On page 6 of the Z5 brocuhure

http://ws.sel.sony.com/PIPWebServices/RetrievePublicAsset/StepID/SEL-asset-129380/original/HVR-Z5U_brochure_final10-08.pdf

It shows a MiniDV tape and a full size tape as optional. Why are they showing a full size tape? Also, the Sony 16 gig Compact Flash is $399.00 whereas other electronic stores have the newer 32gig CF for $159.00.

Am I totally missing something here???

OOPS, mis-print. The S270 can use the full size tapes but the Z5 like all the other small form factor Sony cameras will only accept mini tapes.

Don

The Z5 requires at least 133x speed for the CF card. The Sony cards run at 300x. I believe that faster speeds are more reliable for writing the video and I like having the extra speed when dumping files to my computer.

Also, some cheaper cards that run at 300x may not be as reliable for writing. It's one thing to write still images to a card, another to write a video stream.

I choose the RAW 300x cards that run about the same price as the Sony. RAW cards have features that seem to me to be worth the extra cost - especially if you're only recording tapeless with no backup HDV tape.

At the same time, I've heard of people using cheaper cards with no problems. Sony recommends formatting any non-Sony card then recording several segments, bringing them into your editor and checking how they assemble. I had no problem with the RAW cards following this process.

-a-