Panasonic HDC-TM700

Still Features (12.71)

Panasonic advertises the HDC-TM700 as being able to capture 14.2-megapixel still photos. While the camcorder can take photos at a 4608 x 3072 resolution, these images aren't really comprised of 14.2 megapixels. The camcorder's total pixel count is just 9.15 megapixels, which means any photo taken with a higher pixel count is interpolated (the image is just made to be a larger size). Still, having a total pixel count of 9.15 megapixels is not too shabby for an HD camcorder, although most point-and-shoot digital cameras have somewhere between a 10 and 12-megapixel capability.

The built-in flash has a variety of settings.		The mode dial lets you switch between photo, video, and playback modes.

So, in reality, the largest non-interpolated images that the HDC-TM700 can capture have a 3600 x 2400 resolution (roughly 8.6 megapixels). The camcorder can take photos in a wide variety of sizes, and it can capture still images in three aspect ratios—4:3, 3:2, and 16:9. In addition to these size options, the camcorder has a built-in flash that has a number of intensity settings as well as red-eye reduction.

You can take photos with the TM700 in video mode, but you have more options when you switch the camcorder over to its dedicated still image mode. One new feature worth noting is the HDC-TM700's Smile Shot setting, which will automatically snap a photo when a person within the frame gives a big smile. This feature is identical to what Sony offers on the HDR-XR520, although Sony allows you to set the smile detection sensitivity. The complete list of the TM700's still features, along with those of its comparison models, is listed in the table below.

Still Colour (13.41)

The HDC-TM700 put up very strong numbers in our still colour test. The camcorder registered a colour error of 2.61 and a saturation level of 100.9%—both of which are better numbers than the TM700 managed in our video testing. Most high-end HD camcorders do really well on this test, though, so the HDC-TM700's performance doesn't stand too far out from the crowd. (More on how we test still colour.)

The still photography colour error map: the length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular colour.

The weakest camcorder in this test was the Canon HF S21, but even its still image colours had above-average accuracy. We like the saturated tones produced by the two Panasonic camcorders, and the Sony HDR-XR520's image looks very similar. While all of these camcorders shown below produced above-average still photos, their images are still not as good as what you'd get with a decent digital camera.

Panasonic HDC-TM700 Still Colour Comparisons
Panasonic HDC-TM700	Canon HF S21
Sony HDR-XR520	Panasonic HDC-HS300

Still 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

Still Noise (4.85)

The HDC-TM700 wasn't fantastic in our still noise test, but it's results weren't too bad either. The camcorder averaged 0.81% noise in this test, which is roughly the same amount of noise we measured on the Sony HDR-XR520 and Panasonic HDC-HS300. The Canon HF S21 was the worst performer in this test, coming in with around 1.07% noise. (More on how we test still noise.)

Still 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

Still Sharpness (3.24)

The HDC-TM700 ultimately disappointed in our still sharpness test. At best, the camcorder earned a horizontal sharpness of 1749 lw/ph with 3% oversharpening. The corresponding vertical sharpness was even lower on the HDC-TM700, coming in at 917 lw/ph with 20.8% undersharpening. These aren't good results compared to what the Canon HF S21 was capable of, and they show no improvement over last years HDC-HS300 (the HS300 actually scored a little higher than the TM700). (More on how we test still sharpness.)

Still Sharpness 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