So...Am I the first one with a Z1U???? *smile* at DVinfo.net

Shannon Rawls · January 28th, 2005, 09:08 PM

My wife taking my photo 1.5 hours ago at the store...
http://www.shannonrawls.com/images/z1u-1.jpg

My wife taking my photo 15 minutes ago showing you the box...
http://www.shannonrawls.com/images/z1u-2.jpg

My wife taking my photo 15 minutes ago trying to see if my AT-897 mic will fit...
http://www.shannonrawls.com/images/z1u-3.jpg

-----------------

Where did I get it from? ----> http://www.evsonline.com/

I picked it up and a new tripid and was helped out by Josh, Ryan & Tommy (the sales team) . They hooked me up. Make sure you speak with them and tell them SHANNON W. RAWLS sent you. They have over 10 in stock, and are selling them now.

I was the first to get it, and they said most likely the first in the entire state of california to own one, because they are the first to distribute them and the have them early (ofcourse this could all be wrong) Most others wont be shipping until next week.

------------------

ok, now to the nitty gritty. As I am not a director, nor DP, but a Producer who likes to own all his own equipment.....

Is there anything you would like me to check, test, see about, try out, flip, push, or click????

- ShannonRawls.com

Darrell Essex · January 28th, 2005, 09:10 PM

i'm so jellous. post some full rez stills when you can.

Chris Hurd · January 28th, 2005, 09:29 PM

Express Video Supply has been a DV Info Net sponsor for quite some time now. Glad to hear the Z1's are shipping. You did yourself right by going with them -- but I guess you already know that! Congrats on your new baby, er, camcorder!

(By the way, that's a nice set-up -- even the aquarium looks pretty cool!)

Christopher C. Murphy · January 29th, 2005, 08:56 AM

Hey Shannon, that's totally cool and thanks for sharing! Can do a low-light test? Any test is good...I'm really curious to know how it deal with lower light conditions.

Also, I just bought a ticket to LA for this coming weekend - I'm going to be visiting a lot because I'm moving out there soon.

If you're going to be around maybe we can hookup for a beer? I'm going to try and hookup with some others I've never met on here like Charles Papert - maybe we could all meet at HOB or somewhere like that? I'll be in the Burbank/El Segundo area for 2-3 days if you're in that area too. Also, downtown Hollywood for a day. If you wanna come to a Superbowl party I could introduce you to a bunch of my friends (it's in El Segundo)...they're all video/film/music people.

Murph

Chris Hurd · January 29th, 2005, 12:39 PM

Shanon's been immortalized on our HDV Info Net front page:

http://www.hdvinfo.net/index.shtml

Two thumbs up!

Christopher C. Murphy · January 29th, 2005, 04:33 PM

LoL! The smile that launched a 1000 Z1's!

Chris, you might want to change the verbage - it reads, "even though it hasn't been released yet". It definately has been at EVS!

Shannon Rawls · January 29th, 2005, 04:48 PM

OK everyone....sorry for the delay. Last night I had to run an ADR session, and when I finished I began to read the owners manual from cover to cover (and fell asleep in the process)

So, today, I am filling requests.....

In response to: Chris Murphy - The cameras low-light sucks (can i say that?). *smile* I mean, I want to say noting but good things for a camera I just shelled out $5 grand for, but I cannot tell a lie. The low light is not good whatsoever. Hypergain, is a mess too. I tried that, and I doubt I will EVER use that for ANYTHING.

I shot you a low-light test clip.... When I reviewed the footage, I couldn't beleive it...it was like I was staring at a black wall. But with my own eyes, it was clear. The room was bright guys, trust me. Even when I closed all the doors, I could still see EVERYTHING. I wouldnt have bumped into anybody if someone else was in there with me. And then towards the end, when I opened the door back up, it became bright enough in there that I could have sat down and read a freaking novel! Seriosuly.

So....Low-Light....is not happinin' on this camera. Not like a PD170 or VX2100. No way no how!

However, if you are a movie maker...and you have a DP with lights....you now have a Weapon of Mass Destruction!!! *smile*

Did anybody see that movie COLLATERAL?? Did you listen to the DIrectors Commentary when Michael Mann was discussing the low light capabilities of the f900 in the scene when Tom Cruise was hunting Jada Pinkett in that hi-rise building office with the low lights. Remember what he said about how it was so dark that people couldnt move around and the crew had to wait until the lights were turned on to move because if they did, they would have ran into something, however the F900 could see everything in that dark room..... well....

Well, if Michael Mann had a Z1U....it would have been a pitch black picture, LOL, because my eyes are better in low light then this camera is. (and I wear glasses)

I still love it though, and its better then a DVX100a (i own one of those too)

Here ya go. Since I am currently uploading and it looks like it will take 30 minutes, this link will be active after 5pm PST today.

http://www.ShannonRawls.com/hdv/z1u-lowlight.m2t

- Shannon W. Rawls

Shannon Rawls · January 29th, 2005, 04:59 PM

In response to: Anthony Miles - The camera is not 48Hz. It is 60i/60Hz all the way while in cf24 mode (unless you chnage the shutter). The even though the shutter is adjustable and the speed can be set to whatever you want, 1/48 is not one of them.
I shot you a clip while on Robertson Blvd. in Beverly Hills. I did fast panning and quick zooms and all that. I even spun around in a 360 like Michael Jackson (got dizzy).

CF24 doesnt seem as bad as they say it is for some reason. I was totally skeptical of it, until today. I captured this raw HDV footage using CapDVHS, and uploaded it to my server. It's 2 minutes long and about 388 megabytes large, so download it and enjoy.

Here ya go. Since I am currently uploading and it looks like it will take 30 minutes, this link will be active after 3pm PST today.

http://www.ShannonRawls.com/hdv/z1u-cf24-fastpan.m2t

Shannon Rawls · January 29th, 2005, 05:39 PM

[Question from=Stoneman] can use the faster DVCAM tape speed while in HDV mode.----------

NOPE, you cannot. It has a setting that asks you 'REC FORMAT' and the options are "HDV or DV" If you select DV, then it asks you 'REC MODE' and the options are "DV or DVCAM". If you were to select "HDV" for the 'REC FORMAT' then the 'REC MODE' is greyed out.
____________________________________

[Question from=Kerr Cook]how well your mic works (rather than the $300 Sony external mic).----------

The sound quality on this puppy is A-MA-ZING! Even the internal mic is awesome, but when I plugged up my AT-897 shotgun....that's all she wrote! (as far as I can hear). The headphones were crystal clear too. I have a DVX100a that has the worse headphone noise I have ever heard in my life! There is all this white noise, and there is a delay.....not on this camera....crystal clear and LOUD! and the recordings are LOUD and CLEAR. The 16bit audio peaks in my Vegas 5.0d time line were very nice and peaky.

____________________________________

[Question from=Kerr Cook]Please confirm! My guess is that the recording will start quicker than the FX1 from standby only when the head has stopped spinning (say after in Standby for a few minutes). The FX1 takes ~8 seconds in this case. I think the Z1 is just as fast as the FX1 when starting from Standby under most usage where the head is still spinning (short pauses, etc.)----------

Nope...Same delay is here. However, there is a menu setting that is called "QUICK START" that will start the recording almost immediately from STOP (after standby has gone). Only problem is, there may be a space/blank/black frame, call it what you want, between the clipos. With QUICK START is off, and you suffer the start up delay, then the clip-to-clip transitions are smooth as butter. if you activate the QUICK START option, then you'll see a blank space last about 2 frames or so. In my opinion,, the standard delay isn't even that long and was not long enough to even add the quick start part. But for some people, they may need to capture something at the blink of an eye, so QUICK START is for them.

____________________________________

[Question from=philmorej]Congratulations. A complete review, would be great. Is the lens same as FX1? How does 50i performance compare to 60i performance (picture quality). Focus controlability. Component output quality vs FX1. Overall picture quality vs FX1..)----------

A complete review....sorry, I hate to type. Nor do I like to speak in the technical fashion as most evaluators do. I rather speak in a matter-of-fact fashion as if me and you were hangin' out sippin' on some brews just talkin' about what we talkin' about. So the standard "review" is not coming from me. You gotta wait for the columnists for that one. 50i vs 60i and FX1 vs Z1U *smile* Sorry again, I don't have an FX1 to compare. Nor are my eyes that trained that I can tell what's best between the two or the two formats.. The picture quality is simply amazing....period! I am one of those 'regular' people when it comes to picture quality. I don't crunch numbers and shoot res charts.

____________________________________

[Question from=Kerr Cook]Can you shoot a few seconds of 1080/60i and also some 1080/50i and get them to me to post here? (in raw .m2t). I'd really like to see if the GOP of NTSC being 15 and the GOP of 12 in PAL make a difference in the individual frame's video quality, & how does the "focus adjustement" / tweak AutoFocus work?----------

I sure will Kerr. I'll shoot the exact same thing in both modes for you and post up the m2t files for you. Then you can work your magic.

The focus assist is a menu item that basically allows you to do what all the other sony cameras already did. See, the way this camera is, if the focus is on "AUTO" then the focus ring on the lens becomes dead. SPin it all you want and it doesn't do a thing. However, when you turn on the FOCUS ASSIST in the menu, then the ring becomes alive, even in AUTO mode. I think this is so you can help the camera get into focus faster then leting it do it by itself. I keep mine on Fucus Assist, so if I am ever in AUTO FOCUS mode, and I don't feel the AF is clearing up fast enough, then I can spin the ring and find it myself, and then the camera will fine tune the actual location i am pointing at. This is helpful so the camera will not focus on the background, when you really want the foreground.

____________________________________

[Question from=epicdream] I was wondering, does the Z1 have the same metal construction as the PD 150 or is the same as the FX1???? I only ask this as I tried the FX1 two hours after the Z1 and I didnt get a good grip of it. ----------

The Z1U is plastic, just like the FX1 is. This thing seems to be twice as big as the pd150/170. As a matter fo fact, I think if I were shooting next to someone with a PD170, he would move away from me because of embrassment. LOL. people would look at his camera like a toy compared to this one. But the answer is, it is plastic, however rigig. Not toy-like like some other cameras are.

- ShannonRawls.com

Bryan McCullough · January 29th, 2005, 06:16 PM

Ok, I'm considering getting the FX1, don't have the scratch that Shannon has ;) and am very interested to see the footage you're posting.

How close will this footage be in quality to the FX1, if anyone knows?

Thanks!

Bob Zimmerman · January 29th, 2005, 07:59 PM

I thought with the 2 lux it might be better in low light.
So your saying it doesn't work it a room with light? You have a $5,000 camera that won't tape the kids birthday party? A room light enough to read a book? I have a sony digital 8 that would do that. My XL1s would have done that! Maybe you had the lens cap on or some setting was wrong.

Dave Campbell · January 29th, 2005, 08:15 PM

Marketing

dave

Brandon Greenlee · January 29th, 2005, 10:46 PM

Thanks for the incredibly informative posts and clips Shannon!

Heath McKnight · January 29th, 2005, 11:11 PM

Shannon,

You're my hero! nice set-up in your studio!

heath

Bryan McCullough · January 30th, 2005, 08:00 AM

Are the clips working?

I get errors that the file can't be found.

January 28th, 2005, 09:08 PM	#1
Shannon Rawls Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 853	So...Am I the first one with a Z1U???? smile My wife taking my photo 1.5 hours ago at the store... http://www.shannonrawls.com/images/z1u-1.jpg My wife taking my photo 15 minutes ago showing you the box... http://www.shannonrawls.com/images/z1u-2.jpg My wife taking my photo 15 minutes ago trying to see if my AT-897 mic will fit... http://www.shannonrawls.com/images/z1u-3.jpg ----------------- Where did I get it from? ----> http://www.evsonline.com/ I picked it up and a new tripid and was helped out by Josh, Ryan & Tommy (the sales team) . They hooked me up. Make sure you speak with them and tell them SHANNON W. RAWLS sent you. They have over 10 in stock, and are selling them now. I was the first to get it, and they said most likely the first in the entire state of california to own one, because they are the first to distribute them and the have them early (ofcourse this could all be wrong) Most others wont be shipping until next week. ------------------ ok, now to the nitty gritty. As I am not a director, nor DP, but a Producer who likes to own all his own equipment..... Is there anything you would like me to check, test, see about, try out, flip, push, or click???? - ShannonRawls.com

January 28th, 2005, 09:10 PM	#2
Darrell Essex Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: kelseyville, ca Posts: 123	i'm so jellous. post some full rez stills when you can. __________________ darrell

January 28th, 2005, 09:29 PM	#3
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Express Video Supply has been a DV Info Net sponsor for quite some time now. Glad to hear the Z1's are shipping. You did yourself right by going with them -- but I guess you already know that! Congrats on your new baby, er, camcorder! (By the way, that's a nice set-up -- even the aquarium looks pretty cool!) __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

January 29th, 2005, 08:56 AM	#4
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	Hey Shannon, that's totally cool and thanks for sharing! Can do a low-light test? Any test is good...I'm really curious to know how it deal with lower light conditions. Also, I just bought a ticket to LA for this coming weekend - I'm going to be visiting a lot because I'm moving out there soon. If you're going to be around maybe we can hookup for a beer? I'm going to try and hookup with some others I've never met on here like Charles Papert - maybe we could all meet at HOB or somewhere like that? I'll be in the Burbank/El Segundo area for 2-3 days if you're in that area too. Also, downtown Hollywood for a day. If you wanna come to a Superbowl party I could introduce you to a bunch of my friends (it's in El Segundo)...they're all video/film/music people. Murph __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

January 29th, 2005, 12:39 PM	#5
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Shanon's been immortalized on our HDV Info Net front page: http://www.hdvinfo.net/index.shtml Two thumbs up! __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

January 29th, 2005, 04:33 PM	#6
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	LoL! The smile that launched a 1000 Z1's! Chris, you might want to change the verbage - it reads, "even though it hasn't been released yet". It definately has been at EVS! __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

January 29th, 2005, 04:48 PM	#7
Shannon Rawls Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 853	OK everyone....sorry for the delay. Last night I had to run an ADR session, and when I finished I began to read the owners manual from cover to cover (and fell asleep in the process) So, today, I am filling requests..... In response to: Chris Murphy - The cameras low-light sucks (can i say that?). smile I mean, I want to say noting but good things for a camera I just shelled out $5 grand for, but I cannot tell a lie. The low light is not good whatsoever. Hypergain, is a mess too. I tried that, and I doubt I will EVER use that for ANYTHING. I shot you a low-light test clip.... When I reviewed the footage, I couldn't beleive it...it was like I was staring at a black wall. But with my own eyes, it was clear. The room was bright guys, trust me. Even when I closed all the doors, I could still see EVERYTHING. I wouldnt have bumped into anybody if someone else was in there with me. And then towards the end, when I opened the door back up, it became bright enough in there that I could have sat down and read a freaking novel! Seriosuly. So....Low-Light....is not happinin' on this camera. Not like a PD170 or VX2100. No way no how! However, if you are a movie maker...and you have a DP with lights....you now have a Weapon of Mass Destruction!!! smile Did anybody see that movie COLLATERAL?? Did you listen to the DIrectors Commentary when Michael Mann was discussing the low light capabilities of the f900 in the scene when Tom Cruise was hunting Jada Pinkett in that hi-rise building office with the low lights. Remember what he said about how it was so dark that people couldnt move around and the crew had to wait until the lights were turned on to move because if they did, they would have ran into something, however the F900 could see everything in that dark room..... well.... Well, if Michael Mann had a Z1U....it would have been a pitch black picture, LOL, because my eyes are better in low light then this camera is. (and I wear glasses) I still love it though, and its better then a DVX100a (i own one of those too) Here ya go. Since I am currently uploading and it looks like it will take 30 minutes, this link will be active after 5pm PST today. http://www.ShannonRawls.com/hdv/z1u-lowlight.m2t - Shannon W. Rawls

January 29th, 2005, 04:59 PM	#8
Shannon Rawls Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 853	Someone asked me about CF24... In response to: Anthony Miles - The camera is not 48Hz. It is 60i/60Hz all the way while in cf24 mode (unless you chnage the shutter). The even though the shutter is adjustable and the speed can be set to whatever you want, 1/48 is not one of them. I shot you a clip while on Robertson Blvd. in Beverly Hills. I did fast panning and quick zooms and all that. I even spun around in a 360 like Michael Jackson (got dizzy). CF24 doesnt seem as bad as they say it is for some reason. I was totally skeptical of it, until today. I captured this raw HDV footage using CapDVHS, and uploaded it to my server. It's 2 minutes long and about 388 megabytes large, so download it and enjoy. Here ya go. Since I am currently uploading and it looks like it will take 30 minutes, this link will be active after 3pm PST today. http://www.ShannonRawls.com/hdv/z1u-cf24-fastpan.m2t

January 29th, 2005, 05:39 PM	#9
Shannon Rawls Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 853	More questions.... [Question from=Stoneman] can use the faster DVCAM tape speed while in HDV mode.---------- NOPE, you cannot. It has a setting that asks you 'REC FORMAT' and the options are "HDV or DV" If you select DV, then it asks you 'REC MODE' and the options are "DV or DVCAM". If you were to select "HDV" for the 'REC FORMAT' then the 'REC MODE' is greyed out. ____________________________________ [Question from=Kerr Cook]how well your mic works (rather than the $300 Sony external mic).---------- The sound quality on this puppy is A-MA-ZING! Even the internal mic is awesome, but when I plugged up my AT-897 shotgun....that's all she wrote! (as far as I can hear). The headphones were crystal clear too. I have a DVX100a that has the worse headphone noise I have ever heard in my life! There is all this white noise, and there is a delay.....not on this camera....crystal clear and LOUD! and the recordings are LOUD and CLEAR. The 16bit audio peaks in my Vegas 5.0d time line were very nice and peaky. ____________________________________ [Question from=Kerr Cook]Please confirm! My guess is that the recording will start quicker than the FX1 from standby only when the head has stopped spinning (say after in Standby for a few minutes). The FX1 takes ~8 seconds in this case. I think the Z1 is just as fast as the FX1 when starting from Standby under most usage where the head is still spinning (short pauses, etc.)---------- Nope...Same delay is here. However, there is a menu setting that is called "QUICK START" that will start the recording almost immediately from STOP (after standby has gone). Only problem is, there may be a space/blank/black frame, call it what you want, between the clipos. With QUICK START is off, and you suffer the start up delay, then the clip-to-clip transitions are smooth as butter. if you activate the QUICK START option, then you'll see a blank space last about 2 frames or so. In my opinion,, the standard delay isn't even that long and was not long enough to even add the quick start part. But for some people, they may need to capture something at the blink of an eye, so QUICK START is for them. ____________________________________ [Question from=philmorej]Congratulations. A complete review, would be great. Is the lens same as FX1? How does 50i performance compare to 60i performance (picture quality). Focus controlability. Component output quality vs FX1. Overall picture quality vs FX1..)---------- A complete review....sorry, I hate to type. Nor do I like to speak in the technical fashion as most evaluators do. I rather speak in a matter-of-fact fashion as if me and you were hangin' out sippin' on some brews just talkin' about what we talkin' about. So the standard "review" is not coming from me. You gotta wait for the columnists for that one. 50i vs 60i and FX1 vs Z1U smile Sorry again, I don't have an FX1 to compare. Nor are my eyes that trained that I can tell what's best between the two or the two formats.. The picture quality is simply amazing....period! I am one of those 'regular' people when it comes to picture quality. I don't crunch numbers and shoot res charts. ____________________________________ [Question from=Kerr Cook]Can you shoot a few seconds of 1080/60i and also some 1080/50i and get them to me to post here? (in raw .m2t). I'd really like to see if the GOP of NTSC being 15 and the GOP of 12 in PAL make a difference in the individual frame's video quality, & how does the "focus adjustement" / tweak AutoFocus work?---------- I sure will Kerr. I'll shoot the exact same thing in both modes for you and post up the m2t files for you. Then you can work your magic. The focus assist is a menu item that basically allows you to do what all the other sony cameras already did. See, the way this camera is, if the focus is on "AUTO" then the focus ring on the lens becomes dead. SPin it all you want and it doesn't do a thing. However, when you turn on the FOCUS ASSIST in the menu, then the ring becomes alive, even in AUTO mode. I think this is so you can help the camera get into focus faster then leting it do it by itself. I keep mine on Fucus Assist, so if I am ever in AUTO FOCUS mode, and I don't feel the AF is clearing up fast enough, then I can spin the ring and find it myself, and then the camera will fine tune the actual location i am pointing at. This is helpful so the camera will not focus on the background, when you really want the foreground. ____________________________________ [Question from=epicdream] I was wondering, does the Z1 have the same metal construction as the PD 150 or is the same as the FX1???? I only ask this as I tried the FX1 two hours after the Z1 and I didnt get a good grip of it. ---------- The Z1U is plastic, just like the FX1 is. This thing seems to be twice as big as the pd150/170. As a matter fo fact, I think if I were shooting next to someone with a PD170, he would move away from me because of embrassment. LOL. people would look at his camera like a toy compared to this one. But the answer is, it is plastic, however rigig. Not toy-like like some other cameras are. - ShannonRawls.com

January 29th, 2005, 06:16 PM	#10
Bryan McCullough Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 842	Ok, I'm considering getting the FX1, don't have the scratch that Shannon has ;) and am very interested to see the footage you're posting. How close will this footage be in quality to the FX1, if anyone knows? Thanks!

January 29th, 2005, 07:59 PM	#11
Bob Zimmerman Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Illinois Posts: 888	I thought with the 2 lux it might be better in low light. So your saying it doesn't work it a room with light? You have a $5,000 camera that won't tape the kids birthday party? A room light enough to read a book? I have a sony digital 8 that would do that. My XL1s would have done that! Maybe you had the lens cap on or some setting was wrong.

January 29th, 2005, 08:15 PM	#12
Dave Campbell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 568	Marketing dave

January 29th, 2005, 10:46 PM	#13
Brandon Greenlee Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: North Alabama Posts: 242	Thanks for the incredibly informative posts and clips Shannon! __________________ Brandon Greenlee

January 29th, 2005, 11:11 PM	#14
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	Shannon, You're my hero! nice set-up in your studio! heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

January 30th, 2005, 08:00 AM	#15
Bryan McCullough Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 842	Are the clips working? I get errors that the file can't be found.