Sony PXW-X160 or PXW-Z150

A

aushro

New member
i am planning to buy a new camera. for my jobs the PXW-X160 has the better feature set. i suggest the the PXW-Z150 hast the better picture-quality...
which system hast the better image-quality 3x1/3 cmos or 1x1inch single-chip? whats your opinion? need some decision-help. thanks.
 
I would think a 1" sensor would be better in low light than a 1/3" chip cam. The lens speed is a factor, of course.
I would choose the Z150. It can do 4K. As for me, it could also be used with my FS5.
 
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vanvideo said:
I would think a 1" sensor would be better in low light than a 1/3" chip cam. The lens speed is a factor, of course.
I would choose the Z150. It can do 4K. As for me, it could also be sued with my FS5.
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Problem is the lens on the Z150 starts at F2.8 and rapidly goes to F4.5. The 1/3" cameras usually start at f1.6 and have a wider zoom range. As an example my NX5U is better in low light than my FDR-AX100. Similar comparison between the Z150 and the X160 . Both have newer sensors than my NX5U or AX100. As to 4K its actually just UHD and only at 30P too. For not much more I think the DVX200 is a better camera. True 4K as well as UHD at 60P.

Ron Evans
 
The DVX-200 is a good choice.
But if the choice is between the Sony cameras, the X160 needs more expensive SxS cards, instead of the SDXC cards for the Z150. That's one consideration.
But really, I've never even seen either of these cameras. This is strictly my opinion. Personally, I'd buy the Z150, but it fits my needs better.
 
I'll let you know fist hand about the Z150. Mine is coming in this week. Will be curious to see how I will use it with FS7 and A7SII. Will give you some comparison samples.
 
Been fiddling with the menu and still have not figured out how to get it into 120fps mode. Thought it would be in S+Q mode but it no. Also not seeing 120fps selectable in either XAVC L in UHD or HD...I will have a look at the menu this afternoon.
 
DC Brandon said:
Been fiddling with the menu and still have not figured out how to get it into 120fps mode. Thought it would be in S+Q mode but it no. Also not seeing 120fps selectable in either XAVC L in UHD or HD...I will have a look at the menu this afternoon.
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I dug into the manual and it appears no sound is recorded in 120 fps. I was hoping to ramp down only small portions of the video. This camera doesn't really offer anything new if you want 1080 60 fps video. I guess sound with slow motion is a cell phone thing only.
 
Loving the camera so far. It's so easy to use and having this much zoom range is refreshing to me as I normally shoot with primes on a much heavier camera. The only thing I cannot understand is why it doesn't have slog2/3. I mean it shoots in 10bit 422. Slog would actually be a better fit here than it is on the A7S/R series. Will it come in an update? The X70 should get it too if that's the case.
 
DC Brandon said:
Here are some test shots with the Z150 https://vimeo.com/166726291
Took the cam with me on a day trip to Elk Island.

(edit video set to public)
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I must say, that your footage from the Z150 looks a lot like mine form the Sony RX-10 II, I love my RX-10 II, however, I cant get good selective DOF for rack focusing, I really dislike the Fly-by-wire focus ring on it, I'm waiting for Panasonic DVX-200 to arrive, I have mixed emotions on it. but we'll see.
 
DC Brandon said:
Loving the camera so far. It's so easy to use and having this much zoom range is refreshing to me as I normally shoot with primes on a much heavier camera. The only thing I cannot understand is why it doesn't have slog2/3. I mean it shoots in 10bit 422. Slog would actually be a better fit here than it is on the A7S/R series. Will it come in an update? The X70 should get it too if that's the case.
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I just spent a week with two of the z150's on a project and had a great experience with them. Used the cinetone#1 picture profile. Opted for small footprint, easy to use cameras for this traveling gig and did not miss my FS7 one bit with Slog2/3. Forgot how easy and fun shooting could be with a fixed lens--and the clear scan zoom is amazing. Yes, the lens ramps up quickly to 3.7 or 4 (just like with the DVX200)--and just like with the FS7, just pop in 3 db gain, it's super clean. As far as dynamic range goes, we were pushing the scenes pretty hard at times with windows behind subjects and we were shocked at what we could get away with without a roll of ND. This is just the perfect camera to replace the EX3 and to be an A or B camera to the A7s/r or A6300 or FS5 or 7. Quick and easy and light and small. Sometimes it's just the way to go. For $3100, it's a great camera for HD422 and UHD420.
 
I am looking at upgrading to 4k and considering both the Z150 and the DVX200, I do like that the Z150 has 4:2:2 on 1080p. Is anyone familiar with both and can tell me if the DVX200 is worth the extra $1k?
 
These two cameras are very different on paper, and very alike in usability. I demo'd the DVX200 and then bought two z150's, mostly because of the built-in 422 10-bit of the z150 for green screen and for general broadcast capability for everything else, and UHD 30p (4:2:0) if needed--all to replace my HD 4:2:0 EX3's. But the DVX200 does have v-log and 4K, UHD, and HD (but all in 4:2:0 8 bit, sadly). I was just not going to spend another $1500 on an external device and media just to get 422 10-bit from the DVX200. It came down to that. I sacrificed Log that is NOT on the z150. If only we could've gotten the two companies to agree to provide 422 10-bit and UHD 60p 10-bit and Log. But that is why Sony made the FS7 for a little over 2x the price. It does it ALL. they hit the sweet spot. You should think about that seriously. Coming from using the FS7 for 18 months now, these cameras are just plain fun and easy to shoot. Long live the fixed lens! Both are outstanding cameras, it just depends on what you need them for as to which to buy. It's a small investment for a lot of features we only dreamed about in a $3K-4K camera just a few short years ago. The manual for the z150 is on the Sony European page but not on the Sony US page. Do a little search and it'll pop up.
 
I am also loving my Z150 so far and I think it's an amazing camera for the price. I was teaching an Interview Lighting course a couple of weeks ago at Maine Media Workshops and so I took the opportunity to get out a couple of times in the morning and evening to shoot some 4K test footage around the harbor.

 
Doug Jensen said:
I am also loving my Z150 so far and I think it's an amazing camera for the price. I was teaching an Interview Lighting course a couple of weeks ago at Maine Media Workshops and so I took the opportunity to get out a couple of times in the morning and evening to shoot some 4K test footage around the harbor.

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So glad to see you got one of these little gems. Would love to know how you rate it--everybody is all about ISO now and I don't have a clue as to what these are based on. Popping in 3db when I want to stay at 2.8 is very very clean. Just curious. Amazing what $3100 will buy these days, huh Doug! Also, wonder if you like the Cinetone profiles. It's fun to shoot WYSIWYG sometimes, as a shooter, it makes you create in the lens instead of depending on Log and the editor in Post. Fun little camera, and a powerful tool. Enjoy your feedback, as always.
 
Very nice, Doug, beautiful footage from a fixed lens camera. Any issues? I've had none so far. Except to keep scratching my head and say...wow...who knew it could be this easy again?
 
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