DSLR vs. panasonic hdc-tm700

[Snapper123]

Hey guys, to be honest, I feel like the DSLR movement has left me in a state of distress and ultimately has led almost to a complete lack of enthusiasm and ability to create art. I think the quality of these cameras are downright horrible, I dislike the moire, I dislike the lens hassles, I dislike the precision, and I dislike generally everything about it. Even to begin with, I only bought the T2i because the equal resolution camcorders cost just as much and I figured I'd at least have a professional looking body with good depth of field. Wrong, cuz the quality seems to suck, and all the features just get on my nerves.

With camcorders like the Panasonic hdc-tm700 though, the videos seem so drastically sharp that actual good "Sharpness Moire" seems to happen, instead of the DSLR's opposite quality color moire, meaning the videos are drastically sharper in quality, supposedly. With that, to be honest, quality is all I'm after, I very seldomly find any use for precision in the end, I don't really care about what aperture I have, and as long as the Panasonic hdc-tm700 had a 100ISO-Lock, I'd slap it on that and have a field day, as I feel like aperture doesn't have a purpose in my heart beyond opening up enough to let light in. It also has a 1.5-28 amazing 35MM lens at its zoomed-out point, meaning I'm guessing no worrying about facial distortion whatsoever, and it has IS and a Mic input. Also has a 42mm screw in mount for wide angle converters and filters, meaning that yes, a ND would make it not have a 'camcorder look' out in daylight, even if it had auto-aperture, which it probably is even pretty advanced in that too.

So what in the world are the downsides to a camera like this? It has a fan, no overheating. Records long periods of time if you need that. The zoom on this camera is downright amazing, I'm guessing from the look of videos that it has at least a 35-200 range, which is all I need myself, with a possibly a 300-500 range in the lower quality zones. It's a really small camera, no bigger than the T2i, and has an excellent flip screen and all that. Records 1080P at 60 frames per second. So what gives? Why should I not sell my T2i and lens set for a nice, super great deal to someone who'd use it for $1,000, and just snag myself a $700 Pan instead?

P.S. Would 60 frames per second truly make my videos truly immune to ever being shown on theater screens because of the frame rate, or can 60 fps be easily changed to 24 for any technical purposes? Doesn't Red film at 60 after all, along with every slow motion sequence being shot at much higher than 60?

P.S. I do say I think DSLR's prevent me from creating art because I think I discovered early on that camcorders are what drive me artistically, I had a sony handicam once, just a 720P little thing, and I had so much fun with it. But then, the lust for DSLR's left me selling the sony and actually waiting 6 months to save and buy a DSLR, then wasting another 4 months just learning about DSLRs. I could have been making tons of short films with the super fun, high quality camcorder. So its like meh.

 

[Jordan Scott Price]

Not sure how to respond to this.

DSLR's have crippled your ability to make art? They are tools. If you pick up the wrong tool for the job, it will be that much harder. Admittedly, picking up a ball-peen hammer or a claw hammer won't matter because both drive nails, but using a sledgehammer to tighten a screw will give you a headache.

If you want to shoot on handicams or camcorders...do it. NO ONE here will be outraged by your move. And, to beat the horse straight into limbo, camcorders are almost invariably better than DSLRs because they are machines designed solely to record video, whereas the DSLRs pull double duty and make sacrifices. If you came to a T2i from camcorders, do not be surprised if you are disappointed.

Maybe try making a list.

DSLRs are right for me because:
Camcorders are right for me because:

It should pan out quickly. No pun intended.

 

[ChuckS]

You must be 20 something looking for that instant gratification.

If you purchased a DSLR to produce "Art" videos and had never really used a DSLR before and your unhappy that its not working the way you'd hoped it would four months after purchasing it, maybe your expectations are a little unrealistic. If you look at the "art" your creating and it doesn't compare favorably with the "art" that others are producing with the same camera maybe your discovering its harder to produce "art" than you realized.

If you don't like using DSLR's and you want a point and shoot video camera, no one else cares, do that. You don't have to disclose what kind of camera you used to create the "art."

I've never seen anything that you've shot, doesn't mean your not producing anything, I just haven't seen it. Have you posted video online? Have you asked for rhetorical or constructive criticism on this form or other?

I have posted about 40 videos here and elsewhere, I'll let others decide whether their "art," I shoot with my 7D just about every day and your right, its no where near as easy as it is shooting with my TM700, which I think I've used about four times. So if your looking for easy and inexpensive go nuts, really no one cares. If you want to make art and your finding it a bit difficult with the DSLR, then practice. You don;t have to produce "Gone with the Wind" every time you take it out of the bag...

 

[Barry_Green]

The drawbacks to something like the TM700, as compared to something like a T2i, are that it isn't going to have the shallow DOF, and it isn't going to be nearly as sensitive in low light.

That's about it. Other than that, of course a video camera is going to be better at making video, than a still camera is. If the features you're describing are things that are important to you, then the TM700 sounds like it's more appropriate for your usage.

You should always buy what YOU need, not what others think you need. Look at what the product actually does, as compared to what you need it to do. Don't ever be swayed into making a buying decision "because everyone else is", instead evaluate it specifically and solely on your needs.

 

[maranfilms]

if you cared about things like aperature, for more than just letting in light. And learned when and why you change it. You would have a better understanding of how to shoot the " art" you want to shoot. When you go full auto, your limiting yourself immensly. But when you use manuel settings, and adjust the perimeters to your liking, It's more gratifying. The T2i is a great little cam, but it does have it's issues. Learn to work with in it's limitations and you will be much happier.