http://www.hdvinfo.net/articles/sonyhdrfx1/compare.php

heath

Just made a HUGE update to this chart -- see direct link in Heath's post above.

I love a huge update!

heath

One thing. I thought I read somewhere that although the cameras have a manual zoom handle, the zoom is still servo operated and can suffer from quite a bit of lag if it is moved quickly. Anything to this?

The updated chart said something about the zoom not being as smooth or something on the FX1 vs. Z1U.

heath

Interesting. I wish I could recall the account I read. It said that he could move the zoom lever fast one way and back the other, but that the actual zoom on the camera didn't match the speed at which he was moving it.

That's very interesting, Simon.

Heath, regarding the chart, the Z1U has a special "smooth zoom" feature that will ramp the speed of the zoom at the beginning and end to make for a smooth shot. This works right at the zoom rocker. The FX1 actually does have a smooth zoom feature as well, but only as part of the "shot transition" function where you preset your zoom and activate a trigger (a button) which then performs it for you automatically.

Chris,

Thanks for setting me straight! <g>

heath

<<<-- Originally posted by Simon Wyndham : One thing. I thought I read somewhere that although the cameras have a manual zoom handle, the zoom is still servo operated and can suffer from quite a bit of lag if it is moved quickly. Anything to this? -->>>

It is not a mechanical connection, it is servo operated, like you describe. However, you have to move it pretty quickly to get lag.

///d@
Sony Media Software

I guess that means it's not well-suited for snap zooms, but let's face it, how often do you do those anyway. With me it's always how slow can I zoom, not how fast.

As a filmmaker, no zooms for me! Esp. a Zapruter Zoom!

heath

Depends what you are doing. Crash zooms can be used to cool effect in a retro kind of way, as can 'zoom pulsing' should you be shooting something such as a music video etc. It's nice to have the option there, and to be honest I'm not sure why a mechanical zoom would be so hard for them to implement as well as a servo one. Even my old Hi-8 camera had a true mechanical zoom with the ability to select servo operation if needed! Same goes for focus operation.

With the Z1 I don't know how it can be called the pro version with a servo operated focus ring with no barrel markings. Such things are fundemental basics, not luxuries, and something which some of the older analogue consumer cameras actually had!

...yep, just went and had a look at my old Sony V800E Hi8 camera and it has fully manual zoom capability with macro, as well as a full manual focus operation with barrel markings. Now if an ancient Hi8 cam like that can do it, why can't a new camera aimed at prosumers? Especially the Z1 with a 'pro' designation?

Heath, if zoom ability was such a no-no, and servo zooms were so much easier to implement, why do pro lenses insist on having manual zooms?

It's creative choice. You can't have a camera designated as 'pro' while at the same time taking away features that real pro's look upon as the bare essentials.

Umm Heath! I just watched the trailer for your Skye Falling and the first shots use.... zoom!!!

Ze trailer, yes! I use zooms to get my focus, but after Skye and a couple of short films, I've decided to lay off zooms in the actual movie, unless it's totally neccessary. Too ugly for me, personally! I've learned!

heath

Okay. But you also point out another use for the zoom. Particularly a fast zoom. That of obtaining focus. Being able to snap in and out for that can be useful.

Thanks go out to Mike Tiffee. I've revised this chart again at his suggestion, to reflect the Z1U's unique ability to crop the edges of a 16:9 picture down to 4:3 for playback on a standard 4:3 monitor.

See http://www.hdvinfo.net/articles/sonyhdrfx1/compare.php#of

It's the infinitey rotating vs the limit-stops control.

There's a good reason why we get controls like this on consumer cameras: power consumption. The servos required to move the optical components are quite small because they're light and don't have to move far. But the external controls have to be human size, and that means big. So, if you want a physical focus control you need a much bigger servo bevcause it has to move the external control as well as the innards. Not only that, but it needs to have a torque limit so that it doesn't break your wrist if you try to stop the auto, and the barrel has to be stronger to accommodate all this. So they take the natural step of using small, light, low power servos, and making the manula control supply a guiding voltage to it, rather than shifting the components directly.

This way, it all gets cheap enough, light enough, simple enough, and sufficiently low power to run on the small batteries we're used to.

tom.

My old Hi-8 Sony camera had fully manual focus and zoom (complete with full focus barrel markings) as well as auto focus and auto zoom if you wanted to use them.

Theres no excuse for having these horrible focu rings. Older prosumer cameras had full manual controls with no problem at all, and the cameras were of a similar size to the current ones.

Infinate servo focus rings atc are nothing more than a dumbing down of cameras. It also keeps them seperate from the real pro cameras. It's nothing to do with how easy or difficult it is to do.