OTHER: My PX270 Experience...

Bassman2003 said:
Batteries...That is strange that time remaning is not shown? That is going pretty far back in camera developent time. Hopfully if we yell a lot this can be upgraded via firmware.
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It's because it's using the old batteries -- batteries from the DVX, HVX, HPX170 and HPX250 don't have the circuitry in them to give a readout of the remaining time. That feature was introduced on the HMC150, but then people screamed because Panasonic changed their battery design. Well, yeah, because the old battery design didn't offer the chip that let it know the minute-to-minute readout... but on the AC90 and now the PX270, they're using the older style batteries. So, no readout.

They did introduce a new battery that has a power graph right on the battery itself, like my Swit batteries for the AF100. It's very nice, but pricey.
 
Barry_Green said:
They did introduce a new battery that has a power graph right on the battery itself, like my Swit batteries for the AF100. It's very nice, but pricey.
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I'll take the time remaining readout on the screen any day of the week. The power graph on the battery is nice for checking which one's are charged, etc. BEFORE you shoot, but once you're actually on the run and start rolling they're not much help and that, to me, is the more important time.
 
So the HMC-150 has a more advanced battery than the HPX-250 and the PX-270? Then why can't one use the HMC-150 batteries to get a readout on the PX-270? Or can we? Seems like the years are all mixed up.
 
The Irish TRex said:
I'll take the time remaining readout on the screen any day of the week. The power graph on the battery is nice for checking which one's are charged, etc. BEFORE you shoot, but once you're actually on the run and start rolling they're not much help and that, to me, is the more important time.
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Oh, I absolutely agree. I don't get why they're using the old batteries on new cameras. Blew me away when the AC90 used the old battery. I prefer the new batteries in all ways.
 
OEM batteries often offer more functionality than the third party batteries like Pearstone or Watson but if the Panasonic batteries only show the progress bar I see no reason to buy the 3x expensive OEM versions.
 
My guess is they kept the old battery because a primary purchaser of this camera in bulk will be small local broadcast news outfits - customers that often (and still) run the HVX200 and/or HPX170, may be inclined to upgrade, and still have loads of D54 batteries.

Of our two local news stations, one runs HVX/HPX and the other runs AC160's. My guess is that stations running AC's got them recently enough that they won't be inclined to upgrade anytime soon (the example local station was running SPC700's with exclusively 4GB P2 cards up until shortly after the AC160 was introduced). Local broadcast is a big buyer, but they're still awfully cheap and try get the most life out of whatever they buy.

Being an HMC/AF owner, yeah, I'd rather Panny settled on the newer batteries.
 
mcbob said:
There's an updated D54-style battery (VBD58) that might incorporate some of the "time remaining" and similar features - Panasonic's site says it's compatible with AC8 and PX270 only.

http://business.panasonic.co.uk/professional-camera/node/70409
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I think that's the battery that comes with it. It has a battery level indicator on the outside (4 led lights and a "check" button) and yes, it does last longer than the D54's which is nice. But it does not have the time remaining feature on the LCD/EVF that is so useful. Unless this is a different model than what comes with the camera. The battery I have with the camera is VW-VBD58 with know "E-K" at the end, but I'm guessing it's the same thing. Got another Wedding this weekend so I'm gonna rent even more batteries. And maybe an extra 32gb or 64gb card or two just to be safe.
 
Speaking of batteries, the power consumption for the PX-270 is off the charts for a 1/3" camcorder - 19.5 Watts. The AC-160 consumes 11.5 Watts and the XF300 consumes 7.8 Watts. Panasonic batteries have ~40 Watt/Hours which will barely get you 2 hours. This camera has a bit of a battery power issue imho. I want at least 3 hours in a battery and 5 is preferred. 2 hours is very limiting and in my mind trending towards consumer design. Panasonic should know better for pro people who cover live events... Hit a power consumption target or offer larger battery capacity.
 
This does sort of backup what i read previously where Panasonic said they had taken the innards from the AJ-PX5000 and put it in the PX270. 29Watts for the PX5000 body only vs 19.5Watts for the PX270 using LCD. Of course on the PX5000 you'll normaly be using 90Watt batteries at least, I'm not sure what the 270 uses.. Does anyone make bigger batteries for the 270 ?
 
I am wondering if there can be a "low power mode" that could be turned on? This camera has so much stuff, if you just want to shoot can some of the features be turned off to lower the power draw? I think Barry is our only hope to know these things. After a couple calls to Panasonic support and getting "what model number again" and "oh yeah, that's the new one..." I don't expect many answers.
 
Realistically the PX5000 draws about ~40 to 45 w total. Has to add the optional DSP boards, viewfinder, 2/3" servo focus & zoom lens + optional lens optical stabilizer (if shooting super long lens like anything beyond 514mm). Hytron 140 is needed to get the camera under normal condition. 90 W just doesn't at all last long for long events. If you shoot on both Micro P2 and P2, that is another watt or so. 60p as trite as it sounds eat a bit more watt also.
 
HPX250 battery consumption is pretty voracious as well. We send out five batteries each with our 250 and 255. Try an HPX3700 or 2700 sometime--those cameras really eat batteries! Not as bad as an Alexa though.
 
It is not so much the consumption but rather the lack of options of battery size. Shoulder mount camera have higher wattage draws but the batteries are larger capacity as well. I found one non-Panasonic battery at B&H with 65 watt hours. That will do for three hours. The rest are two hours or less. It is kind of like building a great car with a 6 gallon gas tank. Sure you make a long trip if you need to, but years of development have set expectations from the consumer to go 300 miles on one tank.
 
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