Z90 or Z150

[Doug Carter]

I was on the verge of ordering a Z150 to replace my X70 when the Z90 was announced; now I'm a bit torn...

Does the Z150 have any functional advantage over the Z90 or are they two identical cameras in different packages?

I do often wish for more dedicated controls that the X70 (or Z90) sports but unless there are feature or performance advantages, I'm not sure the Z150 is worth the extra weight to me. Mostly, I'm hoping for improved dynamic range.

[Craig Seeman]

It seems the key big differences are much better and more flexible Auto Focus in Z90 and the ability to shoot above 120fps slow mo (at reduced resolution). The Z90 also will hav S-Log.

[Paul Anderegg]

If you are used to shooting on a DSLR, the select the Z90...if you want such pleasures as a freaking iris ring, choose the Z150. :-)

Paul

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Craig Seeman

. . . and the ability to shoot above 120fps slow mo (at reduced resolution).

I don't even have to see sample footage above 120 fps to know it is going to look like garbage.

[Paul Anderegg]

192x108p 960fps video shot at 1/1000 sec shutter and 24db in the daylight could look good, you can't say for sure. :-)

Paul

[Donald McPherson]

"Ouch" Is that because of shutter speed?

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

I don't even have to see sample footage above 120 fps to know it is going to look like garbage.

[Paul Anderegg]

Typically as frame rates go up, resolution goes down...not resolvable details, but the actual 1920x1080 will become 1280x720, then 640x360, then 320x180 and so on.

Paul

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Donald McPherson

"Ouch" Is that because of shutter speed?

Shutter speed wouldn't have anything to do with image quality. As Paul said, the resolution goes down and compression goes up making a lethal combination if you care about picture quality. My judgement is based on similar Sony cameras that offer those high frame rates. Up to 120 fps I'll bet it looks great, but I doubt anything over that is going to be good enough for professional work. 120 fps is pretty good anyway and works great for most sports, wildlife, etc. You really have to have a subject moving pretty fast to need better than 120.

[Donald McPherson]

I was thinking the higher the frame rate the higher the shutter. Meaning higher light required.

[Doug Jensen]

But that concern would be the same for all cameras. Faster frame rates = faster shutter speeds = more light needed. But that alone won't affect image quality.
I don't know yet how good the Z90 is in low-light, but I'm certain it will be good enough to handle the needs of high frame rates. It's the compression and reduced resolution that are the killers.

[Rob Cantwell]

At one point had looked at the FS5 but costing almost €5000 was beyond my budget, was considering the Z150 which is a good bit cheaper at €3300, then along came the Z90 which is just €50 dearer than the Z150.

Leaning towards the Z150, auto focus just isn't a selling point for me, got stung too many times with AF. Can't see myself using 120 fps very often and I presume you have to dig through the menu to get to it for me at least it's unusable.
The new Canons look interesting! maybe wait til next year to see have the prices come down to an acceptable level. Then I have all Sonys how to match them?
Decisions decisions!

[Donald McPherson]

Do a Youtube google of Doug Jensen. He has a few videos up using the Z150 and also a great video tutorial explaining all you need to know about the X150.

[Craig Seeman]

Originally Posted by Rob Cantwell

The new Canons look interesting!

If you mean the X405 as far as I can tell it's still 8 bit 4:2:0 in HD whereas the Z90 or Z150 are 10 bit 4:2:2. In day to day use that's far more important to me than high frame rates especially if I have to any post processing (color grading, etc.) The X405 does have 4k (UHD) at 60fps but I'm not sure how important that is though.

[Craig Seeman]

My guess is that Sony may handle the high frame rates the same way they do in the RX100 V.
If they kept 240+ at its native pixel size rather than fitting into 1920x1080, they might be useful as "insets" or, in the case of 240 for example, software good at scaling in post. Even that won't be as good as "native."

As to the buttons I'd expect that S&Q modes can be assigned to a button. We'll know as more reviews come out of course.

[Doug Carter]

Aside from the lower resolution viewfinder, does the Z150 have recent enough hardware to keep up with the Z90? I.e. is the DSP and sensor the same or a generation older in the Z150?