The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread

[Peter Riding]

Do you have a link Mark? Did you get a separate charger as well or will you be charging it onboard the cam?

Pete

[Mark Evans]

No separate charger yet Pete. Link is here: happytopstar2009 | eBay

Makes the camera a bit bigger and heavier but I think that sometimes heavier is better for handling.

Mark

[Anmol Mishra]

Has anyone tried using the Tm900 with a Hyperdeck Shuttle (or the Atomos Ninja) ? The 50p HDMI output will probably not even be detected, however I'm curious to see if the HDMI output is uncompressed 1080p 4:2:2

[Tom Hardwick]

I've just bought this battery for the 900 - even cheaper.
Show Product

[Roger Shealy]

I recently invested in a "Pico Flex" skate dolly which works great with the TM900. I think this belongs in everyone's tool box for $75 + about $25 for each magic arm you get. Inexpensive way to add some motion to your shots. I'm looking at making an inexpensive shelf system to span two tripods to simulate a rail. Be sure and pick up a few ball heads for heavy cameras or to mount camera or lights very low. A camera mounting plate is also handy if you want to avoid screwing the camera into a fixed thread each time.

Here's my first test (using a t2i) to test it right out of the box. Unbelievably great for an iPhone with a cool little clip that is provided.

20120216 Pico Skate Dolly Test on Vimeo

Can't wait to shoot something serious with this thing!

[Peter Riding]

Mark, Tom, I'm sure we'd all like to hear how these batteries bear up. For example I researched a few but was put off by some reports of loose fits which may lead to the cam powering off.

Anmol, the Hyperdeck has not got a great review on the respected Luminous Landscape site:

Hyperdeck Shuttle Review

Pete

[Roger Shealy]

Peter,

It's interesting how many people in the GH2 camp are so excited about increasing the data rate from 24 to much higher. A friend of mine has done some comparisons and didn't see much of a diffference, but a lot more hassle with reduced record times and increased file sizes.

So why are folks so excited about increasing the data rates? Conventional wisdom is "more data is better". Is this an issue on big screen viewing only, or is modern compression so good the higher bit rates are barely detectable?

[Mark Rook]

My first post on here for quite a while.

I've purchased a TM900 after coming from a Canon XHA1. As I wasn't shooting much video (I'm mainly a still photographer) I decided to sell. Well, a couple of years later I decided I wanted to get back into shooting video so thought (after reading a lot about it) I'd go for the Panasonic. So far I'm really pleased. The IQ is superb (a match for my old Canon) but I'm a little confused on a couple of areas......

For starters, I've had to move over to Premiere Pro as my Sony Vegas Pro isn't supported by my new Mac platform. Shooting in 1080/50P is also a new thing for me. My vids are for PC/Mac playback and I always saved to wmv. It now seems that H.264 is the way to go unless I purchase a wmv codec thingy for the Mac.

My first question (stick with me).....

The footage is shot in 50P so I take it there should be no field order or deinterlacing. When I save the video I find I get smoother footage when I set the field order to 'lower' at 50fps (in the H.264 codec settings). Now, if I right click on the timeline video and change the Field Options from 'None' to 'Always Deinterlace' then save the video but with 60fps and progressive I get smoother footage and a sharper picture. Can anyone explain this to me?

I still have a few other questions regarding Camera settings but wanted to clear this one up first.

Cheers,

Mark

[Dennis Freeman]

With respect to an external charger. I purchased one at BestBatt which seems to work very well both from an automobile charger or AC. It can be found at
Batteries and Battery Chargers - Laptop Batteries, Digital Camera Batteries, Camcorder Batteries, Data Cables, Power Adapters - BestBatt.com

For $16 US it is a good buy
Denny

[Adrian Lepki]

Originally Posted by Roger Shealy

I recently invested in a "Pico Flex" skate dolly which works great with the TM900. I think this belongs in everyone's tool box for $75 + about $25 for each magic arm you get. Inexpensive way to add some motion to your shots. I'm looking at making an inexpensive shelf system to span two tripods to simulate a rail.

Hi Roger,

this is quite interesting. I am also thinking of some kind of an adjustable shelf to support a Hague Mini Table Dolly I've purchased recently. My goal is to make it as portable as possible - so I am thinking of using light stands instead of tripods for support on both ends.
__________________
Adrian

Hague Mini Table Dolly MTD - YouTube

[Tom Hardwick]

The aftermarket battery is not such a tight fit as the standard smaller battery Pete (the bayonet lugs have sloppier tolerances I expect), but it still clips into place and can't go anywhere and can't lose electrical contact. I simply added a strip of tape to the battery and to the top of the camera's housing and now there's not the slightest wobble. Just feels nicer, doesn't work any better.

[Roger Shealy]

Originally Posted by Adrian Lepki

Hi Roger,

this is quite interesting. I am also thinking of some kind of an adjustable shelf to support a Hague Mini Table Dolly I've purchased recently. My goal is to make it as portable as possible - so I am thinking of using light stands instead of tripods for support on both ends.
__________________
Adrian

Hague Mini Table Dolly MTD - YouTube

Adrian,

Looks like we're on the same mission. I was thinking of using a piece of laminated shelving, and support it with a 1x2 across its length and embed a 1/4-20 insert on either end to attach to a tripod at each end. A lightstand might work, but I think you'll need some type of platform to reduce the wobble from front to back if you plan on manipulating the camera or using a head on the dolly. Let me know what you come up with.

[Anmol Mishra]

Hi Pete. The compression on the FS100 is excellent. However, I am using an old HV30, and believe me, the difference is huge. High-end cameras do have optimized compression techniques, but the real advantage lies with consumer cameras.

Originally Posted by Peter Riding

Mark, Tom, I'm sure we'd all like to hear how these batteries bear up. For example I researched a few but was put off by some reports of loose fits which may lead to the cam powering off.

Anmol, the Hyperdeck has not got a great review on the respected Luminous Landscape site:

Hyperdeck Shuttle Review

Pete

[Adrian Lepki]

Originally Posted by Roger Shealy

I was thinking of using a piece of laminated shelving, and support it with a 1x2 across its length and embed a 1/4-20 insert on either end to attach to a tripod at each end. A lightstand might work, but I think you'll need some type of platform to reduce the wobble from front to back if you plan on manipulating the camera or using a head on the dolly. Let me know what you come up with.

I am thinking of using two L-shaped profiles side by side to form rails for the dolly's narrow wheels:

V=====V

This would prevent the dolly from rolling of the contraption. I'll post any future developments.

[Mike Hinkel]

Trying to be as portable as I can I am looking for a good lightweight tripod and pan head for my TM900. Also need a suggestion for a good video light. Any advice is appreciated.