Z1 QuickRecord ?

Tom Hardwick · October 2nd, 2006, 03:48 AM

I've moved from the VX2000 to the Z1, and if the Z1 is filming in the SD mode then yes, they're compatible.

Boyd Ostroff · October 2nd, 2006, 06:24 AM

Tom, I think he wants to know if the time it takes for the Z1 to power up is comparable to the VX-2000, not compatible :-)

I just put the VX-2000 next to the Z1 and switched them both on. The startup time is similar, but not exactly the same. This was very unscientific, but both of them had booted and showed an image and data on the screen in 7 or 8 seconds. The Z1 continued to "think" about this for a few more seconds and refreshed the data on its screen at about 13 seconds after power up. I did not try a test of putting them each into record mode, but my gut feeling is that the Z1 is slower to actually start recording than the VX-2000.

IMO, this would be a pretty questionable reason not to upgrade from the VX-2000 to the Z1 however.

John M. McCloskey · October 2nd, 2006, 11:52 AM

definite time code breaks with Avid, not a few a bunch of breaks

Richard Hunter · October 2nd, 2006, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

Tom, I think he wants to know if the time it takes for the Z1 to power up is comparable to the VX-2000, not compatible :-)

IMO, this would be a pretty questionable reason not to upgrade from the VX-2000 to the Z1 however.

Hi Boyd. Yes that's exactly what I meant, thanks.

As a reason not to upgrade, I would never have considered this before. The switch-on behaviour of the VX2000 is fine for me, and I have not seen any negative comments about it in the past.

In this case, I saw the comments on this thread in the last couple of days and am wondering how bad it must be for people to mention it. If it really is so bad that people are missing critical shots then there are other cameras around to choose from.

Of course, it might well be that the comments are mostly exaggeration and humour, and that there is no serious issue at all. Asking for comparisons to the VX2000 is just my way of trying to quantify the problem, so your inputs are very welcome.

Richard

Boyd Ostroff · October 2nd, 2006, 06:56 PM

I ran the Z1 at the "Texas Shootout" last winter. I think it spins down sooner than some of the other cameras. It got to be a little bit of a joke with Adam after awhile; he would call out "roll Z1" and then "roll other cameras." We would all report "speed" when our cameras were rolling tape. In reality, I don't think the Z1 was much different than the Canon and JVC to spin up from a dead stop (of course the Panasonic doesn't count because of P2 :-) But I think it just has a shorter idle time setting which causes it to spin down sooner than the other cameras, so when Adam yelled "roll" the Canon and JVC were still spinning and the Z1 wasn't.

Maybe someone has some real data on this? Heh, if Pete, Nate or Greg see this thread they'll probably claim the Z1 is really slow though, just to pick on me ;-)

I wish it would start faster, but honestly the experience is not all that different from my PDX-10 or VX-2000. As per my post above, I'd guess it might take the Z1 5 seconds longer to start recording. It's certainly better than the VX-2000 which completely goes to sleep after awhile :-)

Richard Hunter · October 2nd, 2006, 07:57 PM

Thanks for the background info Boyd. Much appreciated.

Richard

George Yousko · October 2nd, 2006, 10:40 PM

Set my Z1 to quick record last year (right out of the box - have yet to turn it off) - 50 or so tapes later I have yet to have any grief - zero incidents on time code or anything else. Using FCP on post production. The "startup" time to "rolling tape" is totally acceptable. At my end it's been a none issue. Wish I could share the pixie dust.

Chris Barcellos · October 11th, 2006, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Hunter

Thanks Ainslie. When my old VX2000 was my main camera, I got used to hearing it power down, and then I would just cycle the power switch to bring it back up right away. It was very unusual that it would be off at the critical moment.

If the power up time for the Z1 is similar to the VX2000 I could live with that OK. Do you happen to know if they are comparable?

Richard

I have both FX1 and VX2000. I think the delay is much longer on the FX1-- seems like 3 to 5 seconds or more, when it has gone completely down. I haven't ever seen that kind of delay on the VX2000

Augusto Manuel · October 11th, 2006, 11:09 PM

I have used all sorts of cameras from small DV cameras to Digibetas and HDcam cameras. So I do not think I am doing anything wrong or having an incorrect setting. But with my Z1 even when it is not in Quick Record mode, I have timecode breaks when I pause the camera. And I am familiar with setting timecode in Preset or Regen mode. In either mode it will have this unpredictable timecode breaks. And this happens even if I do not review the footage because some of you may say it is because I did not cue the tape correctly after reviewing it. So this is not even the case. And yes, the camera is definitely not in Quick Record mode because I have basically never used that mode and I am sure it is turned off. So I am at a complete loss with this annoying problem. And it is not the tapes because I always use new tapes and it is happening since I bought this camera. And this happens either in Preset time code or Regen time code. It does not matter. Footage from my DSR-135 camcorder or PD170 have never a problem like this. Could it still be a problem with Final Cut Pro? I usually capture downconverting from HDV to DV using FCP HD. I have the "continue capture on drop frames" enabled. This is what happens, after the program encounters a posssible t/c break, usually when I have paused the camera, it will start looking for the next clip. Many times it will find it taking several seconds or minutes to do so. But sometimes it will not. So I will have to manually start recapturing. I use the camera to capture the footage because i do not have a dedicated HDV deck and there is a specific reason I need to do the downconvert while capturing. Never had a problem like this with any other camera. I love this camera but this is driving me nuts. Any suggestions on how to solve this will be appreciated. But I really think it is not something basic I am missing.

Tom Hardwick · October 12th, 2006, 01:16 AM

I think you're right Augusto, and the Z1 you have is faulty. Is it still covered by Sony's guarantee?

Eric Lagerlof · October 12th, 2006, 10:13 PM

With my FX-1, start-up can be slooowww. I find myself hitting the pause/record button after 30sec/1 min or so to keep it from spinning down if I'm waiting for something time critical...a bit of a pain but you adjust to the situation.

October 11th, 2006, 11:09 PM	#24
Augusto Manuel Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: san francisco california Posts: 145	I think I have a worse problem with mine. I have used all sorts of cameras from small DV cameras to Digibetas and HDcam cameras. So I do not think I am doing anything wrong or having an incorrect setting. But with my Z1 even when it is not in Quick Record mode, I have timecode breaks when I pause the camera. And I am familiar with setting timecode in Preset or Regen mode. In either mode it will have this unpredictable timecode breaks. And this happens even if I do not review the footage because some of you may say it is because I did not cue the tape correctly after reviewing it. So this is not even the case. And yes, the camera is definitely not in Quick Record mode because I have basically never used that mode and I am sure it is turned off. So I am at a complete loss with this annoying problem. And it is not the tapes because I always use new tapes and it is happening since I bought this camera. And this happens either in Preset time code or Regen time code. It does not matter. Footage from my DSR-135 camcorder or PD170 have never a problem like this. Could it still be a problem with Final Cut Pro? I usually capture downconverting from HDV to DV using FCP HD. I have the "continue capture on drop frames" enabled. This is what happens, after the program encounters a posssible t/c break, usually when I have paused the camera, it will start looking for the next clip. Many times it will find it taking several seconds or minutes to do so. But sometimes it will not. So I will have to manually start recapturing. I use the camera to capture the footage because i do not have a dedicated HDV deck and there is a specific reason I need to do the downconvert while capturing. Never had a problem like this with any other camera. I love this camera but this is driving me nuts. Any suggestions on how to solve this will be appreciated. But I really think it is not something basic I am missing. Last edited by Augusto Manuel; October 12th, 2006 at 01:24 AM.

October 2nd, 2006, 03:48 AM	#16
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	I've moved from the VX2000 to the Z1, and if the Z1 is filming in the SD mode then yes, they're compatible.

October 2nd, 2006, 06:24 AM	#17
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Tom, I think he wants to know if the time it takes for the Z1 to power up is comparable to the VX-2000, not compatible :-) I just put the VX-2000 next to the Z1 and switched them both on. The startup time is similar, but not exactly the same. This was very unscientific, but both of them had booted and showed an image and data on the screen in 7 or 8 seconds. The Z1 continued to "think" about this for a few more seconds and refreshed the data on its screen at about 13 seconds after power up. I did not try a test of putting them each into record mode, but my gut feeling is that the Z1 is slower to actually start recording than the VX-2000. IMO, this would be a pretty questionable reason not to upgrade from the VX-2000 to the Z1 however.

October 2nd, 2006, 11:52 AM	#18
John M. McCloskey Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: West Point, MS Posts: 313	definite time code breaks with Avid, not a few a bunch of breaks

October 2nd, 2006, 06:56 PM	#20
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	I ran the Z1 at the "Texas Shootout" last winter. I think it spins down sooner than some of the other cameras. It got to be a little bit of a joke with Adam after awhile; he would call out "roll Z1" and then "roll other cameras." We would all report "speed" when our cameras were rolling tape. In reality, I don't think the Z1 was much different than the Canon and JVC to spin up from a dead stop (of course the Panasonic doesn't count because of P2 :-) But I think it just has a shorter idle time setting which causes it to spin down sooner than the other cameras, so when Adam yelled "roll" the Canon and JVC were still spinning and the Z1 wasn't. Maybe someone has some real data on this? Heh, if Pete, Nate or Greg see this thread they'll probably claim the Z1 is really slow though, just to pick on me ;-) I wish it would start faster, but honestly the experience is not all that different from my PDX-10 or VX-2000. As per my post above, I'd guess it might take the Z1 5 seconds longer to start recording. It's certainly better than the VX-2000 which completely goes to sleep after awhile :-)

October 2nd, 2006, 07:57 PM	#21
Richard Hunter Trustee Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Lipa City Batangas, Philippines Posts: 1,110	Thanks for the background info Boyd. Much appreciated. Richard

October 2nd, 2006, 10:40 PM	#22
George Yousko Regular Crew Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 38	Set my Z1 to quick record last year (right out of the box - have yet to turn it off) - 50 or so tapes later I have yet to have any grief - zero incidents on time code or anything else. Using FCP on post production. The "startup" time to "rolling tape" is totally acceptable. At my end it's been a none issue. Wish I could share the pixie dust.

October 12th, 2006, 01:16 AM	#25
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	I think you're right Augusto, and the Z1 you have is faulty. Is it still covered by Sony's guarantee?

October 12th, 2006, 10:13 PM	#26
Eric Lagerlof Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Pacifica, CA Posts: 348	With my FX-1, start-up can be slooowww. I find myself hitting the pause/record button after 30sec/1 min or so to keep it from spinning down if I'm waiting for something time critical...a bit of a pain but you adjust to the situation.