Panasonic TA-1 Ultrathin HD Pocket Camcorder Enabled with Skype and iFrame (Dark Grey) - Camcorder Review

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Dino Papoutsis “Dean” (Sunnyvale, CA) –

  

Arrived at Amazon August 17, arrived at my house August 19. Today is August 21, 2010.

Panasonic USA website still has this new camera on “Backorder” so Amazon seems to perhaps be the first place to have this! I placed a pre-order and have been waiting weeks for this . . .

What’s in the box:
*Camera
*USB “Extension Cord” About 40-inches long
*”AV” Cable about 4-feet long (composite Video-yellow connector, mono sound–white connector)
*Attachable hand strap
*Manual, misc. addenda, warranty/return survey

Stuff I wanted to know and could not find on web:
*(Real) Compatibility with IPAD–no direct support (the highly touted Apple iFrame capability means nothing as far as I can tell as to easily shooting video and directly bringing it into the IPAD). Of course moving any video into the IPAD is a big challenge. I own the Apple CCK Camera Connection Kit and was hoping this would allow me to plug the USB plug of the camera into this CCK adapter or the SD-card itself and import the video into the Apple photo app. I did easily get the still photos into the IPAD and it seems maybe the video too–but the video won’t play (so how good is that). I believe this is because the high def 1920x1080P I was using at 12 Mbps (VBR) over exceeds the Apple allowable spec. (And it did not work with the iFrame content I shot at 960×540/30fps (approx 24 Mbps) (VBR). Perhaps if I had used the 640×480/30fps (approx 3 Mbps) (VBR) it would have worked–but who wants to save their precious moments in low def? (I believe the IPAD max bit rate is limited to 5 Mbps in the published spec). But don’t dismay, here is the workaround: you can watch your videos on the IPAD (at the highest quality setting) by bringing them in through iTunes, directly into the GoodReader app (you can buy on iTunes). It’s a fairly hidden capability of GoodReader (probably not to upset Apple too much)–but GoodReader allows you to play videos AND at higher resolutions and bit speeds than the Apple specs . . . but shhhhh, don’t tell anyone, don’t think we are supposed to know this. I was also able to import the video into iMovie and FCP 7.

[Addition Aug 28, 2010: Been using the above GoodReader technique on my vacation. It works, but is not perfect. There is an occasional stutter. If you demand perfect, stutter-free video on the IPAD, you will need to transcode the 1080P content to an IPAD compatible resolution/bit rate, then bring it into the Video area of the IPAD.]

*How long can your really shoot–apparently the references to 29min 59 sec (startlingly low) are the “single clip” time. Once you click stop, you seem to be able to continue to shoot (perhaps a total of 45 minutes as described in the manual)

[Addition Aug 28, 2010: The battery MUST be charged in the camera hooked up to a PC. Purchased a USB car cigarette charger for my road trip and it does not work. Also purchased an iGo portable USB charger and it did not work. Confirmed with Panasonic Tech Support you MUST charge the battery connected to a computer. If you choose to experiment with other in-camera charging techniques and the battery starts showing weird amounts of power in the on-screen meter, you will need to pull the battery out of the camera and wait 1 minute for it to sorta reset--before trying again.]
[Addition Oct 21, 2010: See important new info below on a $13.38 knock-off battery available through Amazon . . .]

*The AV out (I believe is called mini-USB connector) is only composite–no higher def cables or instructions on using it for higher def.

*There is no external microphone jack

*There is no external earphone jack

*Lens has no screw threads for attaching other lenses (see Flip Ultra HD lens wide/macro hacks on net)

[Addition October 21, 2010: Purchased magnetic Wide Angle Conversion lens from Amazon seller New World Video Direct = Panasonic TA-1 (HM-TA1) 0.45x Wide Angle Lens (HD) Black Finish W/ Macro (Modification Style) Magnetic Type. $59.00 Worked great. See my review on its product page on Amazon. Includes magnetic rings which have peel-and-stick super glue of some kind.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041IWMPI/ref=oss_product

*Manual does not reference any other accessories other than a spare battery and SD-type memory cards (what I still found today on the Panasonic website).

*UW Housing - I am still dying to know if Panasonic will offer a low cost underwater housing for scuba diving (100 ft.)--and as of today, there is no sign that this may be a future offering.

[Addition October 21, 2010: Discovered a cool looking Underwater Housing from Ikelite on Amazon $246.95. Have not purchased at this point. On the manufacturer's site they show you some cool looking tiny video lights which go with it.]…

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Customer Video Review Length:: 0:43 Mins

Much lighter than I thought comparing with my old FLIP. I really love this color and compact design!
Powerful 4x digital zoom and LED light work perfectly when needed.

I took a sample video using 1280×720/30 fps mode and edited two files using software built-in for you. Even without selecting the highest quality 1920×1080 mode (Full HD) in this camcorder, you can see the video quality is amazing!

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By 

Denise Crawford “DC” (Missouri, USA) –

  

  

  

I have been wanting a video camera for years to record and share performances and shows. Many of my friends have the Flip UltraHD Video Camera – Black, 8 GB, 2 Hours (3rd Generation) NEWEST MODEL and I was excited to compare the two cameras. When I finally got my camera, I was disappointed to discover that I had to buy a specific kind of memory card to go with it (I purchased the Transcend 16GB Class 10 SDHC Card (TS16GSDHC10)). This would be slightly annoying after already paying so much for the camera itself. Incidentally, there is no clear indication on the product page that a card HAS to be purchased (unlike with the Flip camera that comes with 8 GB memory in the camera already) or suggestions for someone like me who isn’t that familiar with memory cards on which type is best to buy BEFORE you get the product home. So — without that memory card, the camera cannot be used directly out of the box.

When I was finally able to start playing around with the camera I found that it was a bit more complicated than the Flip, however Panasonic’s buttons are clearly labeled and it is easy for anyone with some technical knowledge to use. As for the filming quality, for everyday filming the picture is very clear but when filming with bright stage lighting, the figures appear a bit washed out and fuzzy. I did notice that the Panasonic camera did a have a slightly higher video quality than the Flip.

Overall I am very happy with this camera — it is small, has full HD, is easy to use, has a flashlight on the front, small but clear viewing screen and decent on camera volume. It is capable of taking both videos and pictures. It also has YouTube, Facebook, and Skype interfaces. A nice extra touch would have been if the product had come with a felt bag or protective case of some kind.

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