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Anyone using the Sony HVR-Z5U with the new MS systems?
This will most likely be my next camera. I am getting it because it records to tape or memory card. As many of my clients still want raw footage on tape.
Two question:
Any problems with the compatibility with the S4000 or 6000?

What are your thoughts on the camera? Low light situations compared to the Sony vx2100, 2000 or PD 150?

Here no problem with the Z5 to my S-6000 and the S-4000pro

Franklin,
How does it do in low light situations?

Both my Z-5 and my HVR-270 work fine with BOGART using the MC unit. Get a 600X CF card and HDV will download faster than real time. My two other AVCHD cameras are SLOW compared to the HDV format.

Truthfully, I would recommend the Z-7. It is MUCh better in lower light than the Z-5. However, the Z-5 has a 20X lens whereas the Z-7/270 only a 12X.

NOTA BENE: No matter what SONY tells you, these cameras are not as good in lowlight as the PD 170. The only camera by SONY close to the lowlight capability of the PD series is the EX-1/3.....$800 dollars SxS cards-work in Bogart.

You may want to check out the NX-5. The NX-5 has two SD slots PLUS the FM 128 unit can record as a backup for 11 hours. A little crsiper than the Z-5 as it is 4:22 instead of 4:2:0.


There may still be a $500 dollar rebate (March 2011) on the Z-7

Lou,
Why is the z5 so much cheaper then the z7? It appears z5 has slightly more.

This is a tough one because of all the rebates:

Z-7 after the rebate is $4695 US dollars....the Z-7 is made for the wedding videographer. Low light, Zeiss lens-removable and comes with the FLASH Recording unit.

The Z-5 after the rebate is $3669 plus you will have to add another $750 for the NOT included Flash drive. $4449.00 US dollar. Nice 20 X lens but 3.5 iris......not as good in low-light but great for sports and nature due to the 20X. Can't change the lens which most of us don't do anyway except for the HDSLR series.

You can't go wrong with either. Z-7 will have a higher resale value. 12X lens 2.2 Iris.....big difference than the Z-5. Again, both great cameras albeit the format is now considered OLD technology as there are NO MORE HDV cameras after this last round from SONY. However, don't let that scare you. BOGART handles HDV SO MUCH faster and the clients would NEVER tell the difference on a ARABESK HD disc. I like tape for archiving, though I am thinking of going over to the NX-5 by SONY.

When and IF you do purchase either, I will e-mail you some VERY secret settings to really have a GREAT picture rather than the defaults that come with either.

Well that explains it, thanks!
Since I shoot 50-100 sporting events a year and 1-2 weddings a year, I guess the best bet for me would be the z5. Or to cover both situations, I should buy one of each.

Why is HDV considered "old technology"? What is going to be the "new technology"?

I have 3 like-new FX1 cams that I bought from a guy in NY last May; they are great all around, but low light isn't as good as the VX and PD series (but, you can record at 15DB all day without any noise). I knew that though going in and for the price I paid and for wedding events that I due, I haven't had any issues. For low light reception dancing, or a DJ who has no dance lights, I simply use one off-camera light I have (http://www.receptionlight.com) - it adds 75 watts of filler light on the other side of the dance floor and does a nice job. For church and all other use, the FX1 has worked well. Your Z5 is a step up, but I just mention this coming from one who has the model below what you're looking at.

I also wanted to move forward with a HD camera that records to tape (and uses CCDs over cmos chips, just my taste); I know the pros and cons of each (tape and cards) and for me, I still want tape, which fits my needs best. Frankly, I mainly moved from 4 VX2000s to 3 FX1s because I wanted to offer true widescreen DVDs to my clients. Widescreen from 4:3 is a MUCH bigger deal for most clients, then from going from widescreen to "HD." So, for most of my stuff, I simply record in SD widescreen. All said and done when I sold my VX2000s on Ebay last year, my upgrade to 3 HD cams cost around $2500.

John

HDV 24 Mps 1920 X 1440 resolution 4:2:0 color spacing. Great to edit in Bogart. Older Tech. SONY will stop HDV after the Z series. Usually tape based and real time unless placed on a flash card drive as .M2T file.

AVCHD 24/17 Mps 1920 X 18080 4:2:2 color spacing. Almost double color than HDV. PAIN to edit with MTS file-real pain. Most common format right now. Computers need fast processing and even FCP needs to transcode using log and transfer/Pro Res. This is where we are lucky in Bogart.

MXF: 50 Mps. 1920 X 1080. 4:2:2 color spacing. Mpeg-2 XDCAM. Imports fine in BOGART. Never edited fully-less artifacting than above CANON introducing next month in the XF-100/105 Currently in the XF-300 series.

NOTE: HDV looks excellent. I play with the gamma settings and the color depth both in BOGART and in the camera menu. NOBODY would ever complain.

jeffphilips wrote:Well that explains it, thanks!
Since I shoot 50-100 sporting events a year and 1-2 weddings a year, I guess the best bet for me would be the z5. Or to cover both situations, I should buy one of each.

Why is HDV considered "old technology"? What is going to be the "new technology"?

Hey Jeff low light is great ! almost like pd-170 !