I've had this camera for a couple of weeks and have a mixed opinion. Here is a summary of both the good and bad.
Pros:
1) So far the video quality is mostly very good (but see aqua green color issue).
2) Image stabilization feature seams to work very well.
3) Very responsive controls (such as when switching modes, etc.)
4) Small and usable form factor.
5) Low-light is better than expected (if not zooming too much). This is much better than my old CANON HF100.
6) Battery life seams good.
Cons:
1) About 10 to 20 percent of photos and video have an aqua green tint to the entire scene or just white/grey portions of a scene. For example, in the white portion of a game jersey. It's not all the time, but for me, it's just a little too frequent. This is the biggest issue for me with this camcorder. (- 1.5)
2) PRE-RECORD active icon is in middle of screen. This makes it difficult to see someones face (for example). Either there needs to be a clear display button or the icon needs to be moved to the edge. (- .5)
3) noticeable but minor fan noise both while recording and in the clip (much more than my canon though)
4) Left Touch menu pops up when initially opening the LCD. Feels like it's in the way when you want to start recording. It should default to the minimized state. (minor)
5) Touch controls arrows operate backwards for me (i.e. press right and it goes the left menu page) (minor)
6) Battery sticks out just a little making it slightly uncomfortable to get to record button. (minor)
I'm ended up returning due to the aqua green color issue. I tried an exchange first but that unit exhibited the same problem. It was not an easy decision with so many good things going for this camera, especially with the image stabilization and low light performance. I will continue with my older canon for now. I would definitely repurchase if the aqua green is ever resolved. If your okay with an occasional misfire of aqua green then definitely consider this camera. Panasonic HDC-TM90K 3D Compatible Camcorder with 16GB Internal Flash Memory (Black)
My Panasonic HDC-SD5 died after 3+ years, and I decided to get this unit as a replacement. I've only had it a few days and will post a follow up, but initial impressions are very good. It is small - really small, smaller than the SD-5. This is generally good, though operation has taken a little getting used to. If you have hands like Andre the Giant, this could be a problem. The images from the 1080p are breathtaking, though I am a little worried about what I am going to do with all these huge data streams (I don't as of yet have the software to edit these files). I haven't really had a chance to compare the various AVCHD bit rate formats to check quality. That will take a little time and I would welcome any suggestions or feedback from others.
The layout is generally an improvement over my earlier camcorder. You don't have to remove the battery to charge; the camera comes on automatically when you open the LCD and the touch screen, once you get used to it, is pretty intuitive. I'm working my way through the various menus and settings, but honestly, the iA (intelligent automatic) delivers such solid results, I haven't experimented too much. The zoom and stabilization system really blew me away - the range, sharpness and stability when you are zoomed in vastly exceeds my earlier camera. It masks almost all hand shake - unbelievable really.
Haven't taken many still shots - I don't really think that is what these are cameras are for personaly. Images are better than the SD-5 (which isn't saying much), but not better than a good point and shoot.
Negatives thus far I suppose would be that I worry about having only a touch screen interface in bright light conditions - it may be hard to see what I am doing. There may be a non-touch screen control option, but I haven't located it yet. The manual is not extraordinarily helpful - big surprise there, right?
Overall, I'm very pleased. I'm off on a vacation and will try to really give battery, etc. a work out and then follow up.
Happy shopping!
This is a small camcorder that has a big clear picture. Coming from DV and moving to HD has made all my DV movies look outdated! The TM90K Has a lot of options but is easy to use.
The TM90K's touch screen layout is easy to use and the menus do not get in the way of the recording. The Panasonic menus are selected from a column on the left side of the screen so you can still see the image you are shooting and it has large enough buttons that are easy to select. On a different brand named HD camcorder I tried out, the menu selections were so small that my finger would consistently choose the option either above or below the one I was trying to choose, also there was another brand named touch screen HD camcorder that i looked at, when bringing up the on screen menus, it would darken the picture on the screen and overlay the options across the darkened screen.
This camcorder works great as a point and shoot as the full auto mode is quick to focus, adjusting the white balance, and removes hand shakes very well. If your looking for more control, there are some preset scene selections to choose from in certain conditions(Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Night Scenery...), as well as separate adjustment controls for white balance, shutter speed, IRIS and focus. One fun setting to play with is smile shot. When enabled, the TM90K will take a still shot of a detected smiling face automatically while its recording in the movie mode.
A little bit about HD recording settings. Basically the higher the resolution, the more space it takes on your memory card and this results in less time that you have to record on a card. I know it sounds simple, but it is important to remember when selecting full 1080/60p recording mode.
For viewing the movies and photos from the camcorder there is a HDMI port and a composite jack to hook up to your TV or projector or whatever.... For moving files to other media, the TM90K offers a direct burn to DVD/BD if you have a stand alone recorder that accepts a USB input. It also connects to a computer via USB.
imovie (mac only) will recognize this camera and will import the media files. The TM90K also has a special iframe movie recording mode that is made just for imovie. The HD movie files are .mts files and can be played back with the free VLC media player that can be downloaded from the web.
There is software that comes with the camcorder for editing movies in Windows and it supports all versions of xp, vista and 7 only. No support for 2000, NT or below. I have found software on the web that you can purchase and download to edit and convert .mts files. Remember to backup your files before you play around with them!!!
My settings and what I do with the TM90K's HD movie files:
I record in the "HG1920" quality AVCHD mode.
I like to use a program called "MTS converter for Mac" to convert the .mts movie files using the divx HD codec for quicktime. I use the following settings: Resolution 1280x720, Frame rate 30p or 60p bitrate 8000 or 12000, Audio - encoder mp3 at 44800MHZ at 168 kps. you may need to play with the settings a little to see what will play back on your computer smoothly. divx is also a free download. I paid $35 for MTS converter and i am using quicktime pro 7 to edit my movies and set in chapter markers before sending them to idvd to burn a standard DVD. I backup on an external Drive the .mts files and the divx movie files. - Hd Camcorder'
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