@Makingispassion The quality of files produced is better than displayed by UA-cam. The lens is fixed and any adapter can only equal or degrade quality. I have tried a wide-angle adapter from Canon, which works well. There is a 3D Panasonic adapter available.
@MRSRecordsTV I have no experience of the SD700 or other Panasonic camcorder. I'm just very happy with the performance of the SD900. You can set the focus to operate manually via the multi-function front ring. The ring operates very smoothly, although I think if I were to use it in this mode, I might look at putting some form of DIY adapter on the ring to give extra control.
@PeleH20 Sorry for the delay in responding. The specs for the SD900 and TM900 should be the same. But the TM900 does not have a hard drive, it has 32Gb of built in flash memory plus a card slot. It is the HS900 model that has the hard drive.
@rosstcorbett Thanks for the comment. I believe there are wide angle attachments for this recorder but I already had a wide-angle lens for a Canon HV20 and this fits onto the Panasonic using either a step-up or step-down ring ( I can't remember which :-)) ) This seems to work well bar for some vignetting at the widest setting.
@ChazikProductions Not sure what you mean. VLC is a media player from Videolan that plays the .mts files from the Panasonic. You would need a .mts converter to, for instance, edit the files in iMovie on a Mac. I believe iMovie cannot handle AVCHC .mts files natively. I do not use Macs though. Googling shows plenty of Mac users complaining about the lack of support to deal with .mts files.
@chicastutifruti You can also transfer direct from the camera to the PC using the correct type of USB cable. (You need a mini usb at the end that connects to the camera just above where the memory card goes.) When connected, turn the camera on and the screen will show USB Connect and give options for PC or Recorder - select PC. The camera will then appear in My Computer as a removable drive. Then just use a file manager in the same way as I already mentioned. Hope that helps.
I woud suggest downloading the manual. If you Google "panasonic hdc-sd900 instruction manual", you will find official download sites where you can get it. The full manual is the 13Mb PDF, the 3Mb is just the quick start guide. Look at pages 80 - 83 for what can be done. (White Balance, Manual Shutter Speed, Iris adjustmentManual Focus)
Rode stereo mic can be mounted both side ,remove the rubber bands and turn it round and refit rubber bands ,will be balanced perfectly,still a great cam in 2021-22
@Kratos87Fan19 Not sure. The HDC-HS900 and HDC-TM900 are in B&H hphotovideo of New York Sometimes different regions have slightly different model numbers.
@IbnSaeed Up to you to decide :-)) If I recall correctly, the only difference is the inbuilt 32Gb of memory on the TM900. I decided to go for the SD900 and buy SD cards - I can get 2 x16Gb Sandisk cards for £25 (i.e. under $40 US). Made a reasonable saving, especially since card prices have been falling steadily this year.
@chicastutifruti The simplest way is to take the memory card out of the Panasonic and put it in a USB memory card reader attached to the PC. Then just use a file manager like Windows Explorer to transfer the files to the PC. The picture files are in the DCIM folder of the card - then look in the sub-folders. The video files are in PRIVATE -> AVCHD -> BDMV -> STREAM and have the .mts suffix. I use Splash Lite to view them.
@ryanonpiano Thank you. I am new to Panasonic camcorders, having had a Canon HV-20 (great little machine), so I cannot really comment on noise levels between this an older models. It hasn't really troubled me, but it's early days yet and might show up when filming in quiet surroundings. Compared to the tape of the HV20, it's great being able to just put the flash card into a card reader and load rapidly onto the PC.
@hellflame91 To be honest, I don't remember. If there were, I have removed them. However, there are such logos on the side of the box. "Intelligent 20x Zoom" "35mm Wide" and "3D compatible with Optional 3D Conversion Lens".
@IbnSaeed From memory, the TM900 has 32Gb inbuilt flash memory plus a card slot. No other difference I can remember (if any). I went for the SD900 as SD card prices were falling and I thought the price differential didn't favour the TM900
@PeleH20 Sorry but I have no knowledge or experience of the Canon HF M41, so it would be wrong of me to try and attempt a comparison. The SD900 has manual focusing but I have not used it much, but need to learn. I find the SD900 autofocus seems to be aimed at centre low of the screen and that this can throw out focus on a subject elsewhere on the screen - even something as small as a twig or such in the foreground can grab focus from a subject in the background. Manual focus should cure this.
Hi. Im wanting to get this camera as i got the sd700 and love it to bits. However I would like more manual ring focus do them canon style video shots bringing subjects into focus and out of focus etc, Ive heard you can do this on this model? Is that true? Also would you recommend this as a update? I just wondered thats all. And is the video better than the SD700?
@dunnohawk Thank you. One more question, the only difference between the SD 900 and the TM900 is only a internal hard drive right? Are all the specs exactly the same?
Thanks for the video. Could you tell me, as I'm really struggling to make up my mind, should I go for a Cannon HF M41 or a Panasonic HDC SD900? I need it for making short films. I need excellent low light recording, excellent audio recording, and manual focus would be a great help. I'm leaning towards the SD 900 based on sheer visual beauty but as a film maker would the Cannon M41 suit me more? I really cant make my mind up.
Do you upload videos to UA-cam? I have an HDC-SD60 and am still struggling to optimise my rendering settings in Sony Vegas for decent 720p footage. Do you have any advice?
I usually just upload the bare HD files and let UA-cam deal with them. I have used Sony Vegas but for speed I have also used Magix Movie Edit Pro. I haven't had much time for video editing in the last year due to other matters. There are excellent tutorials on using Sony Vegas Pro on UA-cam (which is the version I have).
You forgot the silly little gray stylus thing. I got this model and it's a nice wee box, yet to take it out for a walk. One problem I've noticed so far is the zoom makes a noise when zooming in and out at high volume on the mic. More noticeable using an external mic. Dunnohawk, we seem to have somewhat the same taste, I got the same mouse as you. But I got better speakers than you :-)
Is their a lens or adapter which will connect to this camera and give it better quality? though the quality is great, I just want to have that improvement
TM700, TM900, HS700, HS900, SD90, SD800 or SD900? Which one gives the best video quality? Any other HD camcorder (from Sony or Canon maybe) solution for amateur use? I've heard many are using dSLR's these days and among others Lumix GH2 is according to users and reviews the best solution for HD videos.
I have a SD900 on which I have recorded some video but although I can find some old stills on the card I cant find any of the recent video. Its all there on the viewer and plays fine. Any thoughts please
@MrFucktardproduction Sorry but I use Windows. I found a couple of links with information re using Mac software and it looks like you have to convert the files to another format first. The links are now in the description above, because I couldn't put them in this comment. All the best.
Nice review. I am very seriously thinking about getting this camera but it's right at the limit of my budget so I need to be very careful. May I ask some questions? How is it at close up filming? I do a lot of model railway films (check my channel) so it needs to be good for that. Also do a fair bit of outdoor work and holiday stuff. Have you discovered battery life yet? will I 100% need an external mic? Be very grateful for any tips. Thanks
Hi there, I also got the camera and it is a good cam. I use it for plane spotting and this thing can zoom in like 30x without loosing its quality. You can zoom in like 400x but then you will loose some quality. In my opinion this camera is the best one I ever had and the mic is also good. It is good for recording in the dark and for recording home. It is also very good for recording outside like me at the airport. I think that you shouldn't need a external mic. Good luck with your decision.
@Makingispassion The quality of files produced is better than displayed by UA-cam. The lens is fixed and any adapter can only equal or degrade quality. I have tried a wide-angle adapter from Canon, which works well. There is a 3D Panasonic adapter available.
@MRSRecordsTV I have no experience of the SD700 or other Panasonic camcorder. I'm just very happy with the performance of the SD900. You can set the focus to operate manually via the multi-function front ring. The ring operates very smoothly, although I think if I were to use it in this mode, I might look at putting some form of DIY adapter on the ring to give extra control.
@PeleH20 Sorry for the delay in responding. The specs for the SD900 and TM900 should be the same. But the TM900 does not have a hard drive, it has 32Gb of built in flash memory plus a card slot. It is the HS900 model that has the hard drive.
@rosstcorbett Thanks for the comment. I believe there are wide angle attachments for this recorder but I already had a wide-angle lens for a Canon HV20 and this fits onto the Panasonic using either a step-up or step-down ring ( I can't remember which :-)) ) This seems to work well bar for some vignetting at the widest setting.
@ChazikProductions Not sure what you mean. VLC is a media player from Videolan that plays the .mts files from the Panasonic. You would need a .mts converter to, for instance, edit the files in iMovie on a Mac. I believe iMovie cannot handle AVCHC .mts files natively. I do not use Macs though. Googling shows plenty of Mac users complaining about the lack of support to deal with .mts files.
@chicastutifruti You can also transfer direct from the camera to the PC using the correct type of USB cable. (You need a mini usb at the end that connects to the camera just above where the memory card goes.) When connected, turn the camera on and the screen will show USB Connect and give options for PC or Recorder - select PC. The camera will then appear in My Computer as a removable drive. Then just use a file manager in the same way as I already mentioned. Hope that helps.
I woud suggest downloading the manual. If you Google "panasonic hdc-sd900 instruction manual", you will find official download sites where you can get it. The full manual is the 13Mb PDF, the 3Mb is just the quick start guide. Look at pages 80 - 83 for what can be done. (White Balance, Manual Shutter Speed, Iris adjustmentManual Focus)
Brilliant and comprehensive review.
Rode stereo mic can be mounted both side ,remove the rubber bands and turn it round and refit rubber bands ,will be balanced perfectly,still a great cam in 2021-22
@Kratos87Fan19 Not sure. The HDC-HS900 and HDC-TM900 are in B&H hphotovideo of New York Sometimes different regions have slightly different model numbers.
@IbnSaeed Up to you to decide :-)) If I recall correctly, the only difference is the inbuilt 32Gb of memory on the TM900. I decided to go for the SD900 and buy SD cards - I can get 2 x16Gb Sandisk cards for £25 (i.e. under $40 US). Made a reasonable saving, especially since card prices have been falling steadily this year.
@chicastutifruti The simplest way is to take the memory card out of the Panasonic and put it in a USB memory card reader attached to the PC. Then just use a file manager like Windows Explorer to transfer the files to the PC. The picture files are in the DCIM folder of the card - then look in the sub-folders. The video files are in PRIVATE -> AVCHD -> BDMV -> STREAM and have the .mts suffix. I use Splash Lite to view them.
@ryanonpiano Thank you. I am new to Panasonic camcorders, having had a Canon HV-20 (great little machine), so I cannot really comment on noise levels between this an older models. It hasn't really troubled me, but it's early days yet and might show up when filming in quiet surroundings. Compared to the tape of the HV20, it's great being able to just put the flash card into a card reader and load rapidly onto the PC.
@hellflame91 To be honest, I don't remember. If there were, I have removed them. However, there are such logos on the side of the box. "Intelligent 20x Zoom" "35mm Wide" and "3D compatible with Optional 3D Conversion Lens".
@IbnSaeed From memory, the TM900 has 32Gb inbuilt flash memory plus a card slot. No other difference I can remember (if any). I went for the SD900 as SD card prices were falling and I thought the price differential didn't favour the TM900
@PeleH20 Sorry but I have no knowledge or experience of the Canon HF M41, so it would be wrong of me to try and attempt a comparison. The SD900 has manual focusing but I have not used it much, but need to learn. I find the SD900 autofocus seems to be aimed at centre low of the screen and that this can throw out focus on a subject elsewhere on the screen - even something as small as a twig or such in the foreground can grab focus from a subject in the background. Manual focus should cure this.
hi i would like to know how to transfer the video from the camera to pc im having trouble trying to figure out how to get the video out tnaks
Hi. Im wanting to get this camera as i got the sd700 and love it to bits. However I would like more manual ring focus do them canon style video shots bringing subjects into focus and out of focus etc, Ive heard you can do this on this model? Is that true? Also would you recommend this as a update? I just wondered thats all. And is the video better than the SD700?
@dunnohawk Thank you. One more question, the only difference between the SD 900 and the TM900 is only a internal hard drive right? Are all the specs exactly the same?
Thanks for the video. Could you tell me, as I'm really struggling to make up my mind, should I go for a Cannon HF M41 or a Panasonic HDC SD900? I need it for making short films. I need excellent low light recording, excellent audio recording, and manual focus would be a great help. I'm leaning towards the SD 900 based on sheer visual beauty but as a film maker would the Cannon M41 suit me more? I really cant make my mind up.
great revew man.
Do you upload videos to UA-cam? I have an HDC-SD60 and am still struggling to optimise my rendering settings in Sony Vegas for decent 720p footage. Do you have any advice?
I usually just upload the bare HD files and let UA-cam deal with them. I have used Sony Vegas but for speed I have also used Magix Movie Edit Pro. I haven't had much time for video editing in the last year due to other matters. There are excellent tutorials on using Sony Vegas Pro on UA-cam (which is the version I have).
You forgot the silly little gray stylus thing. I got this model and it's a nice wee box, yet to take it out for a walk.
One problem I've noticed so far is the zoom makes a noise when zooming in and out at high volume on the mic.
More noticeable using an external mic.
Dunnohawk, we seem to have somewhat the same taste, I got the same mouse as you. But I got better
speakers than you :-)
question : what type is the LCD screen : capacitive or resistive ? It doesn't say anywhere but my guess is resistive.
Is their a lens or adapter which will connect to this camera and give it better quality? though the quality is great, I just want to have that improvement
TM700, TM900, HS700, HS900, SD90, SD800 or SD900?
Which one gives the best video quality? Any other HD camcorder (from Sony or Canon maybe) solution for amateur use?
I've heard many are using dSLR's these days and among others Lumix GH2 is according to users and reviews the best solution for HD videos.
Thank you.
I have a SD900 on which I have recorded some video but although I can find some old stills on the card I cant find any of the recent video. Its all there on the viewer and plays fine. Any thoughts please
@MrFucktardproduction Sorry but I use Windows. I found a couple of links with information re using Mac software and it looks like you have to convert the files to another format first. The links are now in the description above, because I couldn't put them in this comment.
All the best.
Nice review. I am very seriously thinking about getting this camera but it's right at the limit of my budget so I need to be very careful. May I ask some questions? How is it at close up filming? I do a lot of model railway films (check my channel) so it needs to be good for that. Also do a fair bit of outdoor work and holiday stuff. Have you discovered battery life yet? will I 100% need an external mic? Be very grateful for any tips. Thanks
Hi there,
I also got the camera and it is a good cam.
I use it for plane spotting and this thing can zoom in like 30x without loosing its quality.
You can zoom in like 400x but then you will loose some quality.
In my opinion this camera is the best one I ever had and the mic is also good.
It is good for recording in the dark and for recording home.
It is also very good for recording outside like me at the airport.
I think that you shouldn't need a external mic.
Good luck with your decision.
Thanks, very tempted!
At 0:46 he holds up the remote and says microphone.
@IbnSaeed Yes
@estendir Sorry, can't find any info on that
ha ha.... microphone.. lol
Thank you.