Panasonic HDC-TM55K Hi-Def Camcorder with 8GB Flash Memory & 35X Intelligent Zoom (Black)

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Item Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0035LD08U
• Item model number: HDC-TM55K
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,560 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 24, 2010

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Featuring the Intelligent 35x Zoom and Power O.I.S.
Compact Full-HD Shooting Fun for Everyone!

Beautiful zoom shots of distant subjects.
Intelligent 35x Zoom and POWER O.I.S.

The HDC-TM55 features a 25x optical zoom and an Intelligent Zoom function that goes all the way up to 35x. When using Intelligent Zoom, Intelligent Resolution technology lets you shoot at high zoom rates while preserving the image resolution. You get sharp images of highly detailed objects -- without the blurry edges. Plus, POWER O.I.S. suppresses even slight hand-shake, which is a must for extreme zooming, because of its high susceptibility to hand-shake.



Captures large groups, even when shooting from up close.
35.7mm Wide Angle Lens*

The 35.7mm wide-angle lens* on the HDC-TM55 Series fits more people and more of the background into the frame than a conventional 44.1mm lens. This is especially handy when you want to take a group photo in a small room. It fits your subjects in even when you shoot from up close, and makes it possible to pick up even small sounds with the mic. It also gives you entirely new ways to enjoy your camcorder, like taking self portraits or capturing sweeping landscapes without losing the sense of scale.

* 35mm camera equivalent

Everthing fits in the frame even when shooting in narrow spaces.	Even if the subject comes up close to the camera, everything fits in the frame.

POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) with Active Mode

The corrective ability of POWER O.I.S. has been increased by five times compared to previous models, allowing it to correct even slight hand-shake, something that wasn't possible with conventional O.I.S. Even high-power zoom shots, which are highly susceptible to hand-shake, now come out sharp and clear.

Blurry image when zooming.	Clear image even when zooming.

Face Recognition

The Face Recognition function recognizes the faces of registered subjects, and automatically optimizes the focus and exposure for those special people. It continues to track the subject as he or she moves anywhere within the LCD frame, making it ideal for video shooting. It is extremely useful for capturing someone's face in a group. Names can also be registered and displayed on the LCD while shooting. A total of six people can be registered, and the names of up to three people at a time can be displayed in the shooting frame.

Product Description

Featuring the Intelligent 35x Zoom and Power O.I.S.Compact Full-HD Shooting Fun for Everyone! Beautiful zoom shots of distant subjects. Intelligent 35x Zoom and POWER O.I.S. The HDC-TM55 features a 25x optical zoom and an Intelligent Zoom function that goes all the way up to 35x. When using Intelligent Zoom, Intelligent Resolution technology lets you shoot at high zoom rates while preserving the image resolution. You get sharp images of highly detailed objects -- without the blurry edges.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

199 of 200 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Panasonic HDC-TM55K Hi-Def Camcorder with 8GB Flash Memory & 35X Intelligent Zoom, May 24, 2010

By 

R. Bright (Hilliard, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic HDC-TM55K Hi-Def Camcorder with 8GB Flash Memory & 35X Intelligent Zoom (Black) (Electronics)

This review is for the Panasonic HDC-TM55P

Panasonic introduced four mid-level camcorders in 2010:

HDC-SD60. Uses SD/SDHC/SDHX memory cards. No built-in memory/storage.
HDC-TM55. The TM stands for Twin Memory. It has 8 GB built-in memory (roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes of video recording) and also uses SD/SDHC/SDHX cards.
HDC-TM60. Has 16 GB built-in memory (two hours and 40 minutes) and also uses SD/SDHC/SDHX cards. Sold exclusively at Best Buy.
HDC-HS60. Equipped with a built-in 120 GB hard drive (twenty hours and 30 minutes).

With the exception of the different storage methods, all four units have the same specs.

I've extensively used the HDC-TM55 for a week and it has entirely met my expectations. The four areas I wish to highlight:

Video output
Yes, this is an HD camcorder, but what does the video *really* look like when played back on a HD TV? That was my question, and all I can say is, Wow! After taking some video footage at Kings Island, I hooked the camcorder to my Panasonic 50" plasma TV with the supplied video component cables (an optional HDMI cable can be purchased) and my wife and I were blown away with the detail. The colors were rich and the detail was true HD.

Mac compatibility
Panasonic includes video software compatible with Windows PCs, not Mac. No worries though, I hooked the HDC-TM55P to my Mac running Leopard OS X 10.5.8, using the supplied cable. It was immediately recognized as a mounted disc, and iMovie 08 offered to import the video. OS X 10.6.x Snow Leopard and iMovie 09 are also supported.

iA
You can shoot in Manual mode, which gives you greater control over all aspects of recording, or in iA - Intelligent Auto mode, whereby the camera automatically adjusts for the conditions. It knows when to switch to Portrait mode (when the object is a person) or Scenery mode (when outside recording a landscape), etc. It also utilizes OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), wind canceling, face recognition, and other technologies. I'm sure sometimes it will get things wrong and I'll have to manually override it, but for the most part iA works very well. In other words, to get excellent video results, all you have to do is switch to iA, point the camera, and press record.

Photos
The quality of photos was just OK, even at 5MP and highest quality. Perhaps unfairly, I'm comparing them to my Nikon D40 SLR. Compared to a compact point and shoot camera, they are more acceptable.

Overall, the HDC-TM55P gets 5 stars, because its controls are intuitive, it's fully Mac compatible, it's full-featured, manually or in iA mode, and the video quality is excellent. We bought this primarily to use on our upcoming Disney Cruise, and I'm confident we made the right choice. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this outstanding camcorder.

136 of 137 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Pleased with Panasonic TM55K, May 23, 2010

By 

T^n^S "JE" (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic HDC-TM55K Hi-Def Camcorder with 8GB Flash Memory & 35X Intelligent Zoom (Black) (Electronics)

After weeks of research and comparing the mid range models from Sony, Canon, JVC and Panasonic, I ended up with the TM55K. Some of the main features I was looking for was still picture capability and low light performance. I don't want to carry a digital camera everywhere I go, so I wanted a camcorder that could also take some decent pictures.

Tried the Sony CX350 and despite its higher pixel rating, the images were below expectations and the flash seemed weak. Canon and JVC were not good in low light, which lead me to the Panasonic. The TM55K is taking very good pictures. The flash seems powerful and is fully automatic and the images are good. Not as great as my digital camera, but good enough to avoid needing to haul a camcorder and camera to every vacation or event.

The low light performance is fantastic. No issues at all. The zoom was a huge bonus and blew away everything else I looked at. The 25x Optical Zoom works great and the image stabilizer keeps things steady, even when zoomed in at the max. Plus it's a wide angle lens as well.

There are a ton of features, but I pretty much use the "Intelligent Auto Mode" and it takes care of everything for me. If you want to navigate the menus and options, the touch screen works very well. I occasionally mis-touch and get the wrong option to come up, but the Panasonic menus seems much more accurate and easier than the others I tried.

As far as negatives... I don't like that you need to charge the battery in the camcorder - I would prefer an external charger. I am not crazy about the video light. It seems too bright and not natural in color which seems to give things a bluish tinge. But given the great low light performance, I have never really had to use the video light thus far.

So given all the technical advantages of this camcorder, and it's great price in comparison to other mid-range options....I think it's a strong choice.

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great family camera, June 23, 2010

By 

Pavel Studenkov (Sunnyvale, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic HDC-TM55K Hi-Def Camcorder with 8GB Flash Memory & 35X Intelligent Zoom (Black) (Electronics)

This review is for Panasonic TM60, which is the same camera with more internal memory. I am not a wannabe film-maker, just a guy who wants to film children and family activities. For this purpose the Panasonic is excellent and has exceeded all expectations. My old camera is Canon Optura PI, a mini-DV which was top of the prosumer line in its day. The Optura has become unreliable (tapes jam all the time) and the standard-def quality just doesn't look so great anymore. I've been looking at new Canon and Sony models under $1000 but did not really like any of them for various reasons, mostly ergonomics and user interface. But this Panasonic just "felt right" from the start. TM60 is the little brother of TM700 that Michael Reichmann reviews at http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/camcorders/tm700.shtml. It is small and light, without being too small to handle. Wide angle starts at 37mm (this is very wide for a camcorder without attachments) and 25x optical zoom is very impressive. Optical stabilization is unbelievable - much better than my old Canon, which was the best in its day. I tend to film children following them around the house, or moving the camera around them Matrix-style, and the footage comes out very "fluid" without excessive shaking. Video quality is fantastic played directly on the TV through HDMI. It doesn't quite have the blue-ray sharpness, but looks like a good DVD upconverted to 1080. The acid test was shooting trees and flowers in bright sun, with lots of high-contrast edges. My old camera produced and annoying shimmer in these conditions, but with TM60 it is absolutely clean, with sharp detail and no artifacts to speak of. Little things add up. Camera doesn't really need a power switch - it turns on when you open the screen, and turns off when you close it. The lens cover also opens and closes automatically. You can adjust default sharpness, white balance and saturation for video. There is a built-in LED light for shooting in the dark, which is quite effective. There is also a duplicate start-stop button on the left edge of the screen, where you can press it with your left hand. The menu interface is touch-screen which I normally don't like, but this one is much less annoying than Sony's or new Canon's.

It comes with Panasonic software for editing AVCHD that is kind of clunky but works OK. Pinnacle 12 handles clips from this camera fairly easily on a dual-core machine.

I can think of only 2 downsides of TM60:
(1) no microphone input. The camera is completely silent and the built-in mic is surprisingly good, plus the audio level is adjustable, but if you must have external mic then you need to step up to its "big brother" TM700.
(2) manual focus is technically possible with touch screen buttons, but is not really usable. TM700 has a lens ring.