Looks like I should get a HDC-TM700 or Vivia HV40....

J

John Minor

Member
I have been asked to produce some training videos for work. This is the first attempt for me and I'm kinda excited to have the opportunity. The original plan was for me to film with my Olympus E-PL2, then edit using Sony Vegas. I figured the E-PL2 would work fine as it would be set on a tripod to record activities on road construction sites, with minimal panning. Then recording people interview style on a tripod in the office. Pretty basic stuff. But as I read more here I'm wondering if I should try to trade the Oly for a Canon Vixia HV40 or Panasonic HDC-TM700. I know tape based filming is on the way out, but it offers a good option and easier editing right now. From what I'm learning AVCHD needs quite a bit more computing power for editing than tape. My laptop runs a 2 Ghz duo intel processors with 2 GB RAM, don't know if thats enough for AVCHD processing.
Any advice based on my current requirements?
Thanks,
John
 
I cant say much about the Panisonic, But I can about the hv40. The hv40 is an amazing little camera, I have an hv30, I use mainly for my deck, But still do some shooting on it., And when I do I quickly remember why I bought it in the first place. I love the look of the footage it produces. The only issue I have with it is the low light ability. After using a dslr, It really is not to great in the low light realm, but then again, not many camcorders are compared to the large sensor dslr's. If you can find an hv30, there is a hack for it, and you can read more about it on the hv20 forum. Great little forum, dedicated to these cameras. You can produce stunning footage with the hv40, and it will even look better if you slap on a dof adapter, for some shallow dof shots to add some flavor. Look around, Im sure you can find a used one for under five hundred or less. good luck.
 
After more research, I'm finding a lot of folks are doing some filming with DSLR's. The E-PL2 isn't a DSLR, but has similarities. And as many continue to point out, it's not the camera but the planning and skill behind the lens. Most of the discussion is centered around the Canon's (T3i - 60D - and beyond) and the Pany GH2 and no mention of Olympus. I suppose this is due to the many limitations the E-PL2 has such as recording time/size limit, not audio control, and whatever else... But it might be better for me to work with the E-PL2, get a couple training videos out, the look at moving up to a more video friendly camera. Lets face it, I'm not filming "Gone With the Wind".......
 
i just tried it in store with my memory card
the lens on tm900 isnt good enough for pro works
when its wide open the chromatic aberration is very distracting.
35mm really isnt wide enough as a wide angle
 
I use a TM-700 as a 'b cam' and thinks its great. I do live event and stage productions and the TM-700 has worked flawlessly and the video is great. It edits very well in Vegas Pro 10.
 
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