Z5-first Opinion at DVinfo.net

Franklin Bencosme · February 8th, 2009, 10:31 AM

My firts wedding last night with the SONY-Z5

PRO-wow, nice lense 20x and very wide,20% more then pd-170 factory lens
lcd(3.2) excellent,real video view,and far away, nice if you are over 40 years old(ha,ha,ha)
Iris,gain, exposure aperture at the lens VERY EASY
Focus,excellent,you go auto(only one time whent out of focus during the wedding) and you can still control it like manual
zoom very SMOOTH in booth places, hand held and top control
OK LOW LIGHT remember de pd-150? ....VERY GOOD !!!!!(6db gain) I use the micro panels with warm filter
Audio:you can control internal mike separate from the shot gun mike and of course the wireless mike
Using a mono pod, It's fill like you are using a STEADY CAM
Out door shot AMAZING !!
The camera looks very professional

NOT PRO-Heavy front,bottons a little confuse(a takes time).Battery life(using sony 570)not so good,but acceptable.
Rolling shutter ??? let my go to this week to post and my coments will come,of course I got TWIXTOR ,good bye flash !!!
When you hit record at takes 2 seconds to START, in pause same situation(sometimes)

Whant more? let me do a few more weddings(in my country are during the nigth),and I will kepp posting

Thanks for your time............Franklin !!!

Stelios Christofides · February 8th, 2009, 10:53 AM

Thanks Franklin for sharing this with us. I always thought that my FX7 was good in low lights situations despite what most people think here(was my first pro camera) so I can't wait for my Z5 to arrive next week. I have a christening next Saturday and it will my first event with the Z5.

Stelios

Blake Cavett · February 8th, 2009, 10:08 PM

Franklin, how does the Z5 lens compare to the Z1?

Franklin Bencosme · February 8th, 2009, 10:38 PM

Hey Blake !!

I never had the z1,but coming from pd-150,and pd-170,since my weddings are during
the night,the low light(6db at 60i HD) is very close to the pd-150.
A few times I whent to 9db the video was clear and no grainy.The focus is very nice
and I never had to use the focus assistant.

Hope this help....Franklin

Ernesto Del Gesso · February 9th, 2009, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Franklin Bencosme

NOT PRO-Heavy front,bottons a little confuse(a takes time).Battery life(using sony 570)not so good,but acceptable.
Rolling shutter ??? let my go to this week to post and my coments will come,of course I got TWIXTOR ,good bye flash !!!

Hi Franklin,
I haven't understood if rolling shutter was an issue or not at the wedding...?
What is TWIXTOR?
Let me know
Thanks!

Stelios Christofides · February 9th, 2009, 11:26 AM

Twixtor

RE:Vision Effects, Inc. : Products: Twixtor

Ken Ross · February 9th, 2009, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Franklin Bencosme

Hey Blake !!

I never had the z1,but coming from pd-150,and pd-170,since my weddings are during
the night,the low light(6db at 60i HD) is very close to the pd-150.
A few times I whent to 9db the video was clear and no grainy.The focus is very nice
and I never had to use the focus assistant.

Hope this help....Franklin

Couldn't agree more. The low light of the Z5 is just amazing. To think that an HD camera can behave like the best of the SD cameras in low light, was simply unheard of just 1 year ago.

I continue to be stunned by the picture quality on my 60" Pioneer Kuro. I'm also pleasantly surprised by how good an SD performer the cam is.

Franklin Bencosme · February 9th, 2009, 12:04 PM

Ernesto !!

What is TWIXTOR? A sofware that makes excelent slow motion(render takes time)with
the ability to take of those flashes during any part from the video.
For the Rolling shutter problem(Sony CMOS) helps a lot !!

Franklin ..

Franklin Bencosme · February 9th, 2009, 07:20 PM

One more coments !!! about the Z5:

Since was my first time with this camera I decide to use Auto White Balance
Gess what !! the Z5 did a EXCELENT JOB during out door and in door !!

Hope helps !!

Manny Caras · February 11th, 2009, 10:22 AM

Hi Franklin,

Thanks for sharing with us. I really want to upgrade to a z5. I'm also coming from the
Pd-170 and was concerned about the low-light performance in HD.

Your thread has added a touch of light to my HD....ooops head. :)

Manny.

Blake Cavett · February 11th, 2009, 12:26 PM

Franklin... what about the manual zoom on the lens? Can I do a 'snap-zoom' or is the lens like the Z1?

Franklin Bencosme · February 12th, 2009, 12:24 PM

Hey Blake !! never tried the Z1,but coming from pd-170 let me tell you the focus ring from
Z5 is very easy an smooth,kind of getting used to it !!

Franklin

Blake Cavett · February 13th, 2009, 12:31 PM

When you use the manual zoom on the Z1, it isn't attached to the lens... meaning if I wanted to do a 'snap zoom' it takes a half-second (or longer) for the camera to actually 'zoom in' as well.

You can't instantly go from wide to tight (or vice versa) under manual.

Is the Z5 the same way?

Daniel McPake · February 13th, 2009, 01:25 PM

Well if you are meaning response time of the zoom ring then I can say it is instantaneous, nice quick feedback and is very smooth.

However, the speed of the zoom is good overall, especially if you increase it in the menu settings (but have the risk of zoom noise being audible if recording audio nearby) making a wide to close shot a nice quick transition.

It is certainly not a "snap" from wide to ECU though!

Blake Cavett · February 13th, 2009, 04:40 PM

Instant like the EX1 lens?

I know I'm sounding so dramatic with this question... it's just something itching at me!

February 8th, 2009, 10:31 AM	#1
Franklin Bencosme Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dominican Republic Posts: 135	Z5-first Opinion My firts wedding last night with the SONY-Z5 PRO-wow, nice lense 20x and very wide,20% more then pd-170 factory lens lcd(3.2) excellent,real video view,and far away, nice if you are over 40 years old(ha,ha,ha) Iris,gain, exposure aperture at the lens VERY EASY Focus,excellent,you go auto(only one time whent out of focus during the wedding) and you can still control it like manual zoom very SMOOTH in booth places, hand held and top control OK LOW LIGHT remember de pd-150? ....VERY GOOD !!!!!(6db gain) I use the micro panels with warm filter Audio:you can control internal mike separate from the shot gun mike and of course the wireless mike Using a mono pod, It's fill like you are using a STEADY CAM Out door shot AMAZING !! The camera looks very professional NOT PRO-Heavy front,bottons a little confuse(a takes time).Battery life(using sony 570)not so good,but acceptable. Rolling shutter ??? let my go to this week to post and my coments will come,of course I got TWIXTOR ,good bye flash !!! When you hit record at takes 2 seconds to START, in pause same situation(sometimes) Whant more? let me do a few more weddings(in my country are during the nigth),and I will kepp posting Thanks for your time............Franklin !!!

February 8th, 2009, 10:53 AM	#2
Stelios Christofides Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Nicosia, CYPRUS Posts: 1,080	Thanks Franklin for sharing this with us. I always thought that my FX7 was good in low lights situations despite what most people think here(was my first pro camera) so I can't wait for my Z5 to arrive next week. I have a christening next Saturday and it will my first event with the Z5. Stelios __________________ My Blog: http://steliosc.blogspot.com "I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free" Nikos Kazantzakis

February 9th, 2009, 11:26 AM	#6
Stelios Christofides Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Nicosia, CYPRUS Posts: 1,080	Twixtor RE:Vision Effects, Inc. : Products: Twixtor __________________ My Blog: http://steliosc.blogspot.com "I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free" Nikos Kazantzakis

February 13th, 2009, 01:25 PM	#14
Daniel McPake New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 19	Well if you are meaning response time of the zoom ring then I can say it is instantaneous, nice quick feedback and is very smooth. However, the speed of the zoom is good overall, especially if you increase it in the menu settings (but have the risk of zoom noise being audible if recording audio nearby) making a wide to close shot a nice quick transition. It is certainly not a "snap" from wide to ECU though! __________________ Stake Productions - Director, Editor, Cinematographer, ...Sony HVR Z5E

February 8th, 2009, 10:08 PM	#3
Blake Cavett Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Madison Posts: 330	Franklin, how does the Z5 lens compare to the Z1?

February 8th, 2009, 10:38 PM	#4
Franklin Bencosme Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dominican Republic Posts: 135	Hey Blake !! I never had the z1,but coming from pd-150,and pd-170,since my weddings are during the night,the low light(6db at 60i HD) is very close to the pd-150. A few times I whent to 9db the video was clear and no grainy.The focus is very nice and I never had to use the focus assistant. Hope this help....Franklin

February 9th, 2009, 12:04 PM	#8
Franklin Bencosme Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dominican Republic Posts: 135	Ernesto !! What is TWIXTOR? A sofware that makes excelent slow motion(render takes time)with the ability to take of those flashes during any part from the video. For the Rolling shutter problem(Sony CMOS) helps a lot !! Franklin ..

February 9th, 2009, 07:20 PM	#9
Franklin Bencosme Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dominican Republic Posts: 135	One more coments !!! about the Z5: Since was my first time with this camera I decide to use Auto White Balance Gess what !! the Z5 did a EXCELENT JOB during out door and in door !! Hope helps !!

February 11th, 2009, 10:22 AM	#10
Manny Caras New Boot Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: chicago, IL Posts: 24	Hi Franklin, Thanks for sharing with us. I really want to upgrade to a z5. I'm also coming from the Pd-170 and was concerned about the low-light performance in HD. Your thread has added a touch of light to my HD....ooops head. :) Manny.

February 11th, 2009, 12:26 PM	#11
Blake Cavett Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Madison Posts: 330	Franklin... what about the manual zoom on the lens? Can I do a 'snap-zoom' or is the lens like the Z1?

February 12th, 2009, 12:24 PM	#12
Franklin Bencosme Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dominican Republic Posts: 135	Hey Blake !! never tried the Z1,but coming from pd-170 let me tell you the focus ring from Z5 is very easy an smooth,kind of getting used to it !! Franklin

February 13th, 2009, 12:31 PM	#13
Blake Cavett Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Madison Posts: 330	When you use the manual zoom on the Z1, it isn't attached to the lens... meaning if I wanted to do a 'snap zoom' it takes a half-second (or longer) for the camera to actually 'zoom in' as well. You can't instantly go from wide to tight (or vice versa) under manual. Is the Z5 the same way?

February 13th, 2009, 04:40 PM	#15
Blake Cavett Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Madison Posts: 330	Instant like the EX1 lens? I know I'm sounding so dramatic with this question... it's just something itching at me!