life span at DVinfo.net

John M. McCloskey · February 5th, 2007, 11:26 AM

How many hours do you think the Z1 is good for. How long will the heads last? Just wondering when it will be time to think about getting new ones. We have several with over 500+ hours and still kicking.

Daniel Apollon · February 5th, 2007, 02:03 PM

My Z1U has 470 hours operation (270 hours drum run and 550 hours threading), has been bought damaged as parts and was rebuilt by my local Sony service company in Norway (the LCD was crushed, the mike disconnected and the handle assy cracked and bent ). But, this is my point...everything inside the cam body was working perfect. After rebuilding the cam and cleaning it everything worked perfectly. Sony HVR-Z1 is built like a tank ! more stories ??

Tom Hardwick · February 10th, 2007, 09:26 AM

I agree. It was like this in the 4:3 days, where the VX2100 was the toughest domestic camcorder you could buy simply because Sony made the PD170 to go to war and back.

Same with the FX1. The Z1 has to take the hits on the battlefield, so the FX1, using the same chassis, body, lens, tape deck and chip block assembly, does very well out of it.

tom.

Richard Iredale · February 10th, 2007, 10:42 PM

The camera bodies may look like plastic, but they are magnesium. Built like tanks.

Emmet Lucey · February 11th, 2007, 01:10 AM

I am going on three years with mine. Well over two hundred hundred hours of outdoor sub zero work, one snowboarding crash at about 30km/h, untold hours of transport, vibration, and the camera's only problems are the ones it arrived with - totally useless for panning, wandering autofocus. Sweet camera. Built to last.

Douglas Spotted Eagle · February 11th, 2007, 01:32 AM

I've dropped one from about 30 feet while traveling around 20 mph....the handle came loose and the cold shoe broke off. Backed out the screw, unscrewed the handle, remounted it, and it was fine. I've flown them under heli's, rappelled cliffs with them, jumped em' out of aircraft, had them in *nasty* heli wash and paraplane wash, mounted on a saddle/horseback...
you can't quite tell in this image, but it's about 12 degrees, windy, and on the edge of a very cold canyon wind. We've got 5 Z1's set up to capture a high speed shot. This was shot from the open door of a heli via either a V1 or Z1, I'm not sure.

Vito DeFilippo · February 11th, 2007, 06:48 PM

John's original question, however, asks about the lifespan of the heads. Anyone have any hard info on that? It's a question I used to ask when I had a PD150, and I've wondered the same about the Z1.

Mark Utley · February 12th, 2007, 06:50 PM

480 hours on my Z1 and still working perfectly.

Adam Gold · February 12th, 2007, 06:54 PM

This isn't exactly the same thing, but in the manual for my DSR11 deck they say the recommended service interval for the heads is every 1000 hours.

Obviously not an HDV camcorder, but maybe some of the mechanicals/principles are similar.

February 5th, 2007, 11:26 AM	#1
John M. McCloskey Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: West Point, MS Posts: 313	life span How many hours do you think the Z1 is good for. How long will the heads last? Just wondering when it will be time to think about getting new ones. We have several with over 500+ hours and still kicking.

February 5th, 2007, 02:03 PM	#2
Daniel Apollon Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Norway & France Posts: 50	Mine too is still kicking ! My Z1U has 470 hours operation (270 hours drum run and 550 hours threading), has been bought damaged as parts and was rebuilt by my local Sony service company in Norway (the LCD was crushed, the mike disconnected and the handle assy cracked and bent ). But, this is my point...everything inside the cam body was working perfect. After rebuilding the cam and cleaning it everything worked perfectly. Sony HVR-Z1 is built like a tank ! more stories ?? Last edited by Daniel Apollon; February 6th, 2007 at 11:57 AM.

February 11th, 2007, 01:10 AM	#5
Emmet Lucey Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: lillehammer norway Posts: 67	No worries I am going on three years with mine. Well over two hundred hundred hours of outdoor sub zero work, one snowboarding crash at about 30km/h, untold hours of transport, vibration, and the camera's only problems are the ones it arrived with - totally useless for panning, wandering autofocus. Sweet camera. Built to last.

February 11th, 2007, 01:32 AM	#6
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	I've dropped one from about 30 feet while traveling around 20 mph....the handle came loose and the cold shoe broke off. Backed out the screw, unscrewed the handle, remounted it, and it was fine. I've flown them under heli's, rappelled cliffs with them, jumped em' out of aircraft, had them in nasty heli wash and paraplane wash, mounted on a saddle/horseback... you can't quite tell in this image, but it's about 12 degrees, windy, and on the edge of a very cold canyon wind. We've got 5 Z1's set up to capture a high speed shot. This was shot from the open door of a heli via either a V1 or Z1, I'm not sure. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

February 11th, 2007, 06:48 PM	#7
Vito DeFilippo Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 1,585	John's original question, however, asks about the lifespan of the heads. Anyone have any hard info on that? It's a question I used to ask when I had a PD150, and I've wondered the same about the Z1. __________________ . http://www.nosmallroles.com

February 10th, 2007, 09:26 AM	#3
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	I agree. It was like this in the 4:3 days, where the VX2100 was the toughest domestic camcorder you could buy simply because Sony made the PD170 to go to war and back. Same with the FX1. The Z1 has to take the hits on the battlefield, so the FX1, using the same chassis, body, lens, tape deck and chip block assembly, does very well out of it. tom.

February 10th, 2007, 10:42 PM	#4
Richard Iredale Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 67	The camera bodies may look like plastic, but they are magnesium. Built like tanks.

February 12th, 2007, 06:50 PM	#8
Mark Utley Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 479	480 hours on my Z1 and still working perfectly. __________________ Mark Utley

February 12th, 2007, 06:54 PM	#9
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	This isn't exactly the same thing, but in the manual for my DSR11 deck they say the recommended service interval for the heads is every 1000 hours. Obviously not an HDV camcorder, but maybe some of the mechanicals/principles are similar.