Sony Z1 and FX1 various questions 2004 - 2005

Chris Gallus · February 23rd, 2005, 11:36 PM

If you flip the LCD screen around so the screen is now on top and lock it closed, both screen and viewfinder operate at the sme time.
It may help to know this for some shooting positions.

Chris Hurd · February 23rd, 2005, 11:42 PM

Chris refers to the FX1.

The Z1 already allows for the LCD & EVF to be on at the same time.

Thanks Chris,

Nicholas Natteau · February 25th, 2005, 11:39 PM

Does anyone know whether the Z1U does interval recording or time lapse recording???

Strangely enough I didn't notice this feature in HDV mode or in DV mode. Am I missing something? All Sony video camera I know of have this feature including low end consumer models.

My VX2000 had it. I'm sure I'm missing something. Perhaps it's tucked away in some menu???

Thanks in advance,

- Nicholas

Derek Serra · February 26th, 2005, 12:22 AM

It only does it in DV mode. Check out the menu settings while the camera is in DV recording mode.

Shannon Rawls · February 28th, 2005, 06:37 PM

YES, the Z1U says the same thing.

Remember those batteries I bought that were LithInfo ready?

Well, I bought 2 more just so I could have 4 total (just in case I am shooting in the desert, lol)

The two new bateries came on Saturday and all four are IDENTICAL in design, size, labeling, color, plastic molding, etc...

Well, 1 of the 2 new ones was defective or someting because the charger wouldn't give any information on the battery.

So I popped it on the camera, and low&behold...that warning came up immediately. Needless to say, I returned to the company for a replacement.

So the moral of the story is....for the FX1 AND the Z1, you may use any battery type other then Sony, so long as it is LithiumInfo compatible. To test this, just pop it on your charger and if the charger gives you battery details in a few moments, you are all good. Or, pop it on the camera and hit the Battery Info button while the camera is off. if it gives you battery info, you're all good.

otherwise...sorry.

- ShannonRawls.com

Boyd Ostroff · February 28th, 2005, 06:53 PM

I know this issue also came up with the PD-170. People reported that third party batteries which worked fine on the PD-150 generated an error message on the 170. However, I also read that the message was only displayed the first time you put the battery on the camera. Evidently if you shut the camera off after the error message, and left the battery in place, then the next time you powered up everything worked.

This is all anecdotal, I don't have personal experience....

David Cherniack · February 28th, 2005, 07:10 PM

Trying to do a dvcam downconvert to a PD150 via ilink and retain the timecode - without success. Has anyone tried this?

John A. Nagle · February 28th, 2005, 09:34 PM

Hello,

I'm not going to steal Mike Curtis' thunder, but I don't know how many of you follow his excellent blog site www.hdforindies.com.

In a few days (or maybe even a week or more), Mike will be unveiling the results of our HD/SD shootout we had today at 501 Studios in Austin.

Basically, we shot a variety of sound-stage shots with a male and female cast, and then some outdoor stuff. This was all very controlled conditions, and each shooter set his camera to what he/she considered optimal for the conditions.

The cameras present were my Z1U, the Varicam, the HDW-F900, a Canon XL2, and a DVX100A. We all grouped tightly together, and each shot was slated so that we can do relatively frame-accurate comparisons. (I shot 50i for most of it...better compression, and better for 24p conversion.)

I had an indirect comparison with the F900 a week or so ago, and I was astonished at how close it actually did get, though Mike's eyes were apparently a bit more discerning than mine. :-) Or maybe it was just my zeal. (There's already a write-up about it on Mike's blog.)

Anyway, it looked really really good, and I think all you Z1/FX1 shooters will have your purchase decisions even further vindicated when Mike is finished putting it all together.

Just a heads-up...keep watching his site for the results to be posted.

-John

Joonas Kiviharju · March 1st, 2005, 02:31 AM

Sounds difficult to achieve with a PD150. I suppose you can't set it to EXT timecode for recording?
One way would propably be taking the material to a non-linear editor, and "black-out" your tape with the correct timecode with some tape recorder or camera that is capable of doing that, and then edit to tape from the right timecode.

Chris Hurd · March 1st, 2005, 08:01 AM

Thanks John,

Mike's most excellent blog is permalinked (gotta love that blogospeak) from my Resources page at www.hdvinfo.net. See you at SXSW hopefully!

Christopher C. Murphy · March 3rd, 2005, 01:17 PM

Pretty expensive for such a little piece! But, I thought I'd post the product here anyway:

http://www.vfgadgets.com/HDV-HDHandle.html

Chris Hurd · March 3rd, 2005, 02:53 PM

To me it looks like it's priced right. Thanks for sharing this Murph,

Jason Lehrer · March 4th, 2005, 03:11 PM

I'm just wondering if adding the Century Optics .6 adapter to the fx-1 means you can't use the lens shade with the camera. I'm planning to do some serious outdoor shooting and would like to have the lens shade and wide angle adapter if possible. Any thoughts would be helpful.

JD

Chris Hurd · March 4th, 2005, 03:26 PM

With the wide-angle adapter attached, you could either add a clamp-on matte box or add a matte box with rails. Then you put an eyebrow on the matte box and you're all set. Another solution is to take the adapter to a photo retailer; they might have a hood that will fit.

Sean M Lee · March 4th, 2005, 09:19 PM

I'm a racing freak and the F1 season started this weekend. After Juan Pablo Montoya finished his qualifying lap Friday night (Sat in Austrailia) Speed cut to a shot of the team in his garage. Walking in was a guy shooting with an FX1 (no shotgun clamp).

Damn, I wish I had that kind of access!

February 23rd, 2005, 11:36 PM	#121
Chris Gallus New Boot Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 6	Small discovery If you flip the LCD screen around so the screen is now on top and lock it closed, both screen and viewfinder operate at the sme time. It may help to know this for some shooting positions. __________________ Chrisg

February 23rd, 2005, 11:42 PM	#122
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Chris refers to the FX1. The Z1 already allows for the LCD & EVF to be on at the same time. Thanks Chris, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

February 25th, 2005, 11:39 PM	#123
Nicholas Natteau Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 70	does the Z1U do interval recording/time lapse??? Does anyone know whether the Z1U does interval recording or time lapse recording??? Strangely enough I didn't notice this feature in HDV mode or in DV mode. Am I missing something? All Sony video camera I know of have this feature including low end consumer models. My VX2000 had it. I'm sure I'm missing something. Perhaps it's tucked away in some menu??? Thanks in advance, - Nicholas

February 26th, 2005, 12:22 AM	#124
Derek Serra Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cape Town, South Africa Posts: 76	It only does it in DV mode. Check out the menu settings while the camera is in DV recording mode. __________________ Derek Antonio Serra Indie Filmmaker www.indv.co.za

February 28th, 2005, 06:37 PM	#125
Shannon Rawls Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 853	Z1U "Use real LithiumInfo Batteries" warning... YES, the Z1U says the same thing. Remember those batteries I bought that were LithInfo ready? Well, I bought 2 more just so I could have 4 total (just in case I am shooting in the desert, lol) The two new bateries came on Saturday and all four are IDENTICAL in design, size, labeling, color, plastic molding, etc... Well, 1 of the 2 new ones was defective or someting because the charger wouldn't give any information on the battery. So I popped it on the camera, and low&behold...that warning came up immediately. Needless to say, I returned to the company for a replacement. So the moral of the story is....for the FX1 AND the Z1, you may use any battery type other then Sony, so long as it is LithiumInfo compatible. To test this, just pop it on your charger and if the charger gives you battery details in a few moments, you are all good. Or, pop it on the camera and hit the Battery Info button while the camera is off. if it gives you battery info, you're all good. otherwise...sorry. - ShannonRawls.com

February 28th, 2005, 06:53 PM	#126
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	I know this issue also came up with the PD-170. People reported that third party batteries which worked fine on the PD-150 generated an error message on the 170. However, I also read that the message was only displayed the first time you put the battery on the camera. Evidently if you shut the camera off after the error message, and left the battery in place, then the next time you powered up everything worked. This is all anecdotal, I don't have personal experience....

February 28th, 2005, 07:10 PM	#127
David Cherniack Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 186	HELP dub timecode with downconvert? Trying to do a dvcam downconvert to a PD150 via ilink and retain the timecode - without success. Has anyone tried this?

February 28th, 2005, 09:34 PM	#128
John A. Nagle Tourist Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 3	Tested: HZ1 vs F900 and Varicam! Hello, I'm not going to steal Mike Curtis' thunder, but I don't know how many of you follow his excellent blog site www.hdforindies.com. In a few days (or maybe even a week or more), Mike will be unveiling the results of our HD/SD shootout we had today at 501 Studios in Austin. Basically, we shot a variety of sound-stage shots with a male and female cast, and then some outdoor stuff. This was all very controlled conditions, and each shooter set his camera to what he/she considered optimal for the conditions. The cameras present were my Z1U, the Varicam, the HDW-F900, a Canon XL2, and a DVX100A. We all grouped tightly together, and each shot was slated so that we can do relatively frame-accurate comparisons. (I shot 50i for most of it...better compression, and better for 24p conversion.) I had an indirect comparison with the F900 a week or so ago, and I was astonished at how close it actually did get, though Mike's eyes were apparently a bit more discerning than mine. :-) Or maybe it was just my zeal. (There's already a write-up about it on Mike's blog.) Anyway, it looked really really good, and I think all you Z1/FX1 shooters will have your purchase decisions even further vindicated when Mike is finished putting it all together. Just a heads-up...keep watching his site for the results to be posted. -John __________________ "If my audience can't tell what I shot it with, why the hell do I care?." -Me

March 1st, 2005, 02:31 AM	#129
Joonas Kiviharju Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 52	Sounds difficult to achieve with a PD150. I suppose you can't set it to EXT timecode for recording? One way would propably be taking the material to a non-linear editor, and "black-out" your tape with the correct timecode with some tape recorder or camera that is capable of doing that, and then edit to tape from the right timecode.

March 1st, 2005, 08:01 AM	#130
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Thanks John, Mike's most excellent blog is permalinked (gotta love that blogospeak) from my Resources page at www.hdvinfo.net. See you at SXSW hopefully! __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 3rd, 2005, 01:17 PM	#131
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	New HDV Handle Bracket For Sony HVR-Z1U Pretty expensive for such a little piece! But, I thought I'd post the product here anyway: http://www.vfgadgets.com/HDV-HDHandle.html __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

March 3rd, 2005, 02:53 PM	#132
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	To me it looks like it's priced right. Thanks for sharing this Murph, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 4th, 2005, 03:11 PM	#133
Jason Lehrer Tourist Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1	Will fx-1 wide angle adapter work with lens shade? I'm just wondering if adding the Century Optics .6 adapter to the fx-1 means you can't use the lens shade with the camera. I'm planning to do some serious outdoor shooting and would like to have the lens shade and wide angle adapter if possible. Any thoughts would be helpful. JD

March 4th, 2005, 03:26 PM	#134
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	With the wide-angle adapter attached, you could either add a clamp-on matte box or add a matte box with rails. Then you put an eyebrow on the matte box and you're all set. Another solution is to take the adapter to a photo retailer; they might have a hood that will fit. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 4th, 2005, 09:19 PM	#135
Sean M Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indy Posts: 160	FX1 sighting - on SPEED channel I'm a racing freak and the F1 season started this weekend. After Juan Pablo Montoya finished his qualifying lap Friday night (Sat in Austrailia) Speed cut to a shot of the team in his garage. Walking in was a guy shooting with an FX1 (no shotgun clamp). Damn, I wish I had that kind of access!