PMW-300 owners - opinions needed

[Andrew Smith]

I've only done some opportunistic shots at the end of a jetty in South Australia. Amazing clarity from this camera.

Here's some of the footage. I think the focus was on auto. Mainly me goofing around to see what shots I could get. Below video is in HD for your viewing pleasure.

Thinking of taking the camera on a whale watching expedition one day.

Andrew

Fishing in SA - YouTube

[Paul Cronin]

Agree the camera takes very nice crisp, clear pictures.

[Jack Zhang]

Originally Posted by Brian Murphy

I bought two of these batteries a few months ago. They work fine and are less expensive than the Sony equal. I have however found that the camera's battery meter is not accurate when using them and that my camera seems to churn through a battery very quickly compared to other full camcorders I have used. I wish someone including Sony would bring out a V-Lock adapter. I have a V-lock plate on my rig for my Zylight and other accessories, just wish I could power the camera.
I bought my batteries from Dolgin Engineering a reputable supplier.
Brian

That must be the SWIT batteries from China that don't require the pigtail.

V-lock going to the DC IN is required to be regulated to 12V to work with the PMW-300. If it's taken direct from the battery leads, it will complain about overvoltage.

[Paul Cronin]

I have my DM plate voltage set at 11.5 volts but the camera still shuts it down at 12 volts.

[Jack Zhang]

Yeah, it has to be constantly regulated at 12V. This means you have to trust your plate's or your V-mount battery's meter. Your plate has to be able to regulate the voltage to 12V constant.

[Paul Cronin]

Shame Sony won't let us go down to 11.5 like most eng cameras I have used over the years.

[Jack Zhang]

They used to for the models previous to the 300, supporting custom cut-off voltages. Sony just expects the DC IN to be from a wall outlet and a constant 12V now. Raw leads won't work anymore.

What's worse is that it's a software lock. The camera is electrically still able to take 10.5-17V, but the software locks out voltages higher than 12V from the DC IN. If it's from a genuine (or coded SWIT) BP-U battery, it still allows voltages higher than the DC IN.