Z7 MAJOR problem?

[Bruce Ostrout]

Originally Posted by Laurence Kingston

Bruce, is the problem worse fully zoomed out or do you also have problems into the zoom range?

Just follow my simple instructions and it is almost certain your Z7 will have the same abnormality. Zoom in all the way on a lineup of a bridal party or any set of things that are the same distance from you zoom all the way in and focus on a subject and then set your zoom display from bar to meter and at 70-80% (Z70-Z80) zoom at F1.8-2.0 you most likely have 1/3 to 1/2 your screen blurred. Everyone I know that has done the test properly has seen it and it is bad.

[Laurence Kingston]

Bruce, have you done the same test on another camera like a Z1?

[Brian Standing]

Has anyone brought this to Sony's attention, yet? Any response?

[Chad Dyle]

I spoke to several Sony reps at their booth yesterday about my problems with the camera. I have focus issues following the bridal party down the aisle. I was told that it didn't sound normal and that two things to try would be to turn off Image Stabilization just for that part of the wedding to see if there is a chance. The second option was to adjust the back-focus. I also saw several people using the camera at NAB and asked them if they had those issues. None of them had, but none of them shoot weddings either.
We pretty much ended our NAB experience yesterday at the Sony booth, so that will be where we start back up today. I'm going to pose the same question to whoever is there today. I was also able to play with some really cool cameras yesterday. The EX3 looks kinda goofy and doesn't seem worth the money. From the Sony reps I spoke to about it, they didn't seem that impressed either. That being said, they did seem to favor the Z7. Thats all I have now.

-Chad out

[Marshall Levy]

If you read this in time, if Chris, Lou, or Atalay are at the booth, mention my name and these issues, and that they've all been confirmed by several users and such.

[Greg Hartzell]

Originally Posted by Bruce Ostrout

cant tell by the clip. Your're zooming all the way out. You have to make sure your cam is in full manual. Zoom in, focus, zoom out about 25%. a good marker is to see as you are zooming out is that your iris should automatically go to 1.8. If it stays at 2.0 when zooming out then make sure you are fully open to 1.6 at wide before you zoom in.

Go to the camera menu then to the display menu then to Zoom display and change the setting from bar to number. Now your zoom will say 99 if you are zoomed all the way in, so now when you zoom out and your iris limit changes to 1.8 your zoom should be around Z75-80 which is at the 75-80% zoomed in position.

Bruce,

I was thinking about this last night. It seems to me that one of the elements in your lens might be out of alignment, maybe because of mishandling during shipment. No reason why the body would exhibit this problem and the scenario you described, this seems to be a likely explanation. Also, it doesn't seem that anybody else seems to be having this problem. Re-reading your post with the garage grab reinforces this.

To be honest, all of the footage you posted looks soft to me, not the case with other z7u footage I've seen posted here. I'd really get a replacement unit, seems to be your only solution here.

[Bruce Ostrout]

Originally Posted by Laurence Kingston

Bruce, have you done the same test on another camera like a Z1?

I have 3 Z1u and 3 FX1 cams and have shot over 1,000 full tapes and I bet at least 40% of the footage on those tapes are 75-100% tele 1.8-2.8 and never had an image like this. One of them did have back focus issues where when you zoomed in for focus and went medium the image would go soft and you couldn't really detect it on the LCD when the light was low.

[Bruce Ostrout]

Greg it is exactly the same on the TWO Z7's I have and on every one of the ones that I have heard from people who know how to manipulate their cameras in manual. I have a sneaking suspicion that most people who have bought this camera don't move their switch off of the auto position. I have not see one person post a test image at these settings. Do you have a Z7?

[Brian Standing]

It would be interesting for someone with a Z7 afflicted with this problem to swap out the lens and shoot the test again. That way, you could at least isolate the problem to the lens or the camera body.

Any of you guys know someone with a JVC HD110 or HD200? That lens should work.

[Bruce Ostrout]

I'll check with the local rental house

[Mike Jensen]

I am deciding between the Z7 and EX1. Yesterday, I ran both the Z7U and the EX1 through their paces for about an hour at NAB. Some observations:

I could not replicate Bruce's left side blur on the stock lens of the Z7U demo unit at open aperatures. (the sony demo lens may be a different than the production lens?). My biggest frustration is that when snapping the lens ring from auto-focus to manual focus- you loose focus. The auto focus did leave much to be desired as I pointed the cam away from the well lit model display and trained the camera on attendees in the dark exhibition room. Some of the new zoom and prime lenses soon to be released for the Z7U look like very attractive, but perhaps expensive alternatives to the problematic stock lens.

The EX1 was lighter than I had expected, and in my opinion very useable for handheld work. The picture head to head in the Sony HD monitors in the demo booth confirms initial tests done by David Perry and others that the EX1 picture is a noticeable improvement on the Z7U. Is it worth $2-3,000 more by the time you're done? Yes, if it is within your budget. EX1 auto focus was outstanding, although the manual overide in the auto mode was a bit awkward. I didn't like having to search for a button below the lens barrel to get back to auto. The introduction of the new Sony PHU-60K 60GB HD (over 200 minutes at 25MB/s) in July as an alternative to expensive cards may tip the scale for me in favor of the EX1. Now to figure out archiving:)

Mike Jensen
Jensen Wedding Films
www.jensenvideo.com

[Arnaud Keil]

Hi!
Look at those nice stills from my Z7!

www.keil.fr/Z7/

I bought my Z7 3 weeks ago.
After a few shots I observed a back focus issue.
I tried to adjust it all the possible ways, manualy, automaticaly, from 3 to 10 feet... without being able to adjust it, even if the camera considered the procedure as "completed".
I sent my camera back to for repair via the PrimeSupport.
The Z7 came back yesterday, nothing has been done on it!
I use the camera professionally and I can't work no more with it.
What to do now? Calling a lawyer?

[Keith Forman]

Originally Posted by Bruce Ostrout

Greg it is exactly the same on the TWO Z7's I have and on every one of the ones that I have heard from people who know how to manipulate their cameras in manual. I have a sneaking suspicion that most people who have bought this camera dont move their switch off of the auto position. I have not see one person post a test image at these settings. Do you have a Z7?

I have tried to recreate the problem multiple times with no such luck. Or perhaps better put, with luck... Your suspicion that "most people who have bought this camera dont (sic) move their switch off of the auto position" is insulting.

I see some blur with your test picture posts but in my opinion they are not very good or controlled tests (and every other test image posted seems to be inconclusive at best).

I am not saying that you are wrong about this issue but I do not have much confidence in your ability to analyze the problem. I will have to defer to other's for their experience before I make judgment on the camera. So far I have only seem some anecdotal evidence.

kdbf

[Bruce Ostrout]

Originally Posted by Mike Jensen

I am deciding between the Z7 and EX1. Yesterday, I ran both the Z7U and the EX1 through their paces for about an hour at NAB. Some observations:

I could not replicate Bruce's left side blur on the stock lens of the Z7U demo unit at open aperatures. (the sony demo lens may be a different than the production lens?). My biggest frustration is that when snapping the lens ring from auto-focus to manual focus- you loose focus. The auto focus did leave much to be desired as I pointed the cam away from the well lit model display and trained the camera on attendees in the dark exhibition room. Some of the new zoom and prime lenses soon to be released for the Z7U look like very attractive, but perhaps expensive alternatives to the problematic stock lens.

The EX1 was lighter than I had expected, and in my opinion very useable for handheld work. The picture head to head in the Sony HD monitors in the demo booth confirms initial tests done by David Perry and others that the EX1 picture is a noticeable improvement on the Z7U. Is it worth $2-3,000 more by the time you're done? Yes, if it is within your budget. EX1 auto focus was outstanding, although the manual overide in the auto mode was a bit awkward. I didn't like having to search for a button below the lens barrel to get back to auto. The introduction of the new Sony PHU-60K 60GB HD (over 200 minutes at 25MB/s) in July as an alternative to expensive cards may tip the scale for me in favor of the EX1. Now to figure out archiving:)

Mike Jensen
Jensen Wedding Films
www.jensenvideo.com

Mike were you at 1.8-2.0 60-80% tele viewing on a full rez monitor? Even with peaking on it is very hard to notice if at all in the LCD

[Bruce Ostrout]

Originally Posted by Brian Standing

It would be interesting for someone with a Z7 afflicted with this problem to swap out the lens and shoot the test again. That way, you could at least isolate the problem to the lens or the camera body.

Any of you guys know someone with a JVC HD110 or HD200? That lens should work.

I went down to the rental house and met the service technician. We put a Fujinon off of a JVC HD250 on the Z7. Did the backfocus adjustment on the lens body and then did the same settings and saw a consistent frame, so basic troubleshooting skills would say that the lens is the cuprit.

He said he felt it was definitely a lens defect even before we did the test because he says he could see a curvature in the blur.