Z5 or Z7 for weddings
 

Now with the rebates the cost of the Z7 is about the same as a Z5 with the MRC1K. I only shoot weddings so low light and good lens control are the most important to me (I'm not concerned with changing lenses). I know the Z5 has a wider lens but the Z7 seems to have a faster lens, what camera do you suggest I buy.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Allen

Z7 vs Z5 decision
 

I chose the Z7 over the Z5 for four reasons:
1. Bundled with the MRC1K - once you use this you won't want to go back to tape only (tape is only used for archive now)
2. Faster lense
3. Interchangeable lense (not important for you) but i'm getting the Sony wide angle lense
4. Better layout of the controls. You'll have to hold look the Z5 and Z7 in your hand and get the feel of the buttons and their location, but I found the Z7 control layout (buttons) much better

I would choose the Sony Z7 as well. But after having a memory card fail on me in the past I am a bit worried about not using tape. Tapes rarely have given me problems and are the perfect backup if something goes wrong during the edit.

Just my opinion.

faster lens + better handling was the reason for me to choose the z7 over the z5.

Only drawback: The Z7 does NOT feature color peaking... ;-(

If you put a strong peaking on a user button its easy to work with the cam even in lowlight situations. My tip for weddings: bring a nice & small dimmable soft light with you - just to raise the light level from nothing (when the dj turns his lights off...) to "a bit".

ULI

Just ordered the Z7. Thank you everyone for your help & advise.

leave a comment when you received it!

Regards

ULI

I just got a Z7, and while I don't shoot weddings, I do shoot some trainings handheld and if you are going to shoot handheld for any length of time. you will need some kind of support unlessyou have Popeye's forearms.

I'm working on a DIY support now (looking for counterweight). I love the picture quality, the tapeless workflow and the tape archive, but whoever designed this camera body format should be taken out and tortured.

Allen,

There are SO many features within the menu system of the Z7 you will be astonished ...and pleasantly suprised. I bought the Z7 DVD by Vortex Media to get up to speed faster on my Z5. I've gone back and watched certain sections a couple times when I forget certain things. The video is really well done, IMO and also has suggested settings and explains when certain settings might be most useful. I bought it at Full Compass. It was pricey, but for me it was $75 well spent. Just thought I'd pass it along.

Note: I am not associated Full Compass or Vortex in any way.

Thanks Mark, I heard the same thing and ordered the DVD when I bought the camera. I can use all the help I can get.

I remember shooting guests handheld with the Z7 - mingling at a wedding reception. My arm couldn't take anymore than 30secs at a time!!! I must have looked really stupid. (Previously only used a lightweight PD170)

After 1 year and learning how to correctly hold and balance it (and probably building muscles I never used) I don't even notice the weight - could probably shoot handheld for 30 minutes+ if I needed to. It's amazing how your body adapts.

Still - always use tripod if poss.

Try adding a wide angle adapter on the front for a truly front heavy rig. I feel like I'm shooting the Canon XL-1.

My way of handheld shooting is totally different:

Dont use the handle "as it is" but form your right hand like a "pistol" and place it UNDER the camera (got to shoot a pic so you can see it).
You cant access the Zoom rocker anymore, but the weight of the camera sits on your arm and wrist - much more comfortable than using the zoom handle.

Anyway, shooting long time makes a tennis arm, too... ;-)

Uli

Hi guys

i read all the comments about Z7 and Z5 and it was pretty useful, but the thing is i already own a Z7 and i like it.... but i was thinking to get another 1 so i thought getting Z5 cause it coasts less and i really dont change the lens and even i dont record on compact flash but i usually shoot on low light alot so i was thinking is there difference in quality between Z7 and Z5 cause i will use them at the same time but i need to know from someone tried both.

hope im not asking too much guys

thanks anyway

Arlen

At B&H the difference between the two is around $1,200 US. You might find a better price. With the Z7 you get the Memory Recording Unit (MRU), that sells for $740. The MRU's Cache mode is well worth the price as it constantly records a few seconds before rolling. This is especially helpful for those surprise moments when the camera is in standby. So for a difference of around $450 you get the MRU, true focus and smooth iris control. Having said that both cameras use the same 1/3-inch sensors so the image quality should be very close if not identical, not withstanding the difference in lenses.

Thank you Lee but what exactly you mean by"true focus and smooth iris control"
with the Z5 is not the same ???

Arlen:
Perhaps my use of the term "true focus" is misleading. I am referring to mechanical vs. servo focus control The Z5 uses a servo controlled focus. When you turn the focus ring, it causes a motor or actuator to move the focus elements in the lens. That is why there is no beginning or end point on the focus ring. When you reach max close focus, or infinity it keeps on turning.

The Z7 focus ring is mechanically coupled to the focus elements. Twist the focus and gears turn to move the elements. It has end points from close focus to infinity. This direct focus control is more accurate and is what you will find on professional camera lenses. Having finite beginning and end points also assists in setting focus points such as in a rack or follow focus. You can actually mark the focus ring for the start and end of the focus move.

The servo focus on the Z5 is more typical of prosumer and consumer camcorders. You cannot mark focus points as there is no direct relationship between the focus ring and the focus of the lens. The focus ring is kind of like a volume control with no min/max stops.

The smooth iris I referred to is the iris control located where the Z7's lens meets the camera body. This arrangement is also typical of professional lenses. On the Z5 it's a knob on the side of the camera body.

When you adjust the Z7's iris you get smooth transitions between each f-stop. On the Z5 it kind of steps between f-stops with nothing in between. If you are shooting and manually adjusting the iris, as in a pan from bright area and dark area, the Z5's iris adjustments not that smooth. By the way the iris on both cameras are servo controls, but the Z7 is more precise and its location is where professionals expect it to be.

The iris control on more professional lenses is just like the mechanical focus that is directly linked to the lens iris, with stopping points at each end.

While the Z7's lens doesn't fully equal more professional lenses I've used in my career, it is much closer than the Z5. I'm not knocking the Z5, I've done a lot of shooting over the past four years with my V1 and you learn to adapt. However when I upgraded to the Z7, I felt much closer to the type of lens I was used to when shooting professional Betacam, DVCPro, and DVCam units. I hope this was helpful.

Lee

Thank you Lee that was helpful :)) but i think i will go with Z5 cause i already have Z7 and i can use the 20x zoom and little more wide sometimes

Thank you guys