The Panasonic TM900 Users Thread

[Colin Rowe]

There is a page on the Vimeo site that covers compression settings using most of the popular NLEs

[Tans Mark]

Dear Andy,

Thank you for sharing all these excellent TM900 videos.

I noticed you had used your Canon 7d for filming, too. May I ask you to make a comparsion video of the field of view of Tm900 in wide, also with canon 7d in wide (if you have 17-55 at 17 mm, or 18-55 lens at 18mm), please ?

Thank you.

[Colin Rowe]

How do I activate the Pre Record function, cant find it anywhere in the menu, does something else have to be activated first to allow this to function ?

[Andy Wilkinson]

Tans, sorry - bit too busy (with paid work) to do that but as a quick answer I can tell you now that the resolving power of the 7D in video mode leaves a lot to be desired (I have Canon 10-22mm F3.5 EFS and Canon 17-55 F2.8 EFS). You've read and seen many things concerning moire and aliasing on the Canon's I'm sure....

This does not matter for many things (e.g. when I'm using the 7D on my Steadicam Merlin for action shots) but looks horrible in some applications and in some commercial/technical video work I do it means it's actually unusable. The 7D is a very powerful tool for shallow DOF (depth of field) shots and of course the huge array of glass that can be put on it. The much bigger sensor means it's also much better in low light than a TM900. It's also a pretty decent stills cam. You'll have to chop my arms off to get mine ;-)

The TM900 on 35mm is superb, rivals the 1000 lines resolution of my EX3 in good light, no question.

There is no perfect cam HD cam - which is why I now have 4...and I make sure I fully learn what each is good and bad at ...and then use each in it's sweet spot (most of the time!)

Hope this helps. Maybe someone with more time can post something (or link to something already out there - Roger's tests are probably the nearest).

[Tans Mark]

Andy,

Thank you for your answer. Actually I have canon 7d and 550d (same sensor), and I am thinking about buying a tm900.

As one of the primary place I would like to use this cam is filming at car shows. As you might know there are maximum 1 or 2 meter distance between the cars, and - if they are parking in several lines - 2-3 meter distance beetween their back.

For example: http://www.naborhome.com/images/car_show_park_jpv5.bmp (not my photo)

Last year I had no problem filming between the cars with 17-55 + Canon 7d, but I am afraid that the 30mm (which is a not a 1.6x crop, right ?) of TM900 will not be wide enough for such filming situations.

Thank you.

[Colin Rowe]

Originally Posted by Colin Rowe

How do I activate the Pre Record function, cant find it anywhere in the menu, does something else have to be activated first to allow this to function ?

Found it. Should have looked harder

[Andy Wilkinson]

Page 57-58 of the manual. Accessed by the Up & Down arrows in the side bar menu thing (when you are on the correct bit). Note all things you can accidentally do to disable it (probably why you struggled to find it/get it working Colin!). I've yet to actually use it - 3 seconds is barely long enough (but MUCH better than nothing).

[Andy Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Tans Mark

Andy,

....but I am afraid that the 30mm of TM900 will not be wide enough for such filming situations.

Thank you.

OK now I understand what you were asking and why. There are times when 35mm field of view is just not wide enough (for sure on my TM900 - and I can't easily just step back. I think some of the new Sony's go a little wider (high twenties I think). However, I may get the Panasonic wide angle adapter (its about £150) at some point - forgot the code but its on the Panasonic website with the TM900s under accessories. There are other makes but I've read somewhere that the Panasonic one is much better/sharper, better for zoom through etc. and I think I've seen the odd YouTube comparison video with and without one on etc. (may have been a TM700).

Maybe if someone has direct experience with a wide angle adapter on a TM700 or TM900 they could comment on the Pros and Cons of the options?

EDIT: It's the wider aspect one on the left in the attachment below that I was on about (the 0.7x), i.e. 35 x 0.7 = 24.5mm equivalent view. Should be wide enough for my Steadicam work (and the weight will help if my recent tests are anything to go by too).

EDIT 2: Found that video I was thinking of. Its a SD700 with and without the wide angle conversion lens. Hope this helps you Tans!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pG7Pihx6go

Not the most exciting video but it does show the difference well!

[Colin Rowe]

Originally Posted by Andy Wilkinson

Page 57-58 of the manual. Accessed by the Up & Down arrows in the side bar menu thing (when you are on the correct bit). Note all things you can accidentally do to disable it (probably why you struggled to find it/get it working Colin!). I've yet to actually use it - 3 seconds is barely long enough (but MUCH better than nothing).

Thanks Andy, got it. Seems you have to reset it every time you have recorded a clip, would have been much more usefull if it could be left on permanently

[Roger Shealy]

Originally Posted by Tans Mark

Dear Andy,

I noticed you had used your Canon 7d for filming, too. May I ask you to make a comparsion video of the field of view of Tm900 in wide, also with canon 7d in wide (if you have 17-55 at 17 mm, or 18-55 lens at 18mm), please ?

Thank you.

Tans,

This isn't exactly what you asked for, but here are some comparisons of the 7D and TM900 in wide and close shots. Please note that the digital zooms in post are very extreme and make both platforms look bad - they are zooming probably 20x or more.

TM900 and 7D w/primes footage on Vimeo

[Tans Mark]

Thank you Roger, and thank you Andy.

[Jason McDonald]

Originally Posted by Colin Rowe

There is a page on the Vimeo site that covers compression settings using most of the popular NLEs

From what I found (And I could have read wrong) but Vimeo caps everything at 30 frames per second.

[Colin Rowe]

Thats right, what framerate do you want to use ?????

[Jason McDonald]

With this cam being 60p I would have liked to export it and have it view that way.

[Kirk Candlish]

Originally Posted by Andy Wilkinson

Maybe if someone has direct experience with a wide angle adapter on a TM700 or TM900 they could comment on the Pros and Cons of the options?
!

I have the VW-W46507H X0.7 wide angle adapter.

It's quite sharp. Yes it has some obvious distortion until you start to zoom into it but I've never found that to be a problem. Use it carefully and you can work with it quite effectively.

I own a couple of much pricier SONY 0.7 adapters and this is just as good.