Hi,

Is there anyone in the Mexico City area with a Z1U or FX1 that is available for camera work? If so, please conact me ASAP.

Regards,
Garius Hill
Producer
NYC
MuseCycle Media

Garius- I'm in San Miguel Allende , which is 3 hours north- drop me a note at kurthbousman@hotmail.com- thanks- Kurth-ps I've got a z1 w/pmac running finalcut studio

Sony has just started to advertise HDV.
Ever since Sony officially anounced the release of HDR-FX1, they had advertised the whole corporate effort on development of high definition video products (including the product images of Cinealta, HDCAM, HDR-FX1 and HVR-Z1J), the next one was an independent product advertisement of already well accepted HDR-HC1. Now the latest commertial is a high qualitiy looking advertisement of general ideas about HDV but stricktly using some product image cuts of HDR-FX1.

I see HC1 all over my town (Shibuya), oftenly held by young girls shooting themselves (this could be some kind of campaign effort).

They are flooding the market with HDV before Panasonic is releasing AG-HVX200.

http://fhvideo.com/item.php?id=318
Is anyone familiar with FHVideo? They seem reputable...

I went to Sony's Broadcast and Business website, and it doesn't turn this company up as an authorized dealer. Of course that doesn't mean they are not. Why do you think they "seem reputable?" Are they located near you? If not, then why do you want to purchase from them?

That link doesn't show a price for the z1. Last time I checked at B&H they were selling the Z1 for $4,800 and that's pretty close to the price I've seen at other reputable companies. If someone advertises anything substantially below that it's a red flag.

Here at DVinfo we urge you to support our sponsors since they make this site possible, and they have all been screened for value, integrity and service. You'll find a complete list here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/sponsors/

We have a simple five (5) cam shoot in Dublin for a single day between Mon 12th to Sat 17th.

We need SonyHDV--- HDV-Z1 or HDR-FX1 with experienced operators. We prefer NTSC. Several will be on sticks. Audio will be separate from the sound board.

Please email me directly with rate and availability.

douglas@concertshooters.com

What can capture m2t files from the Sony HDR-FX1 for use in Vegas6?


Kind regards...

Vegas can capture m2t's on it's own, if you're using Vegas 6. There is also CapDVHS. Visit the HDV portal on the VASST site to download it (free) or you can also Google for it.

I am planning to make a film with my HDR-FX1, and I was just in to see if anyone can help me out as to how good I can get it look. I could have bought the 100A if I wanted, but I thought the HDR was the next wave, and if I did proper editing and got good tutorials on how to make an FX1 film actually look like film, was to ask some of you guys.

My current editing solutions are as followed:

Adobe Primiere 1.5
SONY Vegas 6.0 w/ DVD Architect 3

PC Specs:

Pentium 4 CPU 2.66 GHz
1 GB RAM DDR
nVidia Geforce FX 5700LE 256MB
180 GB Hard Drive Space

Hi Jesse,

The topic of how to get a "film look" from a video camcorder has been so popular around here that we devoted an entire forum to it. Take a look through all of the discussions there and you'll find loads of helpful information. The link is:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=34

I've recently come across some opportunities to sell stock video, and although I can get some great images with my Canon GL2, the HDR-FX1's HD would obviously be an advantage. I'm considering pulling out the plastic and getting the HDR-FX1, but before I do, I'd appreciate some feedback from current owners.

One question I have is regarding the FX1's audio. I've read varying reports about whether it's all that easy to manually set recording levels -- something I've come to rely upon with the GL2. Is this manual feature well implemented?

The HDR-FX1's lack of XLR inputs isn't necessarily a problem for me at this point, I've managed to work around it with the GL2. How do you FX1 owners deal with external microphones?

I hadn't considered making the jump to HD just yet, but I just upgraded to Final Cut Pro, which has the capavility, and being able to offer native 16:9 footage in HD to the stock market strikes me as being good business.

Does this thinking make sense?

Leigh

I just finished the DV Film class in Austin on shooting video for transfer to film. The two day class was worth the money but if you can't get to the class I highly recommend their book "Shooting Digital" by Marcus Van Bavel - about $25. This guy taught the class has made two feature length films, been in festivals plus transferred many video projects to film. He covers all aspects of filmwork from a good understanding on the HDV compression process and what a good program does with it (like Vegas), creating DOF and what processes you can and can't do for good transfer. I was looking for the best workflow for editing that could produce a good DVD and a good film later. I got what I was looking for.

I've used Womble for a couple of years to cut mpg2 files and splice together without reencoding (as in recording TV shows and cutting out commercials without losing quality). After trying several things to play back m2t files (MPEG-2 Transport ) quickly, I dropped one in Womble and was surprised to see I could not only play it but cut it quickly, splice a couple of shots together and almost instantly have a rough cut to show talent or a client. (It wouldn't be good for a final version because it could cut on a reduced information frame whereas a program like Vegas would fill all the infomation in. But was it still HDV?)

So I wrote Womble tech, "When Womble cuts an m2t file and saves it, does it save as m2t or something else? And if something else, what?" The reply was intersting:
1. The "Automatic" setting will save the edited project as MPEG-2 Transport, if the main content of video is MPEG-2 Transport.
2. Otherwise, you will need to explicitly select the output format as MPEG-2 Transport from the "General" page of the Export window, after selecting "Custom" for the export template which is the same as "Automatic" except that the export job will not start right away.
3. "m2t" is not in the list of export file name xtension, but you can change it by hand, also in the "General" page. We will need to do a better job in terms of preserving the file name extension for the export file.
You can expect this change in the next upate.

Some of you might find this useful. If you want to try it, you can download a free trial at www.womble.com
Both their programs handle m2t.

How much should I expect to pay? Where do I buy it?

Thanks

what kind of results can i expect from using the skintone detail settings?

should i use them?

my subject is always complaining about how much detail the camera shows. so i was wondering if using skintone detail would reduce facial wrinkles and blemishes by reducing contrast?

or how does it work?

thanks

joel

I have a HVR-Z1U, thinking about buying this controller, anyone used one? good, bad points, or should I get a Varizoom?

Thanks

Had a field producer I work with last night call and during playback in VCR mode looking at LCD screen of camera he said when he presses play to review video he shot that only a blue screen with time code rolling shows on LCD screen. When he presses play and holds down the fast forward or rewind the picture shows up on the LCD screen, but when he presses play by itself he only gets a blue screen with time code rolling. He was shooting in HDV mode and using sony digital master tape. There is video on the tape but only shows up when fast forward or rewinding in play mode. Any suggestions on whats going on would be greatly appreciated.

Check the playback mode in the menu (sorry, my camera isn't here right now). There are options to play back as DV, HDV or auto. If it's set to DV and you recorded HDV you would have a problem, however an error message should appear on the screen telling you the format is wrong.

Other than that, I can't think of anything. Is he sure that the camera is set to VCR mode and not camera mode? That would be a problem also....

Hello

Can someone advise me of what is the best carry case to get for the FX1? iv looked at the LCS-VCB but a bit over priced in my opinion for what it is, so if anyone can make some suggestions for a different case that would be great.

Thanks

This topic has been discussed at great length already. Please see the following:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=39573

I'm wondering about this too. I tried different skintone setting but couldn't see any visible differences?

Hi

Is anyone here going to the USA sometime soon? iv been trying all day to get hold of the LCS-VA60 bag for my FX1 and Sony told me they don’t sell it in the UK. if anyone is taking a trip out to the USA and could bring back this bag for me I would be very grateful indeed and I could easily send a cheque to you and you could send me the bag its only around $44.

Thanks

Hi :)

Reading through the setting thread I wonder what the cinetone does. Is is simply a S-shaped curve with a less and a more extreme shape ?

Or is there a bigger secret ? :)

Thanks!

Peter

I'm, getting an unusally high amount of "data stream" errors/brakes (something like this ??) while trying to batch capture using FCP5. I can't seem to get the footage into the Mac because of these errors or breaks. The tape shows consistent timecode and the numbers roll along well- but FCP5 warns of these "breaks" and aborts the capture of the clips in question (and I have FCP set to capture even if t/c breaks are present and warn later.)

I know I can always use the "capture now" button but it's not a convenient way to capture as I'll have to manually sit and capture each clip seperately as well as name them after each capture- this is most bothersome.

I'm using Sony DVM60ME tapes and have cleaned the heads with a head cleaner.....I'm stumped!

Are you guys experiencing this as well? Any workarounds?
Why does this happen?

( Can't wait to get the FS-4 and do away with tapes )

Quick question on the included Sony AC-VQ850. There is a display button there. When pressed, it shows me two options with two different times. One option is Normal, the other Full. The Full setting adds an hour to whatever time is present for charge.

Since there's no supplied instructions for the charger itself, can someone explain to me the significance of these charging options?

Thank you,

James

http://cgi.ebay.com/Chrosziel-MatteBox-Follow-Focus-HDR-FX1-HVR-Z1_W0QQitemZ7550014617QQcategoryZ64329QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

All this stuff together would sell for over $3330, with the Mattebox, FF and side wings. Seemed like a good deal. At $2500, Even the 'buy it now' price is pretty good.

I already have this setup without the FF, but I thought someone here might be interested.

Just wondering what the max load the xlr preamps can take... 25, 50 ohm?

If it came with a 35mm lens adapter system I would be very interested...

Hi there
Ive just shot a short film for film School on a Z1 And have to say this camera is a gem favorite one ive ever used. The footage is jaw dropping. Im wandering if anybody here is interested in seeing some samples of some of the stuff I have done especially the stuff from the Blue mountains just out of Sydney Australia. If theres interest could someone sugest a way and play to get it uploaded for everyones enjoyment. Few things I liked most about the Camera low light amazing, we shot a lot of stuff with shadows and it came up a treat something I bet wouldnt of worked on dv also all the out door stuff was shot without lights using natural light again wonderfull results...

Anyone have a z1 in the fort lauderdale that they wouldn't mind renting out for a day or 2? I would pay 300 for 2 days, i will be down there tomorrow shooting thursday and friday. I own one myself but could really use a second as well for the shoot.
Please call at 347-245-5721

After searching Google and the DVinfo.net forums tirelessly, I finally came across a picture of both the front and back of the Sony HVR-M10U VTR unit. If anyone's curious, the image can be found here: http://www.llsr.com/images/whats_new/large/hvr-m10a_large.jpg

Now, to find one of the front controls...

**Edit: found one! http://www.llsr.com/downloads/hvr-m10u.pdf

Hi. I picked up the HD100 & I'm looking for a good 'little' 1080i cam as well. I've been holding off on the Z1, since NAB/announcement of the Panny. I'm still very tempted to pick up the Z1 (I've had great luck with Sony's), and who knows, maybe even the Panny if/when it comes out it's as cool as it is on paper. I figure I'll wait a couple of months to make sure there's no preliminary issues, and to get a better handle on the P2 card pricing/availability, etc, and capitalize on that time with the Z1.

Can you please forward me to any native test footage you know about using the Z1/NTSC? Specifically, I'd love to run into some low light/gain used footage as well (many have said they've used 6-12db gain with good results - I'd love an example). I've been able to pick up a number of clips here and there (VASST, Iphoto, Canopus test footage, etc) - I'd like to supplement even more if it was available. Application is all over the board from concerts to weddings, to B-roll, etc. Using an Edius SP system to play with it on a 1440x1080 timeline.

I've done a number of searches here on ".m2t", and I've picked up everything that I saw available. If anyone has or knows of additional resources, it'd be great, or if you have clips FTP'ed, please email me a link (shawn.alyasiri@verizon.net).

Thanks again very much for your help.

Shawn

Hi gang. I've got the Z1 coming tomorrow - looking forward to it, and soon enough slapping it onto the P&S mini35.

I look forward to a nice weekend of getting to know it overall - I have the HDV upgrade coming for my Firestore FS-4's tomorrow as well, and I look forward to it's interaction with the HDV rack software.

I've reviewed so many threads in this forum - hard to keep track of all of them.

Do you have any 'quick-hit' or 'must-try' settings you suggest (gain, gamma, sharpness, etc)? I'll be trying it inside under dark conditions, as well as outside with plenty of ambient light. I'm used to the PD-150's, so I assume the menus will be similar.

I've had 720p for bit now - looking forward to 1080i and beyond.

Thanks,
Shawn

Hi gang. I've got the Z1 coming tomorrow - looking forward to it, and soon enough slapping it onto the P&S mini35.

I look forward to a nice weekend of getting to know it overall - I have the HDV upgrade coming for my Firestore FS-4's tomorrow as well, and I look forward to it's interaction with the HDV rack software.

I've reviewed so many threads in this forum - hard to keep track of all of them.

Do you have any 'quick-hit' or 'must-try' settings you suggest (gain, gamma, sharpness, etc)? I'll be trying it inside under dark conditions, as well as outside with plenty of ambient light. I'm used to the PD-150's, so I assume the menus will be similar.

I've had 720p for bit now - looking forward to 1080i and beyond.

Thanks,
Shawn


I don't have a Z1. I've got the FX-1, but there's some things that will be more than similar...

Like the "sharpness" setting. The default is set quite high, so you may find a benefit from lowering sharpness by at least two stops. Some folks use 8-9; but it may be worthwhile to hitch the camera up to a HDTV via COMPONENT (not composite!!!) and preview the setting live.

Nice camera indeed. I was waiting for the HD100 (which I picked up) as well as the Panny, and couldn't wait any more. It arrived today, and I already feel at home.

I really like it - well thought out and nice features and great images.

I'd love to run into a version of this cam with larger chips and a manual lens. Is that the premise behind the XDCAM coming out next year? If there was a Z2 that had the ability to stick an 18-20x piece of glass, that would be great.
Any rumors of a 1080i with manual lens in the sub $20K range?

Looking forward to talking with you more in this forum.

Shawn

Welcome to the club! I am also very happy with my Z1; Sony addressed a number of shortcomings with their other prosumer cameras in this model.

Any rumors of a Z2 should be discussed in our "Area 51" forum since we just concentrate on real cameras here...

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=68

I was messing around with the Picture Profiles of a Z1E (PAL, 1080i50) over the weekend. A valuable experience in many ways, but one thing bugs me (now that the unit and its manual are back at the hire shop).

Does Color Phase only work in NTSC?

I've noticed that a lot of my bright-daylight shots (mostly with more white than average) have come out decidedly pink, and thought I'd messed with the Phase by mistake. I played with it but it had no effect on my picture - both on the viewfinder and the image from tape.

Hmmm.....

Yes, the "phase" is always correct in PAL, it is one of the differences in the way that NTSC and PAL carry the color information.

And, source of the of repeated NTSC: "Never Twice the Same Color" slam. Mostly because everyone has a different phase setting on their NTSC TVs, making color correction kind of a crap-shoot. Can't do much with the picture when grandma's got her TV's flesh tones set to purple.

I believe (haven't checked for certain) that HD at NTSC rates also has no phase adjustment, and that the signal is always "in phase".

So in the future, hopefully phase will die out along with the 29.97 frame rate, and dropframe/non-dropframe time code, which makes NTSC so annoying.

I'm looking to purchase a FX1 off the internet and when i'm searching for the best price I come up with two totally different prices. I see one store selling it for $3500.00 and another for $2800.00. But then I come across a store that has it for $1800.00.

Being as so it is a lot cheaper, i'm leaning to purchase from that store for $1800.00, but I have one question, why is it so much cheaper than the other stores?

does anyone know if this is legit or a scam.

Hi Daniel,

We get this questions like this from time to time from new members such as yourself. What you need to know about this site is that we're supported by a few select Sony dealers and as a matter of policy, we direct *all* where-to-buy questions to them. You'll find them listed on our Sponsors page at www.dvinfo.net/sponsors.

And to answer your question, if a price is too good to be true, that's because it is a scam. Hope this helps,

I particularly like this shot and am using it as the picture which links to the couple's ceremony video on my web site. Image was captured as a deinterlaced field from a clip in the Canopus HQ format, then run through Photoshop to apply Autobalance and some quick touchups to the groom's face -- but essentially this is what came out of the camera. On close examination it's no replacement for a good still-camera photo, but it's not bad for video.

http://www.videomem.com/weddings/munoz/photo_large.jpg

See my issue on this thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=54355

Since this question comes up a lot, here's a list of threads that discuss the low light capabilities of the HVR-Z1 and HDR-FX1 as compared to other cameras:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=49518
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=47434
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=48020
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=40900
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=40368
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=39865
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=81292
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=81103

Anyone using the VCL-HG0872 Wide Conversion Lens? I'm thinking about getting it with the Z1 and wondered if its a good lens or there is something better out there? Any suggestions?

Yes....it is an excellent lens for the price...

I recently watched an episode of American Chopper where they showed some behind the scenes stuff on the production and post-production side of the show. I found it very interesting, but it also raised alot of questions for me.

Mikey(one of the characters on the show) was walking around with a Z1 filming some behind the scenes suff and it was cut in with other footage shot by their big cameras(some multiformat HDcam Panny). Anyway, its was seemless. As a testament to Sony, you could only at times tell that the Z1 footage was not shot by the $65,000 Panny.

They later did a segment on post. They edit the show on Mac Avids at Pilgrim Films and Television in California.

My question is: How do they import the Z1 footage to their Avid? What deck may they use?

I work for a really small edit firm that had just moved into the HDV world and we use Z1 with the Sony HVR-M10U deck. We post with Avid as well. All the footage seems alittle soft when brought into the machine. Whats the deal? Our hd monitors show the footage to be sharp and in focus, yet when we bring it in, it seems soft.

Is firewire the best way to import? Isn't 5:1 the best you can get with firewire?

Any help or info would be much appreciated.

Hello,

Is there ANY way to dub externally into a Z1 in the HDV format? I know it will do it to DV but I need to do it to HDV. I am working with a DR. and we need to feed an ultrasound output into the Z1 in HDV.

Possible? If not, does the SONY HDV DECK do it?

thanks,

Rob

No HDV equipment has any analog input for high-def. The only way to record an external high-def source on a Z1, or the deck, or an HD100 or XL-H1 or HC1 or A1 or *any* HDV product is to input an HDV signal through the firewire port.

In other words, no. You can only dub from one HDV product to another, providing that they adhere to the same version of HDV. You cannot input a non-HDV high-def signal into any HDV product at all.

How does the Z1U's frame mode compare to that of the Canon XL-2?

This is important, as I would like to know for potential HDV shooting, editing, and transferring to 35mm film.

thanks,

Do a search here for "CF24" or "cineframe" for tons of discussion.

Also see the following articles:

http://www.adamwilt.com/HDV/cineframe.html
http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/training/SonyHVR-Z1U_CF-24_cadence.htm
http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/training/SonyHVR-Z1U_CF-30_cadence.htm

However the XL2 does not have a "frame mode." Unlike the Z1, it shoots true progressive scan. See Chris' FAQ here: http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/xl2faq.php#framerates

You would also need to evaluate the potential gains of the Z1's higher resolution for a film transfer. The general wisdom around here has been NOT to use CF24 on the Z1. Also see the info at DVfilm's site:

http://www.dvfilm.com/fx1/index.htm