Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Did a lot of research before purchasing this camera and cannot say enough how pleased I am with it! True 1080p videos that play back beautifully on my Blu-ray DVD recorder. I think this camera offers many of the great features found on cameras that are much more expensive. This camera is very 'user friendly' Wonderful zoom capabilities . . . face recognition that WORKS! . . . sharp still photos option even while you are shooting a video. We purchased the Panasonic DVD Burner (model VW-BN2PP)which burned 1080p HD disks with no problems at all. Highly recommend you purchase the burner also. Software included that allows you to watch these disks on your home computer, however at only a ten frame per second rate which results in a minor 'chopped' effect. Burned disks play perfectly on your Blu-ray DVD recorder. Battery life has been great, but have purchased the Panasonic VW-VBK360 Lithium Ion Battery Pack which doubles the recording time. Going out with these two batteries in hand should allow you to record as long as you would want in a day before recharging them. By the way, this battery has only just become available in the past few weeks. If you order an extra battery, make sure you get the VW-VBK360 as others will not fit this camcorder. Again, great camera and well worth the price!

I am not someone who generally writes reviews but I felt the need after getting the 16Gb version of the TM55 from Bestbuy...the TM60. For those who are not aware, the two are identical in form and function but the TM60 just has another 8Gb of internal flash memory and can only be purchased from your local BB.

I did a ton of research and was originally dead set on Panasonic's TM700 with their 3MOS sensor and awesome 1080P video. But editing 1080O footage is a pain in the rear end even with all the work arounds. I have both PCs and a MacBook Pro Mac with the i7 processor so I had many options but didn't want to deal with all the workflow being that I have a toddler at home and busy work schedules. After reading the great review on the TM55 at [...], I decided to get the TM55. But I had found out that there was another version with more internal flash which appealed to me as it doubled the internal storage from 1 hour to 2 hours at the highest quality setting at 17Mb/s. And BB had a sale and I had some reward certificates with me which helped to seal the deal.

The camera fits very nicely in the palm of my large right hand. The strap can be little thin on the padding which may or may not be an issue comfort-wise as the camera is very light. The OIS is pretty amazing given that I am coming from an old Sony HDR-HC1 from 2005 with miniDV cassettes which only had Electronic Stabilization. The outdated tapes, noisy tape mechanism and almost 1080i resolution drove me to upgrade. But the most amazing part of this camcorder is the amazing 25x optical zoom, the lens is sharp and very contrasty even at full zoom. I don't like digital zoom but there is an Intelligent Zoom feature that goes up to 35x with very little detail degradation if you so choose. The 1MOS sensor is another Panasonic achievement. It's sharp and amazingly accurate in terms of color reproduction. Colors look accurate and saturated. Again, Camcorderinfo's review and objective data bear that out. The low light ability of this camera is good, not great. But I knew that before hand. Color in low light shooting is still good with decent detail. The zoom lens zoom speed toggle is OK in terms of a nice and slow zoom. I played with a TM700 and found it's toggle to be better in terms of proving a slower zoom speed for a more pleasing look. Audio from the front 2 mics are clean and clear. And all the manual settings from White Balance to IRIS control are nice touches. Thanks for including them, Panny. The LCD is nice and bright but I wish for a slightly higher resolution screen.

But of course there are negative points about this camera which I didn't like. One of the issue I noted is that the mic picks up the autofocus motor noise when you zoom or pan the camera. It's very subtle but can be hear when filming in quiet rooms. It sounds like very slight static interference. This was confirmed also in the comment section on Camcorderinfo. It's a non issue outdoors but it's worth noting. I was able to get rid of it by setting the cam to manual focus. The other issue I find annoying is the same thing everybody else is not liking. It's the poor white balance with the camera in full auto. It's slow it respond and is easily fooled. I know no camera is perfect but this should have been fixed by Panasonic in testing. I work around it by doing manual WB before I shoot. And one last quibble I have is that some of the settings don't stay after you turn off your camcorder. For example, I like to set the camera to shoot in expanded colorspace with the DCC (Digital Cinema Color) setting under Manual Mode. After I turn off the camera or switch to Auto and back, the selection is gone.

In conclusion, I think this camcorder ranks as one of the best budget models out there. I got it to shoot my vacations, family, and general travel use. It's compact enough to just bring in a jacket pocket and light enough to shoot for extended amount of time hand held. And the sensor and lens quality are first rate for a camera is this price range. I will probably get a nice 1080p unit when the manufacturers figure out a more proper designds and when editing software options increase a bit more.

PROs:

1) Excellent Lens and Sensor for contrasty colors and stable footage (not quite as good as Sony OIS though)
2) Plenty of manual settings if you choose to use them
3) Compact size means you can take it with you more often
4) 35.7mm wide angle lens offers very good wide shots that should satisfy most
5) Near 900mm optical zooms great for subject isolation and blurring out background (bokeh)
6) Nice low price makes it one of then less expensive HD camcorders on the market

CONs:

1) White Balance slow to react and not always accurate (fix with manual WB)
2) Only 17Mb/s highest quality setting (have not seen an video isses thus far)
3) Some manual settings don't stay set after you turn off the camcorder
4) Internal Mic picks up Autofocus motor noise in very quiet settings with zooming or panning
5) LCD is only 230k pixels....460k or higher would be nice
6) No manual ring to make manual focus, WB, IRIS adjustments easier
7) LCD menu not the greatest functionally or in the looks department

I purchased panasonic HDC - TM55 last week just before going on a trip to charleston and smoky mountains. This camcorder has so many features packed in a tiny attractive body.

The main attractions
=====================
1) 25x optical zoom - this was very useful while taking photos as well as during video capture. There are not too many cameras which provide 25x useful optical zoomin such a small body. Photography and video capture at 25 x optical ( 35x intelligent zoom ) is a real big bonus. I found this to be very useful especially while on the boat in the sea and was able to capture snaps of seagulls very well.
2) Better shake reduction mechanism. Camera adjusts to most of the shakes. It even displays a message camera panning too fast.
3) Xenon flash and LED video light - Xenon flash is pretty useful for night photography. Video light doubles up as an AF lamp during photography as well as the light for night video capture. Light is good but it seems to be a bit weaker than the single LED flash of my blackberry bold. For a price range of around 500$ this is a nice feature to have. Another good thing is video light turns on automatically if the surroundings are dark. But videos whll have a bluish white tinge. Its better to be used as a flashlight if battery has enough juice left in it :).
3) Responsive touch screen - pretty good touch screen. Not any iphone like but still very good.
4) Well laid out menu - Lots of options in the menu. capability to play video alone, photo alone, both together ( thats a nice feature I think ).
5) Nice 2.7 LCD screen - > good bright sunlight visibilty. Rotating screen for self portrait or video capture. Screen buttons provide nice image/video tweaking opoortunities.
6) Quick Zoom in/out.
7) Fits perfectly in hand. The holding strap is also good. Battery provides nice support.
8) Support for high capacity memory cards. Cards will make camcorders even lighter. My sony vaio laptop has an SD card reader. So its very easy to plug the card in and see all videos/photos.
9)Relatively wide angle lens when compared to sub 500$ camcorders.
10) Nice bundled software for editing 1080i videos.

Cons
=====
1) power switch, memory card slot and AV/HDMI ports can be accessed only if LCD screen is open. Sure the camera will power on opening the LCD ( but not first time after immediate purchase ). To output to the TV, LCD would have to remain open.
2) Camera's automatic white balance seems to be a bit insufficient. Most of the time I had to manually set the white balance for a more natural appeal for the photos/videos.
3) Its good that there is a manual mode. But relying on touch screen to change the values is a bit dificult. Had there been some ring around the lens to adjust, it would have been good.
4) unlike panasonic Lumix ZS7 which gives an excellent portable charger, this camcorder requires battery to remain seated on the camcorder for charging to take place. Its Ok but a separate charger would have added to the excellent portability.

The above mentioned cons are not really deal breakers when we consider the fact that this product costs around 500$ with a bag full of usable positive features which any family/person might be looking for. Compact body, ease of operation, excellent quality of videos/photos ( if we can manually adjust white balance ) is good enough to look over the negatives. All in all this is a great product for a great price.

I finally decided to replace my old Sony Camcorder with one of the new compact Digital Recorders that are the current rage.

The new camcorders are tiny and lightweight (9.1 oz.). This is due to the lack of a hard drive or tape motor. The storage is all flash storage, whether you use the built-in storage or an optional flash card. No more mini-cassettes. Now I can shoot in full 1080i HD mode up to 4˝ hours with an optional 32GB SDHC Card, and up to 1˝ hours with the built in memory.

The HDC-TM55 camera/camcorder is loaded with many great features. I won't bore you with all of the details, but listed below are the key features that make this a very special camera/camcorder for my purposes.

* In the camera mode you can take photos with up to 5MP resolution. This is low resolution compared with today's digital cameras. However, the photos are colorful and sharp, even when taken in low-light scenarios.

* The iZoom feature allows you up to 35X optical zooming, while the digital zoom is rated at an unbelievable 1,500X.

* The image stabilization is the best that I have encountered with any of the modern cameras that I have purchased or tested. You can actually walk briskly or run (for you younger shooters) while you shoot video, and the results are remarkably free of camera shake .

* The Intelligent Auto Mode takes much of the guesswork out of setting up your shoot. The camera always sets quickly to the best settings ..... even in the most challenging scenarios. I have not experienced a situation where the camera did not produce great results.

* This unit is truly pocket size. The automatic lens cover protects the lens when you stuff it into your purse (ladies), pocket or brief case. I use a very small camera bag (about the size of a large cantaloupe) to store my digital camera, a camcorder and accessories.

* The setup and operation is a breeze, even for the most novice user. The controls are simple with few buttons or switches. The touch-screen is also a great feature for applying quick settings on the fly.

* The TM55 has a built-in flash and video light that actually work quite well. I was very pleased with the results when I tested these lighting features. Normally I take extra measures in order to avoid using a camera flash unit. This camera/camcorder actually handles scenes with very low light better than my most expensive cameras.

* This camera will fit into most family budgets. The list price is around $500, but if you shop around you may find one in the $360 - $375 range. A high-speed SDHC flash card will set you back another $50 to $100. The overall cost is really quite a great value. Using the HDC-TM55 you can probably get along without a point-and-shoot camera.

This unit will allow you to shoot great photos and video. You can even shoot photos on the fly while shooting video.
I hope that this information is helpful to anyone shopping for a camcorder. Modern technology really has made high quality video affordable and available for most households.

I wanted to say "Idiot Friendly" but decided not to enter that in the title. I have never owned a Camcorder before and this is my first Camcorder purchase. I own the Panasonic DMC-FZ28 Digital Camera and absolutely love this camera. It is VERY simple to operate so I purchased this Camcorder based on the previous reviews and my experience with a Panasonic product. I was right on too. I have only used it for one weekend but it is very easy to operate and understand.
Now for the good part, the software is also easy to navigate. After importing my video's into my pc, I was very surprised as to how excellent the video quality is. Even for a newbe, I did not do too bad but I attribute the quality to my camcorder.
All in all, this was a great birthday present from my hubby and I hope to continue to enjoy many years of videoing now!
Thanks Panasonic for another great product.

I recently bought the TM60 (with 16GB internal memory) to take advantage of the 2 hr default record time - without even an SD card.
The image quality and usabilty of the product AMAZED me. The zoom is extra powerful, importing sequences to PC is a snap, the touchscreen works perfect, and the sounds are Dolby Stereo.
I was looking for an HD camera without "moving parts" - no HDD, no DVD, no DV tape. So I got this model.

I simply cannot wait to travel to places to shoot more video, because I am already IN LOVE with this product. I am faithful to Panasonic because I got an FX500 LUMIX still camera, which I also love and use extensively.
Everyone already loves the DVDs I made (even tough it does not even show the true image quality the TM60 is capable of doing). It's time to upgrade for a Bluray player and HDTV to enjoy this product fully.
I was very happy with the price performance ratio of this product. Panasonic made great technical improvements over their previous years models with Face recognition, bigger CMOS, and the Power OIS. Don't go further if you want a user-friendly, great value HD Camcorder. This is a perfect buy!

find this camcorder after lot of research and very pleased with the performance after using it for 2 to 3months.
The main reason for selecting this cam is 1. Image stabilization, 2. Very Good video quality and 3. 35X zoom.
It is hard to find a HD cam with all above three in less than $500. In my search the only other cam I considered
is Sony-cx350 with a better video performance, but it is $200 to $300 more and 10X zoom. So for me this is more
versatile and costs less.


Low light performance is very good and acceptable.There is some noise.
The video quality in good light is excellent. The video is sharp and crystal clear on 50" Sony lcd.
Amazing 35X zoom. The complete zoom range is usable.
well functioning Optical image stabilization - captures very stable video even while walking.
Intelligent Auto Mode.
Many useful features like prerecording - records video from 3 seconds before you start.

My main disappoints are:
1. The software is not usable for me
2. No 24p film mode

Low end laptops with less power can not play videos out of camera. AVCHD needs lot of power for transcending.
Conversion takes lot of time. so I preferred simple edits. Corel video studio pro X2 (not X3) and nero did very
well for simple editing. I am still exploring the possibilities here. I used Nero to cut unwanted portions and
uploaded the video to youtube. I downloaded the 720p mp4 for my low end
laptop and mobile version from [...] to avoid conversion.