Panasonic HDC-TM700

Low Light Sensitivity (6.30)

The HDC-TM700 did reasonably well in our low light sensitivity test. The camcorder required 11 lux of light to reach 50 IRE on our waveform monitor—a slightly higher amount of light than its predecessor, the HDC-HS300, required. Still, this is a better score than both the Canon HF S21 and Sony HDR-XR520 achieved in the same test. (More on how we test low light sensitivity.)

Required Illumination *

* the lower the lux required, the better the performance

We also tested the HDC-TM700 using its 25p Digital Cinema mode, and we found the camcorder required 8 lux of light to reach the same levels. We could not test the camcorder's sensitivity using its 50p mode, but we didn't notice any difference between light levels in 50p and 50i when we looked at the footage with our naked eye.

Low Light Colour (8.34)

The HDC-TM700 measured a colour error of 4.17 in our low light test, which is a nearly identical score to last year's HDC-HS300. The shocking part, however, is the fact that the TM700 had a much better saturation level of 74.81%—compared to the HS300's 60.53%. This stronger saturation level really makes the TM700's low light image look a whole lot more pleasing.  (More on how we test low light colour.)

Auto Low Light Colour Performance
Colour Test Chart (above), Colour Error Map (right)
The Panasonic HDC-TM700 produced a colour error of 4.17 and a saturation level of 74.81% in our low light colour testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the colour error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular colour.)

You can see from the images above above that the HDC-TM700 captured a fairly dark picture in low light. The colours, however, still look very strong and vivid. As for colour accuracy, the HDC-TM700's score is decent for a camcorder of its class. We found very little colour accuracy difference between shooting with the HDC-TM700's 25p Digital Cinema mode and shooting 50i or 50p footage. The saturation level was roughly 75% when shooting with the 25p mode and the colour error was 4.15.

Low Light Comparison
Panasonic HDC-TM700	Canon HF S21
Sony HDR-XR520	Panasonic HDC-HS300

Looking at the comparison images above you can see the HDC-TM700 has a brighter image than the Canon HF S21 and its colours are much deeper than what the HS300 produced in our low light testing. The HDR-XR520 also produced a decent low light image, but it had a cooler tone than what we saw from the HDC-TM700.

Low Light Colour Score Comparison		Compare the Panasonic HDC-TM700 to the Canon HF S21
		Compare the Panasonic HDC-TM700 to the Sony HDR-XR520
		Compare the Panasonic HDC-TM700 to the Panasonic HDC-HS300

Low Light Noise (11.27)

The HDC-TM700 performed exceptionally well in our low light noise test—just like the camcorder did in our bright light testing. The camcorder averaged 0.83% noise in low light, which is less than half the amount of noise we measured on the Canon HF S21's image. It is also only slightly more noise than the camcorder measured in our bright light test. Just look at the crops below—it is difficult to see any noise or discoloration in the HDC-TM700's image. Using the TM700's 24p mode in low light enabled the camcorder to capture an image with slightly less noise. We measured 0.715% noise when shooting with the 24p mode in this test. (More on how we test low light noise.)

Noise at 60 lux Auto
Panasonic HDC-TM700 100% Crop	Canon HF S21 100% Crop	Sony HDR-XR520 100% Crop	Panasonic HDC-HS300 100% Crop

Along with producing a relatively noise-free image in low light, the Panasonic HDC-TM700 also retained a very sharp image. You can see the effect of the high noise levels on the Canon HF S21 in the crop above by looking at the specks in the vertical trumpet. The Sony HDR-XR520 also managed a good image in low light, although its noise levels were still significantly higher than the Panasonic HDC-TM700. The HS300 produced a decent picture in low light, but it's image definitely was not as sharp as the HDC-TM700's.

Low Light Noise Score Comparison		Compare the Panasonic HDC-TM700 to the Canon HF S21
		Compare the Panasonic HDC-TM700 to the Sony HDR-XR520
		Compare the Panasonic HDC-TM700 to the Panasonic HDC-HS300