Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Interesting, the results are quite good for these little cameras, especially that they were positioned behind the audience, quite a distance from the stage.
Theater, stage productions are hard to shoot because of the lighting (changing colors, hot spots etc.) and sound - big area to cover with many sound sources (actors). Rule #1 in sound - get as close to the sound source as possible. In this case, a double sound system seems necessary - a couple of cardioid (or directional) mics positioned right in front of the stage recording to a separate digital recorder.
Also, if there was a dress rehearsal - that's an opportunity to get variety of medium and closeup shots that can be later inserted in editing.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Good info, I could not imagine using a external digital recorder then trying to keep a seperate audio track in sync with other video/audio tracks. Lip sync is important and when it is off, everyone knows. Can you suggest a microphone for these panasonic cameras. Be aware, often I do have oppportunity to get inputs from the sound board in auditoriums, but sometimes the input comes from an improper source. I once had inputs, and it came from some cordless microphones that were used on stage. With those, I could not hear the orchestra in the pit, only people singing into them. Another time I could not get ambient, and everything sounded flat. When using inputs from soundboards, I cannot use the AC adapter, because noise is introduced into the audio track, and I must run off battery power. Even with an extended battery, I fear running out of power. Then, anytime I do use a line input, audio is converted to stereo, sometimes mono depending on the soundboard settings. Always tradeoffs.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Clayton, I thought I'd report that I did pick up the AC90 a few days ago, and will be shooting about 12 hockey games with it this week. Thanks again for the tip.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Greg,
as you are getting decent images in your stage video recordings, the same should be done with the sound.
The in-camera audio should be used only as a reference for syncing other audio tracks you'll have from external recorder.
A good start would be a Zoom H4n digital recorder with Rode NTG-2 shotgun, and Audio-Technica AT2020 (or AT2035) cardioid mic. (Use phantom power from Zoom H4n to power those mics.)
With some experimenting you'll find out what works best in different types of shooting you do (stage, soloist, piano etc.)

There is some good sound recording advice here:

https://sites.google.com/site/iconta...ound-recording

with more links at the bottom there.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Oh hey, I cant wait to get your observations as well as see some samples:-)

GH3 Movie reviews
 

I found this GH3 Movie review in 7 parts on vimeo.

Nick Driftwood’s Videos on Vimeo

Time to upgrade to the X900?
 

Unbelievable - the - temporarily out of stock, but you can reserve one at this price - which is less than a !

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

Re: GH3 Movie reviews
 

Part 7 is a little profane - but hilarious!

(this post should probably be in the Lumix GF/GH section of the forum, though :))

Cheers,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

I wonder .........
 

Yet one more network wedding video.

Broadcast TV might shift things again. Maybe, in time. The ABC network broadcasts a wedding - http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelorett ... 29/1050635

The visual beauty of this stuff is not cinematic, not narrative like a small movie, but just a straight from start to finnish shoot with vibrant color all lit up and super sharp HD images.

It will be interesting to see how long the "wedding" DSLR craze will last if the networks pump up this stuff.

It looks pretty standard HDTV, shot with, Im guessing, SONY XDCAM, 50 Mbs. 4.2.2. My guess is ratings will be HUGE. Shots are all standard, HD Video Depth of field largely deep.
Expect when they have those fat broadcast lenses on telephoto of course.
Frame rate looks standard broadcast.

It will be interesting to see if, over time, networks get on the band wagon with this stuff, brides start to ask can you do a video like that.
In which case Standard video camera shoots for wedding will be back in vogue….but using some of the new lighting technologies and newer improved but affordable video cameras.

Just wondering

Re: Time to upgrade to the X900?
 

Yes; just grabbed one at B&H in NYC for $599. Very pleased so far.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

We might need to start a new thread just for the X900.

B&H lists two models, the X900M and X900K with a $100 price difference.

What sets these two models apart? (edit:) D'oh, search is my friend. The K model is card slot only; the M models is card slot plus 32GB built-in flash memory.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Chris,

I think after 800 odd posts and over 130,000 views on this thread it would be a good idea to split out the newer X900 etc. in a new thread. I tried to help people find their way around with some indexing posts now and again but that's not the perfect answer.

However, bear in mind that CES is only a few weeks away and Panny, if they follow past performance, are very likely to announce a successor to the X900 series.

I suspect we'll see some new comparison threads soon!

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Hi Chris and hi Andy,

I have a TM 900 and an X900. They are so similar why not make a 900 series section?

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Agree w/ Alastair that we need a dedicated 900 forum.

Agree w/ Andy that it's probably a good idea to wait and see what Panny shows at CES.

Thanks!

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

I am for that too,
TM900 users can still exchange experience as long as they exist, as well as learn about newer 900 cameras

Thanks,

Adrian

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Advice on HD Writer AE 3.0 Moving files

Excuse me if this is not the correct thread for this question, but i figured the people with most experience using the TM900 with HD Writer would be here.

I brought my HDC TM900 on holidays and used the HD Writer AE 3.0 software to copy the files from the camera onto my laptop. HD Writer runs fine on the laptop and i can see all the video files as normal.

On returning home, i copied all the files from my laptop (left folders and file names the same) into my PC using Explorer.

I normally run HD Writer AE 3.0 on my PC, and simply copied the files from the laptop into the folder used by HD Writer.

When i use the HD Writer s/w on my PC, i now see all the folders with dates before the holiday as usual. Each folder has a number of clips in it taken that day.

I also see the new folders that i copied in with the dates as the folder name. However these folders are greyed out (with (0) number of clips in each), and i can't select them.

Any advice?

Best Wishes,
Dave

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Dave, I think you need to register those folders to enable them, see page 46 of HD Writer AE 3.0. I believe this is because you would normally register a foilder before you add the TM900 clips and I think the software stores this somewhere on your C drive. That is probably what you are missing up to now.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

I agree on splitting, but as someone who frequents other forums all over the place for years, having ONE THREAD for the lifetime of a particular camera strikes me as really odd. No matter how good one is with an advanced search engine on the content of posts, is it really productive to have x00 posts all with the title "ABC Camera User Thread". I mean yeah, make a 'sticky' post with go-to-info and FAQ info, update that some...but one thread on a camera? Really?? Check out DPreview <dot> com (owned by Amazon now)....if you go to the Panasonic Forum there, you find 100s of posts on the LX7 and 100s on the LX5- like "Focus Question on LX7" and "Accessory Suggestions Wanted for LX5"....isn't that a little more usable?

I am happy to have my HC-X900M to shoot around the holidays....I'm excited to discuss it and exchange info, but I'm disappointed to find the best plan offered is that it might be a good idea to have 'A THREAD' to discuss it. I mean how easily is one thread 'hijacked' or sucked into one topic about a feature or shortcoming....I'd love to see multiple threads on cameras.

My 2 cents....Happy Holidays all.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Of course it is not productive, and I think it was discussed before. I wish we had "exposure settings" thread and "sound settings" or "microphones" threads etc. But we don't, and I don't know if existing msgs can be reorganized "post factum".
Separate threads for different cameras - OK, but TM900 and X900 aren't that different.

Best Wishes,
Adrian

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Hi Claire,
Thanks for that. Just in case it helps someone else, I will list what I tried and didn't work, and the solution that did.

Firstly I copied all the folders from the laptop which had been created by HD Writer AE 3.0 into the same directory on my PC where all my usual HD Writer folders were.

As this folder was already registered, i could not register it again. So i deleted it, and 'added' it again. This did not work.

Then I created a new directory on the PC, outside the usual HD Writer folders, and moved all the folders from the laptop into this separate directory.

Then from HD Writer, I registered this folder. It asked if I wanted to rename the owner of the files, and it worked fine.

Best Wishes,
Dave

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

I suppose taking your laptop meant you didn't need to buy a boat load of memory cards like me when I first took my TM900 on a long trip. Good info Dave, sure it will help others in the same position.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Can someone please confirm whether or not either or BOTH the 900k and 900m come with printed manuals OR you need to print the manual from the enclosed CD?

thanks,
Walt

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

My TM900k came with a printed manual.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Thanks, Adrian.

Deal is over 12/30....one day early.
Price back up to $749.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Bear in mind that you can download a PDF manual and put it on an android / iphone / ipad / kindle etc and then always have it readily to hand.

I've done that for all my various manuals.

Pete

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Just a note, I'm not about to lock this thread or anything, but please make sure that any further additions to this discussion are actually about the TM900 itself (now long since discontinued). If I can find the time, I'll try to peel out all of the X900 posts and put them into their own topic, and perhaps the time is right for a forum dedicated to these little cams. For now though, please, if it ain't about the old TM900, then choose another thread or start a new one -- thanks a bunch for understanding!

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Hey, when you guys are shooting with the TM900 (and probably the other newer models...) and you have locked down several variables in manual, say white balance and shutter, and then you want to return one or more variables back to automatic - what's the best way you've found to do that and interupt shooting the least?

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Can I take issue with Chris. Since the XM 900 and, from first reports at CES, the XM 920, have fundamentally the same features, I would endorse keeping all this invaluable information on the practical usage of these great camcorders together on the same thread. Although the Panasonic AG-AC90 uses the same chip configuration and processing, I would not add it to this thread, as the control and operation of this camcorder are quite different.

Incidentally, I recently did a professional shoot using a Canon XF305 for the close-ups and my TM 900 as a cover wide shot. Other than a slight colour tweak in post, the cameras matched very well even though one cost ten times as much as the other.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

I too pair my tiny SD900 with my Sony NX5 on professional shoots and often the 900 outperforms the seven times more expensive Sony. To be fair the 900 shoots native 1920x1080 whereas the NX5 is shooting about half that in its quest to get better low-light performance, and generally I'm handholding the NX5 with megaOIS turned on, losing me even more resolution.

tom.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

I have also. If it is well lit, it's not a bad b cam.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

We use the TM900 with 7D all the time. Sometimes the hues are a little different and hard to match perfectly, but they work together great.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Trimming long MTS clips before storage: -

I have an interest in natural history and use an EX3 and/or a Panasonic TM 900 to obtain my material. As my subject matter can be unpredictable my takes are often very long and need trimming before being added to a library of sorts. Sony provide ‘Content Browser’ that makes selecting desired sections from a long EX3 take very quick and very easy.

Is there a similar program with which I could do the same for my Panasonics MTS files?

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

The HD Writer software which came with your TM900 can do this.

You do need all the original files that the TM900 created though in order for HD Writer to deal with it.

It is very straightforward to trim off the start and the end - see the help files. If you want to make multiple cuts part way through and have each as a separate file I think you will have to run it through the process several times though.

It is all non-destructive, does not involve rendering, and is quick.

Pete

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Thanks Pete,

Sounds good but when I read up on HD writerI got the impression it was Windows based only and I am on an iMac. I will investigate using HD writer with Bootcamp.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

AlastaIr you might find that the internal trimming function in the camcorder itself would suit your purpose. The function is not particularly well documented in the manual but I have found it intuitively easy to use. I have been cutting off long leads into action by dividing the original clip into two separate clips and then deleting the unwanted section. This saves memory on the recording card and cuts copying time into the editing system.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Thanks Guy,

I have used the camera's edit function to eliminate unwanted material and it is a handy feature to have. However in a long natural project I tend to accumulate a lot of similar material and it is not easy to pick the most important clips on the small screen.

I had a look at HDWriter but did not like idea of its apparent inability to import a clip more than once. At the moment I am using Edius for trim and sub-clips and it looking promising.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Hi there, i'm using TM900 for 2 years and i'm very happy with this camera. Made hundreds of videos. The only problem is - the microphone. Need help from pro's. Which mic system should i use to shot 3-4 people in studio? Sunheiser does not fit TM 900.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

If you want to use on camera omni microphone the Audio-Technica Pro-24CM is a good choice.

Adrian

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

Well i need to record a conversation between 3 or 4 people with high quality sound. I need separate mics.

Re: The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread
 

In this case you'll need a mixer (i.e. Sound Device 302) and wired lavalier mics. If the conversation takes place around a table it is possible to use 1 or 2 boundary mics.