Sony's new PD 175 (replaces PD 170)

Ervin Farkas · August 31st, 2009, 08:22 PM

Sony's marketing philosophy seems to be: if there is a market for it, we'll manufacture it. This got me confused a lot at first, but over time I undestood that just because they manufacture inexpensive stuff, it doesn't mean they can't make good quality products (concept a.k.a. you get what you pay for).

Another obvious point: as opposed to some of us here, Sony does not believe that the SD era is over with the arrival of HD. And while the mainstream US media went or is going HD, other parts of the world can't afford the high price, so for them SD is there to stay for years and years to come.

Good job, Sony!

Eric Stemen · August 31st, 2009, 08:26 PM

Yeah, I just let my friend that rides BMX borrow my vx-2000 with a death lens, he was really excited. I told him he's not going to want to use that camera after seeing the footage from an HV-30, but I was wrong, for some reason he still really likes that camera.

Sean Seah · September 1st, 2009, 05:39 AM

I have the only working demo unit in my area now. REALLY looks like a z5, and it doesnt fit the CF card recorder. I'm gonna put it beside the Z5 later and have a go.

Ed Sharpe · September 1st, 2009, 07:52 AM

whatis the proce on pd 175....

will the z5 do the 4x slow mo they talk about on the pfd 175?

Ed Sharpe · September 1st, 2009, 07:54 AM

supposed to work with the cf unit according to lit. fill us in on what you find!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean Seah

I have the only working demo unit in my area now. REALLY looks like a z5, and it doesnt fit the CF card recorder. I'm gonna put it beside the Z5 later and have a go.

Jeff Harper · September 1st, 2009, 09:33 AM

This leaves me (practically) speechless. I absolutely do not get it. Two years ago a 16:9 sd camera like this would have been fantastic, right on time.

Sebastian Pigott · September 1st, 2009, 06:54 PM

I have a Z5U, and after looking at pictures of the PD-175 I think it looks more like an FX1000 with XLR. The back of the PD-175 is the same design as the FX1000 which would require the MRC1K to be mounted on the shoe. Now there is little difference between the Z5U and FX1000, the PD175 is by all means a mash up of those two cameras.

Boyd Ostroff · September 1st, 2009, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Two years ago a 16:9 sd camera like this would have been fantastic, right on time.

Two years ago? I'd say more like 5 or 6 years ago. I got a VX-2000 in 2001 and did a big 16:9 project in 2003 which was digitally projected on a 45' screen. I wasn't happy with the VX-2000 quality for that and felt anamorphic adaptors had too many issues. So I got a Sony PDX-10 which did very nice 16:9 (although only 1/5" chips). The PD-175 would have been just what I really wanted back then.

Today I fail to see why it would be any better than just using a Z5 and downconverting, unless there's a big price advantage.

Sean Seah · September 2nd, 2009, 09:58 PM

Its confirmed, the rear is the same as FX1000. The rest of the body is exactly the Z5. I did a candle light test last night and it look very much the same. Light smear is no issue of course. Could not test the jello effect due to time limitation.

Low light wise is quite impressive but I have not uploaded the stuff. Returning the Camera today.

Jonathan Palfrey · September 4th, 2009, 03:40 PM

To be fair this is a perfect camera for the EU market a few years ago, especially UK. Afterall we've had 16:9 SD for years now yet have had limited choice for cameras (unlike the US where SD has stuck to 4:3 and HD has become popular faster). As a result companies bought Z1's and used them in DVCAM mode. I bet that 95% of all Z1s owned by media companies in the UK have never recorded HDV.

Thats why this camera makes sense, its just a bit late lol. Now days its makes more sense to jumps straight to the Z5 unless this camera comes out at an incredibly cheap price.

I still use my Z5 mostly in DVCAM, very rarely use it in HD as the clients dont want that.

Jonathan Palfrey · September 4th, 2009, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

This leaves me (practically) speechless. I absolutely do not get it. Two years ago a 16:9 sd camera like this would have been fantastic, right on time.

Yeah they should have done a 16:9 SD version of the Z1 when they released the Z1. If they had it probably would have outsold it in the UK at least

Bryan Daugherty · September 5th, 2009, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ervin Farkas

...as opposed to some of us here, Sony does not believe that the SD era is over with the arrival of HD. And while the mainstream US media went or is going HD, other parts of the world can't afford the high price, so for them SD is there to stay for years and years to come...

I may be in a bubble here but most of the pro's I am talking to are delivering very few Blu-ray discs. Many clients have HDTV but very few have HD players so it makes sense for broadcasters to go HD but for most of us it means shooting in HD/HDV/AVCHD/XDCAM, etc and then down-rezing to SD for delivery. I know quite a few production companies in this area that are shooting DVCAM on a regular basis and I could see them being interested in this camera for b-roll or getting into tight spots even today. When I mentioned on here a few months ago I might replace my PD170, I had many members of this forum contact me with interest in buying it. Yes this camera would have been great if it was around in the past but I think SONY will see enough sales to make it worth the effort even in today's HD focused market.

Boyd Ostroff · September 5th, 2009, 07:15 AM

That's fine, but why wouldn't you want to buy one of the Z-series cameras and either shoot in SD or downconvert? As others have said, the only possible arguments might be if the PD-175 does better in low light or is significantly cheaper.

Bryan Daugherty · September 5th, 2009, 09:58 AM

From the posts above it doesn't sound like it will do better in low light and US pricing hasn't been released so I don't know what to make of that either. Personally, i have embraced HD and will not buy anything lower res again, but I can see this appealing to some of my competitors that are doing quite well staying in SD land...

Boyd Ostroff · September 5th, 2009, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan Daugherty

and US pricing hasn't been released

Actually they have not announced the camera at all in the US (unless I've missed it), which makes me wonder if they will offer it here? Sony DVCAM camcorders

Interesting how they are listing the HD1000 and S720 on the DVCAM page however...

August 31st, 2009, 08:22 PM	#16
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	Sony's marketing philosophy seems to be: if there is a market for it, we'll manufacture it. This got me confused a lot at first, but over time I undestood that just because they manufacture inexpensive stuff, it doesn't mean they can't make good quality products (concept a.k.a. you get what you pay for). Another obvious point: as opposed to some of us here, Sony does not believe that the SD era is over with the arrival of HD. And while the mainstream US media went or is going HD, other parts of the world can't afford the high price, so for them SD is there to stay for years and years to come. Good job, Sony! __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

September 1st, 2009, 07:52 AM	#19
Ed Sharpe Archivist for SMECC Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: SMECC Glendale AZ Posts: 75	price on pd 175 and wil my z5 4x slow mo? whatis the proce on pd 175.... will the z5 do the 4x slow mo they talk about on the pfd 175? __________________ http://smecc.org/video/KKAT-TV_ED_SHARPE.gif See The Communications and Computation Museum at: Museum Website See The Glendale Arizona Videosphere - KKAT-TV At: Glendale Daily Planet KKAT-TV CouryGraph Productions Click For Red Camera In Action

September 5th, 2009, 09:58 AM	#29
Bryan Daugherty Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Lexington, Ky - USA Posts: 552	From the posts above it doesn't sound like it will do better in low light and US pricing hasn't been released so I don't know what to make of that either. Personally, i have embraced HD and will not buy anything lower res again, but I can see this appealing to some of my competitors that are doing quite well staying in SD land... __________________ 3x-HD1000u - Ikan 8000HD- custom i7 PC - Vegas Pro 13 and 11 64 bit - Premiere Pro CS4 - and a whole mess of other equipment...

August 31st, 2009, 08:26 PM	#17
Eric Stemen Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 378	Yeah, I just let my friend that rides BMX borrow my vx-2000 with a death lens, he was really excited. I told him he's not going to want to use that camera after seeing the footage from an HV-30, but I was wrong, for some reason he still really likes that camera.

September 1st, 2009, 05:39 AM	#18
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	I have the only working demo unit in my area now. REALLY looks like a z5, and it doesnt fit the CF card recorder. I'm gonna put it beside the Z5 later and have a go.

September 1st, 2009, 09:33 AM	#21
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	This leaves me (practically) speechless. I absolutely do not get it. Two years ago a 16:9 sd camera like this would have been fantastic, right on time.

September 1st, 2009, 06:54 PM	#22
Sebastian Pigott New Boot Join Date: May 2008 Location: Wilmington, N.C. Posts: 22	I have a Z5U, and after looking at pictures of the PD-175 I think it looks more like an FX1000 with XLR. The back of the PD-175 is the same design as the FX1000 which would require the MRC1K to be mounted on the shoe. Now there is little difference between the Z5U and FX1000, the PD175 is by all means a mash up of those two cameras.

September 2nd, 2009, 09:58 PM	#24
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Its confirmed, the rear is the same as FX1000. The rest of the body is exactly the Z5. I did a candle light test last night and it look very much the same. Light smear is no issue of course. Could not test the jello effect due to time limitation. Low light wise is quite impressive but I have not uploaded the stuff. Returning the Camera today.

September 4th, 2009, 03:40 PM	#25
Jonathan Palfrey Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Torbay, UK Posts: 170	To be fair this is a perfect camera for the EU market a few years ago, especially UK. Afterall we've had 16:9 SD for years now yet have had limited choice for cameras (unlike the US where SD has stuck to 4:3 and HD has become popular faster). As a result companies bought Z1's and used them in DVCAM mode. I bet that 95% of all Z1s owned by media companies in the UK have never recorded HDV. Thats why this camera makes sense, its just a bit late lol. Now days its makes more sense to jumps straight to the Z5 unless this camera comes out at an incredibly cheap price. I still use my Z5 mostly in DVCAM, very rarely use it in HD as the clients dont want that.

September 5th, 2009, 07:15 AM	#28
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	That's fine, but why wouldn't you want to buy one of the Z-series cameras and either shoot in SD or downconvert? As others have said, the only possible arguments might be if the PD-175 does better in low light or is significantly cheaper.