1. Turtle @ Sogod Bay, Ph (Lumix TZ7/ZS3 - AVCHD)

[000TheGingerOne000]

the turtles like: fuck off!

[AshMargrove]

Wow... Turtles are safe! There so cool and friendly :)

[mrpixelator]

Great stuff.  I just ordered a ZS3 and I used Sony Vegas 9, as well. Stellar video!

[letseatpopcorn]

If i buy this camera, would all the updates be on there already? Or do i have to update firmware etc...? help pls :)

[wickedinnit]

i am not sure..you can check with the shop for 1.2 firmware

[Luckzzz]

Did you use some kind of bag to put it on water, right? can you send me the name of it?

thanks :)

[EricMaiolino]

magnifique!

[subarianEra]

Man, the housing is so expensive!

[nyer82]

WOW. I ordered this camera and I am so happy we decided on this one!

[insideddex]

Hi,

nice video! I also use this cam for underwater vids.

But I have a question .. do you know, whats that annoying, repeating sound???

Do you know something about this sound????

[wickedinnit]

this was my first ever vid so i was on the deafult firmware..the latest now removes that annoying beeping sound...

[Blomman1992]

I have the new 1.2 Firmwire but it doesen't fix that on mine!?

[wickedinnit]

what card are u using using? i heard sometimes it could be a card issue..have you tried an 8gb class 6 card or Ultra II class 4 one?

[vsop333]

@insideddex I heard that the sound is from the camera constantly trying to autofocus. Go into the camera settings and turn off AF, etc. Try setting it for a set distance or just infinity. You won't be trying to film far distances underwater anyway.

Note, all cameras make some sort of sound on the video when they focus or zoom above water. The ZS3 makes NO sounds on your video above water. Below water it gets amplified and you finally hear it for the first time.

[pavos21]

amazing. you use a red filter???

what program do you use for montage AVCHD files?

[wickedinnit]

nope just auto u/w mode..the program is Sony Vegas 9 but i have not used any editing on my vids.want it pure for test results..

[ging7311]

I love this! Thanks for posting this, this helped me decide between the Panasonic ZS3 and the Sony H20.

[udivis]

What do you decide to choose? Panasonic or Sony?

[ging7311]

Decided to get the Panasonic. Just ordered it last night. I'm so excited!

[lotus3232]

SUPERB shoot ;-)

sulawesi MANADO ?

[wickedinnit]

Sogod Bay , Leyte,Phillipines.

am going for Pulau Weh this xmas..i hope i can get whalesharks this time in HD..

[lotus3232]

i will be in Burma on christmas...

- burma bank in dream...

Have nice shoot same as this fantastik one ;-)))

[wickedinnit]

NEW UPDATE! - I found Picasa 3 works better with mts files.

Those files are imported from I:\PRIVATE\AVCHD

[LumixTZ7]

That's really amazing. I also got the underwater case but have yet to try it.

Do you find the case easy to assemble? And did you experience any leakage of any kind?

Post more videos, please ^_^

[wickedinnit]

yes very easy though i tried not to touch the oring . just checked for hairs etc. no leakages.

pl see the info with this vid as i have updated some useful info.

[LumixTZ7]

Didn't you remove the o-ring before the first dive? I think mine came already with the grease applied from factory so not sure if I should check and reapply it before using it for the first time.

Oh, and did you leave the camere for 30 mins inside the case after use as they say on the website you posted?

Thank you by the way for all the help.

[wickedinnit]

no i didnt remove it and best not to unless it looks really dirty and you see tiny bubbles from the immersion test. And yes i followed the guide..

[LumixTZ7]

Thanks dude! One last question, when not diving too deep or just snorkeling, do you recommend using the underwater mode for the videos or maybe just stick with the iA mode?

[wickedinnit]

ah i havent tried that yet ..maybe you can let me know..I only had the camera and case very recently so still trying to work out the best settings. even for the photos . I might just go for iA macro for nudis and see what turns out...

[LumixTZ7]

No problem. Please post here If you find anything interesting.

Thx!

[Raduna1]

Pretty good video...didn't know what my camera is capable of...:-) What kind of case did you use ?

[wickedinnit]

the case for the TZ7/ZS3 is DMW-MCTZ7. It comes with everything ! weight, grease, spare o ring and diffuser. I got it from amazon japan (english version)

[airgreek]

the color is not quite right though this is the only thing that is holding me back from buying this over the Canon sD970

[CarolJWright]

heard that SDHC class 6 is needed for this camera...and you might need an SDHC specific card reader. My old SD card readers would not work with the SDHC card I bought, so ran out and got one. Then fine. That is really gorgeous and sharp...and the zoom was a nice surprise. In a case, the camera noises would be amplified somewhat.

[wickedinnit]

is that due to why it went a bit haywire below 35m? the uw case buttons looked like they were working fine but not the cam menus. The zoom is a nice touch though :-)

[wickedinnit]

oh i heard Pany have come up with a firmware update 1.1 , It reduces the zoom noise somewat..cool i hope they come up with more updated features...

[CarolJWright]

Yes, 1.1 is avai, with page of instructions. It's not hard to install, but you have to have everything just right. I earlier mentioned the "case noise" cause I saw a YT video once of by man who was testing his MiniDV camcorder, encased, in the bathtub. The case reflected a lot of the tape's motor noise. Similarly, I noticed my MiniDV camcorder would reflect motor whirling noise when near a window.

[wickedinnit]

yeh you are right. The battery MUST be fully charged with all the instruction settings in place (til the charger light goes out - i tried using it even with what i thot were full bars and it didnt work!) and the bin file in the SDHC card root. I do find the zoom much quieter now which is good news.

[wickedinnit]

and Carol , thks . i went thru some forums and class 6 is def recommended. Pity Panasonic pair the camera with class4. This might solve that depth issue...

[pidub]

Cool! The quality is definitely better than my old Canon. I don't remember seeing turtles on that first trip.

[BoMoUAE]

Just another turtoise ;-)