Sony Z1 and FX1 various questions 2004 - 2005

Kyle Fasanella · June 17th, 2005, 05:19 PM

I need to buy another mic for this camera because the one on it is Great at picking up Everything!. I need something for films and Video Blogs. Something directional.

Power for mic. Can I use the cameras L series or something like the phantom power. I don’t really know much about this. Or do I need to buy additional batteries for just the mic? I rather just buy another battery for my camera and use it to power both.

Also do I need to buy additional windguard or does this normally come with the mic?

I can get a $50 rebate if I buy any of the following mics from sony. Because I bought Z1 recently off B&W.

Shotgun Mics Rebate Per Unit
ECM – 670 $50
ECM – 672 $75
ECM – 678 $75

Augusto Manuel · June 18th, 2005, 01:17 AM

I have a shoot where I need to match a Sony Z1 shooting in SD mode in 4x3 mode to a Sony PD-170 (also a PD-150). Cannot shoot the Z1 in HDV mode and downconvert to SD because the customer will take the tapes right after the shoot.

Has anyone tried to match the footage of a Sony Z1 shooting in SD mode to a Sony PD-150/170 . If all settings of PD-150/PD-170 are at default settings, which settings of a Z1 would need to change. I know the low light capability of a Z1 is different, but that's not an issue in this case. How sharpness would need to change to match the default settings of PD-150. I know also since these are different cameras a perfect match would not be possible since even among similar camera models, a perfect match cannot be done without a shader and paint box. And using this is not feasible in this type of cameras. Any insights are appreciated.

Jerry Waters · June 18th, 2005, 03:37 PM

Check out info on the Audio Technica 897 on this forum - about $250, an excellent mic for the camera.

Eric Wotila · June 19th, 2005, 12:49 PM

Hey,

Long story short--I sent back a defective FX1 to B&H. They misplaced the shoe adapter, and are claiming I didn't send it. (I know for a fact I did) Due to the fact, they won't take a return on the DEAD ON ARRIVAL $3200 CAMEREA! A darn $2 piece of plastic means no return!

Anyway, the point is, is there anywhere I can pick up a replacement shoe adapter so they'll take the darn return? Thanks in advance.

Radek Svoboda · June 21st, 2005, 01:37 AM

With all the pros buying the camera, there must be plenty information available what are best settings for film out, for various situations. Could someone ask some good DP who has done it post recommended settings?

Radek

Bill Pryor · June 21st, 2005, 10:01 AM

You might want to check out www.dvfilm.com before you shoot anything for film out. As well as doing film transfers of excellent quality, they have a book available with information on shooting for film transfer. The current edition deals with the FX1, and on the web site they say they update the book periodically, so I'd guess the next edition will have the Z1.

I recently had a short music video transferred to 35mm there. They do the transfer work, and the 35mm print itself is done at Hollywood Film in L.A. The quality was excellent and the sound was perfect. I was not expecting it to be as good as it was. I shot it with a DSR500, and lots of closeups were done with the DSR250. It was edited in Avid XpressPro, and I sent DVfilm a hard drive with uncompressed QT. So, I'm a believer in listening to what these guys have to say. The do know their stuff. They're in Austin.

John Poore · June 28th, 2005, 11:13 AM

Even though the Panasonic HVX is some 7-8 months away, most agree that it's going to take a chunk out Sony's market, most likely the HDR/FX. I think it's great that DVCPro50 quality is going to be on offer in a small camera like the Panasonic. DVCPro-HD is not important to me simply because there's no market for it right now. It will be interesting to see if Panasonic will be able to offer a solid product with the HVX, it seems a really ambitious camera. I personally won't go near one until I see at least six months of user reports. But DVCPRO 50 quality is a major leap and I wonder if Sony will add it's similiar XML codec to the HDR/FX in response. For those of you who don't know, XML is Sony's version of DVCPro 50 and currently can only be found on certain XDCAM camera's.

Radek Svoboda · June 28th, 2005, 03:24 PM

All new Sony camera formats use MPEG2 or MPEG4 compression, from MPEG2 FX1 and XDCAM to MPEG4 CineAlta SR and Panavision Genesis with Sony CineAlta SR recorder.

Radek

Peter Robert · June 29th, 2005, 07:03 PM

My previous JVC HD camcoder allows me to put info of date and time when recording so that when I play back, I can know when I take this footage. It also allows me to switch off displaying this info when play back on LCD TV. When I capture the footage in PC, there is no such info. I find this function very useful.

Does Z1 function like this? If yes, how?

Peter

Bjorn Moren · June 30th, 2005, 05:58 AM

I'm thinking about using a low contrast filter to flatten out the contrast range some in difficult situations. But as I've understood this will do no magic, but just lift the shadows and make them grey, which is something I already could do in post. Or am I missing something here?

Are contrast filters useful? Have you experimented with them?

Carlos E. Martinez · June 30th, 2005, 06:42 AM

These comments from Miranda's owner, who supported HDV from the start, sound very interesting to have a real perspective of what we might expect.

http://www.digitalproducer.com/artic...e.jsp?id=33098

Now it's up to us to try push those limits.

Carlos

Jeffrey Liou · July 1st, 2005, 07:28 PM

just found this thread by searching , which may be useful
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/printthread.php?t=45887

Kyle Fasanella · July 11th, 2005, 05:52 PM

I am looking to buy wide angle lens for Z1U. hoping you guys have some recommendations. Also if possible I have herd there are Marco/micro lens that can be flipped for wide-angle or turned over to film something small like ants. This is exactly what I want but if I have to I can settle for just a widescreen right now I can deal WITH IT. But a micro lens and insects sounded awesome to me!

I figure since I’m getting a wide-angle anyways it might as well be able to shoot micro stuff also.

DON’T want something wide as fisheye though.

Any other lens recommendation. All I have right now is a UV lens from Tiffin.

Peter Robert · July 11th, 2005, 06:56 PM

I bought a Sony wide angle lens (HD) for my Z1. It costs me $350. It performs very well.

Richard Entwistle · July 21st, 2005, 02:37 AM

Hi All,

Have a strange one. Wondered if others have seen same. I thought I had a problem with my new Z1 but seems not. Although not exactly sure!

Was testing the Z1 for settings in our local park. Shooting a lake and trees with slow pans from one shot to another. Beautiful 'painting-like' pictures coming out the Z1 when viewed on my SD Sony widescreen monitor.

To save running the Z1 too much I decided to downconvert to DV SP and record a DV test master on my Sony GVD900. Back to offline editing it seems. :) Downconvert done Ok but get the following results:

1. Playback on a Panasonic 26" widescreen CRT domestic TV gives good colour and picture, but when the scene pans (about 75 degrees in 8 secs) I get a vertical rippling of the TV picture in its central area. Like a slinky moving across the screen if you understand me. In addition to the rippling effect (distorting the picture) the horizontal sync breaks up sometimes for parts of the picture. Lumps of tree foliage break way and jump back into sync!

Seeing the above gave me grave concerns for the downconvert, but...

2. Playback on Sony SD 14" studio monitor (widescreen) is perfect.

3. Playback on another Panasonic 4:3 TV is perfect (except for picture vertical stretch to be expected).

4. Running Z1 downconvert direct into all these monitors gives perfect results.

5. Running Z1 component into HD set (exhibition) and playing same tape gave perfect picture.

So. Conclusion is that my old Pana widescreen TV is ready for retirement! Or that somethin odd is encoded on the DV tape which upsets the 'old' widescreen TV.

Q1: Could anyone with TV knowledge confirm this?? What happens to old TVs before they die! :) And why would this ripple effect appear on this DV footage only? Never noticed problems before but looking more carefully of course.

Q2: Is it at all possible that something on the HDV-DV downconvert tape is triggering this phenomena?? Anyone seen anything similar?

Best regards,
Richard

June 17th, 2005, 05:19 PM	#226
Kyle Fasanella Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 66	Z1U shotgun Mic needed I need to buy another mic for this camera because the one on it is Great at picking up Everything!. I need something for films and Video Blogs. Something directional. Power for mic. Can I use the cameras L series or something like the phantom power. I don’t really know much about this. Or do I need to buy additional batteries for just the mic? I rather just buy another battery for my camera and use it to power both. Also do I need to buy additional windguard or does this normally come with the mic? I can get a $50 rebate if I buy any of the following mics from sony. Because I bought Z1 recently off B&W. Shotgun Mics Rebate Per Unit ECM – 670 $50 ECM – 672 $75 ECM – 678 $75

June 18th, 2005, 01:17 AM	#227
Augusto Manuel Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: san francisco california Posts: 145	Matching Sony Z1 to Sony PD-150/170 I have a shoot where I need to match a Sony Z1 shooting in SD mode in 4x3 mode to a Sony PD-170 (also a PD-150). Cannot shoot the Z1 in HDV mode and downconvert to SD because the customer will take the tapes right after the shoot. Has anyone tried to match the footage of a Sony Z1 shooting in SD mode to a Sony PD-150/170 . If all settings of PD-150/PD-170 are at default settings, which settings of a Z1 would need to change. I know the low light capability of a Z1 is different, but that's not an issue in this case. How sharpness would need to change to match the default settings of PD-150. I know also since these are different cameras a perfect match would not be possible since even among similar camera models, a perfect match cannot be done without a shader and paint box. And using this is not feasible in this type of cameras. Any insights are appreciated. Last edited by Augusto Manuel; June 18th, 2005 at 08:15 AM.

June 18th, 2005, 03:37 PM	#228
Jerry Waters Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 136	Check out info on the Audio Technica 897 on this forum - about $250, an excellent mic for the camera. __________________ Jerry Waters Arize Productions

June 19th, 2005, 12:49 PM	#229
Eric Wotila Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cadillac, MI Posts: 129	Replacement Shoe Adapter? Hey, Long story short--I sent back a defective FX1 to B&H. They misplaced the shoe adapter, and are claiming I didn't send it. (I know for a fact I did) Due to the fact, they won't take a return on the DEAD ON ARRIVAL $3200 CAMEREA! A darn $2 piece of plastic means no return! Anyway, the point is, is there anywhere I can pick up a replacement shoe adapter so they'll take the darn return? Thanks in advance. Last edited by Eric Wotila; June 19th, 2005 at 01:45 PM.

June 21st, 2005, 01:37 AM	#230
Radek Svoboda Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Posts: 500	Has any DP trested this camera and determined best settings for film out? With all the pros buying the camera, there must be plenty information available what are best settings for film out, for various situations. Could someone ask some good DP who has done it post recommended settings? Radek

June 21st, 2005, 10:01 AM	#231
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	You might want to check out www.dvfilm.com before you shoot anything for film out. As well as doing film transfers of excellent quality, they have a book available with information on shooting for film transfer. The current edition deals with the FX1, and on the web site they say they update the book periodically, so I'd guess the next edition will have the Z1. I recently had a short music video transferred to 35mm there. They do the transfer work, and the 35mm print itself is done at Hollywood Film in L.A. The quality was excellent and the sound was perfect. I was not expecting it to be as good as it was. I shot it with a DSR500, and lots of closeups were done with the DSR250. It was edited in Avid XpressPro, and I sent DVfilm a hard drive with uncompressed QT. So, I'm a believer in listening to what these guys have to say. The do know their stuff. They're in Austin.

June 28th, 2005, 11:13 AM	#232
John Poore Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Johannesburg Posts: 107	Will Sony hit back over the HVX? Even though the Panasonic HVX is some 7-8 months away, most agree that it's going to take a chunk out Sony's market, most likely the HDR/FX. I think it's great that DVCPro50 quality is going to be on offer in a small camera like the Panasonic. DVCPro-HD is not important to me simply because there's no market for it right now. It will be interesting to see if Panasonic will be able to offer a solid product with the HVX, it seems a really ambitious camera. I personally won't go near one until I see at least six months of user reports. But DVCPRO 50 quality is a major leap and I wonder if Sony will add it's similiar XML codec to the HDR/FX in response. For those of you who don't know, XML is Sony's version of DVCPro 50 and currently can only be found on certain XDCAM camera's.

June 28th, 2005, 03:24 PM	#233
Radek Svoboda Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Posts: 500	All new Sony camera formats use MPEG2 or MPEG4 compression, from MPEG2 FX1 and XDCAM to MPEG4 CineAlta SR and Panavision Genesis with Sony CineAlta SR recorder. Radek

June 29th, 2005, 07:03 PM	#234
Peter Robert Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 70	Date code in the tape My previous JVC HD camcoder allows me to put info of date and time when recording so that when I play back, I can know when I take this footage. It also allows me to switch off displaying this info when play back on LCD TV. When I capture the footage in PC, there is no such info. I find this function very useful. Does Z1 function like this? If yes, how? Peter

June 30th, 2005, 05:58 AM	#235
Bjorn Moren Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 65	Contrast filters I'm thinking about using a low contrast filter to flatten out the contrast range some in difficult situations. But as I've understood this will do no magic, but just lift the shadows and make them grey, which is something I already could do in post. Or am I missing something here? Are contrast filters useful? Have you experimented with them?

June 30th, 2005, 06:42 AM	#236
Carlos E. Martinez Trustee Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil Posts: 1,138	HDV future These comments from Miranda's owner, who supported HDV from the start, sound very interesting to have a real perspective of what we might expect. http://www.digitalproducer.com/artic...e.jsp?id=33098 Now it's up to us to try push those limits. Carlos

July 1st, 2005, 07:28 PM	#237
Jeffrey Liou New Boot Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Taipei, Taiwan Posts: 19	just found this thread by searching , which may be useful http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/printthread.php?t=45887

July 11th, 2005, 05:52 PM	#238
Kyle Fasanella Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 66	Looking to buy wide angle/micro lens for Z1U. I am looking to buy wide angle lens for Z1U. hoping you guys have some recommendations. Also if possible I have herd there are Marco/micro lens that can be flipped for wide-angle or turned over to film something small like ants. This is exactly what I want but if I have to I can settle for just a widescreen right now I can deal WITH IT. But a micro lens and insects sounded awesome to me! I figure since I’m getting a wide-angle anyways it might as well be able to shoot micro stuff also. DON’T want something wide as fisheye though. Any other lens recommendation. All I have right now is a UV lens from Tiffin.

July 11th, 2005, 06:56 PM	#239
Peter Robert Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 70	I bought a Sony wide angle lens (HD) for my Z1. It costs me $350. It performs very well.

July 21st, 2005, 02:37 AM	#240
Richard Entwistle Regular Crew Join Date: May 2005 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 28	CRT Widescreen TV Rippling Picture Hi All, Have a strange one. Wondered if others have seen same. I thought I had a problem with my new Z1 but seems not. Although not exactly sure! Was testing the Z1 for settings in our local park. Shooting a lake and trees with slow pans from one shot to another. Beautiful 'painting-like' pictures coming out the Z1 when viewed on my SD Sony widescreen monitor. To save running the Z1 too much I decided to downconvert to DV SP and record a DV test master on my Sony GVD900. Back to offline editing it seems. :) Downconvert done Ok but get the following results: 1. Playback on a Panasonic 26" widescreen CRT domestic TV gives good colour and picture, but when the scene pans (about 75 degrees in 8 secs) I get a vertical rippling of the TV picture in its central area. Like a slinky moving across the screen if you understand me. In addition to the rippling effect (distorting the picture) the horizontal sync breaks up sometimes for parts of the picture. Lumps of tree foliage break way and jump back into sync! Seeing the above gave me grave concerns for the downconvert, but... 2. Playback on Sony SD 14" studio monitor (widescreen) is perfect. 3. Playback on another Panasonic 4:3 TV is perfect (except for picture vertical stretch to be expected). 4. Running Z1 downconvert direct into all these monitors gives perfect results. 5. Running Z1 component into HD set (exhibition) and playing same tape gave perfect picture. So. Conclusion is that my old Pana widescreen TV is ready for retirement! Or that somethin odd is encoded on the DV tape which upsets the 'old' widescreen TV. Q1: Could anyone with TV knowledge confirm this?? What happens to old TVs before they die! :) And why would this ripple effect appear on this DV footage only? Never noticed problems before but looking more carefully of course. Q2: Is it at all possible that something on the HDV-DV downconvert tape is triggering this phenomena?? Anyone seen anything similar? Best regards, Richard __________________ Richard Entwistle Hong Kong Last edited by Richard Entwistle; July 21st, 2005 at 11:12 AM.