Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

yes, please do ;-)

it's been my experience over the years that most cameras in any particular class can be capable of giving stunning pics GIVEN the right lighting, etc.,

this held true in the days of analogue, and now digital.

the 'wow' factor usually comes with GOOD glass and bigger sensors, both of which cost proportionally more than the camera in the class below.

i've also read people praising avchd over hdv - to all intents and purposes they are simply codecs recording 0's + 1's, and not like betacam vs vhs.

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

As long as it keeps on ticking, I'm sticking.
Since day one, I've used and recorded to a Focus Enhancements HDD recorder. It gives me redundancy and a much faster workflow. The tape, then, is just a backup. Having gotten used to that and with falling prices, I will probably get an HDMI recorder like a Convergent or Atomos. The price for the units, from $1200 to $1500 and I get an even better image, tapeless or driveless media, a redundant backup and fast workflow. You would have to spend much more to get the same features and abilities. Again, when you use a tapeless acquisition, the tape becomes the backup. All you have to do is lose a flash card or get a corrupted file and you'll understand immediately the value of redundancy.

I've grown to really like the 20x range of the lens which I don't have to change and, therefore, doesn't present back-focus problems or sensor contamination.

Certainly any new camera I'll have to consider but I've been shooting stuff on a DSLR which provides great B-roll. It seems a camera "upgrade" is the least of worries these days.

Dave

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

Is there much difference in quality between recording to MRC1 and via HDMI to a HDD like Atomos?
Would you get both? I already have the MRC! and pics are very sharp and clean.

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

me too?

as chris asks, how much 'better' is hdmi output. is it chalk and cheese, or simply specs?

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

My understanding is the resolution is the same, but the color depth isn't. It's uncompressed. Helpful if you are doing a lot of grading in post. Otherwise useless.

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

I don't believe the resolution is the same (MRC1K vs HDMI). The MRC1K simply records whatever comes out of the Firewire port which is either standard-def DV, or 1440x1080 HDV (with a 1.3333 pixel aspect ratio to make a 16:9 image).

The output of the HDMI port however is true 1920x1080 straight off the camera's sensors hence is higher res and well as better colour.

What you then record that output on will determine if the recording is better than a file from the MRC1K

Regards
Dave

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

The chip in the Z5 isn't capable of 1920 x 1080. It's 1440. Page 129 (126 for the Z5E).

Which by the way is also true for the NX5.

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

So would you say the difference is negligible?
I suppose the final display would also play a part - if it was for broadcast or lets say cinema release. If it's for corprporate or webmedia, would you see any difference ?

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

Adam, I don't see this about the NX5 on the Sony product page. Where did you see that the NX5 is 1440x1080?

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

These are the different recording rates for the NX5U from the B&H specifications page:

AVCHD FX (24Mbps) 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD FH (17Mbps) 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD HQ (9Mbps) 1440 x 1080/60i
AVCHD LP (5Mbps) 1440 x 1080/60i
AVCHD FX (24Mbps) 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD FH (17Mbps) 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD FX (24Mbps) 1920 x 1080/30p
AVCHD FH (17Mbps) 1920 x 1080/30p
AVCHD FX (24Mbps) 1280 x 720/60p
AVCHD FH (17Mbps) 1280 x 720/60p
MPEG2 SD HQ (9Mbps) 720 x 480/60i
MPEG2 SD HQ (9Mbps) 720 x 480/60i (24p Scan)
MPEG2 SD HQ (9Mbps) 720 x 480/60i (30p Scan)

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

Read the specs in the manual. There aren't enough pixels on the chip to actually be 1920 x 1080. It's roughly the same as the Z5, which is 1440 x 810. I'm sure you can upscale or interpolate the data to simulate those resolutions, but they're not coming natively off the chip, based on the way it's been explained to me.

But I could be completely misunderstanding how these magic boxes work.

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

to confirm adam's pixel count:

Imaging device: 3-chip 1/3-inch type Exmor CMOS with ClearVid pixel array
Effective picture elements: Approx. 1,037,000 pixels with ClearVid array

about half full hd

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

I stand corrected and apologise for the duff info.

Regards
Dave

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

Adam, did you mean 1440 x 1080?

Re: How much longer to keep the Z5?
 

No. The manual says 1440 x 810.