The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread

[Colin Rowe]

Tom. The BLC can be toggled on / off in the menu, you say you can only access it via the remote!! It is obviously only available in auto mode or when you have the camera in floating iris mode

[Peter Riding]

Tom, the Backlight Compensation function is available to me in both auto and in manual modes. Its within the Record Setup Menu.

No need to use the Remote Control.

As Colin says, it is not available when you set the Iris manually - it is greyed out - but it is not greyed out when you set the shutter speed manually and shows as ON if indeed that is what you have set it to be; however it does not appear to function if you have set the shutter speed manually.

It is a sticky setting between manual and auto so long as you don't turn off the cam, in which case it of course reverts to OFF. Therefore it would be a good choice if you have set your cam to the various manual exposure settings for a given scenario and then suddenly the shooting conditions change and you do not have time to readjust ..... just switch the cam to auto. that might happen for example if you are shooting a bride and groom entering a function room for their wedding breakfast and they take a different route to their table from that which you were expecting.

Pete

[Andy Wilkinson]

I've just returned from spending the best part of a month on a family holiday in my wife's native Mauritius. This time we stayed in 3 hotels: Le Mauricia in Grand Bay (as it is near where one of my wife's brothers lives); then Sugar Beach; and then The Hilton, both in Flic-en-Flac.

I agonised for some time as to which cams I would take from my collection (the EX3 was always out for size/weight/attention attracting reasons) but I was very close to taking the Canon 7D and a few selected lenses but was worried about weight, potential overheating and the fact that I have only two 16GB CF cards for video storage (and did not want to buy many more) and I did not want to take my MBP to off-load footage.

In the end I took the tiny TM900 as the "main cam" with the Kodak Zx5 waterproof cam for the kids to use during watersports/snorkling/fun in the pool and sea etc. I have lots and lots of 16GB SDHC cards. My wife had the Nikon P6000 for stills and both the kids took there point and shoot stills cams.

I also took my Rode Videomic Pro, its deadcat and the Rycote extension bar and a 46mm Polarising filter for occasional use in specific circumstances and the Jobi Gorillapod for any static timelapse/sunsets type stuff. I had 1 big and 1 small battery for the TM900 with me - more on that later.

Both cams got used very extensively. In fact, almost as soon as we'd landed we met one of my wife's sisters who had just arrived from Toronto and she asked me to video her School Reunion in Port Louis the day after. There were going to be 55 women there, some having returned to Mauritius from all over the World specifically for this event. She told me I'd be one of only 2 blokes - the other running the disco and karaoke! How could I say no.... I would have liked a bit more notice(!) but to sweeten it further she offered several weeks free supply of Phoenix Beer (at the horrendous hotel prices) to "seal the deal" - since she was also staying in the same hotels with us anyway.

The TM900 suited the mostly run and gun shooting I needed to capture family events (as well as that school reunion) and my kids having fun doing things like waterski-ing, watching dolphins etc. I used it almost exclusively with 1080p50 at 28Mbps, in manual mode (but with auto iris and auto focus). I needed to have the picture adjust settings for exposure dialed down to -3 or -4, occassionally -5 in the strong sunlight, sometimes just -1 or -2 in the shade but soon became very fast at adjusting this on the fly. Shutter speeds were almost always locked, either at 1/100 or 1/50 depending on shot (i.e. if I think I'll slow it down in post). Back light compensation also got used now and again in the way described in this thread immediately above. The 20x intelligent zoom, in combination with the highly effective image stabilisation was brilliant since 95% of what I was shooting needed to be hand-held. The viewfinder got useda lot in such bright conditions too. The "instant on" function was also terrific.

The only time I used 1080p25 HA video (i.e. more normal AVCHD at 17Mbps) was with timelapse stuff and the School Reunion (since it was an all day event). I was worried about using a huge chunk of my available SDHC memory (as well as battery longevity) but in the end I managed to do it with both the batteries (easily) by simply using every opportunity (i.e. when there was a few minutes lull in the proceedings) to top up charge. Remember, the TM900 needs to be switched off to charge the battery on the camera (unless you buy an external charger) - one unfortunate change over the older TM700. Anyway, my 2 batteries got me through the day no problem in the end.

I also greatly enjoyed the (very easy to use) in-camera editing/trimming of clips function to make the most efficient use of my available memory capacity during the trip. The good, sharp and clear viewfinder (albeit oversaturated) and simple touch screen operation made this a joy to do sitting in the shade by the pool with my free beers! For example, I got that school reunion down to a mere 16GB of the best bits that I'll use for further edit selections to make their film. In all I have just under 100GB of video from this trip. Well, I've just quickly viewed some of the footage on my big monitors now I'm back and I have to say I'm absolutely delighted! Most of the time I got the exposure right (the zebras and the histogram being essential here) and in the times when I needed manual focus the blue peaking worked a treat for nailing it.

It's mostly personal/family stuff but I'm sure a few selected bits will appear on the web in due course - so watch this space!

Bottom line, the TM900 really "delivered" as a small, light, highly flexible, reliable run-n-gun and travel cam offering stunning image quality. During my intensive use it acquired a few minor (cosmetic) case scratches - I used it every day out in boats, on the beach etc. being very careful when around sand and salt water/wiping it down lightly every night etc. but those scratches will just remind me of all the great things it captured for a few years to come.

It worked flawlessly. So glad I have it and took it!

[Peter Phelan]

Thanks for the update on all this Andy. And nice to hear the camera performed well on what was obviously an enjoyable trip. As you say, it's a question of "horses for courses" when selecting the best tool for any particular shoot or occasion.

Peter

[Kevin Janisch]

Has anybody done a comparison of the TM900 and the SD90? Half the price, wider lens, 40x intelligent zoom (21x optical), single cmos.

[Colin Rowe]

Way lower spec than 900 series. Google it, all the information is out there

[Kevin Janisch]

Thanks Colin. I've seen the surface level specs but looking for the major advantages of the TM900 over the SD90. I can't find any direct comparisons of actual footage. I've read the SD90 is noisier in low light but not by as much as you would think. I'm just wondering how big the gap is in image quality and usability. The SD90 is wider than my HV40 with a .6 Raynox WA converter when I borrowed my brothers SD90. This alone blew me away. And 21x optical (40 ia) is just remarkable. I'm just wondering how much better the 3mos is than the the single and if it warrants double the money. Onboard memory doesn't matter to me. Both have 1080 60p. So it basically comes down to how much better the image quality is for double the money as having that type of range on the lens is pretty remarkable as far as the SD90 goes. My last family camera was a GS300 (one of the few 3ccd consumer camcorders in it's day) but haven't touched it since my HV40. Many thanks.

Kevin

[Barry Sampson]

Hi all,

I'm trying to connect my HS900 to view/edit footage but the software is not seeing it. I'm using WinDoze 7 in a parallels environment on my Mac and the bundled HD Writer software.

I'm connecting the camera, powered by mains, plugging in the USB, and when I chose "connect to PC" the HD & SD card show up in WinDoze explorer as expected. According to the manual, the wizard should automatically open when I connect but doesn't. Neither does it show up in the HD Writer window when I select "Media playback". According to Panasonic, the camera is successfully connected if it shows in explorer so I'm confused!

Help welcomed :0)

Thanks

Barry

[Colin Rowe]

Dont know a thing about Mac's Barry, could be your set up. Try putting the card in a card reader and see what happens. Saves on the hassle of conneting the camera every time as well.
I think you may have to convert te clips or playback on a Mac, check this out http://www.panasonic-video-converter...-video-on-mac/
Are you using FCP ? If so this cant import the Pannies MTS files, they will need converting to ProRes
Seems the same applies to i movie. http://prores-aic-converter.com/?tag...c-tm900-to-aic

[Kevin Janisch]

Conventionally, it's been said to turn off all OIS when doing steadicam work. Does this still hold true with the latest OIS technology on the TM900?

[Bill Grant]

Got my TM900 tonight! Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll be using it for my wedding tomorrow along with my HMC-150, 5Dmkii and 60D. Tapeless goodness! I apparently bought a spare of the stock battery and not an extended one Can someone recommend an extended battery and how long should I expect the battery to last. VERY impressed so far.
BIll

[Andy Wilkinson]

Little battery lasts about 1hr, maybe 75 minutes continuous use. Note that you may not get maximum battery life until the battery has been conditioned a few times (fully charge, almost fully drain, then fully charge etc.).

My (genuine Panny) big one is closer to 3 hrs. However I've "survived" all day with the little battery and "instant on" enabled for doing lots of impromptu shots on a recent holiday where the TM900 "lived constantly" in my palm - almost every day - so it really depends how you use it. I also managed to film a recent all day event (in Mauritius - mentioned above) with just one big and one small battery and frequent charging when there was a lull in the proceedings. Not ideal but it worked out OK. If the camera is locked off on a tripod, then of course try and use AC power too (if available - although that will not charge the battery when the TM900 is actually turned on).

[Bill Grant]

I recorded the moon last night for about an hour continuous and it still showed 26 mins on the lcd. That was with LCD open. So I think it'll do for now. The big battery looks to be $125. I'll see after the wedding today.

Here's a clip...

Panasonic Tm900 Test on Vimeo

[Colin Rowe]

Bill.
I have used my TM900 on several weddings. I have 2 of the standard batteries. Battery 1 does the arrival service and photoshoot. Battery 2 does the reception and greeting line, still about an hour of use left in it.
During the meal both batteries are charged, leaving ample power for the, speeches, cake cutting, first dance etc, etc.

[Bill Grant]

Thanks Colin. I'm thinking of setting up the TM900 as a wide on the first dance tonight just for kicks. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.
Bill