Z150 vs EX1 review, Z150 loses at DVinfo.net

Paul Anderegg · July 6th, 2016, 03:37 PM

Thought this review of the Z150 was accurate.........I had a PXW-X200 for a short time, and it is f12@2000, better and cleaner in low light than the very old EX1, but was impossible to focus using the EVF, and had too many live streaming limitations for what I do with it.

I agree with the reviewer, the camera really should do a lot better in low light.........but I will take the Z150 any day over the X200 for the ENG type of work I do.

Cliff Totten · July 6th, 2016, 06:09 PM

I own both of these cameras myself. I think it's silly to compare these cameras and determine an outcome based mainly on one aspect like he does. (Low light on a long zoom.)

Yes the EX1r was and maybe still is a great camera. But to be more specific, what is really great about the EX1r is its FUJINON constant aperture lens with hard stops for focus, IRIS and Zoom. This is what really gives the EX1r it's power and makes it hard for the Z150 to compete with it in one single category.

But hey, let's also be honest here. Let's look at several other important factors:

Frame rates?
EX1r vs Z150? Z150 = Easy winner with up to 120p in full 1080

CODECS?
EX1r vs. Z150? Z150 = Winner with modern and more efficient H.264 over MPEG-2

8Bit vs 10 bit?
EX1r vs. Z150? Z150 = Winner with 10bit on board

Resolution?
EX1r vs. Z150? Z150 = Winner with 4k over 1080. (A minimum of 3 times more image resolution...this is MASSIVE)

LCD Screen?
EX1r vs Z150? Z150 = Winner with FAR better LCD screen quality.

EVF?
EX1r vs. Z150? Z150= Winner with FAR better EVF quality.

Dual Card writing?
EX1r vs. Z150? Z150 = Winner with dual card writing for data protection.

C'mon, the Z150 looks great and I can HONESTLY say that (generally speaking) it looks MUCH better than my EX1r in most shooting situations. Yes, it's true, with the exception of long zooms in low light.

But that's it!!!....that's the ONLY time the EX1r will look better than the Z150. And something else too, the EX1r is NOT a squeaky "clean" camera by today's standards. Throw just +3 db on there and you can already see noise. Hell, at 0db, just lift the blacks a bit in a PP and you will already see some noise in there.

Look, I say this with being an admitted EX1r lover. I absolutely love, love love that lens. [sigh] So for me to say all this about the Z150 says allot.

Just look at Doug's Z150 video. The Z150 footage i have shot demonstrates the same quality. Does this Z150 look like an inferior camera to the EX1r?

Answer? No. And, generally speaking, its actually superior in, not all,....but MOST ways in terms of overall image quality.

CT

Phil Goetz · July 12th, 2016, 12:22 PM

So glad the Z150 has a 1" sensor and not the Z100 1/2" sensor.

Jeff Pulera · July 12th, 2016, 01:57 PM

The reviewer is still paying the credit card interest on the $8000 EX1 purchase from 8 years ago, so he can't admit he likes the "Zed-150" performance ;-)

Jeff

Ron Evans · July 12th, 2016, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Goetz

So glad the Z150 has a 1" sensor and not the Z100 1/2" sensor.

Z100 has an effective 1/3" sensor same as my FDR-AX1 since it crops the still camera sensor that it uses. Both however have a faster lens and 20x zoom. I also have a FDR-AX100 that is much better than the AX1 so the 1" sensor even in the older AX100 is good. If the Z150 had UHD 60P and touch spot focus etc it would be great. No way I could manage all the controls when its is on a high up tripod which is how I shoot all the time. Touch LCD is what I want that is on the AX100 and the X70. I am looking forward to the Panasonic AG-UX180 that may give the Z150 a real run for the money. Will see if it uses the same sensor !!!

Ron Evans

Paul Anderegg · July 13th, 2016, 05:51 PM

The Z150 needs much better highlight handling, and 4K 60p would be pretty cool. I shoot for a 720p60 ABC station, so my 4K fun is relegated to dead cold stationary scenes shot on a tripod, which is 5% of what i do. I cringe though when I think of how much money it takes for a Macbook that can spit out 4K 60p to 720p60 files which i need........it already takes ages just to transcode a timeline to 720 from 4K 30p!

Paul

John Mitchell · August 7th, 2016, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Anderegg

The Z150 needs much better highlight handling, and 4K 60p would be pretty cool. I shoot for a 720p60 ABC station, so my 4K fun is relegated to dead cold stationary scenes shot on a tripod, which is 5% of what i do. I cringe though when I think of how much money it takes for a Macbook that can spit out 4K 60p to 720p60 files which i need........it already takes ages just to transcode a timeline to 720 from 4K 30p!

Paul

Well using a Macbook for transcoding would be your first mistake. I love my Macbook but for the money it is totally underpowered compared to a similar costing PC. The only advantage is portability but for less money you can get a much higher specced video card in a Windows laptop. Remember that both AME and Sorenson use the Cuda cores for H264 processing so something with an NV 980ti or a 1080 is going to crush the Macbook.

Jeremy Cole · August 7th, 2016, 06:36 AM

Ex1r is still great as an event camera. Yes, it is all about the lens. I keep waiting for Sony to come out with a similar camera with an equivalent lens. Something tells me that I will be waiting a long time. Odd that the optics are now trailing the electronics. Yes, it would cost more, but I would buy it if they took the chance and produced one.

John Mitchell · August 7th, 2016, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremy Cole

Ex1r is still great as an event camera. Yes, it is all about the lens. I keep waiting for Sony to come out with a similar camera with an equivalent lens. Something tells me that I will be waiting a long time. Odd that the optics are now trailing the electronics. Yes, it would cost more, but I would buy it if they took the chance and produced one.

Well they have, haven't they? PXW-X200 is the direct replacement for the EX1, the PXW-X300 for the EX3. Both are priced similarly to the originals, both have 3 x1/2"" CMOS sensors. The X200 has a fixed lens like the EX1 and the 300 a bayonet mount like the EX3.

Paul Anderegg · August 7th, 2016, 06:50 PM

Agreed John.......I only love FCPX for it's easy to use color correction tools, and tripod mode stabilization filter..........my 2013 GT650m Macbook Pro is slow as a dog rendering stabilization, or anything for that matter. My old 2011 Lenovo W520 laptop was much faster spitting out Vegas pro h264 files.

Paul

John Mitchell · August 7th, 2016, 08:41 PM

Yeah sorry getting off topic - the MBP's are generally very stable because they don't have high powered video cards that generate a lot of heat. The flipside is they are slow to render.

Jeremy Cole · August 12th, 2016, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Mitchell

Well they have, haven't they? PXW-X200 is the direct replacement for the EX1, the PXW-X300 for the EX3. Both are priced similarly to the originals, both have 3 x1/2"" CMOS sensors. The X200 has a fixed lens like the EX1 and the 300 a bayonet mount like the EX3.

Yes, but without 4K or slo-mo capability.
I also understand that the lens on the PXW-X200 has some issues which have yet to be resolved.

July 6th, 2016, 03:37 PM	#1
Paul Anderegg Trustee Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: San Diego, Califonia Posts: 1,559	Z150 vs EX1 review, Z150 loses Thought this review of the Z150 was accurate.........I had a PXW-X200 for a short time, and it is f12@2000, better and cleaner in low light than the very old EX1, but was impossible to focus using the EVF, and had too many live streaming limitations for what I do with it. I agree with the reviewer, the camera really should do a lot better in low light.........but I will take the Z150 any day over the X200 for the ENG type of work I do. YouTube (Short URL)

July 6th, 2016, 06:09 PM	#2
Cliff Totten Trustee Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Florida Posts: 1,197	Re: Z150 vs EX1 review, Z150 loses I own both of these cameras myself. I think it's silly to compare these cameras and determine an outcome based mainly on one aspect like he does. (Low light on a long zoom.) Yes the EX1r was and maybe still is a great camera. But to be more specific, what is really great about the EX1r is its FUJINON constant aperture lens with hard stops for focus, IRIS and Zoom. This is what really gives the EX1r it's power and makes it hard for the Z150 to compete with it in one single category. But hey, let's also be honest here. Let's look at several other important factors: Frame rates? EX1r vs Z150? Z150 = Easy winner with up to 120p in full 1080 CODECS? EX1r vs. Z150? Z150 = Winner with modern and more efficient H.264 over MPEG-2 8Bit vs 10 bit? EX1r vs. Z150? Z150 = Winner with 10bit on board Resolution? EX1r vs. Z150? Z150 = Winner with 4k over 1080. (A minimum of 3 times more image resolution...this is MASSIVE) LCD Screen? EX1r vs Z150? Z150 = Winner with FAR better LCD screen quality. EVF? EX1r vs. Z150? Z150= Winner with FAR better EVF quality. Dual Card writing? EX1r vs. Z150? Z150 = Winner with dual card writing for data protection. C'mon, the Z150 looks great and I can HONESTLY say that (generally speaking) it looks MUCH better than my EX1r in most shooting situations. Yes, it's true, with the exception of long zooms in low light. But that's it!!!....that's the ONLY time the EX1r will look better than the Z150. And something else too, the EX1r is NOT a squeaky "clean" camera by today's standards. Throw just +3 db on there and you can already see noise. Hell, at 0db, just lift the blacks a bit in a PP and you will already see some noise in there. Look, I say this with being an admitted EX1r lover. I absolutely love, love love that lens. [sigh] So for me to say all this about the Z150 says allot. Just look at Doug's Z150 video. The Z150 footage i have shot demonstrates the same quality. Does this Z150 look like an inferior camera to the EX1r? Answer? No. And, generally speaking, its actually superior in, not all,....but MOST ways in terms of overall image quality. CT Last edited by Cliff Totten; July 6th, 2016 at 11:12 PM.

July 12th, 2016, 12:22 PM	#3
Phil Goetz Austinite Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Austin Posts: 550	Re: Z150 vs EX1 review, Z150 loses So glad the Z150 has a 1" sensor and not the Z100 1/2" sensor.

July 12th, 2016, 01:57 PM	#4
Jeff Pulera Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Milwaukee WI Posts: 691	Re: Z150 vs EX1 review, Z150 loses The reviewer is still paying the credit card interest on the $8000 EX1 purchase from 8 years ago, so he can't admit he likes the "Zed-150" performance ;-) Jeff

July 13th, 2016, 05:51 PM	#6
Paul Anderegg Trustee Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: San Diego, Califonia Posts: 1,559	Re: Z150 vs EX1 review, Z150 loses The Z150 needs much better highlight handling, and 4K 60p would be pretty cool. I shoot for a 720p60 ABC station, so my 4K fun is relegated to dead cold stationary scenes shot on a tripod, which is 5% of what i do. I cringe though when I think of how much money it takes for a Macbook that can spit out 4K 60p to 720p60 files which i need........it already takes ages just to transcode a timeline to 720 from 4K 30p! Paul

August 7th, 2016, 06:36 AM	#8
Jeremy Cole Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Western Massachusetts, USA Posts: 84	Re: Z150 vs EX1 review, Z150 loses Ex1r is still great as an event camera. Yes, it is all about the lens. I keep waiting for Sony to come out with a similar camera with an equivalent lens. Something tells me that I will be waiting a long time. Odd that the optics are now trailing the electronics. Yes, it would cost more, but I would buy it if they took the chance and produced one. __________________ Regards, Jeremy

August 7th, 2016, 06:50 PM	#10
Paul Anderegg Trustee Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: San Diego, Califonia Posts: 1,559	Re: Z150 vs EX1 review, Z150 loses Agreed John.......I only love FCPX for it's easy to use color correction tools, and tripod mode stabilization filter..........my 2013 GT650m Macbook Pro is slow as a dog rendering stabilization, or anything for that matter. My old 2011 Lenovo W520 laptop was much faster spitting out Vegas pro h264 files. Paul

August 7th, 2016, 08:41 PM	#11
John Mitchell Contributor Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 873	Re: Z150 vs EX1 review, Z150 loses Yeah sorry getting off topic - the MBP's are generally very stable because they don't have high powered video cards that generate a lot of heat. The flipside is they are slow to render.