OTHER: The great big PX270 info thread.

Question why not just copy the entire P2 card then paste to your destination? Then import once in PP, then check it. Sometime if you put it right into a time line it will only give you one audio track. This way you can check the Source monitor in Audio and see all 4 audio tracks. Hope this helps.
 
rzr219 said:
Question why not just copy the entire P2 card then paste to your destination? Then import once in PP, then check it. Sometime if you put it right into a time line it will only give you one audio track. This way you can check the Source monitor in Audio and see all 4 audio tracks. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I import & back up to three places (separate hard drives) at once + I do a safety copy of the entire card to a hard drive.
I normally use Bulletproof to do my import and backup but it won't recognise the LongG25 footage to transcode (it seems to back up ok though).

I need to transcode as PP is very laggy when trying to play back LongG25 footage, like others have reported it seriously grinds my system (not quite to the ground as I've only done test footage) - only seems to work ok if I transcode to another format. So I don't want to drop LongG25 onto a timeline to check the day's footage - seems to play a bit better in Prelude.

So I guess I'm trying to do two things - 1) check my daily footage 2) playback easily in an NLE (with all audio channels)

But I will try the method you suggest to check the audio is there at least - thanks.
 
Ok, well how about this. Use P2 Viewer this will allow you to see the footage and see that all 4 tracks of audio recorded. Its an idea.
 
Regarding batteries: Someone else on this site recommended I buy these:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/834969-REG/Ikan_IBP_D88_Panasonic_D54_Type_Ultra_High.html

They make a huge difference, and the extra weight/length hasn't been an issue for me.

Fo long events I now use the Panasonic batteries for setup, and pop the Ikan's in for the real thing. And whenever I can, I use the AC input, with a battery in place…just in case of a power failure. Not having to use the battery slot for AC power is one of my favorite features.
 
Thank Bassman for the score on the batteries. I use the Panny batteries mostly, but it's nice to have that ultimate backup when you need it.

I've got a post production question, maybe wrong forum. The 4 channels of audio are nice, unless you don't need all four, then it's a space hogging nuisance in Premieres timeline. Is there any simple way to just import 1 & 2 or eliminate channels 3 & 4 when you don't need them?

Little tip I discovered by accident. It's possible to store 3 color temps in the preset white balance switch position. Just set the "W. balance preset" to variable under "Switch Mode". Then select whatever third white balance you want stored. When you switch "W. balance preset" back to 5600 or 3200 in "Switch Mode", that third white balance will appear as a third choice, with a small V next to it. Be warned though, apparently you'll always have that third choice, I haven't found a way to get rid of it.
 
crossXcheck said:
Batteries- Jeez, anybody got a car battery strap-on adapter for this thing? Granted I'm spoiled but this is ridiculous, any hints greatly welcomed. Not only do you need 3-4 batteries for a full days shoot, you'll need a multi-battery charger just to stay even. My only disappointment so far. Battery also noticeably drains with the camera off, so disconnect the battery when finished, arrrggghh.

I needed a camera that could do pretty much everything well with minimal fuss and maximum flexibility. Great camera so far.
Click to expand...
While we make 2x and 4x chargers for Panasonic D54 batteries for a long time, we just released several models that work with both D54 and VW-VBD58 batteries.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...engineering_tc200p58_i_2_pstn_batt_chrgr.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ngineering_tc40p58_4_position_batt_chrgr.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ngineering_tc200p58itdm_2_pstn_bat_chrgr.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1143013-REG/dolgin_engineering_tc400p58_4_pstn_batt_chrgr.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...engineering_tc400p58tdm_4_pstn_bat_chrgr.html
 
PX270 and some issues

PX270 and some issues

I call a PX270 my own, too and for some reasons I still do not feel comfortable with it. Had a DVX100, the 150 and af101 before and this time ... well, it's weird. Besides the amazingly extensive menu and dont become comfortable with the lcd screen, which appears to be slightly greenish or pale, although I changed some settings. And the two zebras ... well, I feel they are puzzeling. How do you guys handle this? And does anyone feels the lcd's colours are weird, too?

Sascha
 
Sascha, yes the 270 can be a bit overwhelming, but I think it's because there are so many ways to set things up. It's meant to appeal to ex-150 owners as well as VariCam people, and the menus reflect that.

I never liked the default zebra settings either, but they can be made to work almost like the 150. The second zebra default is set to "Spot", which I never liked. Change that to "On" under Display Setup menu, and it works like you're used to. Also change the duration from "Moment" to "Continue" in the SW Mode menu, and use the cameras' side zebra switch to control on and off. The biggest difference now is that both zebras will always show, and your first zebra setting angles left to right and second zebra angles the other way. Still not as clear as two separate button pushes, but I'm getting used to it.

I agree the shipping LCD settings weren't great, but with some tweaking I got the LCD to match the EVF pretty well, although it's still difficult to see in bright sunlight. I prefer to use the EVF for shot composition and leave the waveform showing on the LCD and just refer to that for exposure compensation.

Stick with it, it's an amazing camera that does everything very well.
 
I think the LCD is a nice screen. I might have a bit of a green cast but not too offensive. The overall color seems pretty accurate to me. LCDs are only useful in limited situations anyway imho. These are very nice cameras and it is great to have so much versatility in the menu options.
 
For me, the PX270 ticks so many boxes with its overall versatility, light weight, good image quality, precise zoom control, and rich configuration options that the accuracy of the monitor color seems like a really trivial critique (not that I find it that bad, anyway). I tend to try and set up the general look using the scene file settings and a "real" monitor before I ever leave home base, then trust that doing an AWB/ABB under the actual lights on location will get me pretty close. If not, well, it's a 10-bit recording and I can push it around a bit in post -- although usually my tweaks, if any, are quite minimal.

Then again, I' m an old cuss, and grew up shooting in an era where the only monitoring you had in the field was a 1-1/2" black and white CRT viewfinder on the camera. Maybe with adjustable peaking if you were lucky. Just having any color on the screen at all still seems right out of the Jetsons to me. :-)

- Greg
 
We have been shooting with the PX the other day ... the any downside is that small sensor which makes it hard to get any sort of shallow depth of field for interviews in small rooms ...

And yes, it's a pity Barry Green hasnt written one of this books on this camera model. I bought two of this books earlier... Still looking for settings that look nice for "ready to use".
 
I think these shallow DOF shots are way overused these days. I don't at all miss large sensor cam nor it's a deal breaker for getting shallow DOF effect. It's nice but not absolutely necessary to achieve the blurred background effect. Not only that, shooting shallow DOF for human subject is very risky because you'll likely be out of focus if the subject accidentally move. It requires super sharp monitor on set for any out of focus. The built in LCD or any focus assist in the cam will not guarantee that it'll be razor sharp. Controlled and artistic lighting is the key here to get similar results to blur out the background.

SaschaGermany said:
We have been shooting with the PX the other day ... the any downside is that small sensor which makes it hard to get any sort of shallow depth of field for interviews in small rooms ...

And yes, it's a pity Barry Green hasnt written one of this books on this camera model. I bought two of this books earlier... Still looking for settings that look nice for "ready to use".
Click to expand...
 
If one of your primary needs from a camera is shallow depth of field in small rooms, why would you select this camera? Not being difficult, but that's the one thing this, or any other small sensor camera, is not going to do. I'd get a full frame DSLR with an 85mm f1.8 lens and dedicate that to interviews in small rooms. Everything else is where the PX270 shines.

SaschaGermany said:
We have been shooting with the PX the other day ... the any downside is that small sensor which makes it hard to get any sort of shallow depth of field for interviews in small rooms ...

And yes, it's a pity Barry Green hasnt written one of this books on this camera model. I bought two of this books earlier... Still looking for settings that look nice for "ready to use".
Click to expand...
 
New software for the PX270
http://eww.pass.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/support/content/download/EN/ep2main/soft/upgpx270_e.htm

From the release notes:
- Enhanced FTP transfer function for P2 Cast
- Enhanced streaming function for external servers and for LiveU
- Wi-Fi : Support for Direct mode of USB-N53 (an ASUS product)
- LTE : Support for SIM-lock-free dongle
- MENU is added to adjustment the brightness of LCD.
- Support for AK-HRP200 Ver.5.01-00-0.07

Mostly network/broadcast improvements, but at least they haven't abandoned this overlooked beauty.

Edited to add: The brightness adjustment for the LCD adds R,G,B offsets for additional color tweaking.
 
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is Barry Green one of the better places to get information on Panasonic camera's? I have just ordered my first Panasonic teh 270. coming from Sony. Vortex Media has DVD's that are very good at learning the camera's. Is there anyone you know of taht produces DVD's or Video's to work your way through the menu's. and good setups. When I first started with EX-1 several years ago I got some DVD's and they really helped. when I bought a xf100 I got DVD on the xf300 and the menu's were very much the same.

I read that one of you has bought a couple of Barry Green's books but did not find it helped much with this 270 camera because it has menu's more like broadcast camera's is that right? Looking for idea's where to look. I was able to glean some information after reading here thanks.

I just bought the 2011 HPX book thinking it is the closest to this camera. What are your thoughts
 
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Barry has written several books about Panny cams and they are worth the read. He unfortunately hasn't written one about the 270. Take the hint Barry, I hope that you can find a way to get this done since I am interested in this 270 as well. The book about the 170 would be helpful, but the 270 is a lot more camera so there would be lots of stuff in the camera menus that wouldn't be there. Generally the manuals provided by Panny are pretty bad.

Grant
 
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