New owner of HVR-Z1
 

Just received my Z1 yesterday and have been playing with it for sometimes. Very pleased with the footage viewed on both LCD TV and HD monitor.

I am now considering to add accessory such as filter, battery, soft bag, mic or even raincloth to this loving baby. Could you recommend some useful items and where to buy?

Thanks a lot.

Peter

Welcome to the HD world Peter!

For bags check out this thread:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=39573

For mic, it's hard to tell, it depends on what you are trying to capture. I need a shotgun mic, and from the recommendation of others I will try out the AT897.

For filter: I only own a UV and and a POL (Hoya). Observe that some POL filters are very thick and wont let you put the lens hood back on, or let you turn it with the hood on.

As for battery I find that the second largest one NP-F770 gives me a lot of time but isn't the heaviest to carry, so its great to a have 2-3 of those for a session. Dont buy anything else than Sony brand.

There also has been a debate about using different tape brand types can clog up the video heads. Pick one tape brand and stick to it.

Many people like B & H and say they are cheap and reliable, but I've never used them: http://www.bhphotovideo.com

I just bought a bag for my newly used DVX100a. I've used Porta Brace gear for YEARS. Petrol and Cinebags have come up with some really nice bags for not nearly as much.

http://www.cinebags.com/productionbag.html

http://www.petrolbags.com/new_petrol_site/

It was a hard decision. The cinebags were about $40 more, and that's what made my choice. The Petrol bags have really nice linings and effective stash pockets. The Cinebags have lots of storage space, and they're just cool. I plan on getting one of those for odds n ends later.

Jeff Patnaude

I've used Portabrace for years. I have some that are over 20 years old and still in perfect condition. I haven't seen any of those other two recommendations in person, but they look pretty good.

The Audio Technica 897 is an excellent mic. I don't agree with the battery advise. I bought a Sony NP-F970 - which is good - for about $105 when I bought my camera and later the Assia replacement for the F970 on Ebay for $40. Both work very well. I've had my camera about 3 months. If I buy any more, I'll buy Assia. I bought the Sony bag but have seen several others since then that seem nice.

Congrats on the new camera.

Forgot to add. I bought several things from B&H, very reliable but got the AT897 somewhere else. If I had that to do over again I would go B&H. I understand they have a combo of mic and short XLR cable. The AT is superior to the Sony mic that fits the camera. Wrap a small piece of foam around the barrell to fit the holder. I've used mine over 2 months now.