Sony PXW-Z150 or Panasonic hc-x1

[Anthony McErlean]

Hi, not sure where to post this.
A friend of mine is changing from his PMW320 to something a bit lighter in weight.
He records weddings and can't make his mind up between these two cameras.
Sony PXW-Z150 or Panasonic HC-X1.
I don't own any of the above so can't advise myself.

Any thoughts and thanks in advance.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I own the ux180 and I can't imagine image wise they're that different. I believe they use the same sensor.
Off the top of my head the key differences are:

Z150:
the good: 422 color
the bad lens range and some control buttons are on top making them hard to access on a tripod.

Panasonic
the good: lens range, touch screen, 120fps slowmo, codec
the bad: no internal 422, I'm not keen on their menu and some of it's usability

For wedding work it will come down to a subjective decision which can only be determined by hands on use and style of filming. But for me the lens range is more important than internal 422.

[Anthony McErlean]

Thank you Pete, much appreciated.

Picture quality wise, maybe not much difference between the two?

[Ron Evans]

I don't have either but the main difference for me is the Z150 is only 30P UHD and the UX180/HC-X1 is 60P UHD

[Anthony McErlean]

OK, thanks Ron.

[Cliff Totten]

The Z150 will give you a 1.7x UHD oversampled sensor readout. It actually reads 5472 x 3080 (16.9 MP) from the sensor and scales that to UHD. So, the Z150 puts out and extremely detailed 4k.

The HC-X1 only does a simple 1:1 4k readout (1x) readout. Its a nice picture but not as detailed as the Z150.

The Z150 will have a free new firmware update this month that will add new 3 modes of HLG (hybrid log gamma) I saw this at NAB, pretty sweet. This will go way beyond that normal 6-7 stops of rec709 profiles and give you probably 10-11-ish stops of dynamic range.

Its true, the Z150's menu button is in the worst possible place. The cameras image processing looks fantastic though.

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by Cliff Totten

The Z150 will give you a 1.7x UHD oversampled sensor readout. It actually reads 5472 x 3080 (16.9 MP) from the sensor and scales that to UHD. So, the Z150 puts out and extremely detailed 4k.

The HC-X1 only does a simple 1:1 4k readout (1x) readout. Its a nice picture but not as detailed as the Z150.

The Z150 will have a free new firmware update this month that will add new 3 modes of HLG (hybrid log gamma) I saw this at NAB, pretty sweet. This will go way beyond that normal 6-7 stops of rec709 profiles and give you probably 10-11-ish stops of dynamic range.

Its true, the Z150's menu button is in the worst possible place. The cameras image processing looks fantastic though.

I think the HC-X1 1" sensor has 8.79 Mpixel effective for UHD compared to Z150 quoted 14.2 The pixels of course are bigger than the Z150 so may have a little better low light performance too.

Few other differences HC-X1 will record true 4K has touch focus etc too. I had seriously looked at upgrading to the HC-X1 from my FDR-AX1 but bought the GH5 instead. For me UHD60P was a must so the Z150 was off the list I also wanted touch focus as my experience with the FDR-AX1 made it clear focusing in UHD is very critical and touch auto has proved very effective with all my other little Sony's and also now the GH5.

[Paul Anderegg]

Here is some UX180 1080p real world night ENG footage, mostly nat light.

OnScene.TV | Texas

And here is my archive of 4K Z150 night ENG footage.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-4k-...-examples.html

If I did not need built in live streaming, I would go for the Panasonic. It has much more extensive color matrix adjustments and that sweet 20x zoom. It is a bit bigger, bulkier, and has no 4:2:2, but 4K 60p is sweet. :-)

Paul

[Anthony McErlean]

Thank you guys for all the info.

[John Whiteway]

Hi. Could anyone there comment about the quality of the viewing screens on each of these cameras.

I have a Panasonic GH4 and love many things about the camera but I find it's viewing screen virtually unusable in daylight conditions. I know screens can be made that are not so impossibly reflective. For example my old Canon XH-A1 HDV camera has a viewer that is amazing in sunny conditions, no reflection to mention. (I've thought that maybe it's the touch-screen nature of the GH4's screen that is the cause of it's problem.) I've also read that the viewing screen on the larger "red" Panasonic full-sized 4K video camera that has the same 4/3 sensor as the GH4 and 5 has the same problem with reflectivity.

So is that a problem with the HC-X1? Does the Sony PXW-Z150 deal with daytime light reflectivity any better? I know there is always the option of the eye-piece viewer but I much prefer composing shots on a viewer screen.

Thanks.

John

[Paul Anderegg]

I find the LCD panel on my X70/Z90/Z150 to be unusable in the daytime...it's just way too dim, and because it doesn't have peaking, any stray reflection will probably be covering the little edge of detail you need to see to tell if you are in focus. The EVF is nice though :)

Paul

[John Whiteway]

Thanks for the reply Paul. With the Panasonic GH4 I've tried all the possible "solutions". There was a film that was supposed to cut down glare, but when I applied it it helped little, and that at the price of really downgrading the image on the screen. I also tried a sun screen hood but it's a clumsy piece and is of little use if you are moving the camera around a lot. Got an enlarged eye cup for the EVF but alas with a camera like the GH4 with no tilting ability to the eye piece, when you are outside using a tripod it's awkward beyond belief to try to angle your head to try to meet the camera's frozen EVF eye piece position. The price of being a video camera based on an SLR stills camera body I guess. And I'm still thinking that it must be something about the glass that's needed for a touch screen that has both the Panasonic and Sony producing such frustratingly reflective screens.

Thanks again.
John

So guess it's a camera like your Sony. If one can't use the screen due to the sun at least one can use the EVF and angle it to comfortably meet your eye at various tripod heights. But sure have fallen maddly in love with 4K. Would never have imagined how profoundly it alters the viewing experience. Makes you just want to take nothing but long shots so that the eye has a chance to feast on all that's in the image.

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Paul Anderegg

I find the LCD panel on my X70/Z90/Z150 to be unusable in the daytime...it's just way too dim, and because it doesn't have peaking . . .

The LCD panel has peaking.

[Paul Anderegg]

Focus assist colored edges make not edge sharpening peaking...viva la Betacam! Colored edge "peaking" vs edge sharpening peaking is like trying to adjust backfocus with the focus ring instead of the backfocus flange adjustment. These cameras LCD's are just about sharp enough without peaking to be Ok at my 720p record resolution.

Seriously though, in the day, i rely on zebra at 100% and punch in focus magnifier to obtain somewhat usable images...obviously this gets difficult with moving subjects. Also, the Z90/Z150 etc EFV doesn't tilt down, so there is that limitation to consider.

Paul

[Doug Jensen]

Peaking is peaking and the camera has it. Yes, it is the inferior type of peaking, but it is still peaking and better than nothing. To say the LCD does not have peaking is incorrect. Also, I fail to see how zebras comes into the discussion. Zebras are for exposure and have no bearing on focus. With the right settings and an experienced eye, peaking on the camera is a valuable tool and I never need to use focus mag.