Just picked up a Z7 ... early days yet .

[Derek Heeps]

That was the first camcorder , and before I had replaced the tape mechanism . With the new mechanism fitted it now works 100% .

I bought a second camcorder very cheaply , advertised for spare parts as it came with some accessories missing from the first one , and got the whole thing for what I'd have paid elsewhere for the front accessory shoe and the rubber eyepiece . I initially thought the second camcorder was worth fixing and bought another tape mechanism , but that one turned out to have more wrong with it - hence it was so cheap ! I now have a spare mechanism which may come in handy at some point , given I have five working HDV camcorders now , and also have three Firestore FS4-HD external recorders , one of which I used at the wedding in addition to shooting on tape ! . ( Plus my JVC GY-HD251 and two PDW-F350 XDCAM cameras )

Then I bought a third Z7 , paid a little more for it , which is 100% working .

I also bought two Sony ECM-MS2 microphones , same as I already have on my HVR V1e , and suspension type shock mounts to mount them on the camera ( the standard mic mounts are awful ) , so that I have on board stereo mics .

Filmed the wedding 2 weeks ago , all went very well and got the bulk of the edit done last weekend ; hopefully will complete it this weekend .

[Dave Barnes]

Hello Derek - great reading over your last several posts on your Sony Z7 adventures - I have 3 Z7's myself that I use also. They are great cameras and I think make a nice image. We do not always have to have the latest and greatest! Like you I am older and aside from a couple jobs per year it's just a hobby for me.
I would like to do more video production, maybe I should retire part time or something ? :)

I have the Sony HVR-1500A hdv deck also so no playing tapes on the camera, I have shot many concerts, plays and stage shows with the Z7 and they look great. I also have the included CFcard recorder that attaches to the back - you might want to look for one of those they are worth the investment, I set it to record to tape and CF card simultaneously.

Still have my JVC HD200/250's also.

I have not yet removed the 12x lens from my Z7 , however I do also have the 8x wide angle lens that I bought off Ebay several years ago which I have used to shoot an educational tape in a lab and it worked well.

[Dave Barnes]

Also forgot to mention - if you get the Anton Bauer branded NP-Fxx batteries ( I get mine from B&H) one will run the Z7 for 600 mins :)

I think they are FP-975's - I will have to get the camera out to take a look

[Dave Barnes]

Oh yeah also ... I picked up a new Blackmagic Video assist 5" (the older HD version only) from B&H at a good price a few weeks ago - I will be able to use this as a monitor AND also feed hdmi out from the Z7 to record on the blackmagic , best of both worlds without constantly buying the newest and latest camera every single year when something new comes out and everyone is told ' they need this' :)