Hi, Carl here for ProAV TV where we cover
the latest video equipment as well as some
tips and tricks. If your liking what we do
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So today we are taking a look at the new Z150.
Sony’s newest traditional fixed lens camcorder
with a large sensor. Most camcorders like
this have 1/2 inch sensors or smaller. The
Z150 has a 1 inch sensor which isn't quite
as big as the super 35mm sensors you find
in most interchangeable lens cameras, like
sonys fs5 and fs7 for example. But a 1 inch
sensor is definitely large enough to get some
nice shallow depth of field and some decent
low light performance as well. I took the
camera out for an afternoon to frogmore paper
mill to see what it is like to use in a real
world environment. I was really happy with
the image and the camera was very easy to
use as well. I used fully manual exposure
and focus and both were easy to get correct.
Quick access to your gain, iris and ND’s
plus the tools you’d expect like zebras,
histogram and peaking. It was easy to use
and everything on the camera made practical
sense.
The only issues I really have with the ergonomics
of this camera are the lack of a rotatable
hand grip, not that rotatable ones are common
in camcorders like this at all but they are
very nice to have. Plus the only menu controls
are up here on the top of the camera. Thats
fine most of the time, but when I was filming
I attached a microphone to the hotshoe mount
here with a rycote suspension mount and it
meant that it was a bit tricky to access these
menu controls, which is a shame. A joystick
on the hand grip or something like that would
be really nice.
Apart from those small issues, I think its
a really nicely designed camera, but then
you cant really go wrong with the sony camcorder
format, they have been perfecting the design
for years, its not an exciting design sure,
but it just works, it makes sense.
Your media is recorded onto SD cards and theres
two slots here at the back. Just below them
are your headphone and Lanc remote ports.
It takes sony NP-F batteries and has a nice
big battery release button making it quick
and easy to change batteries. Theres 3G-SDI,
component and HDMI outputs here as well. Ive
been very happy with the viewfinder and LCD
screen, they are both pretty good quality
and I've got no issues there. Its worth mentioning
this hotshoe on the top is actually an MI
show meaning it can connect to some sony accessories
without needing cables. Really nice and I
wish more manufacturers had technology like
this.
So lets talk about what it can record. You
get 4K, 8 bit 4.2.0 at 100 mbs in XAVC-L.
Or you can drop down to 1080p to get 10 bit
4.2.2 in 50mbs in either XAVC-L, MPEG or AVCHD.
If you put the camera into 1080p mode you
also get slow motion up to 120 frames a second
at the push of a button which is great. The
camera does have to be set to 1080p already
though. If you are filming in 4K you will
have to go into the menu’s and change to
1080p if you want slow motion, as in 4K mode
the S&Q button on the side doesn't do anything.
Its a shame you cant set that button to automatically
change to 1080p from 4K when its pressed as
that would be so convinent. But never mind,
its a common problem which you find on most
cameras that offer slow motion, not just this
one.
You also get some interesting network capabilities.
You can live stream straight from the camera
or send files over FTP. Plus you can connect
to the cameras wifi from a smartphone or tablet
meaning you can control your basic settings,
start and stop recording and even adjust zoom
and focus all from Sony’s content browser
mobile app on your phone.
Overall I think the Z150 is a really nice
middle ground in Sony’s line up. It gets
you some great images, in a convenient and
easy to use body designed for working professionals.
If your interested, links to it on our site
are below in the description.
So what do you think Z150? Would it be a good
fit for the type of work you do? Let us know
in the comments below and show your support
by liking the video and subscribing. Thanks
for watching and i’ll see you in the next
video.
