a tiny and relatively affordable package! The quality of the 1080p50/60 video I've seen (including good work by you Dan) looks really excellent too.

Paulo Teixeira · December 6th, 2010, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Wilkinson

I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick one of these up early in the New Year (after CES in early Jan... just in case Panasonic announce a killer replacement that I might want to wait for)

I've though of this since I also want to pick up a TM700 right after I get my GH2 to replace the GH1 but since the TM750 and the SDT750 came out not too long ago which adds a better stabilizer over the TM700, I don't think we'll see a new model until April at the very earliest, possibly May.

Dan Carter · December 6th, 2010, 09:42 PM

Hi Andy,

I've tested but never actually used the internal 32GB. I prefer SD cards for faster off-loading. Though it is nice to have the internal memory in the event all my SD cards fail or are lost, I'd skip the option if I had it to do again.

The charger that came with my TM700 is indeed "110-240V, 60/50Hz".

I'm sad to say, though I own the HMC40, it hasn't been off the shelf since purchasing the TM700.

Good luck with your decision...

Andy Wilkinson · December 7th, 2010, 03:46 AM

Perfect - excellent information! My decision is made. Now either the SD700 or TM700 are definitely on my 'BUY' list - just waiting for the best offer I can find in the next few weeks. It will give me so much capability for the price of just yet another lens for my Canon 7D. I'll get one big (genuine) Panasonic battery and probabaly a ND filter and/or polariser as well I think.

Further out, I may still pick up a Canon XF100 in the spring ...if the price gets more sensible by then (from what's currenly predicted this side of the pond) and only if the images come out as good as I might hope for a single 1/3 inch chipped cam. Or I might wait until the summer (? maybe?) for a Canon 5DMkIII instead of the XF100 - assuming Canon is going to leapfrog the Panasonic GH2's new lead in DSLR for video sometime next year - no one knows for sure yet - but that discussion is for another forum section, not here, and I'll not worry about those decisons until then.

Anyway, thanks everyone for all the information to fill the holes/ambiguity in the stuff I've read on the TM700 et al. Can't wait to try this little cam out and seeing how I can make the 1080p50 workflow fit in with my Mac Pro/FCS and Win7 Vegas 9E systems and intercut with the EX3 and 7D.

David Sharley · December 7th, 2010, 05:24 AM

Hey guys
Great posts
You have talked me into buying the SD700
I am starting out in the video game and have been considering the panasonic SD700 (Australian equivelant of the TM700). As a camera I can learn from, I think it would be a great option which would allow me to start making some great video. It is also alot cheaper than other cameras such as the Sony Nex G10.

Cheers

Dave

Paulo Teixeira · December 9th, 2010, 02:30 AM

At least we can get professional level slow motion out of it.
Here's a couple of videos:

It's best to download them.

Andy Wilkinson · December 9th, 2010, 03:17 AM

Well if I had any doubts before about this cams capabilities then I certainly don't now. I like his choices of music too, fitted both films really well.

Gregory Gatz · December 9th, 2010, 01:50 PM

Paulo Teixeira,

Was the slow -mo done post, or was it determined by the camera settings while filming ?

Gregory
( Happy new TM700 owner )

Paulo Teixeira · December 9th, 2010, 04:22 PM

I'm not the owner of those videos but I do know he shot it in 1080 60p and slowed it down to 24p using Premiere CS5. You have to do slow motion in post.
Here's what he wrote for the second video"

"Editing was done in Premiere on a 24p timeline. Clips were slowed to 40% which created the proper ratio of smooth slowdown and very minimal color correction was done, ( just a bit of levels play and my usual addition mild amounts of noise )..hey, I like noise : )"

Gregory Gatz · December 9th, 2010, 05:30 PM

Thanks, I'm really looking forward to experimenting with mine..

Dave Jervis · December 9th, 2010, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Wilkinson

..................... I'll get one big (genuine) Panasonic battery and probabaly a ND filter and/or polariser as well I think. ................

Just a few positive and negative comments from my own experience... Big battery gives really good battery life and is recommended. An ND filter (x4) is pretty much essential if you want to shoot with a conventional 1/50th shutter speed in brilliant sunshine... particularly if using the "Intelligent Contrast" feature. Get a lens cap for the ND if you can... usefull if you want to leave it on the camera all day.

I have a TM700, but have never used the internal memory... with the 64GB SDXC cards coming along I wish I had bought the SD700.

In a quiet room and using the internal mic you can hear the fan but a suitably positioned external mic solves this for me....

I think the picture quality (1080p 50fps 28Mbps) is incredible for a camera at this price, and I love the way it can be used to produce either (or both!) 50i or 25p edited versions.... as well as impressive smooth half speed in a 25p edit.

The start up time is very quick ..... open the flip out screen and it's ready to go in seconds...

Peaking for focus needs some contrast to latch onto, but the fact it's there is one of the things that 'sold' me the camera. The way you can mix-up e.g. auto focus, manual white balance, manual shutter speed and auto exposure (iris-gain) all at the same time gives good control options (but you can't do manual iris with auto shutter speed). Iris turns into gain once lens is fully open so you can't have small iris + gain.

Some gripes.....
See elsewhere on this site for details of the slight 'wobble' that the lens can exhibit when the camera is very tilted up or down.
There is no LANC socket (the zoom control is smallish and difficult to use for in-vision delicate zooming... there is also lens ring zoom option but it doesn't suit me).
The 'Intelligent Contrast' mode (which gives improved highlight and shadow handling) only works with auto exposure. I think this is the only alternative gamma curve available to you.
The iris is a diamond shape which shows up on defocussed highlights and as X shaped flares.

...and you really need an editor that can cope well with AVCHD! FCS and FCP may not be ideal in their present form.... ...I find current Edius software on a well spec'd i7 is good...

...Oh, I'm just getting picky now.... I'm talking about an impressive camera that costs hundreds, not thousands! I really like having such a small but highly capable camera that I can carry with me most of the time.

dave

Floris van Eck · January 1st, 2011, 09:18 AM

I have a question:

I am testing out some stuff before I start editing my projects. I haven't made my mind up wether I use FCP or PP CS5. What ProRes setting do you recommend? Is ProRes LT good enough for the 1080p50 footage? I am trying to keep the output files as small as possible so I am looking for the most bang per MB.

December 4th, 2010, 09:36 PM	#31
Paulo Teixeira Trustee Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,773	Here's what I've read in another thread: "One nice TM700 feature I haven't seen discussed elsewhere is peaking. 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." http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panasoni...hdc-tm700.html I'm not sure if that's any different than what's on the SDT750/TM750. __________________ https://www.youtube.com/user/PhotoVi...esEtc/featured https://www.pond5.com/artist/paulot

December 6th, 2010, 03:55 AM	#32
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Thanks for the extra info and the product links etc. I've now read pretty much all of that along with practically every camera/camcorder website product review and every customer review of the TM700 and SD700 I can find on the amazon USA and UK sites...about 80 odd (yeah, I know, I should get out more! (currently, I have a cold so spent most of yesterday in front of a log fire with the MBP - that's my excuse!) I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick one of these up early in the New Year (after CES in early Jan... just in case Panasonic announce a killer replacement that I might want to wait for).... and after I get paid for a few jobs I've just just finished. The feature/perfomance/price/portabability combination seems way too good to ignore. One thing. I still can't find out if it's possible to white balance these cams with a card (something Les asked also) or can you set a Kelvin temp manually? Anyone know? (The AWB does seem unreliable/laggy from my armchair reading). All it says in the (otherwise extensive) official Panasonic product info that Les linked to is this - is "White Set" what I hope it might be?: "Select from Auto, Indoor, Outdoor and White Set according to the location, weather or type of lighting. You'll always get the best possible coloring even if the light source changes" __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

December 6th, 2010, 02:40 PM	#34
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Thanks Dan! One other question (sorry, I've been reading too much...). The Panasonic blurb suggests that the TM700 records onto it's 32GB internal memory and then switches automatically to the SDHC card "so you don't miss anything etc." What about if I want to do it the other way round - set it record to the SDHC card, then let it switch to the internal memory (if the card gets full). Is this possible in a menu option? I've lots of fast 16GB SDHC cards already in my EX3 kit (in KxS and KxT adapters along with my regular SxS cards, and others around the place) - just trying to establish the benefit of the TM700 over the SD700 as the ONLY difference I can see is 32GB of internal flash memory on the former - otherwise they are absolutely identical. Sure, I well understand the limitations of a cam that has only one card slot and no internal memory like the SD700 but this will rarely impact my use of it. Right now in the UK you can get a SD700 for about £590 compared to about £750-810 (from reputable dealers) for the TM700. Seems a VERY expensive way of buying 32GB of flash memory (although I'm sure it's nice to have as those 1080p50 files will eat up space relatively quickly at 28Mbps). And another Question. I've read a few complain that the "power brick" in the AC lead is not multi-voltage (i.e 110-240V, 60/50Hz, e.g. like the Sony ones are - or any camera I've ever had, laptop etc.) but "fixed" to the current of the country of purchase. Is this true? I am hoping it's "continental travel friendly" as one of the big advantages of a cam this size is that I'll take it everywhere....(unlike my EX3!) Still find it amazing that this cam has zebras, blue peaking (manual focus assist), 3 sec pre-record buffer (is this only TM700 I wonder - as surely that needs internal memory?) and lots of other cutting edge features in such a tiny and relatively affordable package! The quality of the 1080p50/60 video I've seen (including good work by you Dan) looks really excellent too. __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

December 7th, 2010, 03:46 AM	#37
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Perfect - excellent information! My decision is made. Now either the SD700 or TM700 are definitely on my 'BUY' list - just waiting for the best offer I can find in the next few weeks. It will give me so much capability for the price of just yet another lens for my Canon 7D. I'll get one big (genuine) Panasonic battery and probabaly a ND filter and/or polariser as well I think. Further out, I may still pick up a Canon XF100 in the spring ...if the price gets more sensible by then (from what's currenly predicted this side of the pond) and only if the images come out as good as I might hope for a single 1/3 inch chipped cam. Or I might wait until the summer (? maybe?) for a Canon 5DMkIII instead of the XF100 - assuming Canon is going to leapfrog the Panasonic GH2's new lead in DSLR for video sometime next year - no one knows for sure yet - but that discussion is for another forum section, not here, and I'll not worry about those decisons until then. Anyway, thanks everyone for all the information to fill the holes/ambiguity in the stuff I've read on the TM700 et al. Can't wait to try this little cam out and seeing how I can make the 1080p50 workflow fit in with my Mac Pro/FCS and Win7 Vegas 9E systems and intercut with the EX3 and 7D. __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

December 7th, 2010, 05:24 AM	#38
David Sharley Tourist Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 1	You have talked me into buying the SD700 Hey guys Great posts You have talked me into buying the SD700 I am starting out in the video game and have been considering the panasonic SD700 (Australian equivelant of the TM700). As a camera I can learn from, I think it would be a great option which would allow me to start making some great video. It is also alot cheaper than other cameras such as the Sony Nex G10. Cheers Dave

December 6th, 2010, 08:49 AM	#33
Dan Carter Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 366	Hello Andy, Yes, it is possible to manually set White Balance with the TM700. It is actually a very simple process. There is no ability to choose Kelvin by number though. I think you'll be surprized at the power and portability of this unit.

December 6th, 2010, 09:42 PM	#36
Dan Carter Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 366	Hi Andy, I've tested but never actually used the internal 32GB. I prefer SD cards for faster off-loading. Though it is nice to have the internal memory in the event all my SD cards fail or are lost, I'd skip the option if I had it to do again. The charger that came with my TM700 is indeed "110-240V, 60/50Hz". I'm sad to say, though I own the HMC40, it hasn't been off the shelf since purchasing the TM700. Good luck with your decision...

December 9th, 2010, 02:30 AM	#39
Paulo Teixeira Trustee Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,773	At least we can get professional level slow motion out of it. Here's a couple of videos: Panasonic TM700 + Fire Dancer Teaser on Vimeo Panasonic TM700 Slow Motion + Zoom H4n + Redhead Windscreen on Vimeo It's best to download them. __________________ https://www.youtube.com/user/PhotoVi...esEtc/featured https://www.pond5.com/artist/paulot

December 9th, 2010, 03:17 AM	#40
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Well if I had any doubts before about this cams capabilities then I certainly don't now. I like his choices of music too, fitted both films really well. __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

December 9th, 2010, 01:50 PM	#41
Gregory Gatz New Boot Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 16	Paulo Teixeira, Was the slow -mo done post, or was it determined by the camera settings while filming ? Gregory ( Happy new TM700 owner )

December 9th, 2010, 04:22 PM	#42
Paulo Teixeira Trustee Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,773	I'm not the owner of those videos but I do know he shot it in 1080 60p and slowed it down to 24p using Premiere CS5. You have to do slow motion in post. Here's what he wrote for the second video" "Editing was done in Premiere on a 24p timeline. Clips were slowed to 40% which created the proper ratio of smooth slowdown and very minimal color correction was done, ( just a bit of levels play and my usual addition mild amounts of noise )..hey, I like noise : )" __________________ https://www.youtube.com/user/PhotoVi...esEtc/featured https://www.pond5.com/artist/paulot

December 9th, 2010, 05:30 PM	#43
Gregory Gatz New Boot Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 16	Thanks, I'm really looking forward to experimenting with mine..

January 1st, 2011, 09:18 AM	#45
Floris van Eck Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 993	I have a question: I am testing out some stuff before I start editing my projects. I haven't made my mind up wether I use FCP or PP CS5. What ProRes setting do you recommend? Is ProRes LT good enough for the 1080p50 footage? I am trying to keep the output files as small as possible so I am looking for the most bang per MB.