Hello All,

I have been trying to sell my Z7E for a few weeks now but I have just had a change of thought ...

When I see the Z7 output next to a Canon 7D or 5D, the difference is as clear as day - the Z7 just isn't up to the job. However, I have just thought of something that might just make me change my mind before rushing to sell it ...

On the camera is an HDMI output and I've just tried it in the back of my flat-screen TV with excellent results. If I was to buy an HDMI recorder, such as the Ninja Atomos Ninja 2 - HDMI Field Recorder, Monitor, Playback & Playout Device (http://www.atomos.com/ninja2/) wouldn't this help to extend the life of the Z7? I would imagine that stereo audio would come up the HDMI line too but I could always use my Tascam DR-100 alongside if necessary ...

Your thoughts and ideas would be gratefully received.

Stuart

Certainly the Atamos recording ProRes will be better than HDV, but you will still be stuck with 1/3-inch sensors. If you want to achieve the shallow depth of field you can get with a larger sensor you might want to reconsider. Here's a good article featuring the Z7 and the Atamos Ninja
EventDV.net: The Event Videographer's Resource (http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/News/Feature/In-the-Field-Atomos-Ninja-HDMI-ProRes-HDD-SSD-Recorder-77319.htm)

Lee,

Many thanks for your reply. That certainly is a most interesting article.

I have been renting P2 cameras recently and have been thinking about selling my Z7, then upgrading to a Panasonic AG-HPX250. With the money I would have received for the full Z7 kit, I would need to shell out a further 3000 euros in order to buy the Panasonic.

As soon as I realised that the Z7 had an HDMI output, it dawned on me that I only needed to invest a further 1200 euros to keep the camera - no sale and no expensive upgrade.

I reckon that the Ninja 2 is the way to go in order to produce 1080i images externally, so no more tapes and no more flashcards (in SD only). I had looked at the Nanoflash recorder but that is SDI only and an HDMI/SDI converter would have pushed the purchase price up even further.

Thanks again for sending me the link. It sold the Ninja2 to me.

Stuart

Stuart,
I'm glad to have been helpful in your decision. I've worked on several occasions with the Samurai, mated with the Sony F3 and Panasonic HDX900. It performs as advertised. The only shortcoming is the brightness of the display. It's fine for settings and record confidence, but it's too dim to use as a picture monitor. Over a summer of many shoots it did not fail, nor loose any files. Good luck and please let us know how Ninja 2 works for you.

Lee,

Thanks again. To be honest, the on-board Ninja monitor doesn't really matter but the joy of it is that I don't have to sell my Z7 or shell out for a replacement - she has a few more years left it her.

Stuart

The Ninja used in that review is the original Ninja, which has a LANC pass-through. This enabled camera and recorder to be started and stopped in unison.

The current Ninja-2 has lost this LANC facility in favour of an HDMI output. The new Ninja can be triggered by timecode on the camera HDMI output, but you would be advised to check that your Z7 is compatible here. Atomos told me that the Z5 is not compatible, and that my V1 was highly unlikely to be compatible.

For me the solution appears to be to use a Samurai, which still has the LANC pass-through with one of the new Connect SDi to HDMI convertors, which is rather more expensive.

Alan,

Thank you for your message.

As it happens, I use the LANC on the Z7 for a remote zoom and starting the record via the Ninja 2 is not a problem.

Stuart