Panasonic SD900-How do I.....

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ChrisG
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Joined: Apr 10 1999
OK, I could read the  instructions  but  I am sure that  I will get an added value answer here:
 
SD 900, Set up  manual settings, need to click back to auto for whatever reason, when I return to manual I have lost those  settings  I spent a while sorting out.  How/where  can I save the  manual settings?
 
Next If I have  manual selected the  info at the  bottom interferes with the  view of basic audio  meter at the  bottom, how do I clear the  screen while remaining in manual mode so I can see audio levels?
 
Looking for  2  simple answers  which don't make  me look a  complete idiot!
Claire
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Joined: Apr 28 2001
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
Hi Chris,
 
When you say manual settings do you mean the focus,WB, shutter and iris or do you mean the record setup in the menu?  Also, what is blocking the audio meter, all I have if I turn it on with the r/c is date, or date and time, none of which block the audio meter.
 

Claire

ChrisG
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Joined: Apr 10 1999
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
OK, 
 
1)  " do you mean the focus,WB, shutter and iris "  - yes
 
2) If I push the manual button and then the various  parameters appear down  the lh side of screen.  As you click them to change settings the  options are along the bottom ie  shutter  speed.  how do I get the  bit at the bottom to  go away?
 
3) Then how  do I save them for  next time.  For example  I will always want to default to  1/50 sec for aeroplane props.
Claire
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Joined: Apr 28 2001
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
Ah, got it... well all you do is after changing shutter speed you just press the shutter icon once more and it goes away with your selected shutter speed locked.
 
Unfortunately if you need to select full auto after that then yes, your setting is lost. I never use full auto  though I do often let the iris become auto which it does after shutter speed is set. Should I want to hold the scene brightness the same while panning up to the sky I would select iris to lock it against change before panning up. Then a plane would not disappear into darkness which it would if left on auto iris.

Claire

ChrisG
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Joined: Apr 10 1999
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
Thanks for that - shame about the  save settings issue.
tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
The 900's auto/manual exposure switching is not easy to grasp. In iA the camera controls the shutter speed, the iris and (by default) the gain. If you push the little chrome button iA disappears and MNL appears on screen.
 
The camera is still in auto exposure mode (I know, daft). If you now touch iris, it puts a yellow rectangle around the word and locks the exposure, if you touch it again to remove the yellow, it's still locked.
 

In iA the camera will choose any shutter speed from 1/25th up to 1/8000th, in MNL mode touching SHTR will lock in the reading iA had chosen as you suggest.

So, you're presented with a scene you want to manually expose, but have no idea as the the settings you should choose.
 
1) Ask the camera - call up iA, then press it again for MNL
2) Push SHTR to make sure it's 1/50th (the default - unless it's incredibly dark or light)
3) Push IRIS to lock in that iris/gain setting.
 
Strangely, if you go from iA to MNL and then push IRIS you'll lock the exposure ok, but then hitting SHTR makes the iris return to auto! Why, Panasonic? So make sure you follow the 1, 2, 3 sequence above to really lock that exposure down.
 

tom.

 
Claire
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Joined: Apr 28 2001
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
I'd just like to add something I never  see mentioned anywhere.. if you use the custom white balance preset on the 900  which I find is the only way to ensure consistant colour temperature in shots taken one after another, don't press the silver button to go to iA mode without good reason! If you do then when you switch back to manual the WB will have set itself to  AWB. Ugggh....

Claire

ChrisG
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Joined: Apr 10 1999
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
Thanks  Tom and Claire
 
Will add some thoughts tomorrow, off to look for  missing dog
Dave Jervis
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Joined: Feb 21 2006
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
Hi Claire,
 
....this is subject to my usual "I use a TM700 but I think the 900 series camera works the same" warning.....
 
You may know this already, but I think you will find that the custom white balance retains it's setting even after you have gone into iA mode and then back to manual.
 
It's true that on returning to manual from iA, the white balance will have reverted to Auto. If you switch to custom white balance but don't tap the flashing icon, the camera will still have the previously set custom white balance. Tapping the yellow edged WB button will deselect the "set" function and you are left with the small white icon flashing away and distracting you, but at least you have retained your setting.
 
Just as an aside, we 700 owners have to use a variant of this very feature to banish the "Bondi blues". We set a custom white balance, switch away to "Tungsten 2" white balance, switch back to custom...  and leave it flashing....!  Don't know why, but it seems to work...
 
dave
 
paulears
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Joined: Jul 8 2008
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
These are really great cameras, but the method of working it is just not really friendly. Luckily, the auto settings seem better than many. I'm one of those people who alway go on and on about how bad auto is, and on my bigger cameras, everything is manual. The Panasonic, which I use as a B/convenience camera, I tend to leave everything, including focus, on auto and most times it's fine. My attempts to use manual always fail because I have big chunky fingers and manual just doesn't work for me.
 
 
Claire
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Joined: Apr 28 2001
Re: Panasonic SD900-How do I.....
Dave Jervis wrote:
Hi Claire,
 
 
 
 
SNIP

It's true that on returning to manual from iA, the white balance will have reverted to Auto. If you switch to custom white balance but don't tap the flashing icon, the camera will still have the previously set custom white balance. Tapping they yellow edged WB button will deselect the "set" function and you are left with the small white icon flashing away and distracting you, but at least you have retained your setting.

 
 
SNIP

dave

 
 
Hi Dave, yes I do know that but forgot to add it to my post, of course once you reset the WB to custom, just tap the yellow edged WB button once more and it disappears and no more flashing to distract you. My own way of working is to make constant use of those buttons down the side, namely switching between auto/manual focus (since I do a lot of close up work which catches autofocus out) and iris which I prefer to control carefully to avoid burning out bright parts of flowers, a very difficult task with this camera having no gamma/knee adjustment.
 
BTW, a bit off subject I know but a while back with the aid of waveform meter in Edius I realised that a substantial amount of the detail seemingly lost in clipped highlights (veins in flower petals in sunshine) is in fact recoverable by applying a custom curve YUV filter in post. I suppose the same problem exists with a bride's dress in bright sun, this filter I made basically does a re-distribution of the otherwise lost information above IRE 100 so it fits better. I made the curve fit everything into the range RGB 0-240 and it's great to see the detail come back in bright parts of flowers when I drop this filter on the clip. Just wish the camera could do this itself while recording.
 
@paulears
I think auto everything could indeed be very useful for lots of stuff but as you will appreciate I am rather pushing the boundaries a bit with my 900 and it doesn't suit me.

Claire