Sony Z200 & NX800 Master Class

[Doug Jensen]

Chapter 1 of my 7.5 hour Z200 and NX800 Master Class is now on YouTube. The other 32 chapters are available on Vimeo.

https://youtu.be/EVCBuLB7z5Q?si=a6zMuRnGsxdE7l6e

[Tom Van den Berghe]

thx Doug for your work! I still have my Z280 but the Z200 is tempting because I also have the A7IV and FX6 for easier color matching.

So I like the s-cinetone, less heavy weight than z280 and the clear image zoom for more reach.
I guess the low light is better in the Z280 but I mostly shoot theatre, dance events with it where is sufficient light. For low light I have the other 2.

So what's your thought?

[Doug Jensen]

Tom, I also still have my Z280 and it is hard to say which camera I prefer at this point. I guess if I had to choose one or the other it would be the Z200. I need 120 fps 4K and the auto-focus is fantastic. Lots of things I still like better about the Z280 (zebras, peaking, clip naming, cache, interval recording, etc.)and it has served me very well, but the Z200 is the shiny new toy.

When I have time in the next few weeks I'm going to put them side by side and see how they really compare. I know the Z280 is better in low light at 0dB, but the Z200 has a cleaner picture, so can I boost the Gain on the Z200 to match the low light performance of the Z280 without noise? That is what I would like to find out.

[Tom Van den Berghe]

thx Doug for the answer!
For me the viewfinder is also important because i wear glasses.

Is the viewfinder better or worse on the z200?

I found this specs on the sony site: (i would say from these specs the Z200 viewfinder is smaller but the lcd is sharper)

Z200:
Type (Viewfinder)
1.0 cm (0.39-type) electronic viewfinder (XGA OLED)
Number of Dots (Viewfinder)
2 359 296 dots
Type (LCD Screen)
8.8 cm (3.5-type) type TFT

Z280:
Viewfinder
1.3 cm (0.5 type)
Approx 2.36M dots
LCD
8.8cm (3.5 type)
Approx. 1.56M dots

[Doug Jensen]

Tom, I finally had a few minutes this morning to put the two cameras side-by-side and compare them. I tried to be as objective as possible.

First of all, I had to turn OFF Zebras and Peaking so it didn't influence my opinion. The Zebras and Peaking on the Z280 are far superior to the Z200, and in my opinion, that makes the Z280 the winner right out of the gate.

But if I turn off Zebras and Peaking, and just look at the image quality, it is harder to choose. I have to say that I do prefer the viewfinder on the Z280. There isn't a big difference, but overall I like the it better. It seems easier to use and I don't have to put my eye as close to the screen to see the whole picture from side to side.

As for the viewfinder, they look virtually the same to me. I think in a blind test (if such thing was possible) you'd have a tough time choosing one over the other.

So, while I have no complaints about the viewfinder or LCD on either camera, I think I'd have to say the Z280 is the winner by a nose. But if you care about Zebras and Peaking (two things I never turn off) then the Z280 is absolutely the winner.

I hope that helps

[Tom Van den Berghe]

thx Doug for making some time to test this!

Peaking and zebras is less important to me. I will trust on the autofocus in the most situations.

You have no complaints of the LCD on either camera but I read somewhere a review of the Z200 that the LCD was very reflective.

So I guess that info was wrong?

[Doug Jensen]

Reflections, huh? Never even crossed my mind to look at that. The camera has a viewfinder, so who cares about reflections on the LCD? A non-issue no matter how good or bad it is.

Nevertheless, I will get the cameras out again and have a look as soon as I can. Stand by.

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Tom Van den Berghe

You have no complaints of the LCD on either camera but I read somewhere a review of the Z200 that the LCD was very reflective.
So I guess that info was wrong?

Okay, so I took a look at the relative reflectiveness of the two monitors, and the difference is very, very, very slight. Yes, the Z200 is a little bit more reflective (most noticeable when the cameras are turned off), but the difference is so close as to not matter at all. If something like that is going to make someone choose one camera over the other, then I'd say their priorities are are all out of whack.

Where are you getting this info?

[Tom Van den Berghe]

thx again for testing this out Doug!

I thought I read this on the facebook group "Sony Z200 & NX800 User Group" which I'm following.
A user reported the reflective lcd screen of the Z200 but now I couldn' found that post back now.

Maybe I read it somewhere else.

[Doug Jensen]

Ah, Facebook. That explains everything. :-)

[Tom Van den Berghe]

I tried to sell my sony Z280 on ebay for 3800 euro.(with XQD adapter, XQD card 240gb, battery and charger and 135 hours on it) There were 9 people who followed this but at the end nobody bid on it.

Now I receive private messages And someone will give me 3000 euro for it.

I don't know what to do now. I thought buying the NX800 (I don't need the Z200) with the money of my Z280.
But no I doubt if this will a smart move.

I really like s-cinetone in my FX6 and A7IV and another cam with s-cinetone would be a great match.

I guess the low light in the Z280 is better but Doug said the Z200 low light is also very good.

decissions...

[David Anderson]

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

Chapter 1 of my 7.5 hour Z200 and NX800 Master Class is now on YouTube. The other 32 chapters are available on Vimeo.

https://youtu.be/EVCBuLB7z5Q?si=a6zMuRnGsxdE7l6e

Hi Doug,

Hope you are well. A few questions I can't seem to find direct answers to:

Does the new Z200 and NX800 have Web UI's for remote control? This is essential for me as part of my production I have 3rd party gear I use for V1's and this is the only way to shade them.

How would you compare the Z200 in low light to a Z280? The 280 is still one of the best I've ever seen in low light for what it is.

Does it look like Sony will replace the Z280 in 2025?

Do you have your Z200 recipes yet? Are then in your masterclass? The ones for the 280 are worth the price alone!

Thanks!

David

[Doug Jensen]

Hi David, I'll attempt to answer your question as best I can.

1) It depends on what you mean by "shading". In television production that term usually means color adjustments, black levels, exposure, and more. If that is your definition of shading, then I think it would be difficult to do all those things remotely. However, the Sony's new Monitor and Control app makes it very easy to broadcast a live image from the camera to your mobile device and adjust almost every settings on the camera remotely. That includes all exposure controls and most of the paint menus, but I think it would be difficult to truly shade the camera remotely.

2) I've been meaning to shoot a comparison video but never seem to find the time. I'm pretty sure the Z280 is better than the Z200, partly due to the Z280's f/1.9 maximum aperture, vs. the Z200 that ramps from f/2.8 to f/4.5 as you zoom. However, with that said, the Z200 is a much cleaner camera with virtually noise-free images. So, could you add some gain to the Z200 to make it as sensitive as the Z280 and still maintain the same amount of noise? If so, then for all practical purposes they would be equal. But I haven't done the testing to find out.

3) I can't comment about a Z280 replacement because I'm under NDA.

4) All my recommended settings and shooting techniques are covered in my Z200 master class, including three custom scene files.

Thanks for asking.

[David Anderson]

Hi Doug,

Thanks for the response.

I use Skaarhoj controllers for shading and they interface with Sony's Web UI on my 280's to send/receive commands and do most functions that a standard V1 can do. Does the 200 have a web UI accessible from a standard browser?

The Z280 is 35-515 (35mm equivalent in 4k) and it's 70-1030mm in 1080p with no digital enhancement. Does the 200 have the same functionality? The 280 loses a stop of light if you shoot in 4k. Does the 200 do the same?

Your NDA comment gives me pause to wait for NAB (see you in Vegas) and see if anything new pops up.

Would you ever consider selling the baked in presets as a package?

Thanks again!

David

[Doug Jensen]

1) I don't know anything about Skaarhoj controllers. Never even heard of them before, so I cannot comment about compatibility.

2) The lens is equivalent to a 24mm to 480mm FF camera. But if you factor in Clear Image Zoom, that makes it equivalent to a 24mm to 720mm lens. And there is no reason not to factor in Clear Image Zoom because it is so good you will never want to turn it off. 99% of all footage you've seen from my Z200 was shot with Clear Image Zoom turned on. I never turn it off, therefore I consider the lens to be a 30x zoom from 24mm to 780mm.

3) You'll be waiting a lot longer than that. There won't even be an announcement at NAB about a Z280 replacement.

4) No, I don't sell presets. I expect people to learn something about their camera instead of just plugging in numbers without any knowledge, background, exposure advice, WB advice, etc.