Thinking of getting Z5/2 FX1000's
 

I am planning on starting a business soon and I've been looking around the market for HD cameras in the $3-4000 range. The primary business will be shooting multi-cam concerts in bar/outdoor/concert venue settings. I will also be using them for single-camera ENG/studio type shoots as well as possibly multi-cam sports. The longterm plan is to step up to a $8-10,000 camera once the business has legs and has become somewhat successful for all of the single-camera stuff as well as upping my camera total to 4 so I want the ability for the video of the lower-tiered cameras to be a good match the new more expensive one.

My plan is to buy a Z5 and 2 FX1000's. The reason I want the Z5 is the XLR's/integration with solid state recording. I've looked and those two things seem to be the only differences between the cameras. Is that right? Are those two things really worth $800-1000?

I also wanted to get people's opinions on whether or not the CMOS sensors would cause problems in concert shooting. I would think any flashes from the crowd would be pretty well covered up by the stage lights but would the stage lights cause any problems?

Also, should I look closer at Panasonic or Canon? I've looked at the specs and reviews of the cameras in this range but they don't seem to be quite as good as the Sonys (plus, I have a VX2100 so I'm pretty familiar with Sony cameras, not that that really matters too much).

Just a thought. By the time you buy the card recorder for the Z5 you could buy a Z7 and have a professional type lens, although the lens on the Z7 is a 12x (like the 15/170/250/2000/2100) and the lens on the Z5 is a 20X. I have HEARD (no first hand knowledge) that the Z5 gets a little soft at the extreme long end of the lens.

Other than that everything I have heard about the Z5/FX1000 combo has been very very positive.

Interesting questions. When I bought my two FX1000s the price difference was greater, and I was sure the added features of the Z5 weren't that important to me, as I already had some XLR adapter boxes and the additional manual settings didn't seem all that essential.

But my MRCK1 just arrived, and while it works on the FX1000, it does integrate more easily with the Z5, both physically and in how it operates. And now that the price margin has narrowed between the models (as you said, about $900 or so) I'm really wishing I had just stopped feeding the kids so I could have gotten the Z5s instead.

Visually they will be identical as long as you have them set the same.

Right now we shoot four-cam shows with two FX7s and two FX1000s. Before the FX1000s we used FX1s. If I had it to do over again I'd probably go with two Z5s and two V1s (I like the longer tele on the V1/FX7 for sports).

you feed your kids?!?!?

sorry could help it. ;-)

How does the MRC1 integrate with the FX1000. Is it annoying or just not perfect?

Why would you go with the V1 over the FX1000s? Aren't they both 20x?

I just got my MRC and haven't even opened the box yet. But based on the documentation, rather than just plugging directly into (and mounting directly onto) the back of the cam as with the Z5, you use a docking cradle that goes on the accessory shoe and connect via FW. And you need to start/stop with the buttons on the MRC rather than the cam (although there is some talk that in the FOLLOW mode, when it detects a signal through the FW it will start, but delayed. Have to try this out). So more annoying than impossible.

The V1 and Z5 (and their respective consumer counterparts) both have 20x zooms, but they start and stop at different points. So the V1 starts and ends more tele. The V1 lens is 37.4-748mm (35mm equiv), while the Z5 is 29.5-590mm. The extra reach of the V1/FX7 really comes in handy when shooting from behind the center field fence.

Not anymore. But just when I've got 'em trained to go without food, they up and die on me...

for the money you are going to spend on a Z7, I would go with a used EX1. they seem to be available in the mid 4500 range these days. get one of those, and maybe an FX1000 to go with it.

Add ons....
 

Just wanted to chime in with my experience with add on's. I started out with a vx2100 a few years ago, wanted a PD170 but thought I would save a few dollars. I ended up buying a wide angle lens, xlr adapter and eventually a firestore. I shoot event stuff and always found myself attaching something, having to hurry to do it, and suffering from the extra weight. Fast forward past owning a FX1 and a V1u (with HVR-DR60), I now have a Z5u with a MRC1K and could not be happier. Right out of the bag I'm shooting, no extra weight and no extra batteries to worry about. I was recently filming a motorcycle jump that was being delayed due to wind and the announcer comes over the pa and says "He's jumping in 3 minuets". I run across the lot, grab the Z5u and scramble up the hill just in time to catch the jump.
The MRC1K mates to the rear of the Z5u and actually becomes part of the camera, it uses the Z5u battery power, so no extra battery to worry about. For the FX1000 you have to attach the supplied battery cradle, mount it on the shoe with a supplied bracket and supply another battery for it to work. You also have to manually turn the MRC1K on and off, not like the Z5u where just by turning on the camera also turns on the MRC1k.
Again just my opinion on add on's and the extra weight, awkwardness and time consumption they can cause in the event capturing realm.

Another difference is the way they record 24p, if that matters to you.