Making the jump? at DVinfo.net

Frank Feijen · May 14th, 2010, 12:47 PM

Hi there,

Here's a probably oldschool question for y'all:
I'm thinking of upgrading to the 700, to replace my old and trusty sony z1. I just hope i won't be dissapointed.
Is there anybody out there who has compared the two of them?

Ryan Mast · May 14th, 2010, 02:28 PM

Yes -- I shot with the Z1 before I jumped to the HM700.

The HM700 has more usable resolution. The Z1 isn't using a full-raster HD sensor, so it oversharpens a bit to compensate. The HM700 gives you a lot more control over how it interprets the image from the sensor -- sharpening level, gamma, color matrix, etc. The Z1 will give you a better-looking image out of the box, but the JVC will give you a better-looking image once you tweak it to what you need.

The HM700 is waaay better for shoulder-held shooting. Better form factor and far better battery system.

The HM700 has no autofocus and no image stabilization. The manual controls on the HM700 are far better than the Z1, since you're not dealing with a servo control -- you're controlling the lens directly.

Why are you thinking of upgrading to the HM700?

Frank Feijen · May 14th, 2010, 02:36 PM

Thanks Ryan,

My biggest Reasons for upgrading: better workflow (tired of digitzing tapes), better image (i grew really tired of the z1-look), better ergonomics (to please my back)

My biggest Reasons not to upgrade: lack of stabilization (haven't got a lot of unstabilized-experience, but my guess is that i'll just have to practice), afraid of all those bad-in-low-light-warnings (if it's really worse than the z1, it would be a bummer), and the-next-best-thing-might-come-out-next-month-syndrome (but i can't keep waiting for the canond5-in-hm700-jacket)

Lou Caputo · May 14th, 2010, 04:32 PM

Frank, you have nothing to worry about. I owned a Z1U prior to buying my 700's and I would NEVER go back. I've had no problems with low-light and because it's shoulder mounted, there should be no need for a stabilizer.

Just do it.

Eric Deyerler · May 14th, 2010, 05:38 PM

two weeks ago we shot for the triumph inspiration award in Germany, with my HM700 and B-Cam the Z1, my assistant love to work with my cam, the handling is like a DigiBeta and the picture is really sharper.

And you can shot in different formats, one day with 720p25, the next day 720p50, another project
with 1080i50 (HDV) and some more else. With the Z1 you can shot only HDV 1080i.

Frank Feijen · May 15th, 2010, 01:22 AM

what do you guys use the most: 720 or 1080? I'm used to working 1080 and combining with graphics.

Ryan Mast · May 15th, 2010, 10:08 AM

The thing has enough mass that image stabilization isn't necessary, anyway -- the mass helps eliminate most of the jitter that IS on a Z1 tries to fix.

If you shoot dance recitals and weddings where you have to shoot in no light, get an EX-1. I shoot music vids, dramatic work, or interviews where I always control the light, and I've never had issues with not having enough light.

You're right, the workflow is very, very nice. :) Just shot my second music video with the HM700 on Monday where my DIT offloaded footage to a MacBook Pro throughout the day and constructed a rough edit for the band to watch right after we were done shooting. Clients love that.

I usually deliver in 720p30 to the web, so I primarily shoot 720p60 or 720p30. Occasionally I'll shoot 1080p30 when I'll need to zoom/pan/tilt or SmoothCam in post.

May 14th, 2010, 12:47 PM	#1
Frank Feijen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Brussels - Belgium Posts: 36	Making the jump? Hi there, Here's a probably oldschool question for y'all: I'm thinking of upgrading to the 700, to replace my old and trusty sony z1. I just hope i won't be dissapointed. Is there anybody out there who has compared the two of them?

May 14th, 2010, 02:28 PM	#2
Ryan Mast Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 28	Yes -- I shot with the Z1 before I jumped to the HM700. The HM700 has more usable resolution. The Z1 isn't using a full-raster HD sensor, so it oversharpens a bit to compensate. The HM700 gives you a lot more control over how it interprets the image from the sensor -- sharpening level, gamma, color matrix, etc. The Z1 will give you a better-looking image out of the box, but the JVC will give you a better-looking image once you tweak it to what you need. The HM700 is waaay better for shoulder-held shooting. Better form factor and far better battery system. The HM700 has no autofocus and no image stabilization. The manual controls on the HM700 are far better than the Z1, since you're not dealing with a servo control -- you're controlling the lens directly. Why are you thinking of upgrading to the HM700?

May 14th, 2010, 02:36 PM	#3
Frank Feijen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Brussels - Belgium Posts: 36	Thanks Ryan, My biggest Reasons for upgrading: better workflow (tired of digitzing tapes), better image (i grew really tired of the z1-look), better ergonomics (to please my back) My biggest Reasons not to upgrade: lack of stabilization (haven't got a lot of unstabilized-experience, but my guess is that i'll just have to practice), afraid of all those bad-in-low-light-warnings (if it's really worse than the z1, it would be a bummer), and the-next-best-thing-might-come-out-next-month-syndrome (but i can't keep waiting for the canond5-in-hm700-jacket)

May 14th, 2010, 04:32 PM	#4
Lou Caputo Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Largo, Florida Posts: 46	Frank, you have nothing to worry about. I owned a Z1U prior to buying my 700's and I would NEVER go back. I've had no problems with low-light and because it's shoulder mounted, there should be no need for a stabilizer. Just do it.

May 14th, 2010, 05:38 PM	#5
Eric Deyerler Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Schwabach (Germany - Bavaria) Posts: 199	two weeks ago we shot for the triumph inspiration award in Germany, with my HM700 and B-Cam the Z1, my assistant love to work with my cam, the handling is like a DigiBeta and the picture is really sharper. And you can shot in different formats, one day with 720p25, the next day 720p50, another project with 1080i50 (HDV) and some more else. With the Z1 you can shot only HDV 1080i.

May 15th, 2010, 01:22 AM	#6
Frank Feijen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Brussels - Belgium Posts: 36	what do you guys use the most: 720 or 1080? I'm used to working 1080 and combining with graphics.

May 15th, 2010, 10:08 AM	#7
Ryan Mast Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 28	The thing has enough mass that image stabilization isn't necessary, anyway -- the mass helps eliminate most of the jitter that IS on a Z1 tries to fix. If you shoot dance recitals and weddings where you have to shoot in no light, get an EX-1. I shoot music vids, dramatic work, or interviews where I always control the light, and I've never had issues with not having enough light. You're right, the workflow is very, very nice. :) Just shot my second music video with the HM700 on Monday where my DIT offloaded footage to a MacBook Pro throughout the day and constructed a rough edit for the band to watch right after we were done shooting. Clients love that. I usually deliver in 720p30 to the web, so I primarily shoot 720p60 or 720p30. Occasionally I'll shoot 1080p30 when I'll need to zoom/pan/tilt or SmoothCam in post.