Ok I'm new to the forum so I hope I'm positing this in the right place. My issue right now is I need to go tape less. At the moment I currently have an old Sony z1u but am trying to figure out whether I should spend around 1k for a DTE (the ones I have seen for the camera have had horrible reviews) or just sell the z1u and get the hmc150. I am kind of tired of having to lug around a bunch of tape and end up accidently writing over it. What are the main key differences between the two cameras? Would the hmc150 be considered an upgrade? In your opinion would you get a DTE for the z1u or just go for the hmc150?

The MRC1k for the Z1 is about $750 new, $500 used and performs flawlessly. If you like the Z1's picture, it's a no-brainer, economically. No cam is as cheap as one you already own. Adding an MRC to the Z1 means you also have tape backup, if you wish.

Also consider that if you move to AVCHD with the HMC150, you may need a better computer.

I just looked at the MRC1k and it says it is only compatible with the z5 and the z7 and another type of camera. Are you sure it'll work with the Z1?

It'll work with any cam with firewire, HDV or DV, any brand. It physically integrates with the Z5 and Z7 without a cable, but with any other cam you mount it to the shoe and use the supplied FW cable. I've used some of mine on my FX7s and HD1000s.

Matt - Adam speaks words of wisdom when he says 'No cam is as cheap as one you already own'. In my view the move to the 150 is only a sideways move and although it's a younger camera than the Z1 it was really no better - only file-based. It's side-screen is ghastly-crude though its 28 mm wideangle drew praise. It's out of production now but it's still a fine camera. I just happen to like the Z1 a lot more.

How do you end up 'accidentally writing over tape?' You'll have to be mighty careful with cards then.

If the Z1 is working well then I'd say sell it, and sell it while the words MiniDV don't sound as ancient history as audio cassette. Then leap to the NX5 so you can keep all the batteries, chargers and Lanc controllers you've bought.

tom.

At first I was a little nonplussed by the whole writing over tape thing, but as I thought about it, I guess it's easier with tape than with cards. A tape cam doesn't know or care whether there's anything on the tape and would simply record over whatever is there from the moment you hit the record button. But a file based cam would simply refuse to record if the card was full, would never overwrite an existing file (unless, possibly, you tried really hard to tell it to), and you'd have to go through a lot of deliberate steps to delete a file you wanted.

True, Adam - but with tape you'd have to rewind it and then close the little safety door and then hit record without playing a bit of it first. So it takes some doing to 'accidentally over-record'.

I agree completely, but I could see how one might just grab a tape thought to be blank but actually having something important on it. Not that it's ever happened to me...;-)