Stunning.

Some really good looking pictures there. If we can fix this lens issue, this camera would be almost perfect.

i have done several tests with the CF card unit.

there are always some files which could not be captured by final cut (sometimes 2, sometimes 4). but copying to harddisc and converting them with mpeg streamclip just works fine. see following pic:

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/thumb/0q4kEHtW4eAGN5S.jpg (http://www.bilder-upload.eu/show.php?file=0q4kEHtW4eAGN5S.jpg)

http://www.bilder-upload.eu/show.php?file=0q4kEHtW4eAGN5S.jpg


there is another weird thing:
capturing files works just on my macbook pro using 10.5 and final cut 6.0.2.
using my mac pro with 10.4 / final cut 6.0.3 does not work. no files could be found.
i am using sandisk extreme III cards / 16 GB and the sandisk firewire extreme reader connected with firewire 800 (tried also the sony CF card unit for capturing, but it is slower than the reader).

please, could somebody help me with my troubles?

thanks a lot!
clemens fischer

Does the HVR-S270 have time code linkability either through BNC or through Firewire, as the Z1 has? I saw in the brochure a TC OUT connector, but no TC IN.

Page 43 of the Z7 owners manual, quote:

The RET button is an assignable button on NON Carl Zeiss lenses.

Having tried a Canon SD broadcast lens on one of these this is correct as you can program this button on the Canon, or Fujinon for that matter, with a number of Z7 functions bar those items listed in the manual, also on page 43.

If you mean 'return' in the same sense we use it for broadcast lenses then you would look at the L2 switch behind the zoom rocker on the lens. By default this is set to 'expanded focus' on the Z7.

In the 'Others' menu under 'Assign Btn' the L2 switch can be set for 'Rec review' which would make it the same as the return button on a broadcast lens. Although in the true sense of the word this is used for a video return from the switcher in a multicam switch. Broadcast cameras not used in multicam can have this switch used for 'Rec review' to see the last few seconds of the last shot if the camera has a VTR backend. On the Z7 you also have the assign choice of 'Last scene rev'. Button #6 on the camera body is by default set to 'Rec Review' as we would see on a return button on a broadcast lens.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney, Aust

Does the HVR-S270 have time code linkability either through BNC or through Firewire, as the Z1 has? I saw in the brochure a TC OUT connector, but no TC IN.

Yes it can be done via firewire for multiple cameras. A bit long winded to go into here but suffice to say it's clearly explained in the moaners annual... ooops! Sorry I meant the owners manual.

Chris Young
CYV Pproductions
Sydney, Aust

Has anyone found a custom fitted working cover for the 270 yet?

I'm still going through my manual and I'm going to order the training DVD for the Z7 in the next few days ... but on Monday I'm taping a rehearsal of a high school event. I'll have one input with a shotgun mic and the second input will be a feed from the board.

I'm somewhat assuming that especially with the feed that I need to turn the limiter on. Is that correct?

And if so ... should I still put a limiter in-line between the board and the camera?

Second ... audio trim. How should I use it? Is this essentially the same thing as a limiter and if so ... is there a good starting point for setting it?

Audio has never been my strong suit and I don't think I've worked with anything that had audio trim involved.

Thank you.

Yes put a limiter or compressor between the board and the ch2 input, also make sure it is switched to line level not mic.

The on camera mic should also be set to auto and I have found that the gain for most things is fine as the auto limiter is very good.

If you find the mic overloading then you can then reduce the mic ch input gain via the on-board menu so that the mic amp input isnt overloaded.

Hope this helps.
Gary

I have solved the problem I thought I had on my S270. I thought the Sony remote zoom and focus demand unit wasnt operating focus. After my first real job with the camera I solved the problem by pushing the lanc controller plug into its socket harder ( I was in hurry!) I checked the focus rocker switch and it works( very slowly) providing the lens is in auto focus mode , I presume if the lanc connector is plugged in it takes over from auto focus....DOH !!!stupid operator error.
I found the eyepiece viewfinder lacking in bite for focussing which I had anticipated. The LCD screen( with optional sunshade, is reasonably bright but seems to reflect blue back from ambient light?
My PAG L95 battery showed six hours of use left after the shoot so battery life is much better than my DSR 570. Maybe its due to the lack of a tube viewfinder sucking up all the amps, but I would still prefer to have the pin sharp eyepiece as on the DSR 570 and 450 especially working in HD. I was just using DVcam today.
More later.

Dear Forum-

I have several tapes that were shot on the Z7U with the record type accidentally set to progressive instead of interlace and my post workflow is only set up for handling 1080i. (Basically I have 1080/24 native p and I need 1080/24 over 60i for my post process to work.) Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can easily and cheaply convert my shot tapes to 1080i? A post house has quoted me $750 per tape to convert, which is out of the question budget wise. I am considering attaching the camera to my HVR-1500 deck via iLINK and attempting to re-record the tapes hoping the deck will automatically convert, but I have no idea if this will work. (FYI- the HVR-1500 does not handle tapes shot in the native progressive mode.) Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Jay

Has anyone experimented much with the extended digital setting?

Last night I was able to shoot a rehearsal for a high school stage performance and switched back and forth from the normal setting to extended digital. I honestly didn't see much (if any) difference at all. Had I not seen the footage "pop" in when I turned it on, I'm not sure I would have noticed it.

I'm just curious to know what others have experienced.

Ok everyone.. so I have been shooting with my z7u and so far, so good.. I do see the problems that people have been saying.. (the whip pan digital breakdowns and the bad autofocus) but the autofocus I think I fixed it quite a bit by adjusting my backfocus and turning off macro focus and changing the AE window to Type 2.

Now.. my problem lies here..

My whole goal is to shoot in HDV, and capture on the CF as SD in raw DV.

Problem is that I don't know when I import it, the timecode does not import as well! I need timecode so when I decide to recapture the sequence to HDV, I have the possiblility to do that.

When I capture CF as HDV, timecode comes in, but not when I do SD. Am I missing something? does anyone know?

Johnny

Long story short...my studio got burglarized, and 30K worth of gear got taken. Nothing irreplaceable, thank goodness, but I'm stuck having to reorder lots of gear in time for a shoot this weekend. So anyway, my first couple of options for reordering the S270U suddenly didn't have it in stock, and I had to go to Sony's website just to see what other authorized dealers were out there. In doing so, I learned from the Roscor rep that Sony has "reclassified" the S270U as a camera that has to sold for a minimum dealer price of $8700. He made it sound like bad news, but that was a lower price than I was getting from B&H or Armatos (neither of whom have it in stock), and E.C. Pro Video was able to match it with a sooner ship date. So if you're looking to get one of these, be aware if you don't already know that you can get it for $8700, and I'll bet many authorized dealers will match that.

Could you get a similar quote for the Z7?

Link is on Sony's site....



Free 8G CF Card w/ Z7U purchase between Jan 15 - Sept 30 (this was the rebate that was pulled a few months back)



No limit, either.



Requires UPC and online survey completion.

Please contact me at d-v-c@mindspring.com.

I'm trying to output the video to both the LCD and an external monitor.

I know that within the menu, I select DISPLAY SET > DISPLAY OUTPUT > V-OUT/LCD or ALL OUTPUT.

My question (potential problem?) is that I can view the Menu selections on the external screen, but the pertinent info, like what's on the camera LCD appears for about 1/4-second and then disappears. Again, the only thing that works is the menu; I can't see anything else, like focusing controls, battery life....all of that stuff. I'm using composite.

Anyone know something I don't? Can anyone test this and let me know if I'm missing something? I need to figure this out for Saturday's shoot.

Oh, and my replacement Z7U - fantastic. Who knows what happened to the other one.

Thanks!

mll

I'm trying to output the video to both the LCD and an external monitor.

I know that within the menu, I select DISPLAY SET > DISPLAY OUTPUT > V-OUT/LCD or ALL OUTPUT.

My question (potential problem?) is that I can view the Menu selections on the external screen, but the pertinent info, like what's on the camera LCD appears for about 1/4-second and then disappears. Again, the only thing that works is the menu; I can't see anything else, like focusing controls, battery life....all of that stuff. I'm using composite.

Anyone know something I don't? Can anyone test this and let me know if I'm missing something? I need to figure this out for Saturday's shoot.

Oh, and my replacement Z7U - fantastic. Who knows what happened to the other one.

Thanks!

mll

Marshall I dragged everything upstairs to check this out and setting camera to V Out/Panel I get everything on the external monitor that I see on the camera lcd.

Bruce

As a former Canon A1-user I have become quite sensitive when it's about CA in wide angle shots. Since Adam Wilt's excellent Z7-review mentions CA as well I'd appreciate a short, wide-angled, native Z7-clip very much.
Thanks in advance.

Yes, tho haven't started editing yet.

I have just read a thread on the Guild of TV Cameramen( UK) forum site on Yahoo groups. I could not copy and paste here for some bizarre reason but it was from a Z7 owner who had problems with using a 5 Watt UHF transceiver near the lens of the Z7 ( same as S270). When the transmit button was pressed the zoom and focus on the lens started moving randomly without operator input. It did not appear to cause problems with recording( but obviously the footage would be unuseable anyway).
They cut the power on the transceiver to 1 Watt and told the operator to keep it away from the lens which cured the fault .
Obviously this is a design fault so be aware if your lens gets taken over by demons.

I'm a wedding production company, and am about to go full HD, thinking of 2 HVR270 units and one Z7 unit. Any comments as to how these cameras perform in low light? I shoot with the DSR 300 series cameras, and love thier low-light abilities. Any help?

I had a similar experience with my PD-150. Turning off steadyshot cured the problem.

Wondering if any of you have had any experience with the cache recording mode. I love to hear how this works with the Z7u.
Thanks

I'm not sure if I'm missing something here: Do any NLE's handle Sony's 1080/25P flavour of HDV natively?

I'm working on Avid MC and 1080/25P HDV isn't listed as a supported format (and there is no project setting for it in MC). The footage imports ok into a 1080i HDV project, but Avid seems to interpret the material as interlaced (and if I bring the footage into a regular, non-HDV 1080/25P project a warning dialog appears about importing interlaced material into a progressive project.)

I'm not quite sure what's going on under the bonnet either in the way the camera creates 25P or in the way Avid handles it (I've posted on the Avid forum with no joy so far) Is the Z7's 1080/25P HDV the same format as that from the V1, and if so does anyone has any experience of working with that progressive material? I'd like to keep the material progressive throughout the workflow.

In the case of 25P vs 50i it shouldn't make a difference. There is no pulldown to worry about so the simple fact that progressive frames have been recorded into 50i makes it a non-issue to edit in a 50i sequence.

One caveat: if you are animating graphics you will notice that they are being rendered into 50i.

Got a question.

I Have the HVR-S270 and most of the time I use all of the audio channels, 1+2+3 and 4, but when I want to capture from tape the 3rd and 4th channel I have to change the setting of the firewire output to ch 3+4 instead of 1+2.

But when I load the m2t in FCP Studio 2 or Sony vegas I only have the 1st and 2nd channel and can't choose ch 3 and 4 but they are recorded in the file.

Does someone have the same problem or a solution?

Hans Dijkman
steadiHD Media Productions
www.steadihd.com

Is anyone shooting with XY color on? If so, what do you think of this mode if you have a monitor that has this feature to view the footage on?

LCD or Plasma? What do you folks prefer to view your finished projects (or any other program) on. A lot of folks prefer the plasma technology for its increased contrast ratio and greater color range . I just find plasma looks a bit pixelised compared to most of the LCD panels I've looked at. I have to quickly replace a faulty 42" LCD TV / monitor within a day or two. Any input, recommendations etc. would be appreciated.

Also, it would be cool to know what other Z7U shooters and editors prefer and use.

Thanks!

Ian

I had a DSR 570 before my 270 and I thought the 570 was good in low light, but after a couple of weddings now( in summer) I think the 270 is probably as good in low light . The maximum gain I have used so far is 9db but havent seen the end result yet..it looked OK on the cameras LCD screen. On a sunny day yesterday I had to go to filter 4( no gain) to compensate for the amout of light. I should have set position one to negative gain rather than zero. No complaints then about sensitivity but the eyepiece viewfinder is rubbish in my opinion( compared with the 570's tube)

I saw some HD-footage of my Z7 on a Sony full-HD LCD-tv (PAL) and that is stunning.

Tapeworks is having a Summer promotion for the HVRZ7U camcorder that will be valid through August 31, 2008!

Sony HVRZ7U HDV Camcorder with Interchangeable Lens Capability, 1/3" Exmor CMOS Sensors
Kit Includes: AC-VQ1050 Adapter/Charger, NP-F570 infoLITHIUM Rechargeable Battery Pack, CR2025 Lithium Battery, A/V Connecting Cable, Component Video Cable, Lens Hood with Cover, Shoe Adapter, Shoe Kit, Eye Cup, RMT-831 Wireless Remote Commander, ECM-XM1 Monaural Electolet Condenser Microphone,
Operating Instructions, HVR-MRC1 Memory Recording Unit Kit, 1-Year Parts and Labor Warranty
Tapeworks Summer Promotion Price: $5,459.00

Contact Tapeworks Texas Inc Toll free 866-827-3489 for a customized quotation!

Best Regards,
Scott Cantrell
Tapeworks Texas Inc - HDVinfo Sponser
tapeworksscott@sbcglobal.net

That's about what I paid ($5479) from an authorized dealer (that I am not allow to mention) on February 20th of this year.

kdbf

I can't get my s270 working in Final Cut with FireWire because the capture preset isn't right.
Does anyone know the right one?

HDV 1080 50i

Hi,
I've been reading up on this forum and found it to be a great source of information based on user experience.

Right now, I am looking around to buy a camera for event videography and its come down to two choices for me: XH-A1 or Z7U.

I've tried looking for a comparison of the two cameras on multiple sites, but cant seem to find one. The biggest factor for me is low light.

Z7U users reported really good low light performance, but XH-A1 has varying reports of low light performance. I've heard some users complain about its lowlight while others say its really good. Has anybody done a side by side comparison of this? I'd love to see it.

Here's a scenario I'm curious about...shooting with a Z7 and editing with FCP:

1. Record to card(s) and tape(s) simultaneously.

2. Edit a project native HDV using the card(s)...essentially offline.

3. Re-batch through either HDMI or HD-SDI...edit/conform/color correct same project in ProRes HQ, essentially on-line.

Will the timecode match in this case? There wouldn't be lot of quick starts and stops when recording. My work is corporate and for broadcast. I've come to like ProRes HQ. It's 10 bit and seems to hold up much better to graphics and color correction.

I know similar work flows have been talked about here, but I don't remember ever seeing a definitive answer.

Thanks,

Forrest

Can anyone let me know the setup for recording HDV to tape and SD 4:3 to CF on the Z7. I will be shooting a wedding this weekend and the final product will be SD. I would like to have the tape HDV for backup and future demo reel material.

Thanks
Jason

Hey Folks I finally found the thread thanks. But if anyone has any tips I should know when doing this please let me know.

Thanks
Jason

I've read a lot about how the Z7's way of recording 24p is different and wont play back on older decks such as the M15U or GV-HD700. Is this the case when also recording in 30p?

Also, I noticed that there are 2 types of 24p stated in the Z7 online manual. Whats the difference between the two?

Just tested, how fast can you start recording on tape and on CF card
Here are my test results:

1.If the camcorder is turned off:
Tape rec. stars in 9 sec.
MRU rec. starts in 15 sec.
2.If the camcorder is turned on and you push the rec. button
Tape rec. stars in 1 sec.
MRU rec. starts in 1 sec.
3. If during recording push the rec. button twice (sop, start again)
Tape rec. restars in 6 sec.
MRU rec. restarts in 5 sec.
4. In sand by after a time (3min) the "STBY" sign disappears
Tape rec. restars in 6 sec.
MRU rec. starts in 1 sec.

These times are just for one type of recording (not synchronous mode)

I'm going to attach (not sure how) my Compact Flash recorder from my Z7U to my Canon HV30. I then plan on attaching all of that to my Glidecam 4000. Any idea on the best way to attach the CF unit to the HV30? The CF reader has a mounting hole on the bottom (as well as the HV30), but whats the best way to do this?

Attach a small ball head or something to the hv30's shoe and put the mrc1 ont he other end. Or get or make some sort of bracket like the one that ships with the dr60.

Never mind...

Hey there -
Just want to confirm...

If I choose HDV 24P Native, or 24P-A to tape, and then choose DV to the card.... the 24p DV file will not behave the same as the HDV recording correct? That is, going no native 24p DV straight to card, and no 24p-A DV file. Just the 24p over 60i.

That's my understanding anyway.

Will this throw off the notion that the DV Timecode info would match the HD source tapes if I shoot HD 24p Native to tape?

My guess is that if you wish to shoot HD-tape / DV-card, then you ought to stick with HD 24p over 60i, or 30p over 60i, or just straight up 60i. Yes?

Otherwise my guess is you may have trouble assembling an HD version down the road.

Is my thinking correct here?


I'm asking because I'm doing some quick turn stuff that is only needed Standard Def, but we're toying with 24p (for web and/or embedding into a powerpoint). My understanding is that if you're playing off a computer, then it's good to stay progressive and not mess with the pulldown (24p over 60i for instance).

In order to get a 24p video file to edit in a 23.97 timeline, I'm guessing I'd have to simply run every clip through compressor or another tool - correct?

Just thinking outloud and seeing if there's something I missed.

My other option is to shoot 30p and not worry about pulldown etc...


BY THE WAY... is there any difference in the HDV 30p Mode found in the Progressive menu and 30p found in the Interlaced menu?

Welcome to DV Info. I read your post many times and find it confusing.

23.98 (23.976) cannot exist on tape which is not HD-CAM SR or D5*. Otherwise, it is over 60i as you say. If you final output is web - don't worry about pulldown either way. Pulldown comes into play when you film out (telecine video back to film) or make composites for VFX or need your content to live on HD-CAM SR or D5. For web, anything goes. Any frame rate will display on a TRT / LCD / VGA monitor. Any format will display, NTSC, PAL, SECAM. Don't trouble yourself with progressive and shoot in 24 p normal (inside 60i), don't deinterlace HDV unless you have to (HV20/30 is have to in my book).

Hope this helps,
-C

*There are exceptions but not worth noting.

I heard somewhere the Redrock adapter didn't work because of its autofocus macro, but does the R3 Sgpro work with the Z7?

Hi all,

Just curious - are any of you aware of an alternate way to pull power off the wall vs. having to route through the double battery charger? Even just a standard (and smaller) power brick to plug the one half that goes into the cam

If it uses the same battery as the PD170, Z1 and V1, wouldn't one of the adaptors for one of those cameras work?

Using Final Cut this seems most apparent with HDV 25p footage captured to CF, also visible with HDV 25p Progressive captured to Tape.

But viewing HDV 25p Progressive captured to tape in just QuickTime viewer (not FCP) I'd say its not there.

http://www.drcoffee.co.uk/Z7_Capture.jpg

Hello,

I just got back from a shoot and noticed someone strange with the Z7U "smooth gain" featrure. I used smooth gain with the "slow" setting today for the first time. One (but maybe both) my Z7U’s seem to have a flaw or problem with gain. I was changing the gain settings (while shooting in full manual) and noticed that 3db, 6db and 9db all looked the same. The conference room we were shooting in was was dark -- the iris was at f2, the gain was 6db and the shutter speed 1/60th. I couldn’t figure it out, so I changed the high position to 15db just to run a test to see if this would make a change obvious. And the difference in the image was identical at 3db or 15db!!! The histogram didn’t indicate any change had been made via upping the gain. I took the camera off of “smooth gain” and then gain started to behave like I’d expect it would. You could then see the jump in gain in both overall image brightness -- and the histogram proved it too when you switch it up. At first I thought, “wow, smooth gain REALLY works, since you can’t see any differences as you change settings”. Has anyone also had a problem changing gain values while using smooth gain? I will test tonight with both cameras. It seems like enabling smooth gain disables the gain select switch – even though you do get a proper readout on the LCD of the gain setting selected.

Thanks . . .

Ian

the gama and black balance controls are a new feature to me. im coming from a dsr250 that I put over 1500 hours on.

being new to this im hoping someone can give me some liks or advice on what all those setting actually do. I've got pp1 and pp2 set to boost the black gamma and pp1 all +7 and pp2 all +3. the more gain used the more the picture looks soft so I've limited the gain to +9.

I have bought vortexmedia's video but he dosn't cover low light very much and many of the settings he uses would never work under my circumstances.

remember I'm doing all night footage so im working with only street lights and car lights.