Good first HD cam for weddings, Z5?

Tom Hardwick · March 4th, 2010, 02:26 PM

Some very good replies here. The NX5 is so close in price to the Z5 that I wouldn't hesitate, and although Sony deny it, one will replace the other pretty damn soon. Tape cameras will be no more, and the Mini DV + CF was a way that Sony could gently lever us all into flash memory mode.

tom.

Dave Burckhard · March 4th, 2010, 03:18 PM

As one who regards risk constantly, I like the idea of redundancy. The Z5 with the flash drive is a great solution to a wedding shoot. You get the quick workflow of file-based editing plus the backup of tape. You may find cameras with slightly better resolution or even better low-light capability (and you'd have to look hard) but all of that means little when you have a corrupt file or accidently lose a card or its content. Others join me in proclaiming I would never shoot a wedding or event without redundancy in my media capture.

I'm the rare one who choses to record to a Focus Enhancements DTE hard drive, FS-5, rather than the card drive. The FS-5 has greater capacity than any card, and has lots of other beneficial features including playback, remote access and remote metadata input (great for corporate video and interviews). As with cards, I could edit directly on the hard drive but my workflow is to download the files onto my computer first. Once I know the data is there, I also download to a backup drive, confirm the download, and then, and only then, do I purge the DTE. Again, you just have to lose clips once to swear you'll never do so again.

Good luck

Dave

Stelios Christofides · March 8th, 2010, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Strange

I've been using a Z5 for weddings for just under a year, shot bout 50 weddings on it, it is a workhorse camera, micuh like the z1

I LOVE IT

Get the MCR1 CF recorder, its AWESOME! Dont wait, get it right away.

It saves me about 4-7 hours per wedding, thats ALOT of time saved from not having to log in tapes. PLus you've got the tapes as a backup.

Low light on the Z5 is the best I've seen on any HDV camera (and I've used most of them)

Editing HDV is easy as pie on a basic PC (I edit on a dual core 2.4, 2 gigs RAM - not sure how that would hold up with the new AVCHD format on NX5 etc...)

The problem I now have is finding a decent B cam for my Z5 (currently an FX7, which on its own, looks great, when cut together with z5 footage, the FX7 looks crap!)

Short of an FX1000, I think the best B-cam for a z5 would be... another z5.

In summary, although I've not tried the NX5, I LOVE THE Z5

James, I feel EXACTLY like you feel as I have the same gear. A Z5 and an FX7. I am looking for a replacement of my FX7 and I am thinking of the new NX5 but I am worried about the AVCHD being too "problematic" for my PC whereas the DV or the HDV of the Z5 is a joy to work with so maybe I will get another Z5. I only record now tapeless except weddings that I use also tape for backup.

Stelios

James Strange · March 9th, 2010, 08:13 AM

Hi Stelios,

Last week I bought a 7d, and sold my FX7.

When it came down to it, I coud'nt really justyify spending all that money (z5 or fx1000) on a B-cam (something that would only be used for wide shots/pick ups at weddings).

I needed something to match the low light of the Z5, and my thinking was, the 7D would do that, PLUS I've got a DSLR, PLUS and experiment in using the 7D instead of the Z5 at otherpoints during the day (ie bridal prep).

I'm still experimenting with the workflow, so far the bes solution was a trial version of Cineform Prospect HD, but that ran out :( and it costs $749 (i think)

I'm thinking I might just transcode to a low quality proxy, then re link the files once I've edited, I did a quick test and it seemed to work ok.

BUT I'm realistic about the 7D, in a few months time, I may decide that the extra workflow is just too much hasstle, sell the 7d, and pick up another Z5 or FX1000

Now if I had the money, I think 2 Z5s and a 7D would be the ideal combination for my style of shooting. But I don't have a space £3-4k lying around.... oh wait, whats that on the floor... nope, just a post it note :(

I've owned lots of cams over the years, bang for buck, the z5 (with mcrk1) is ideal for me and my style.

March 4th, 2010, 02:26 PM	#16
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	Some very good replies here. The NX5 is so close in price to the Z5 that I wouldn't hesitate, and although Sony deny it, one will replace the other pretty damn soon. Tape cameras will be no more, and the Mini DV + CF was a way that Sony could gently lever us all into flash memory mode. tom.

March 4th, 2010, 03:18 PM	#17
Dave Burckhard Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 73	As one who regards risk constantly, I like the idea of redundancy. The Z5 with the flash drive is a great solution to a wedding shoot. You get the quick workflow of file-based editing plus the backup of tape. You may find cameras with slightly better resolution or even better low-light capability (and you'd have to look hard) but all of that means little when you have a corrupt file or accidently lose a card or its content. Others join me in proclaiming I would never shoot a wedding or event without redundancy in my media capture. I'm the rare one who choses to record to a Focus Enhancements DTE hard drive, FS-5, rather than the card drive. The FS-5 has greater capacity than any card, and has lots of other beneficial features including playback, remote access and remote metadata input (great for corporate video and interviews). As with cards, I could edit directly on the hard drive but my workflow is to download the files onto my computer first. Once I know the data is there, I also download to a backup drive, confirm the download, and then, and only then, do I purge the DTE. Again, you just have to lose clips once to swear you'll never do so again. Good luck Dave

March 9th, 2010, 08:13 AM	#19
James Strange Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Posts: 309	Hi Stelios, Last week I bought a 7d, and sold my FX7. When it came down to it, I coud'nt really justyify spending all that money (z5 or fx1000) on a B-cam (something that would only be used for wide shots/pick ups at weddings). I needed something to match the low light of the Z5, and my thinking was, the 7D would do that, PLUS I've got a DSLR, PLUS and experiment in using the 7D instead of the Z5 at otherpoints during the day (ie bridal prep). I'm still experimenting with the workflow, so far the bes solution was a trial version of Cineform Prospect HD, but that ran out :( and it costs $749 (i think) I'm thinking I might just transcode to a low quality proxy, then re link the files once I've edited, I did a quick test and it seemed to work ok. BUT I'm realistic about the 7D, in a few months time, I may decide that the extra workflow is just too much hasstle, sell the 7d, and pick up another Z5 or FX1000 Now if I had the money, I think 2 Z5s and a 7D would be the ideal combination for my style of shooting. But I don't have a space £3-4k lying around.... oh wait, whats that on the floor... nope, just a post it note :( I've owned lots of cams over the years, bang for buck, the z5 (with mcrk1) is ideal for me and my style.