FX1000 at wedding

[Prech Marton]

Hello,

currently i have a GL2, but next year maybe i go to HD,
and thinked about the FX1000 for wedding.
I read here many post from this cam, but still have
some question, for example:

- how sensitive is the built in mic?
my GL2 is very good in this, but i have used an FX1, that produce
very bad audio, when someone speak quiet, i have to stay next to him
inside 1m to get an acceptable sound.

- the other side: how good is this mic at dancing, in loud volume?
has it distortion if i go near to the loudspeakers?
my GL2 dont have any issue, as i put a sponge to the mic.
without it, it rarely had.

- still the mic: how is the overall audio quality, when the
volume is correct: again, i have bad experiences with fx1,
but GL2 is quite good. I have a sample, i will upload it somewhere.

- LCD screen is really not viewable in outdoor sunlight?
Do it use overscan, and not show the full frame?
The clients will show on the lcd tv the full frame, so how
can you compose the shot correctly?

- in Church, when there isnt bright light, and the iris have to
go full open, how good is the autofocus? if i zoom in slowly
to the bride, focus tend to go to the background?

- i see sample videos, that he XHA1 picture has more contrast,
better blacks, etc. But doesn't this mean, that FX1000 pic is smoother,
and handle better the white and black clothes detail?

- can the zoom start slowly gradually, like in professional videos?

- when editing, can you make a Bluray disc in mpeg2 1440x1080 or
you have to upscale to 1920x1080? just now we discuss about it
in another thread.

so if anybody has wedding experiences with fx1000, please write.

thx
Marton

[Lukas Siewior]

Let me answer few of your questions because I bought my FX1000 for wedding last March as I upgraded from VX2100.

Mic: I don't like the way it sounds - quality is good, auto gain works very good and it doesn't allow to go to loud. But doesn't sound as rich as VX2100, it's missing depth. That's why I also bought shotgun and mixer to be able to plug wireless mics at the same time.

Autofocus is good. I'd say as sensitive and accurate as on VX2100 - sometimes you'll need correction but you can do it while still in auto.

LCD screen: total failure in outdoors. Sony has special hood which helps a little in bright conditions. It's an option but I think they should make it a part of the kit - $50 accessory won't hurt anybody if included in box. Aftermarket hoods don't work - they slide off too easy.

Also LCD isn't accurate source for image "calibration". You cannot relay on it to set your exposure, color profiles, gain - I learned that I have to operate on zebras and histogram all the time, and use LCD just for framing.

Zoom is veeeeeeeeeery smooth - also the secondary zoom placed on top of the handle bar is soft and has two speed options.

You can't really compare sample vids because both cameras has picture profiles and you can set your images to look anyway you want. On FX1000/Z5U section you can find thread with settings for different profiles.

Overall - love the camera but I'm very aware of it's limitations. I'm planning now to get 2nd one but probably Z5U, so I'll be able to add CF recorder later on.

[Prech Marton]

Thank you for quick answer!

Yes, my GL2's sound was also very rich, and thats what i like it.
I dont know your vx2100's sound, but from the fx1 some frenquencies
just missing for me. Check these samples:
www.relaxvideo.hu/z1.mp3
www.relaxvideo.hu/z2.mp3
www.relaxvideo.hu/z3.mp3

Always the first sound come from GL2, the second from FX1.
I think, anybody can hear the difference

Nice that i can correct focus even in AUTO mode, that wasnt possible
for me before.


"LCD screen: total failure in outdoors"
You say, when i make a glidecam shot on a sunny day about afternoon 13-14hour, i cannot do it without a hood?

"I have to operate on zebras and histogram all the time"
You can set to always display the histogram on lcd?
And what about audio levels? It can also show? Not just for seconds, but stay always there.

"and use LCD just for framing"
If you use from march, i'm sure you have seen your footage on full hd lcd or plasma.
So there you saw more than on cam's lcd? Or fx1000 can show the full frame?

thx!

[Danny O'Neill]

Regardless of camera you should never rely on onboard audio, especially for the ceremony. They are often omni directional and therefore pickup all audio in the venue. A shotgun or lav mic is ideally best.

Auto focus is also never a good idea, cameras often keep hunting so you should master the peaking and go manual. Also means you cant use the rule of thirds as autofocus focus's on whatever is in the direct centre of your viewfinder. So it will focus on the background if that is what's centered. The camera isnt smart enough to know what you want it to focus on.

[Prech Marton]

yes, but the other side is that omni is good, when only one camera is present,
because i can make videos from parents, etc, and still have good audio
from the speaking person. i know that 2-3 camera is a good solution, but unfortunatly
not everyone can afford it. i lived many years with gl2 onboard mic without problem.

[Lukas Siewior]

Originally Posted by Prech Marton

"LCD screen: total failure in outdoors"
You say, when i make a glidecam shot on a sunny day about afternoon 13-14hour, i cannot do it without a hood?

nope - doesn't work without hood

Originally Posted by Prech Marton

"I have to operate on zebras and histogram all the time"
You can set to always display the histogram on lcd?
And what about audio levels? It can also show? Not just for seconds, but stay always there.

audio levels, histogram, zebras - all permanently stay on

Originally Posted by Prech Marton

"and use LCD just for framing"
If you use from march, i'm sure you have seen your footage on full hd lcd or plasma.
So there you saw more than on cam's lcd? Or fx1000 can show the full frame?

no cropping on the lcd - it's a very hi-res screen and it shows everything.

You have to remember that FX1000 is almost the same as Z5U - just without audio mix and CF recorder mount. Menu functions are the same, as well as optics and electronics.

[Prech Marton]

cool, thanks!

[Adam Gold]

Originally Posted by Lukas Siewior

You have to remember that FX1000 is almost the same as Z5U - just without audio mix and CF recorder mount. Menu functions are the same, as well as optics and electronics.

That's mostly right, but only mostly. Make sure we're clear that by "audio mix" we mean XLR inputs, which are very important to some people. And while the FX1000 has a selection of features previously unavailable on this level of cam, there are many more features in the menus of the Z5 that some shooters might find essential. There are other minor-to-significant physical differences as well (the included shotgun mic, dual battery charger, twin accessory shoes, additional ASSIGN button in place of the PHOTO/EXP FOCUS button, and the way the cam accepts AC power among them) -- a look at the manuals for both is easily done and is an essential step for anyone considering buying either.

[Franklin Bencosme]

Having a fx1000 since march, is my second camera at weddings,my z5 is the # 1.
Never have a problem matching picture.For the price and features, this is a great
little brother for the Z5.

Franklin

[Philip Howells]

Originally Posted by Lukas Siewior

You have to remember that FX1000 is almost the same as Z5U - just without audio mix and CF recorder mount. Menu functions are the same, as well as optics and electronics.

And in addition to the other differences noted the FX1 has CCDs whilst the Z5 has CMOS sensors. Some are happy to mix, I never would, especially if you're cutting between cameras in the same situation.

[Don Bloom]

Originally Posted by Philip Howells

And in addition to the other differences noted the FX1 has CCDs whilst the Z5 has CMOS sensors. Some are happy to mix, I never would, especially if you're cutting between cameras in the same situation.

True enough about the FX1 but here he's talking about the FX1000 which is CMOS and virtually identical to the Z7- easy to miss the extra zeros.

[Philip Howells]

Don, thanks for correcting me; my apologies Lukas. New spectacles on order!

[Adam Gold]

The FX1000 is virtually identical to the Z5. The Z7 is different.

Just for clarification:

Z1 = Pro FX1
V1 = Pro FX7
Z5 = Pro FX1000

Z7, EX1, EX3: No consumer equivalent.

[Don Bloom]

yep, I meant to type Z5 and got Z7 instead. Gotta start wearing my glasses again when I tipe-I mean type. See what I mean?

O|O
\__/