Thanks, David, for the plug. Much appreciated.

I would just add the following information. I think the bit depth is even more important to know than the color sampling.

8-BIT XAVC-L at 4k is 4:2:0.
10-BIT XAVC-L at 1080P 50 Mbps is 4:2:2
10-BIT XAVC-L at 1080P 35 Mbps is 4:2:2

10-BIT XAVC-I at 4K is 4:2:2 300 Mbps
10-BIT XAVC-I at 1080P is 4:2:2 - 111 Mbps

Can anyone confirm if XAVC-L on the PXW-Z280 is 10-bit 4:2:2 color?

I cannot find this information anywhere in the manual.

Doug, do you know the answer to this?

As noted above, it depends on whether you are talking about 4K or HD.

You never want to use XAVC-L 4K for anything that will require extensive grading in post, such as S-LOG. But for most WYSIWYG scene files that only need minor touch-ups inpost, you won't be able to see any visual difference 99% of the time between L and I.

XAVC-I at 4K is 4:2:2 300 Mbps
XAVC-I at 1080P is 4:2:2 - 111 Mbps

If shooting at 60p, double the above bit rates.

Chris Young

I've previously mentioned on DVinfo that even Doug's driveway is cool.

Now take a look at what his sock can do. :-)

The Geese of Wachusett Meadow - shot in 4K with Sony PXW-Z280 - YouTube

One of those special high-res socks, no less. LOL.

Andrew

You'd be surprised how much money there is in Sock Footage! I'm thinking of expanding next year to add Shoe Footage to my portfolio, as well. There's money in them thar feet!

Seriously, I noticed the typo about 10 minute after uploading the video and by then it was too late to fix. My dyslexia strikes again! A nice thing about Vimeo is that I can replace videos anytime I want to, but that is not so at YouTube. I wish they'd change that.

Hi Doug, I've the Z280 aswell and rented your Z280 Master Class.
I'm using your scene file from the Master Class and I think its great.

The video above of the Geese, are you still using the same scene file from the Master Class or have you changed it in anyway ?

Those pictures are fantastic.

Thanks.

Hi Anthony, thanks for the nice feedback.

Yes, the geese were shot with my main scene file, however, the footage has also been graded in Resolve. It is my philosophy that EVERYTHING can be improved with a little grading in Resolve.

... EVERYTHING can be improved with a little grading in Resolve.

:) OK Doug, thank you.

Hi all, I'm late to the game here and just purchased a z280 yesterday and am experiencing SxS card sticker shock. I ordered a QXD adapter which will take a month to arrive, so in the meantime I'd like to find an SDHC card solution, just so I can start test recording footage.

I have a couple of older SxS -> SDHC card adapters I've been using with my Ex1 for years and they work great. My question is:
- Can I use this same adapter with a compatible SDHC card in the z280?
- Which SDHC cards are compatible?

I couldn't find any specs online.

p.s., I will eventually get a SxS pro card for critical projects, but for now I just want a temp solution so I can get up and running.

Quote:

"...so in the meantime I'd like to find an SDHC card solution, just so I can start test recording footage."

SD Cards will definitely work, but what formats you can record on them is very much down to the speed of the cards. Have a look at the following links. The SD card tests are only a few days old, so pretty up to date. Most of the v90 cards would cover most of the recording selections in the Z280, but probably not the XAVC-I 500/600 Mbps I-Frame codecs. You would have to check that out. Unless anyone here has experience using v90 cards with the Z280 and can report on their findings.

Pay particular attention to the [NOTES] section on the Sony link regarding "...data restoration software and functions." In the past, I have found Sony's own proprietary "Memory Card File Rescue" software is way more efficient at recovering files off Sony cards than other brands of cards. It is the only recovery software specifically designed for XAVC file recovery. Sony's recovery software has been specifically designed to work with their own proprietary way of writing to their own Sony brand cards, so that is something to think about when buying cards.

For quite some years now, I've been using XQD cards with Sony's QDA-EX1 adapters in a variety of SxS cameras with no issues. This works for me as I have a couple FS7s and SxS card cameras and just having one media across the cameras is workflow effective for me.

BTW
I have a number of broadcast clients who still want the old MPEG HD 422 50Mbps files which the Z280 can deliver. I seem to be able to record that codec to almost any of the SD cards they supply me these days. So SD cards seem to work fine for that format.

Chris Young

https://havecamerawilltravel.com/fastest-sd-cards/

https://pro.sony/en_AU/support-resources/pxw-z280/faq/00250648

https://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/support/memorycard/datarescue/en/index.html

Thanks Chris, I wound up getting a MEAD-SD02 and a Sony Tough SD card and it works great. I have an XQD adapter on order so I look forward to that, and opening up more recording options.

What bums me out most about the SxS cards, is that even just the card reader is almost $400 ! I already have a bunch XQD cards and readers, so hoping to stick with that ecosystem if possible.

Like you, I have a number of XQD cards along with the readers that Sony supplied with the cards in the early day. I've got SxS cards from way back, along with Sony's SxS SBAC-US30 card reader. It was expensive back then, but has proved bulletproof so far. Incidentally, it works fine with the XQD cards in the SxS-XQD adapters, which is how I use it with the SxS card cameras. Saves having to mount and remount XQD cards in the adapters each time. Suggestion, if you see a used SxS card reader going for a reasonable price, grab it. Getting XQD cards in and out of the XQD adapters is a bit fiddly.

Chris Young

Jeff,

Where did you get the XQD adapter from?

Best,

David

Hi all, I'm late to the game here and just purchased a z280 yesterday and am experiencing SxS card sticker shock. I ordered a QXD adapter which will take a month to arrive, so in the meantime I'd like to find an SDHC card solution, just so I can start test recording footage.

I have a couple of older SxS -> SDHC card adapters I've been using with my Ex1 for years and they work great. My question is:
- Can I use this same adapter with a compatible SDHC card in the z280?
- Which SDHC cards are compatible?

I couldn't find any specs online.

p.s., I will eventually get a SxS pro card for critical projects, but for now I just want a temp solution so I can get up and running.

I know someone who bought two new ones from AliExpress. They look like absolute clones of my Sony ones bar the label. He's been using them for about six months now and they are both functioning fine. They look as well made as my Sony ones. A couple of outfits are listing them on AliExpress if you hunt for them

Chris Young

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003950544795.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

I was one that bought it off Ali Express and compared it with the original. They are similar but not exact. Functionally they do the same thing and I've also experienced no issues. I noticed the prices went up! I think I paid 35 bucks for mine when I bought it.

I wish Sony would update the cameras to use CF Express cards.

Best,

David

I know someone who bought two new ones from AliExpress. They look like absolute clones of my Sony ones bar the label. He's been using them for about six months now and they are both functioning fine. They look as well made as my Sony ones. A couple of outfits are listing them on AliExpress if you hunt for them

Chris Young

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003950544795.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

I also bought a QDA-EX1 from aliexpress and it worked without problems with a sony XQD 240GB.
Only did some testing, not long recordings

Doug, will a XQD adapter and card be fine for a PMW300 that you are aware of?

Andrew

PS. It's just crazy that Sony don't bring down the pricing for their SxS memory cards after all this time. Possibly such a minor item for them in the scheme of things.

Andrew, I honestly don't know and wouldn't even want to take a guess. There are so many possible combinations of adapters, cards, and codecs that I wouldn't trust anyone's advice (including my own) unless I had tested it myself with my own combination. Sorry I don't have a better answer.

I just did a quick search on eBay and there do appear to be some pretty good deals on genuine SxS cards, and then you won't have to fart around with adapters.

Doug, will a XQD adapter and card be fine for a PMW300 that you are aware of?

Andrew

PS. It's just crazy that Sony don't bring down the pricing for their SxS memory cards after all this time. Possibly such a minor item for them in the scheme of things.

Andrew. I've used XQD card adapters, genuine and 3rd party, in a PMW-300 and the Z280s now for a number of years and never had a recording issue. Even with the last firmware upgrade that delivered XAVC-I and XAVC Long GOP for the 300. I still have a couple of FS7s doing sterling service, so it's nice to have one card system across all the cameras. For what it's worth, operationally, IMHO I can't tell the difference between using SxS cards or XQD in the 300 or a 280, so I think you would be pretty safe to so.

To me, for us in here in Oz it's a no-brainer. I have to pay A$915.00 (current special at Videocraft) for a Sony 128GB SxS-1 G1C High Speed Memory Card or A$349.00 for a Sony 120GB XQD G Series Memory Card. That's over two and a half times the price? I have a number of SxS cards but since getting the FS7s back when they came out I've just bought XQDs due to the fact I can use them in the 300 the 280 and the FS7s.

Chris Young

Big thanks to Chris and Doug, I've got a 128G SxS card on its way.

Gotta love this place!

Andrew