Panasonic S60

[Tonistein]

Hi
Panasonic is having a Christmas promotion with a lot of products - cameras & videocam.
I bought a S60 from Alanphoto Funan last Thursday. The promotion price is $999 + a $200 instore voucher, extra battery, 8Gb card & a small bag. Allanphoto minus the $200 voucher against the selling price & I got it for $799
I tried it last Saturday during a model shoot at Robertson Walk. I render & burn to DVD & Bluray. The quality is as good as my TM700 which I bought for $2K four months ago. This is really a very good buy. This model do not have any internal storage. Another model TM60 have 16Gb builtin but cost $200 more. I rather buy the S60 & used the $200 to buy 2pcs of 32Gb cards.
Tony

 

[Renman2735]

Hi Tonistein,

I'm writing because your post mentioned the very two models I am debating getting. I hope you can answer some questions of mine which will help me decide which one to get.

1. May I ask why, having a TM700, you decided to spring for a S60?

2. How is the sound on the S60? The one thing that bugs me is the lack of an external microphone jack. I will mainly be filming videos on exercise and gym work which I want to upload to YouTube. I'd still like some ambient noise but the presenter has to be heard clearly so a complete dub is out of the quesiton. I'll also be reviewing toys in my room which can be quite dark at times.

3. Is the maximum size of SDCX card that can be accepted for both models 64Gb?

4. How easy was it to upload the vids to your computer for manipulation? I read a review months ago that the 1080/60p is good only for hooking up to the HD TV directly. The included software to transfer to computer is quite sparse in features. Is this still the case?

5. Finally, in your opinion, for what reasons would you consider the TM700 over the SD60? As in, what would justify paying for that? I've been told that for my uses the 60 should be more than enough.

Thanks and sorry for the slew of questions!

RM2735

 

[Tonistein]

The TM700 is my working cam & the S60 for casual shooting & for travelling. I bought the S60 on impulse because it's worth it - the quality is excellent. The TM700 is better in low light & the skin tone is better. Both audio are excellent - the mike pickup is very good. Noise cancellation working well. S60 is an entry level - don't expect too much but still it's a good buy. I will be getting another one for spare.
I don't use the 60p option because no software can render it. Only use the 25p in Pinnacle Studio 14 - don't use the bundled software. One thing about editing Full HD video, you need a powerful system - CPU min Core I7/ 4Gb RAM preferably DDR3, a high end videocard & plenty of hard disk space. If you are only outputting to DVD stick to SD - you don't feel the frustrations.

 

[Renman2735]

Thanks Tonistein,

I ended up getting the 60. My only slight regret is the lack of remote control when I'm filming myself. Otherwise the sound seems good.

I may end up with another model in future. Looking at current prices if I'd gone the TM700 I'd definitely be getting that overseas. How prices can be $600 to $1k more here (Even for PAL price comparisons) is ridiculous.

RM2735