pxw-z150 vs pxw-z190?

rawfa

rawfa

Veteran
Hi guys,

The company I work for is planning to aquire either the pxw-z150 or the pxw-z190. The camera will be used for live broadcast and for our own productions (commercials, narrative stuff, etc). I´ve rooting for the pxw-z150 as it has a bigger sensor and would help match better with our A7III (dof, dynamic range, iso performance). Is there any reason why we should get one over the other?
 
Yes, there are lots of reasons to choose a Z190 over a Z150. I spend about 5 minutes comparing them in the first part of this video.
 
Thanks, Doug. Do you think there´s any chance that Sony may announce a replacement for the Z190 at NAB?
 
No. The Z190 is Sony's newest pro camcorder and has only been on sale since September 2018. It won't be replaced for years.
 
Ian Withnall said:
Does the Z190 record 1080 at 100mbps or is that only for the 4k feature? Our broadcasters need minimum 100mbps in 1080.
Click to expand...

No it a cannot, but I highly doubt your broadcasters need 100Mbps anyway. In fact, if I gave you a side-by-side test between 50 and 100 I'm sure you couldn't tell the difference. Nobody could. Just as you can't tell the difference between 10-bit and 8-bit or 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 unless heavy grading is applied in post. Also, throwing out a number like 100Mbps is meaningless without also specifying the codec. 50Mpbps in a Long-GOP codec can provide superior images to 100Mbps in an inter-frame codec. So saying "100" is meaningless without the rest of the equation.

Did you know that XDCAM HD422 is the defacto broadcast format around the world and it has become the new Betacam. Almost all the major reality shows shoot on XDCAM, including the top shows like Survivor. Even top news and documentaries like 60 Minutes shoot on XDCAM. And get this, MPEG XDCAM HD422 is only 50Mbps. So you're saying that you need to provide video that has a higher bit-rate than those top rated network shows? If your broadcasters are that concerned about image quality and performance you shouldn't even be looking at the Z190 anyway. You should be looking at the Z280, the FS7, or perhaps the Z450. The performance of those cameras are far superior to the Z190 regardless of what bit-rate is selected.

The bottom line is not to get caught up in one little number. There are many factors that need to be considered when choosing the best camera for a particular client or type of shooting.
 
doug-

based on yur reply, i looked up the sony z450 and was BLOWN AWAY!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSe8yhZ7cjw

stunning images!

the z450 gets very little press, i imagine due to it's cost.

but the images produced by your experience and the camera's capabilities are truly breathtaking.

thank you for the effort and the sharing.

BIG thumbs up.

rob
smalltalk productions/nyc
 
Thank you very much for the compliment and I agree that the Z450 is a fabulous camera.
If I could trade my F55 with accessories and lenses for a Z450 with a nice Fujinon lens I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Doug
 
robfilms said:
doug-

based on yur reply, i looked up the sony z450 and was BLOWN AWAY!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSe8yhZ7cjw

stunning images!

the z450 gets very little press, i imagine due to it's cost.

but the images produced by your experience and the camera's capabilities are truly breathtaking.

thank you for the effort and the sharing.

BIG thumbs up.

rob
smalltalk productions/nyc
Click to expand...

Which is about half(or less) of what we were paying for some SD cameras, like D600's, in the 90's/early 00's. I think the 450 may be the same price I paid for my SD D50WS w/Beta back-end in 2003, a little more than half of what I paid for my first Varicam("only" 720P) in 2006 and about a quarter of an F900 in the same time frame. So many people don't understand how good we really have it, now, with regards to imaging technology.
 
My last Betacam (Ikegami HL-59) cost me about $80K with the lens and a couple thousand dollars every year just in maintenance and repairs. I spent about $10K on blank tape stock the year before I went to XDCAM discs.
I gotta say it was a workhorse though and made a ton of money for me in the 7 years it was in service. When I move last year to a new house 1500 miles away, I threw the Ikegami camera and some other Betcam decks in a dumpster. Out with the old.

I have not spent a dime (knock on wood) on any maintenance or repairs since going tapeless in 2006.
 
I used to send my tape VariCam in annually for a 'clean & check' and there was usually at least something minor done to the tape deck, even if just as simple as a cleaning or replace the pinch rollers. I don't think I've ever had to have my P2 Vari's, C300 or F55 in to service for maintenance/repair issues. I wish I could say the same for all of my ENG lenses. I have one that had two major overhauls in the span of probably five or six years and it used to go in for a clean and check annually, too, so it wasn't like it was neglected.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top