Gold

One of the limitations of the video capability of the Panasonic DMC-TZ7 is the maximum length of the video recording. This is 2 GB or 8 minutes, whichever comes first. Luckily Spandau Ballet Live - Gold @ O2 London 21 Oct 2009 took 7 minutes and 58 seconds!

Don't forget to switch on HD and play the video full screen to see what Tony Hadley is drinking!

True

Youtube accepts the HD videos made with the Panasonic DMC-TZ7. Look at this video below. Please press the HD button, and set the video to full screen to fully enjoy Spandau Ballet Live - True. Video was shot at 1280x720 HD resolution in MOV format.

Close up of a Stingray

I got some nice responses on my photos made with my Aquapac case. So I decided to share with you a video I made with the Panasonic DMC-TZ7 and Aquapac 'camera case with hard lens'.

(Click here for a larger video)





This stingray is a regular visitor of one of the motus on Bora Bora. The nice thing with the Aquapac is that you can put your camera straight into the water (and back out again) without any worries!

The funny mechanical sound you hear on the video  is actually the auto focus mechanism of the camera. Since the camera is inside the bag, the sound of the auto focus is picked up by the microphones.

Through the Barricades

The Panasonic DMC-TZ7 has a terrific video capability. Even in low light the video function performs exceptionally. Auto focus tracking is OK, white balance is spot on. This is a good thing, because there is no manual setting to change this.

Look at this example video of how the Panasonic DMC-TZ7 performs at Spandau Ballet Live - Through the Barricades

My little Aquapac Case Review

Louk35 asked me what my experiences are with the Aquapac case I used to take underwater pictures. So I decided to write my experiences here.

All underwater pictures are on the French Polynesia trip were taken with the Panasonic DMC-TZ7 and the Aquapac 'camera case with hard lens'.

I live in Holland and ordered mine directly from www.aquapac.net.

Picture quality is good because this case has a hard plastic front. I chose this one because the lens of the Panasonic extends when you zoom in. This bag has enough room to accomodate that. The Aquapac web site has a size guide to help you choose which bag to use for your equipment.

Accessing camera controls is easy. You have to crumple the bag a bit to have some free space to wiggle the controls or push buttons.

I had no problems with leaking. When you get the bag they advise to do a 'dry run' - put some tissues in the bag, close it and hold it under water. Then check for wet tissues. My bag passed the test with no problems.

To prevent condensation in the bag you have to put a desiccant sachet in the bag with the camera.

Condensation might occur because of temperature differences between the water and the air inside the case. I saw no condensation when I used the case, and the inside of the bag and the desiccant sachet stayed dry. I ordered some extra ones at www.aquapac.net when I ordered the Aquapac case.

Hints and tips:

• Before taking a picture, wipe the front of the tube dry. Otherwise you will get some strange pictures because there are water drops in front of the lens.
• Make sure the lens is properly centered in the tube of the case. Otherwise the edge of the tube might pop up on your pictures.
  
• Don't dive too deep with the bag. The water pressure will put pressure on the camera. The bag does nothing to prevent this. I only dod some snorkeling, so this is no issue for me.
  
• Don't open the bag while on/near the water. The risk of getting water inside the camera is too great.
• Make sure the seal is fully closed and that there is no sand in the seal. All the plastic bits inside the seals must be properly layed out. No folds or snags of any kind must be present.
  
• When taking pictures under water turn up the brightness of the display. I had trouble looking at the display before I did that.
• The Panasonic DMC-TZ7 has a special 'under water' setting. This reduces the blue and saturates the other colours. It is a plus if your camera supports such a setting. Use the  'under water' setting if available!
• The case is also handy when you want to take pictures in the rain, in a desert, on the beach, next to the swimming pool etc. 

I am very happy with the Aquapac case, and I will certainly use it on more occasions/holidays.

Louk35: Please tell me what your experiences are with the bag. Show us some pictures and good luck!

Only When You Leave

Here is another video from the Spandau Ballet Live concert @ O2 London 21 Oct 2009. The performance was terrific!



Tech note: The video was made from section 405 of the O2 stadium with a Panasonic DMC-TZ7 on a Sandisk Ultra II 8 GB Class 4 SD card. The quality is excellent considering this was taken from such a distance with 12x optical zoom, optical stabilisation and in HD quality 1280x720 pixels. You can see the glasses of water standing in front of the drums.

Spandau Ballet Live Concert at the O2 London 21 October 2009

The live concert of Spandau Ballet was a blast!
Watch the opening number 'Fight for Ourselves' on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9rigBYKtZo or watch it down below.