View Full Version : Sony EX1 vs. Sony Z7u
RedShoe
03-18-2008, 11:30 PM
What are the pros and cons of each?
Which one is better and why?
Nick Royer
03-19-2008, 09:27 PM
I am interested as well. From what I have seen so far, I think that the Z7U is a great camera for event filming and long record times and the EX1 is great for indi filmmaking in a more controlled environment (where you can stop the action).
Robert M Wright
03-20-2008, 08:45 AM
The EX1 has 3 1/2" CMOS imagers, and records full raster (1920x1080) to SxS cards at 35mbps (MPEG2). It can also record 1440x1080 to SxS cards at 25mbps. The EX1 has a fixed lens.
The Z7 has 3 1/3" CMOS imagers, and records HDV (1440x1080) to either tape or to an external CF recorder (included with the camera). The Z7 has a removable lens.
From what I've gathered, and seen from samples, the EX1 can shoot a very crisp picture and is also great in low light situations. A lot of users seem to find the EX1 pretty awkward to handle though. The Z7 image quality and low light performance is comparable to other 3 1/3" chip HDV cameras (like the Z1, V1 or XH-A1).
androbot2084
03-20-2008, 12:38 PM
The problem with the Sony Z7 is that it does not have high definition progressive scan 60p recording that is needed for the fast action sports. However both cameras have 24p and 30p recording
Robert M Wright
03-20-2008, 07:51 PM
I looked at some full raster frame grabs, comparing the Z1, Z7 and EX1, over at DVInfo.net this afternoon. The Z7 image quality and low light performance is considerably better than what I had gathered from reading comments from others who own both a Z1 and Z7. I'm very impressed at the performance Sony is getting out of their CMOS imagers.
androbot2084
03-21-2008, 07:58 AM
Full raster frame grabs cannot predict a video cameras performance because video is all about motion. Unless the camera supports progressive scanning at 60 frames per second unacceptable motion blurring will be introduced.
Robert M Wright
03-21-2008, 04:30 PM
Frame grabs certainly don't tell you everything about a camera, by any stretch of the imagination. They can tell you a lot about the capability of the glass/imagers to resolve detail and about light sensitivity though.