Canon 60D DSLR Camera

Hey, people! I'll get straight to it. Recently, I bought the Canon 60D. I decided that it was time for an upgrade. This camera is terrific! I'm not doing a review or anything 'cause quite frankly..there's so many out there on the Net. You can do a search and read those.

Now, I know some folks are going to say, "You should of bought the 7D, man! It's way better!" Well, it certainly has more focus points, faster burst rate and two processors. However, I didn't feel it was necessary for my needs. Plus, I like to film when I get the chance. From what I've heard, the Canon 7D has overheating issues. I've done several video test shots and haven't had the temperature warning pop up with the 60D. :)

I'm still using the kit lens from my older camera (18-55mm). I'm still deciding what long range zoom lens I should get. A 70-300mm perhaps? Heh, I dunno. I'll probably end up getting a 18-200mm. We'll see.

Anyway, I have a video right now I'm working on. I'll post it on Youtube later on today. See ya then. Peace!

Sunset Over the Village (Punta Gorda)

Hi! Been a while. Not much going on. Just still playing with my cam, doing art and what not. Anyway, i wanted to post this vid. It's the sun setting over The Village (from the last TM700 film ). It's not even a minute long but I thought the sun looked very cool here. Such a lovely color and all. :) Anyway, just thought I'd share it with you. Later!

Panasonic TM700 1080P The Village (Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda)

Hey! Here's another outdoor video I did with the Panasonic TM700. This is somewhat a continuation of my other video in the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area. After crossing the bridge, on the other side when you make a right, there's this area called the Fisherman's Village. I decided to film a few things. So here's the clip of what I shot. I left the camcorder on auto settings once more. Next video, I'm going to try my hand at manual settings.

Panasonic HDC TM700K 1080P The Bridge (Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda)

Hey! This is the new video I got ready. It was dusk when I took this. I was hoping to catch a sunset but I had just missed it. I decided to film anyway. Again, I left the camera settings on auto. I did mess with the Iris setting temporarily about halfway through the video though.

I do some more zooming in this clip. Zooming in on stuff is always fun. Being able to see things far off in the distance was entertaining to me.:) Also, I think I was a bit steadier at 700x zoom than the last time.

This was filmed at Charlotte Harbor in the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area.

Naturally, you can't hear the cooling fan in the camcorder. There's so many cars passing by in the background to cover up the sound as well as some wind.

And..that's pretty much it! I have a couple of other videos of this area coming. Until then.. laters!!

New Video Coming Soon

Hey guys. Not much going on. I'm getting another video put together. Should be out by next week. I'm gonna see what I can get for dinner. See ya soon. Peace.

Panasonic HDC TM700K 1080P Cape Coral Outdoor Test

Hey! What's goin on? I've finally finished editing my first outdoor test video using the Panasonic TM700. Sorry for the delay as things have been busy. I decided to go to a park to test things out. So, I chose one at random and headed out for the Rotary Park in Cape Coral, FL.

If I remember correctly, this was the Dry Bones Trail. Anyway, I think the video shows it all. The camera settings were on auto. It sure was bright outside that day as you could probably tell. So bright that some areas got blown out/clipped. Guess I'll have to invest in a filter of some sort in the future.

Thankfully, it wasn't too hot. There was a constant breeze blowing by. You'll be able to hear plenty of air in the video. :D The wind canceller in the camera was on but winds were still quite strong. But hey, it helped cool things off! :) Anyway, this is part 1. Part 2 is coming soon. See ya in a bit. :D

Outdoor Video

Hey! So, not much going on. I'm having a nice time with this cam (the TM700). I'm still learning how to work this cam in manual mode but I think the results are acceptable. I'm in the process of editing that clip. Hopefully I'll have that vid out today..but definitely this week I'll be posting.
Anyway, that's all for now. Peace!

Macro Close Up with the Panasonic TM700

I began to peer into what looked like a tunnel..more like a cavern of sorts. A flame lit the end of this cavern I was looking into. The walls around me peachy orange and began to grow damp. Warm fluid oozed from the ceiling of this place and down to the surface. Much of the fluid pooled to the cavern floor forming a puddle that slowly swelled up. I decided to go further in. I reached a comfortable distance. Then flame and cavern turned orange red! I waited to see if anything would become of this. However, the normal color soon returned. I continued to examine this place. I could see the source of the flame and what it rested upon. I dared not get to close so I would get fried. :) I looked at the top of the ceiling and saw clear viscious fluid seeping it's way down. Specks of dark matter were inside this liquid and followed the path this river of fluid took. I brought my attention back to the flame and saw that it became much brighter than before. I noticed that a tunnel had been formed and the flame was ever so slowly going through it. I looked at it a bit more and a strange halo if you will formed around it. This halo flicked as the flame did the same. Eventually, the halo dissipated..the flame remained however. What a lovely sight. Mango and apricots scent filled the air and my olfactory senses approved! All is pleasant. Man, I let my imagination run wild again. :D Watch the video below. I hope you're having a good holiday season so far. I'll see you guys next week. Peace!

Panasonic TM700: Best HD Camcorder of 2010

I've always been into filming on some level or another. I find it awesome that you can capture a moment in time and relive it whenever you want. I started out with a simple Xacti camcorder. It did a fine job for the time but I wanted more.

I've heard so many good things about the Panasonic TM700. "Sharpest image out there!" and "Best camcorder of 2010"..things like that. I'd like to share a few feelings about this camcorder.

So, I got one and indeed the video is quite sharp. The Panasonic TM700 has progressive frame output up to 1920x1080. Manual focus is pretty nice. I don't use it all to often but it's nice to have. I definitely plan on using it more in the future. I used to have a Sanyo HD1000 which could only do 1080 interlaced and had dismal focusing system in my opinion. So, this is definitely a big step up for me.

Oh, yeah..5.1 sound! :) One of the reasons I bought it. Home theater has always been something I've been into. So, to have my typical or extraordinary videos with surround sound was most cool.

No complaints about the LCD screen. Some folks out there feel perhaps it could've been bigger but..whatever. I'm fine with it.

I haven't used this camcorder to take still pictures. I have a dedicated DSLR for that. But based on some of sample images that are out there, let's say I'd stick with a dedicated still camera.

Now, to the all too popular topic of the fan noise. It is audible in quiet settings. No question about it. :( It's not overwhelming but no doubt I'd rather it not be there at all. I tried cupping my hands around the cooling fan inlet for a few seconds while recording. The sound of the fan was diminished in the video's audio track. However, I can't film like that for long periods of time. One suggestion I've read is to turn off surround sound. A second suggestion was to use an external mic. Like I said above, 5.1 was one reason I bought this so those ideas were out of the question. In any case, I'm going to research and see if anyone's come up with anything new in solving this issue.

Having no moving parts I feel is one reason why people were glad to move away from tape based formats. I've never used tape based cams but I can imagine how it would be a hassle. Anyway, what's going to happen in the long run? Will I have to send my cam in every several years to get a replacement fan if/when the camcorder's fan wears out? Is this the future of palm held camcorders? For example, the Canon 7D DSLR camera has video capabilites..from what I've read, it overheats all the time. I read one story where people said they would put ice packs on the 7D to keep it cool. :D If built-fans are the future for camcorders, at least find ways of making quieter fans. Ultimately, let's hope they can find fanless solutions. Only time will tell..

This camcorder does have 24 frames/sec feature BUT it's wrapped in a 60i container. In other words there's pulldown to be removed. From what I understand, Panasonic didn't want to undercut their professional line of camcorders which have native 24P. I understand this...but it still sucks that it's not on this particular cam. :(

The battery life is kinda short. I plan on getting a bigger capacity battery.
For now, it hasn't been a big deal since I haven't had to film any major events or what not.

I'm still reading the manual to learn as much as I can. I want to be able to work this cam to the max! Personally, the fan noise and lack of native 24p are the only gripes I have with this product. Overall, definitely a great camcorder. I look forward to using it more. I'll be posting a video later on today on my youtube channel. See ya then. Peace.