New video

Ok, so I've been diving deeper into videography. I've got some weddings booked already with clients, and some interest with high school seniors wanting video. With all that and trying to take this seriously, I just purchased my new baby.....a Panasonic AG-HMC150. My swiss army knife of video. ha ha. To those of you into photo, this is like purchasing your first DSLR. Important manual controls aren't buried in menus, they're easily accessible buttons and switches on the outside body of the camcorder. Very useful and intuitive.

So I needed to start playing around with it immediately so I could shoot something for someone on a moments notice. (I mean, how silly would that be if I showed up to an impromptu gig and was fumbling around with some expensive cam? ha ha) So my test subject was my daughter Emma (5) who loves to color. The inspiration for the quick little video is that we can see sometimes at an early age how a child can show signs of who they may become. She loves to color. All the time. Will it mean anything later? Who knows. Her scribbles are pretty typical of a 5yr old but the passion is what I love. So here is my test session. If you have a relatively newer/faster computer...click on "HD".

 
<object width="873" height="525"><param name="movie" value="[www.youtube.com] name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="[www.youtube.com]; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="873" height="525"></embed></object>

There are some repetitive/redundant and long shots in there. I know. I put this together very quickly and wasn't too concerned with timing.

Thanks for watching.

Take care,
-Brad

ooooooh modern memory films, huh?

how about some HD skateboarding vids?

i just read that it records onto SD cards. how long of a video can a 16GB SD card hold? does the camera have multiple SD card slots?

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daniel
ooooooh modern memory films, huh?

???? Yeeaah.......

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daniel
how about some HD skateboarding vids?

Still too cold so far. I will be stockpiling footage throughout the summer and doing a final edit in the fall.

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daniel
i just read that it records onto SD cards. how long of a video can a 16GB SD card hold? does the camera have multiple SD card slots?

I have three 16gb class 6 SDHC cards and with the cam recording at 24Mbps, I can get 90min. of footage per card. You can do the math from there. (i.e. 32gb card will get you double that, etc....)

oh ok, that isn't bad at all. and thankfully 16gb cards are super cheap these days anyway.

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daniel
oh ok, that isn't bad at all. and thankfully 16gb cards are super cheap these days anyway.

AVCHD man. It's an heavily compressed format that stores a ton of information in a small space. Very complex. It takes a quadcore to edit the files in their raw form. People with duo's can transcode before they edit for a much more streamlined editing experience.

Panasonic just released AVCHD lite for consumer cameras that utilize 720p footage like yours. Much more time to record till you reach that 4gb limit.

what container does it use, though? as in, what is the file extension? .mkv?

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daniel
what container does it use, though? as in, what is the file extension? .mkv?

Its just a variation of the normal AVCHD so it should come out as .mts files. Are you just using iMovie or something? If so, AVCHD is recognized.

Some further info:

"Video recording has always been a highlight on Panasonic’s cameras, with the company offering widescreen and HD options for some time. The earlier Lumix TZ5 already featured 720p movies, but rather than jumping to 1080 on the new model, Panasonic has instead offered different encoding options here. Previously movies were exclusively recorded in Motion JPEG, but now the TZ7 / ZS3 can encode its 720p HD movies in either Motion JPEG or ‘AVCHD Lite’, the latter with the choice of three bit rates: 9, 13 or 17Mbit/s. For the record, AVCHD Lite is the same as AVCHD, but only operating at 720p.Keeping the old format as an option alongside the new seems a little odd at first, especially with rivals like Canon making a wholesale switch from Motion JPEG to H.264 with its latest DIGIC 4 models. But Panasonic argues both formats have their advantages: AVCHD is very efficient, allowing longer recording times, while compatible Viera TVs can also play content directly from SD cards. In contrast, Motion JPEG may consume your memory card quicker, but it’s much quicker and easier to play, edit or recompress on your computer.

To put them in perspective, we filmed the same 15 second sequence moments apart with both formats, with the 17Mbit AVCHD Lite and Motion JPEG versions measuring around 28MB and 54MB respectively, despite delivering roughly the same image quality. We then imported both clips into Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, and confirmed the Motion JPEG version was much more responsive when scrubbing or editing than the one using AVCHD.

It’s a useful option to have, and we also appreciate the choice of lower bit rates for longer recording times in contrast to Canon which only offers a single HD setting at a very high bit rate. But there’s no getting away from the feeling AVCHD has been effectively bolted onto the former TZ5’s video modes which can lead to some inconsistencies. Set the TZ7 / ZS3 to Motion JPEG and you can record video at QVGA, VGA, WVGA or 720p resolutions; in this respect it’s identical to the TZ5. Set it to AVCHD Lite though and the resolution becomes fixed at 720p, but you now have the choice of three bit rates – so the choice of encoding only applies to the HD mode. The Motion JPEG modes are limited to a maximum file size of 2GB, while AVCHD lets you record until the card’s full. Import tax regulations mean European models are limited to recording 15 minutes regardless of the mode.

Beyond the option of recording in AVCHD Lite, the TZ5 / ZS3 now also boasts stereo microphones and a dedicated record button on the rear, which conveniently allows you to start shooting video regardless of your mode. 16:9 framing guides can be enabled for video, but if they’re off, then you’ll have to start filming before you’ll see exactly what area’s being captured. There’s also now a dedicated menu section just for video options, which include an optional Wind Filter. We’re also pleased to report you can still optically zoom the lens while filming, but only at the slower of the two speeds.

In use the TZ7 / ZS3 delivers a good video recording experience, but it’s not without its issues. The button on the rear allows you to quickly start filming without turning a dial, but it also means the screen may not be set up to show the 16:9 frame, forcing you to quickly readjust the composition once recording begins. Note, you can't take a photo while filming video.
A bigger issue, inherited from the Lumix TZ5, is autofocus searching while filming – in particular when operating the zoom. As you’ll see in the clip opposite, the TZ7 / ZS3, like its predecessor, can search while adjusting the zoom. You can prevent this by switching off Continuous AF in the Movie menu along with the main Pre-AF options, but then you may find the image subsequently drifts out of focus as you adjust the zoom. We also found the stabilisation didn’t respond well to panning motion, forcing you to switch it off and use a tripod if you want to pan without wobbles.

Then once you’ve filmed your video, you may have difficulty finding it on the actual card. Motion JPEG MOV files may be found alongside your still photos in the DCIM folder, but the AVCHD MTS files are buried away in various nested folders which start with one unhelpfully labelled PRIVATE on your card. This is to ensure compatibility with Panasonic’s TVs, and to play them on your computer, simply point your software at this folder and it’ll work out the rest; we had no issues playing back in Cyberlink’s PowerDVD 8 which ‘saw’ them as a Blu-Ray disc. Either way, just remember to copy the MTS files out of this folder before reformatting your card.

In terms of image quality, both the AVCHD and Motion JPEG modes start with the same raw data stream, and end up recording roughly the same degree of detail, although the former is punchier, with greater contrast and sharpening; the clip here was recorded in AVCHD, but we had to convert it into MP4 in order to upload it to Vimeo for hosting.

We’re pleased to report the visible noise artefacts of the earlier TZ5’s HD movie mode appear to have been banished, with the TZ7 / ZS3 delivering a much cleaner image. Panasonic has been a little over-enthusiastic with the sharpening and contrast though, with some artefacts visible from both, especially when filming in AVCHD mode - but at least there’ll be no complaints about lack of vibrancy. In terms of detail, it’s certainly superior to VGA modes, but unsurprisingly lacking the ultimate crispness and resolution of cameras with 1080p modes. So once again no substitute for a dedicated HD camcorder, but a good quality movie mode none-the-less, especially if you can work around the panning and optical zooming issues."

i'm not using any video editing programs, i was just curious what container it used. i am actually running windows 7 on the mac mini

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daniel
i'm not using any video editing programs, i was just curious what container it used. i am actually running windows 7 on the mac mini

Oh come on....That is a crying shame, and totally uncalled for.
Good grief, use XP, not 7 ;-)

It sounds like when the time comes, you can use the OSX side to do some pretty decent video editing. iMovie over Windows movie maker any day

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Earendil
iMovie over Windows movie maker any day

Actually I tend to disagree in one area. The timeline. iMovie is basically made for people who just want to crop clips and slap them together. There is no timeline which in real video editing is pretty crucial. While I'm not exactly a fanboy of Microsoft right now, I like the flow of Movie Maker over iMovie. However, the Movie Maker being release in Windows 7 is an absolute joke as they have reverted back to a very simplistic video editing platform that is very similar to iMovie.

I guess the intended market isn't the editing enthusiasts.

Oh well.

If you're on Windows I would recommend Sony Vegas Studio, if you're on Mac I would recommend nothing less than Final Cut Express.

Later.

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BimmerBrad

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Earendil
iMovie over Windows movie maker any day

Actually I tend to disagree in one area. The timeline. iMovie is basically made for people who just want to crop clips and slap them together. There is no timeline which in real video editing is pretty crucial. While I'm not exactly a fanboy of Microsoft right now, I like the flow of Movie Maker over iMovie. However, the Movie Maker being release in Windows 7 is an absolute joke as they have reverted back to a very simplistic video editing platform that is very similar to iMovie.

I guess the intended market isn't the editing enthusiasts.

Oh well.

If you're on Windows I would recommend Sony Vegas Studio, if you're on Mac I would recommend nothing less than Final Cut Express.

Later.

I'll concede that point to you. However...
The brand new iMovie 09 has a time line. iMovie 08 did not, and iMovie 07 did. Apple does fail at times, and in an attempt to make movie editing "easier" for the common person, they removed the time line aspect. Stupid move, and they have since reversed that decision in the new version.

But yes, FCP is far better than any iteration of iMovie, no argument :-)

Is this what you mean by a timeline?


edit: didn't mean to hijack the thread...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2009 09:52PM by Earendil.

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Earendil
Is this what you mean by a timeline?


edit: didn't mean to hijack the thread...

I wouldn't exactly call that a "timeline" but more of a clip organizer. This is what a true timeline looks like....


At first they may look the same, but they are drastically different.

Kids are nice to watch. And your kid is left handed, so she might be a creative person!

Actually, I liked the video. Simple subject, nicely elaborated. Lettering wasn't my style but I figure it would match with the wedding videos (or what some ppl expect for them).

At work I use Windows MovieMaker 2 for editing simple videos. Easy to use, too bad the camera is getting of age (zoom button unzooms slowly, some tapes are being ruined,...)

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Earendil

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daniel
i'm not using any video editing programs, i was just curious what container it used. i am actually running windows 7 on the mac mini

Oh come on....That is a crying shame, and totally uncalled for.
Good grief, use XP, not 7 ;-)

It sounds like when the time comes, you can use the OSX side to do some pretty decent video editing. iMovie over Windows movie maker any day

i'm not really sure if there is even 1 way in which XP is better than 7. 7 is pretty incredible.

this is how i feel about the windows mac OS thing: if i have a mouse, i want windows. if i am using a laptop with no mouse, i much prefer leopard due to all the shortcut gestures available on the trackpad (mainly scrolling with the two finger drag). i tried using leopard on my mini, and just got frustrated with the things i couldn't do, and the layout of certain things. i've been using windows 7 since december, and dare i say it is more intuitive than leopard.


yes, i prefer imovie.

New video. It was so beautiful out last weekend that the wife, kids, and I had to go out and enjoy it! I wanted to get some good footage of the kids playing. It was a good opportunity for me to try out some overcranking (a form of slow motion).

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cool

Daniels seen it. Just thought I'd share.

Just me and the camera. Each shot carefully planned.

<object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="[www.youtube.com] name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="[www.youtube.com]; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object>