Is the Sony Z280 good value in 2020

[Simon Denny]

Looking at a second cam for my Sony Z90 and I keep coming back to the Z280.
Plan is the Z90 becomes the BCam and the Z280 takes over the main shooting roles, mainly outdoors in the Aussie Bush, sunsets, morning low light stuff, chasing cars etc...

My Z90 is usable at 6-9db gain and it's a 1inch sensory, I'm wondering how the Z280 performs in low light.
Doug I hope you are around to offer advice?

I'm looking for feed back from users on the camera both good and bad.

I need 4:2:2: 10bit
Thanks in advance.

[Doug Jensen]

The Z280 is still a great camcorder and I'm not aware of anything else that even comes to matching its performance. I use mine all the time and I'm always impressed by the results. I describe it as being an FS7mark2 with smaller sensors and a 17x f/1.9 lens.

It's one of the top three cameras I've ever used for low light. You'll love the variable electronic ND. AF face detect is almost flawless. The viewfinder rs beautiful and makes focising a breeze. I wish Sony wouldrelease a shoulder-mount version (like the EX3 was to the EX1). I would probably choose that version instead, but I don't see that on the horizon. In the meantime the Z280 gets 10 starts out of 10. I've sold enough stock footage from my Z280 to have paid for the camera.

The only thing it is not good at is shallow depth of field.

Doug Jensen’s Sony PXW-Z280 and PXW-Z190 Master Class - CHAPTER 1 FREE - YouTube

Myakka River State Park - YouTube

[Simon Denny]

Thanks Doug,

It's a toss up between two cameras at the moment, the Z280 and the Sony FS5 MK II, Both different tools however priced almost the same.

[Simon Denny]

I forgot to ask Doug, what's the HD like on the Z280? the little Z90 I use in HD is great.
Cheers, S

[Doug Jensen]

The Z280 looks great in both 4K and and HD. It's 10-bit 4:2:2 in both so everything about them is virtually the same except for resolution. But the Z280 is a full-stop better in low-light when shooting HD vs. 4K with all other settings being equal.
THe FS5 isn't anywhere near in the same league as the Z280. Not even close. If you want a comparable camera you have to look at the FS7.

[Simon Denny]

Thanks Doug,
Interesting info on the FS5 vs Z280.
Yes the FS7 would be ideal however just out of budget on this one.

[Doug Jensen]

A gently used FS7 is a far superior camera than a brand new FS5, and I hear the FS7's are going cheap these days. I'd like to sell mine because I'm not using it much anymore but I don't think I'd get enough for it. It is a buyer's market.

[Simon Denny]

Yes a used cam might be an option and I have been searching however most have many hours and have seen a lot of work along with holding a heavy price.
What's the down fall of the FS5 M2?

[Doug Jensen]

If I tried to make a list of all the FS5's shortcomings, I wouldn't even know where to stop.

• There's no Cine EI shooting mode
• No LUTs
• No timecode in or out connectors
• No genlock
• No picture cache
• No shot duration counter
• No full-size "4K DCI" formats
• 4K UHD is limited to a maximum of 30 frames per second
• 4K is only 8-bit
• Slow-motion over 60 fps can only be recorded in short bursts
• There are no XAVC-I codecs
• There are no XDCAM or MPEG HD422 codecs
• You can't insert ShotMarks or Clip Flags
• There’s only one SDI output connector
• You can't use the SDI and HDMI outputs simultaneously
• It only has two channels of audio
• You can’t control how audio is mixed in your headphones
• There’s no eyepiece or loupe for the LCD Monitor
• There's no way to setup custom clip naming
• Clip names cannot be displayed in the viewfinder
• You can't build your own custom User Menu
• You can't import custom User Gammas
• There's no way to export or import individual Picture Profiles
• There’s no way to use v-lock batteries
• There are far fewer menus for customizing the performance of the auto-exposure and auto-white balance modes
• There's no AUTO FOCUS ASSIST mode for overriding auto-focus on-the-fly
• No Auto-Focus confirmation indicator in the viewfinder
• No shockless Gain or shockless White Balance
• No dedicated buttons for switching Zebra or Peaking on or off
• Peaking is colored instead of the better edge-enhance type
• There's no waveform monitor
• It has far fewer options for Markers and no User Box marker
• No Clear-Scan shutter mode
• No special memory card slot for storing and moving user-generated data files in & out of the camera
• No external playback buttons on the body
• None of the Cinegammas provide 800% dynamic range like Hypergammas 7 & 8 on the FS7
• And finally, the FS5 has far fewer paint menus for customizing the "look" of the camera's picture -- and the menus that it does have are completely different than the FS7

[Simon Denny]

Right, that's one list of shortcomings.

Thanks for the advice.

Cheers, S

[Bill Ackerman]

Piggy-backing onto Simon's question, if that is OK:

Is there any basis for hoping for a follow-on to the Z90? I've been holding off on getting a second one in the hopes of something in the same, compact form factor, but with updated specs such as 4k 60p (or better).

[Simon Denny]

Yes bill I was hoping for a version Z90M2 this year, if I don't go with the Z280 or do I dare say the FS5 (client wants this) I'll grab another Z90 so my other shooter can grab those shots where I'm able to.

[Bill Ackerman]

Perhaps better would be a Z90 firmware upgrade like the X70 4K upgrade. I'd gladly pay for higher 4K frame rates.

[Simon Denny]

That would be nice Bill. I love my little Z90, man has it shot some gigs over the last 12th months along with my A73, RX10v4, there's a lot I would like in a firmware update on the Z90 and a basic one would be a level, I emailed Sony....lol never heard back.
Sony PLEASE put a level in the Z90, just saying.

Cheers, S

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Bill Ackerman

Piggy-backing onto Simon's question, if that is OK:
Is there any basis for hoping for a follow-on to the Z90? I've been holding off on getting a second one in the hopes of something in the same, compact form factor, but with updated specs such as 4k 60p (or better).

I haven't heard any hints of a Z90 upgrade or replacement any time soon. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but I very much doubt you'll see anything announced in the next year or so.