I see a lot of colorfringing in the smal details. And the definition is disapointing like the bricks of the house on 1:20 - The cheaper Pana GH1 and GH2 blows this away - sorry
@groomlake67 On the latter point I don't agree at all, but no need to be sorry - I'm not a camera salesman! The TM-900 I used was a pre-production sample (not my camera) which I took out for a spin and shot everything on auto for a specific reason. I've used both the GH-1 and GH-2 and while they and other Micro 4/3 D-SLRs may well shoot higher res images they have the disadvantage of having bloody awful ergonomics unless using a truck load of accessories.
@simplydv I just realized that you were shooting interlaced. Have you had any success using the TM900's 1080p50 mode with Final Cut? I've found a few utilities that seem like they should be able to allow importing into FCPX, but it's always nice to have an "I use this and it works" recommendation! Thanks again!
@simplydv I'm seriously considering purchasing the TM900 in the next couple days as it is on sale, my only concern is converting the clips every time as I use a MacBook Pro. Do you find this to be a major drawback or not too time consuming?
Im on the way to buying a new camera for amateur filmmaking, but i don't know how to choose between camcorders (like tm900, canon g1 or sony cx 700) or DSLR cameras like canon 600d or Nikon d5100. Can you help me a bit? And can you explain me if i can recharge the battery of tm900 externally?
What is the point of taking video of scenes that contain almost no motion? This is especially important with this camera because one potential weakness is how well the video holds up when the camera pans quickly or when it photographs rapidly moving objects. Even without that, the whole idea of video is to capture things in MOTION!
@johnmeyer77 This particular sequence contains little motion for the simple reason that it was shot for a different purpose. Each shot taken was matched by an equivalent 3D clip and were used to critically evaluate such things as chroma, luminance, depth of field, contrast ratio. This sequence complements text-based reviews, and was never intended to be a "review" as such. There are loads of those on YouTube. We didn't shoot one of those silly "unboxing" videos either!
@simplydv Fair enough, but I think you might consider changing the title from "FULL HD Test" (my emphasis) to "STATIC HD test" or "Non-motion HD test" or something else to show that you are intentionally eliminating motion (which is normally an odd thing to do for a video camera) in order to test certain aspects of video which are easier to evaluate when motion is eliminated.
@johnmeyer77 No, it's called "Full HD" because it was shot at 1920x1080/50p resolution whether containing static shots or not. As it happens, I shot two other sequences - one of sports cars and the other of a mountain stream, but not for uploading to YouTube. This sequence fulfils precisely the aims set out for it so I don't see a need for further discussion at all. There are plenty of other TM900 test clips out there on YouTube anyhow so it really isn't the end of the world.
@johnmeyer77 And why is it "an odd thing" to "eliminate motion" for a video camera? For a start, motion hasn't been "eliminated"; there actually is a lot of subtle motion in the shots. Not every video clip has to include cars & bikes travelling at break-neck speeds! Anyway, enough............. it just doesn't matter.
@StockholmControversy Yes, that's due to YouTube processing. The original clips were shot at 50p, ingested into Final Cut Pro at 50i and then exported to YouTube as MPEG-4/H.264 full-HD at 50i, but YouTube's inline transcoding to 30p (29.97fps) has imposed that effect upon the footage. The original clips look excellent when displaying on a full-HDTV via HDMI.
@MrKwameR Yes, it does, but it does not really offer much more than tidying-up of clips in a sequence. The software, which is called "Panasonic HD Writer" is good for making initial format conversions from 50p to 50i (if you require it) in addition to providing the ability to save edited sequences back to SDHC/XC card or to DVD, etc. It is more a re-configuring program than an editing program though. For Mac users I would recommend using SmartConverter from Shedworx, free in the App Store.
@simplydv thanks for your prompt answer simplydv......but to be a little more specific, does the supplied software or any software for approx $50 allow me to cut segments from 1080/50p recordings?
For example, let's say I shoot for 40mins, but want a section from 5-7mins, can I cut that out in the original 50p format?
I think its too bad that you can't switch beetween 50p and 60p on this unit. 50p looks great on a big tv, but since most pc screens have a refreshrate of 60hz, it ends up looking jerky/not smooth. This is very obvious, aspecially when panning. If you download a native 60p mts file and play it on your computer, you'll see that they are universes apart in terms of smoothness. i almost bought the ntsc version because of this. Why not make it switchable? Nice video btw, it really is a great camera.
@MrHeypapa please can you clear things up for me,is this camera 1080p or 1080i?also,as i have seen ,most 1080p videos are in 24p(24fps?).why are you talking about 50 being bad?and what do you mean with ntsc/pal these are old video formats made for different regions for analog tv broadcasting,aren 't they?now we have h.264?
we consider buying this camera.do you suggest getting the "ntsc version",as you say?thank you very much
@frizstyler The camcorder defaults to 1080i but has a single button option to shoot 1080p. And yes, models aimed at PAL-land (ie: Europe) are 50 hz while those aimed at NTSC-land are 60 hz.
@simplydv are panasonic stupid?i can 't go to the usa just to buy a camera!crap,im gonna have to wait for 2012 models.and i hope they won 't have the fan noise problem ryanonpiano complains about.there are no alternatives ,as i h8 sony while canon hasn 't got sth that good yes
@simplydv are panasonic stupid?i can 't go to the usa just to buy a camera!crap,im gonna have to wait for 2012 models.and i hope they won 't have the fan noise problem ryanonpiano complains about.there are no alternatives ,as i h8 sony while canon hasn 't got sth that good yet
I was going to buy this camcorder but again Panasonic have not listened to anyone.
They promised to sort out the fan issue and when I look at videos on youtube its much worse than before and also various complaints on Amazon now saying fan noise is horrific. Panasonic have went all out for the 3d option which is not everyones taste, I am really annoyed that I now have to either buy a Sony or wait another year on Panasonics 2012 models which probably will have even louder fans again.
Just before the review sample went back to Panasonic I shot a family member's 80th birthday celebration early evening, indoors and in mixed light. This was then edited in Final Cut Pro and output as a full MPEG-4/H.264 file for playback on HDTV at 19820x1080/50i and I can't see any prpblem at all with low-light performance. Picture quality was very good indeed - and well up to that of many professional camcorders I've used.
Also i have just bought the sd90. (still to be delivered)which is some ways i am sad about because coming from sd600 i know it was not be as good especially in low light.i had the £800 sitting to hand to amazon but lucky i heard the shocking samples 1st.do Panasonic not understand than any fan over time gets louder and can become problematic. Please let me know what you think of sd60 when you can. Thanks
Thanks for your update. I think you could have been very lucky with the model you received as i know through past experience my 1st and 2nd sd600 had extremely noisy fans but my 3rd replacement was far better but still had an issue.i have always followed your great reviews and hoped Panasonic would have listened to you and fixed the issue with the new fan design. Thanks
I'm beginning to wonder whether I'd been given a unique review sample by Panasonic UK! Although the camera is now on its way back to them, I did actually check this again by recording in a very quiet room with my right ear up close to the fan. After running for some time I could berely hear a whisper - certainly not enough to impact on the kind of recording that most people would make in typical situations.
It's very odd...... I'll check this with the SD90 soon, too.
Was just about to buy this camera reading your review on internet but the fan noise once again is a massive issue and louder than ever. Panasonic had promised this is issue would be sorted but looks like they decided to go for the ignore everyone and concentrate on 3d side of things.just type into you sd900 and some videos have been uploaded in last few days and fans noise is laughable. I sold my sd600 because fan noise thinking i will buy the newer model but no chance buying this thing.
Would it have made any difference to the overall IQ as well as the color clipping problem if this same footage had been shot in 1080/50p mode and then downconverted to 1080/50i or 25p in post for YouTube posting? I believe most people who buy this camera will want to shoot at 1080/50p. The TM700 shoots so much better video at 1080/50,60p than it does at 1080/50i,60i.
Pretty good, but the colors are not as good as the Sony HDR-CX700v. The reason why is because the Panasonic HDC-TM900 has a smaller 1/4" sensor but the new Sony HDR-CX700v has a larger 1/3" sensor. The Canon HF G10 also has a 1/3" sensor too but only takes 2 megapixel stills unlike the Sony which takes 12 megapixel stills.
I see a lot of colorfringing in the smal details. And the definition is disapointing like the bricks of the house on 1:20 - The cheaper Pana GH1 and GH2 blows this away - sorry
groomlake67 1 month ago
@groomlake67 On the latter point I don't agree at all, but no need to be sorry - I'm not a camera salesman! The TM-900 I used was a pre-production sample (not my camera) which I took out for a spin and shot everything on auto for a specific reason. I've used both the GH-1 and GH-2 and while they and other Micro 4/3 D-SLRs may well shoot higher res images they have the disadvantage of having bloody awful ergonomics unless using a truck load of accessories.
simplydv 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
It's my fail, perhaps, but I cant see any difference of video quality with my Canon EOS 600D ? :O
ElectroRohy 2 months ago
OO MAMA
doors1122 3 months ago
why (I) and not (p)?
talthan 3 months ago
what mic did you use?
vwlover94 5 months ago
Thanks for sharing your video! What did you use to convert the original camcorder video to ProRes 422 for use with Final Cut?
mjkobb 6 months ago
@mjkobb I used Apple Compressor 3 to convert the clips first.
simplydv 6 months ago
@simplydv I just realized that you were shooting interlaced. Have you had any success using the TM900's 1080p50 mode with Final Cut? I've found a few utilities that seem like they should be able to allow importing into FCPX, but it's always nice to have an "I use this and it works" recommendation! Thanks again!
mjkobb 6 months ago
@simplydv I'm seriously considering purchasing the TM900 in the next couple days as it is on sale, my only concern is converting the clips every time as I use a MacBook Pro. Do you find this to be a major drawback or not too time consuming?
TheHDAviation 2 months ago
@simplydv it could compress mts files?
SheetsTeam 1 month ago
Does this camera have a problem with fan noise with continuous use and is it easy to edit the videos?
xxJuanVsWildxx 6 months ago
Hello!
Im on the way to buying a new camera for amateur filmmaking, but i don't know how to choose between camcorders (like tm900, canon g1 or sony cx 700) or DSLR cameras like canon 600d or Nikon d5100. Can you help me a bit? And can you explain me if i can recharge the battery of tm900 externally?
Greetings from Italy and sorry for my english!!!
Fisarro 6 months ago
That is incredible image quality.. imma get it.
ultimatefilms21 6 months ago
What is the point of taking video of scenes that contain almost no motion? This is especially important with this camera because one potential weakness is how well the video holds up when the camera pans quickly or when it photographs rapidly moving objects. Even without that, the whole idea of video is to capture things in MOTION!
johnmeyer77 7 months ago
@johnmeyer77 This particular sequence contains little motion for the simple reason that it was shot for a different purpose. Each shot taken was matched by an equivalent 3D clip and were used to critically evaluate such things as chroma, luminance, depth of field, contrast ratio. This sequence complements text-based reviews, and was never intended to be a "review" as such. There are loads of those on YouTube. We didn't shoot one of those silly "unboxing" videos either!
simplydv 7 months ago
@simplydv Fair enough, but I think you might consider changing the title from "FULL HD Test" (my emphasis) to "STATIC HD test" or "Non-motion HD test" or something else to show that you are intentionally eliminating motion (which is normally an odd thing to do for a video camera) in order to test certain aspects of video which are easier to evaluate when motion is eliminated.
johnmeyer77 7 months ago
@johnmeyer77 No, it's called "Full HD" because it was shot at 1920x1080/50p resolution whether containing static shots or not. As it happens, I shot two other sequences - one of sports cars and the other of a mountain stream, but not for uploading to YouTube. This sequence fulfils precisely the aims set out for it so I don't see a need for further discussion at all. There are plenty of other TM900 test clips out there on YouTube anyhow so it really isn't the end of the world.
simplydv 7 months ago
@johnmeyer77 And why is it "an odd thing" to "eliminate motion" for a video camera? For a start, motion hasn't been "eliminated"; there actually is a lot of subtle motion in the shots. Not every video clip has to include cars & bikes travelling at break-neck speeds! Anyway, enough............. it just doesn't matter.
simplydv 7 months ago
Why you don't show camera movement?!
DmitRU2007 7 months ago
Very good image quality but the video seems to "stutter" all the time?
StockholmControversy 7 months ago
@StockholmControversy Yes, that's due to YouTube processing. The original clips were shot at 50p, ingested into Final Cut Pro at 50i and then exported to YouTube as MPEG-4/H.264 full-HD at 50i, but YouTube's inline transcoding to 30p (29.97fps) has imposed that effect upon the footage. The original clips look excellent when displaying on a full-HDTV via HDMI.
simplydv 7 months ago
I think it's amusing when people give a video like this the "thumbs down". What are they rating - the product being demoed or my video clips?
simplydv 8 months ago 17
@simplydv does the supplied software not allow editing of the 50p mode?
MrKwameR 7 months ago
@MrKwameR Yes, it does, but it does not really offer much more than tidying-up of clips in a sequence. The software, which is called "Panasonic HD Writer" is good for making initial format conversions from 50p to 50i (if you require it) in addition to providing the ability to save edited sequences back to SDHC/XC card or to DVD, etc. It is more a re-configuring program than an editing program though. For Mac users I would recommend using SmartConverter from Shedworx, free in the App Store.
simplydv 7 months ago
@simplydv thanks for your prompt answer simplydv......but to be a little more specific, does the supplied software or any software for approx $50 allow me to cut segments from 1080/50p recordings?
For example, let's say I shoot for 40mins, but want a section from 5-7mins, can I cut that out in the original 50p format?
MrKwameR 7 months ago
@MrKwameR Yes, you can do that in Panasonic HD Writer 3.0 which comes with the camera.
simplydv 7 months ago
I think its too bad that you can't switch beetween 50p and 60p on this unit. 50p looks great on a big tv, but since most pc screens have a refreshrate of 60hz, it ends up looking jerky/not smooth. This is very obvious, aspecially when panning. If you download a native 60p mts file and play it on your computer, you'll see that they are universes apart in terms of smoothness. i almost bought the ntsc version because of this. Why not make it switchable? Nice video btw, it really is a great camera.
MrHeypapa 11 months ago
@MrHeypapa please can you clear things up for me,is this camera 1080p or 1080i?also,as i have seen ,most 1080p videos are in 24p(24fps?).why are you talking about 50 being bad?and what do you mean with ntsc/pal these are old video formats made for different regions for analog tv broadcasting,aren 't they?now we have h.264?
we consider buying this camera.do you suggest getting the "ntsc version",as you say?thank you very much
frizstyler 9 months ago
@frizstyler The camcorder defaults to 1080i but has a single button option to shoot 1080p. And yes, models aimed at PAL-land (ie: Europe) are 50 hz while those aimed at NTSC-land are 60 hz.
simplydv 9 months ago
@simplydv are panasonic stupid?i can 't go to the usa just to buy a camera!crap,im gonna have to wait for 2012 models.and i hope they won 't have the fan noise problem ryanonpiano complains about.there are no alternatives ,as i h8 sony while canon hasn 't got sth that good yes
frizstyler 9 months ago
@simplydv are panasonic stupid?i can 't go to the usa just to buy a camera!crap,im gonna have to wait for 2012 models.and i hope they won 't have the fan noise problem ryanonpiano complains about.there are no alternatives ,as i h8 sony while canon hasn 't got sth that good yet
frizstyler 9 months ago
I was going to buy this camcorder but again Panasonic have not listened to anyone.
They promised to sort out the fan issue and when I look at videos on youtube its much worse than before and also various complaints on Amazon now saying fan noise is horrific. Panasonic have went all out for the 3d option which is not everyones taste, I am really annoyed that I now have to either buy a Sony or wait another year on Panasonics 2012 models which probably will have even louder fans again.
ryanonpiano 11 months ago
Just before the review sample went back to Panasonic I shot a family member's 80th birthday celebration early evening, indoors and in mixed light. This was then edited in Final Cut Pro and output as a full MPEG-4/H.264 file for playback on HDTV at 19820x1080/50i and I can't see any prpblem at all with low-light performance. Picture quality was very good indeed - and well up to that of many professional camcorders I've used.
simplydv 11 months ago 4
Would love to see low light performance, thats what matters to me, have the tm700, excellent shots in daylight, but low light is crap
kaztq 11 months ago
Also i have just bought the sd90. (still to be delivered)which is some ways i am sad about because coming from sd600 i know it was not be as good especially in low light.i had the £800 sitting to hand to amazon but lucky i heard the shocking samples 1st.do Panasonic not understand than any fan over time gets louder and can become problematic. Please let me know what you think of sd60 when you can. Thanks
glasgowlife 1 year ago
Thanks for your update. I think you could have been very lucky with the model you received as i know through past experience my 1st and 2nd sd600 had extremely noisy fans but my 3rd replacement was far better but still had an issue.i have always followed your great reviews and hoped Panasonic would have listened to you and fixed the issue with the new fan design. Thanks
glasgowlife 1 year ago
I'm beginning to wonder whether I'd been given a unique review sample by Panasonic UK! Although the camera is now on its way back to them, I did actually check this again by recording in a very quiet room with my right ear up close to the fan. After running for some time I could berely hear a whisper - certainly not enough to impact on the kind of recording that most people would make in typical situations.
It's very odd...... I'll check this with the SD90 soon, too.
simplydv 1 year ago
Was just about to buy this camera reading your review on internet but the fan noise once again is a massive issue and louder than ever. Panasonic had promised this is issue would be sorted but looks like they decided to go for the ignore everyone and concentrate on 3d side of things.just type into you sd900 and some videos have been uploaded in last few days and fans noise is laughable. I sold my sd600 because fan noise thinking i will buy the newer model but no chance buying this thing.
glasgowlife 1 year ago
Would it have made any difference to the overall IQ as well as the color clipping problem if this same footage had been shot in 1080/50p mode and then downconverted to 1080/50i or 25p in post for YouTube posting? I believe most people who buy this camera will want to shoot at 1080/50p. The TM700 shoots so much better video at 1080/50,60p than it does at 1080/50i,60i.
panmaew 1 year ago
I should have pointed out that all shots were intentionally taken with the TM900 in fully AUTO mode.
simplydv 1 year ago
same greenish tint on sky as xx700/xx600 cameras, very disappointing!
kryuks 1 year ago
That is easely fixed with manual white balance
MrHeypapa 1 year ago
Pretty good, but the colors are not as good as the Sony HDR-CX700v. The reason why is because the Panasonic HDC-TM900 has a smaller 1/4" sensor but the new Sony HDR-CX700v has a larger 1/3" sensor. The Canon HF G10 also has a 1/3" sensor too but only takes 2 megapixel stills unlike the Sony which takes 12 megapixel stills.
QualityIsNumber1 1 year ago