Z5 or NXCAM?

Stelios Christofides · January 30th, 2010, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Liebergot

...But overall if you transcode from the compressed AVCHD codec to an Intermediate, you should be just fine...

Michael, thanks for the info. That sounds fine then. Do you loose any quality from this transcode business?

Stelios

Michael Liebergot · January 30th, 2010, 05:07 PM

Not really, nothing noticeable.

Leslie Wand · January 30th, 2010, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stelios Christofides

Do you loose any quality from this transcode business?
Stelios

i regularly transcode to .mxf (vegas) for doing anything more than c to c. if there is any loss i certainly can't see it, and editing it becomes a joy*....

*well, depending on what it is ;-)

Ron Evans · January 30th, 2010, 07:14 PM

I transcode to Canopus HQ and edit in Edius with no noticeable change and the editing runs as fast as DV in Edius. Bear in mind that which ever intermediate you choose will result in files that are from 3 to 5 times the size of the AVCHD files and will need to be on a fast hard drive too as the data rate will be proportionally higher. External USB drives may not work, eSATA will work though. Edius Neo will apparently work for several tracks native full resolution with a fast PC so you may want to look into that too.

Ron Evans

Michael Dontigney · February 4th, 2010, 10:38 AM

Also remember.... Edius 6 will probably have the AVCHD "Booster" incorporated and Premiere CS5 should be built on the Mercury engine that can handle multiple native AVCHD files with effects like butta.

So, we may have a few months of transcoding, or straight cuts in PPCS4 before the updated software is released.

Until then you could do the Neo2 booster and edit it in RT if so desired.

James Strange · February 6th, 2010, 07:31 PM

Has anyone bought from Simply Electronics before?

I'm liking the price of the Sony FX1000, (to replace my FX7)

James

Peter D. Parker · February 8th, 2010, 08:30 AM

James, if you look at the web site for Simply electics, for the Z5, under Special Deals, they say
" The Sony HVR-Z5 Camcorder comes with an interchangeable HD Carl Zeiss lens and a 1/3 bayonet joint mechanism. You can also use lens from popular Sony SLR cameras with a special adaptor."

If they're saying that they either don't know the product or have copied it from the Z7.

Peter

Sean Seah · February 8th, 2010, 09:45 AM

HWM Sony HXR-NX5 Review Firewerkz Films by Sean Seah

Heres a review i did last Friday. Edits ok on my Dell XPS on vegas9.

Tom Hardwick · February 8th, 2010, 10:36 AM

Hey, liked your test of the NX7 and your jump at the start. Didn't quite understand your evaluation at about the 8.5 minute mark saying low light was limited to +6 dB of gain, so could you expand on that please? Also the top screen - how does it compare in Bright Sunshine to my Z1, which is superb.

tom.

Sean Seah · February 8th, 2010, 10:14 PM

Hi Tom, I meant that the usable gain is 6db to me. I found the noise at 9db too obvious for personal preference.

The LCD is better than Z1 for sure. I tried the Z5 against the FX1 sometime ago and that showed up quite obviously. The resolution is much better too. Only thing is there is a purplish coating on the LCD which makes it a little reflective at certain angles. Other than that the EVF rocks too. Better than what I have on the EX1.

Lukas Siewior · February 9th, 2010, 07:07 AM

Sean, I see you had Z5 next to NX5 - how do you compare images from both cams? How's the different codec affecting the image quality?

And also - how much video can you fit on 16GB card in max quality?

Sean Seah · February 9th, 2010, 07:57 AM

Lukas, I didnt have the chance to take the z5 out for a side by side comparison. But when I compared the footage in V9, AVCHD looks a little better but that is not scientific so I didnt make a claim.

at 1920x1080 25p FX (24Mbps) mode, a 16Gb card can do 85min. So 2 cards already does like 3hrs with one FP 970! That is outstanding in my option, especially for a wedding / events chap.

Affordable media also means one could have loads of backups, which is not too far from the tape days. I guess the only thing that would hold me back would be editing AVCHD on a lower spec machine. I'm running an XPS I7 here so it was pretty ok.

Tom Hardwick · February 9th, 2010, 10:25 AM

Thanks for your views on the screens and it sounds as if (from your replies) that the NX5's screen is a lot better than the Z7's (which I presume is the same as the Z5's).

I ask about viewing in direct sunlight as that's where I work mainly - run 'n'n gun weddings on summer lawns. In this specific circumstance the Z1’s screen is far better and for one big reason – it’s perfectly visible in bright, direct, full-on sunlight.

I’m a great believer in filming strangers using a side screen, as approaching people with 2.5 kg of camera sticking out of your forehead (using the conventional viewfinder) can make the bravest of the guests apprehensive. But the near invisibility of the Z7’s screen image in sunlight was a real shock to me. I’d far rather have a softer image that I can see than a sharper one I can’t. In the fright of the day I was at times reduced to pointing the camera and hoping; the side screen was as bad as that.

tom.

Richard Lacey · February 10th, 2010, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Strange

Has anyone bought from Simply Electronics before?

I'm liking the price of the Sony FX1000, (to replace my FX7)

James

Do a google search for them.
Sound like a right bunch of scammers.

January 30th, 2010, 05:07 PM	#32
Michael Liebergot Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,505	Not really, nothing noticeable. __________________ Michael www.lvpvideo.com

February 6th, 2010, 07:31 PM	#36
James Strange Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Posts: 309	Simply Electrionics Has anyone bought from Simply Electronics before? I'm liking the price of the Sony FX1000, (to replace my FX7) James

January 30th, 2010, 07:14 PM	#34
Ron Evans Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,220	I transcode to Canopus HQ and edit in Edius with no noticeable change and the editing runs as fast as DV in Edius. Bear in mind that which ever intermediate you choose will result in files that are from 3 to 5 times the size of the AVCHD files and will need to be on a fast hard drive too as the data rate will be proportionally higher. External USB drives may not work, eSATA will work though. Edius Neo will apparently work for several tracks native full resolution with a fast PC so you may want to look into that too. Ron Evans

February 4th, 2010, 10:38 AM	#35
Michael Dontigney Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Atlanta, Ga. Posts: 103	Also remember.... Edius 6 will probably have the AVCHD "Booster" incorporated and Premiere CS5 should be built on the Mercury engine that can handle multiple native AVCHD files with effects like butta. So, we may have a few months of transcoding, or straight cuts in PPCS4 before the updated software is released. Until then you could do the Neo2 booster and edit it in RT if so desired.

February 8th, 2010, 08:30 AM	#37
Peter D. Parker Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Preston England Posts: 147	James, if you look at the web site for Simply electics, for the Z5, under Special Deals, they say " The Sony HVR-Z5 Camcorder comes with an interchangeable HD Carl Zeiss lens and a 1/3 bayonet joint mechanism. You can also use lens from popular Sony SLR cameras with a special adaptor." If they're saying that they either don't know the product or have copied it from the Z7. Peter

February 8th, 2010, 09:45 AM	#38
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	HWM Sony HXR-NX5 Review Firewerkz Films by Sean Seah Heres a review i did last Friday. Edits ok on my Dell XPS on vegas9.

February 8th, 2010, 10:36 AM	#39
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	Hey, liked your test of the NX7 and your jump at the start. Didn't quite understand your evaluation at about the 8.5 minute mark saying low light was limited to +6 dB of gain, so could you expand on that please? Also the top screen - how does it compare in Bright Sunshine to my Z1, which is superb. tom.

February 8th, 2010, 10:14 PM	#40
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Hi Tom, I meant that the usable gain is 6db to me. I found the noise at 9db too obvious for personal preference. The LCD is better than Z1 for sure. I tried the Z5 against the FX1 sometime ago and that showed up quite obviously. The resolution is much better too. Only thing is there is a purplish coating on the LCD which makes it a little reflective at certain angles. Other than that the EVF rocks too. Better than what I have on the EX1.

February 9th, 2010, 07:07 AM	#41
Lukas Siewior Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Lyndhurst, NJ, USA Posts: 408	Sean, I see you had Z5 next to NX5 - how do you compare images from both cams? How's the different codec affecting the image quality? And also - how much video can you fit on 16GB card in max quality?

February 9th, 2010, 07:57 AM	#42
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Lukas, I didnt have the chance to take the z5 out for a side by side comparison. But when I compared the footage in V9, AVCHD looks a little better but that is not scientific so I didnt make a claim. at 1920x1080 25p FX (24Mbps) mode, a 16Gb card can do 85min. So 2 cards already does like 3hrs with one FP 970! That is outstanding in my option, especially for a wedding / events chap. Affordable media also means one could have loads of backups, which is not too far from the tape days. I guess the only thing that would hold me back would be editing AVCHD on a lower spec machine. I'm running an XPS I7 here so it was pretty ok.

February 9th, 2010, 10:25 AM	#43
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	Thanks for your views on the screens and it sounds as if (from your replies) that the NX5's screen is a lot better than the Z7's (which I presume is the same as the Z5's). I ask about viewing in direct sunlight as that's where I work mainly - run 'n'n gun weddings on summer lawns. In this specific circumstance the Z1’s screen is far better and for one big reason – it’s perfectly visible in bright, direct, full-on sunlight. I’m a great believer in filming strangers using a side screen, as approaching people with 2.5 kg of camera sticking out of your forehead (using the conventional viewfinder) can make the bravest of the guests apprehensive. But the near invisibility of the Z7’s screen image in sunlight was a real shock to me. I’d far rather have a softer image that I can see than a sharper one I can’t. In the fright of the day I was at times reduced to pointing the camera and hoping; the side screen was as bad as that. tom.