AVCHD vs HD-JPG advice for new ZS3 owner.

Hello,

I have purchased a ZS3 for use as a walk around and holiday camera when I do not want to carry my Oly E3 kit. I also intend to use the video features and would like to capture the highest quality so that it can be used for a variety of purposes. It appears to me that I should be using the AVCHD SH mode because I can get a whole hour on an 8 Gb card as apposed to 33 minutes of Jpeg HD. I use a macbook and can import both file types using iMovie.

Do I loose any IQ by choosing AVCHD, apparently the sound will be optimum with AVCHD.

--
Bluenose2

Of course you lose IQ, you lose it with every compressed format...the question is:do you notice it? While AVCHD is heavily compressed GOP format (MJPEG is too but in another way), it's workings are made specifically for motion video, and complexity of it's algorithms is rather high thus what may seem like not that great a bitrate (17 mbps) actually is very good especially at the "lower" of the two HD flavours: 720p...what's more, since it's "just" 720p and it runs at "just" 30fps (contrary to what Panasonic may have made you believe i.e. that it runs at 60 p - it does not, it's just wrapped into 60p format), you may do as well using the H setting (13mbps) if you dont use a lot of panning and sudden fast motions with the camera...try recording in boith flavours and judje for yourself whether the H mode is enough and you can save even more space on yopur SDHC card...

Thank you for your response. I should perhaps have formed my question as: Do I lose more with AVCHd or with HD-Jpg.
--
Bluenose2

.

AVCHD gives slightly better (but still better anyway) video than Motion JPEG in the ZS3 ( TZ7 ) besides about double the duration for a given card size so assuming you can handle it, it's certainly the way to go.

Remember to get a fast, reliable Class 6 or faster card, 16 Gb would be ideal.

-
See my Lumix ZS3 (TZ7) pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirepapa/

.

A Class 4 card (in my case - a PNY) runs very happily with both AVCHD and MJPEG recordings...

I got a class 10 16gb for $50 at Newegg.com