Not a problem, you can get cheap 16gig cards for under $50.

Hm... 16GB of tape is about $3.

Not that tapeless isn't great, mind you, but the financial argument just isn't there yet, especially for Jo's situation, being unable to offload while away. So for Jo's situation, 8Hrs of tape = $16. 8 hrs of CF card = $400, or up to $1600 if you buy better/faster cards at about $200 each.

Looking at all the CF cards at B&H, it seems the prices can be up to 100 times the tape cost on a per minute basis, by my high-school math.

I'm sure I'll go tapeless at some point, but right now both the recorders (I'd need four or six) and the media are too steep for me.

Adam, I've got two 16gig cards, one a $35 card and the other a Sony $200 card. The only difference between them is a somewhat faster boot up and a somewhat faster response when you hit record. Otherwise no difference.

The best use for a card in my opinion is when you absolutely need a reliable backup with the Z5. The security of both tape & card is unmatched for those things that you absolutely must be 100% certain.

Unfortunately we are dealing with the FX1000 in this thread . .

CF dumping better than mini DV
 

I thought most people would be seeing tape as the back up and the CF recorder "the main" recording option as you then dump from card to PC as apposed to a realtime capture.

The CF recorder can be used with the FX1000 too, it's just not quite as convenient.

Martin, I agree. For my personal use, I don't even bother with tape anymore with my Z5...just the cards.

I've now read this so often it's making the Z5 look even less attractive as my Z1's replacement in an odd sort of way. I mean - why buy such a camcorder when you'll probably never use a big chunk of the machine, not to mention the added bulk, weight and cost you have to bear.

The 151 looks better by the day.

tom.

Until you have taken a look at some footage. The WA namely is destortiing the picture in such terrible way, that I brought it back the next day. The WA of the two Sony brothers is way much better!

You don't say how the 'wide-angle is distorting the picture' Jo. You mean barrel distortion? Of course the 151 sees wider than the Z5 straight out of the box so is somewhat excused, and Sony have always had a lot of barrel distortion down the wide end. So much so that I'm often fearful of going there with my Z1, it's so pronounced.

But it's the CMOS rolling shutter that's the real no-no in my wedding and events game.

tom.

I'm not sure that's the right way to look at this Tom. You can use tape if you so choose, but with the option of a simultaneous backup to tape, you have the ultimate in security. Nobody says you must use the card backup, but for those events where you feel the additional security would be nice, it's there. To me that's the ultimate 'win win'. You want tape, it's there. You want to record only to the card, it's there. You want to do both for the ultimate security solution, it's there too. I sure can't see that as a disadvantage.

If you noticed I said for my 'personal' stuff I use only the card. For work projects I'd still use tape as the primary recording medium. I also need the ability to record in SD too which AVCHD cams do not have.

As for the 150/151, I'm not a fan of AVCHD editing in the current state of editing software. I use Grass Valley's Edius Pro, and AVCHD editing on Edius (or any editing software) is simply more taxing on the computer. I'm sure this will change as time goes on, but it is what it is today.

But if these obstacles don't hinder your workflow, go for it.

Are you sure about that? The Z5 is pretty wide.

Tom, if the CMOS issue was a major deal breaker nobody would be shooting weddings with the EX1. I wish it wasn't like that myself but all the positives far outweigh the rolling shutter IMO. I think it's just seeing a flash a certain way for so long has trained us that that is the norm. Down the road rolling shutter may be the norm. Right now we're just pioneers.

I am sure about that Rob. The 28 mm (equiv) of the 151 is sort-of ok as wide-angles go (though you'd not hear a stills photographer saying this), whereas the Z5's 29.5 is an almost-ran. Close, but no cigar.

In the corners of the Panasonic your cigar will look crooked . . .