Sony PXW-Z280 and PXZ-Z190 review

Doug You right, it is good enough at 12db, hd and full hd quality is for me nice, uhd looks little muddy, but i havnt bought it for uhd anyway. For live coverage ant events it is good all rounder, and as i have fs7 ..some accesories will fit , also menu system is similar..just less options.If U are sony shooter and dont want to spent much more for z280 it is still good option.
 
No lens problems on my cameras, but I did have to run the automated back-focus adjustment once on the Z280 to fine-tune it. Takes about 2 minutes. I'm not on Fecebook so can't see the complaints from others about their experience.
 
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Doug Jensen said:
No lens problems on my cameras, but I did have to run the automated back-focus adjustment once on the Z280 to fine-tune it. Takes about 2 minutes. I'm not on Fecebook so can't see the complaints from others about their experience.
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Hi Doug,

I was wondering if you could answer a few things for me. I bought a PXW-Z190 from Adorama the day it released and I really love it so far. I've had no lens issues and no Sandisk SDXC card issues and I'm using Sandish Extreme Pro SDXC-I cards with 95Mb/s speed. I have two 128GB, two 256GB. and two 512GB cards. So my first question:

1) I am using the camcorder to cover mostly Japanese anime conventions and video game conventions in places like conventions centers (The Javits Center, Los Angeles Convention Center, hotels), also product lauches in flagship stores (like the Nintendo World New York Store in Manhattan), and doing interviews with guests at said conventions. I am not a professional by ANY means and this is my first "professional" camcorder (my previous was a old Panasonic AG-HMC40). Do you think I made the correct choice in camcorders for the work I am doing? Would you recommend I upgrade to the Z280 in the future (after I get familiar with the Z190 and how it operates) or do you think the Z-190 would serve me perfectly fine for what I am doing?

2) I know the Z-190 has smaller sensors than the Z-280 but I think its pretty amazing even at a high dB gain so far. I've been shooting in full-auto but would you recommend I shoot in manual for darker lit rooms or should I continue full-auto and let the camcorder decide what settings to apply for the shooting environment?

3) Can the Z-190 record and/or output (via SDI) all four audio channels at the same time? I have the dual channel MI shoe adapter plus the
Sony URXP03D 2-Channel Portable Receiver, two Sony UTX-B03 Integrated Digital Wireless Bodypack Transmitters, a Sony UTX-P03 Hybrid Digital Wireless Plug-on Transmitter connected to a Sennheiser MD 46 handheld interview mic, and a Rode NTG-4 shotgun mic. Can the Z190 record all four of channels of those mics simultaneously or only two channels at a time? If it can record all four channels is there any way to output all four channels simultaneously via SDI (or HDMI)?

Thanks again for being such a wealth of knowledge on these camcorders. You are a Godsend.
 
Hi Vincent, I touch on all of these subjects in my Z280/Z190 master class but I'm happy to spend some time answering your questions as best I can here.

1) I honestly cannot tell someone else which camera is best for them. Only you can determine that for yourself. In chapter one of my master class, which anyone can watch without signing up for the rest of the series (https://vimeo.com/297946781) I tried to point out every difference between the two cameras so that people will have the information they need to make that decision. Does the Z190's features and performance meet your needs? Then you have made the right choice and the Z280 may have been overkill for YOU. But if you need the better features and performance of the Z280, then you have made the wrong choice. I think the biggest difference between the cameras comes down to the low-light performance. The Z280 is excellent and one of the best cameras I've ever used, but the Z190 is awful and is one of the worst cameras I have used for low light. For a lot of people, this one factor may be enough reason to justify the Z280. You say you are doing a lot of shooting indoors, so maybe that ought to be taken into consideration. Even though the Z190 looks pretty good with gain kicked in, it still is poor in low light even with gain added. In fact, even if you max out the Z190's normal gain (18dB) it still does not match the Z280 at 0db. That is a serious difference.

2) I am against the use of Full Auto at anytime for any reason. Full Auto should never be used. Period. In fact, the cameras is actually worse in low light in Full Auto than it is in manual. So, as a non-professional, even if you want to run some of the camera's functions in automatic, you should select those functions individually (shutter, iris, gain, ND, white balance) and then use the camera's menus to customize how each of those functions perform.

3) Both the Z190 and Z280 can record four audio channels at the same time. I think (but have not tested myself) all four channels can be output via SDI. But only one pair at a time can be output via HDMI, you either have to choose 1/2 or 3/4. You cannot have all four and you cannot change the mix. There also many limitation of which audio inputs can be used simultaneously and which inputs can be routed to which channels. Too complicated to try to explain here.

I hope that helps.
 
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Doug Jensen said:
Hi Vincent, I touch on all of these subjects in my Z280/Z190 master class but I'm happy to spend some time answering your questions as best I can here.

1) I honestly cannot tell someone else which camera is best for them. Only you can determine that for yourself. In chapter one of my master class, which anyone can watch without signing up for the rest of the series (https://vimeo.com/297946781) I tried to point out every difference between the two cameras so that people will have the information they need to make that decision. Does the Z190's features and performance meet your needs? Then you have made the right choice and the Z280 may have been overkill for YOU. But if you need the better features and performance of the Z280, then you have made the wrong choice. I think the biggest difference between the cameras comes down to the low-light performance. The Z280 is excellent and one of the best cameras I've ever used, but the Z190 is awful and is one of the worst cameras I have used for low light. For a lot of people, this one factor may be enough reason to justify the Z280. You say you are doing a lot of shooting indoors, so maybe that ought to be taken into consideration. Even though the Z190 looks pretty good with gain kicked in, it still is poor in low light even with gain added. In fact, even if you max out the Z190's normal gain (18dB) it still does not match the Z280 at 0db. That is a serious difference.

2) I am against the use of Full Auto at anytime for any reason. Full Auto should never be used. Period. In fact, the cameras is actually worse in low light in Full Auto than it is in manual. So, as a non-professional, even if you want to run some of the camera's functions in automatic, you should select those functions individually (shutter, iris, gain, ND, white balance) and then use the camera's menus to customize how each of those functions perform.

3) Both the Z190 and Z280 can record four audio channels at the same time. I think (but have not tested myself) all four channels can be output via SDI. But only one pair at a time can be output via HDMI, you either have to choose 1/2 or 3/4. You cannot have all four and you cannot change the mix. There also many limitation of which audio inputs can be used simultaneously and which inputs can be routed to which channels. Too complicated to try to explain here.

I hope that helps.
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Doug,

Thanks so much. I plan on purchasing your master class shortly because I really need to figure out the ins and out of these camcorders! Does your class tell us anything about the 4 channel audio? I understand that it will only output 2 channels at a time but if you view the actual file itself, you should be able to HEAR all four channels at once right?
 
Sure. The audio capabilities of both cameras are very robust with lots of options and possible configurations. There's an entire chapter of my master class devoted to audio. I cna't guarantee it will answer every conceivable question you may have, but it covers most.
 
Tbanks... Gonna watch the Master Class and if I have any more questions, I guess I'll ask on this forum. Someone should have the answer. I'm sure your class will most likely cover it though.

I'm going to use the Z-190 a few more times and I'll know by then whether or not its good for what I'm doing. Even though I'm filming indoors, it is usually in well lit areas but if for any reason the camcorder isn't up to the task, I can always trade it in at Adorama and upgrade to the Z280 next year. There's also a new Canon 705 (I think) coming out but I like the Z190/280 form and layout (minus lack of touchscreen).

The reason I went with the Z190 is because I'm not a super-pro and didn't think I would take advantage of the Z280's features but after seeing your low light comparisons, I feel sick. LOL

At least I have a good on camera LED light and good lighting for interviews.

So you really think the full-auto mode is garbage huh? Looks like its time for me to really learn this camera so I can get the best video possible. So I've decided to get your Master Class vid.
 
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So I stopped using FULL AUTO and now just use auto IRIS. WJay is your opinion on the AUTO IRIS quality and should I use it or use manual IRIS?
Also, I believe in CHAPTER ONE, you said to keep the Auto Shutter to ON, never turn it off right? It was weird that the shutter switch came in the OFF position from the factory...
 
Vincent Del Vecchio said:
So I stopped using FULL AUTO and now just use auto IRIS. WJay is your opinion on the AUTO IRIS quality and should I use it or use manual IRIS?
Also, I believe in CHAPTER ONE, you said to keep the Auto Shutter to ON, never turn it off right? It was weird that the shutter switch came in the OFF position from the factory...
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You misunderstood what I said in chapter one because there isn't a switch for Auto Shutter. The switch on the side of the camera that you are referring to is the Shutter Switch, and it should always be turned on. But that is NOT auto shutter. Auto Shutter is a menu setting and should never be turned on under any circumstances ever.

If you have to ask my opinion on Auto Iris it sounds like haven't watched the rest of the series, right? But if you have watched the series, then I would highly advise you to watch chapters 12 & 13 again. It is a lot of information to absorb, especially for a non-professional, and a second watching would be a good idea. And if you haven't watched anything beyond chapter one, then I can tell you there are a lot of things you don't know yet about your camera besides the in and outs of auto iris.
 
Ahhh, yeah I did misunderstand you. Yeah, that switch came in the off position from the factory. so I thought that was a little weird. I have not gotten a chance to watch yet. I'm a dialysis patient to time is hard to come by sometimes. Will I be able to make sense on everything you talk about in all the chapters even though I'm a newbie amateur?
 
I think so, but you might have to Google a term here or there for a little more information. And you'll probably have to watch some sections more than once to absorb it all.
 
SDI/HDMI output delay?

SDI/HDMI output delay?

Doug,

I am working my way through your series on the 190/280 - great stuff! Thanks for putting in the extraordinary effort to create such a complete 'manual'.

One quick question for you or anyone else who has tested this - how much delay is there in the SDI outputs of these cameras? We do lots of live broadcast events, many times with IMAG and just want to ensure the delay is negligible. (Can you tell I owned an FS700?)

Also, any idea about how long it takes (with a fast external drive) to offload a full 128GB SXS card? I am trying to determine how many cards we would need for the 280 - although for longer events we might just use an external recorder since the cost of a 256GB SXS card is about the cost of a Shogun+1GB drive and we already have access to a couple of those.

Thanks!

Andrew
 
So I swapped out the z190s with z280s, something I wish I had done from the start. Very happy with the massive bump in light sensitivity for shooting stage/theater/lectures, etc. Have one odd-ish question in regards to focus though. We’ve noticed that when zooming in or out somewhat rapidly, the focus will shift (say from 67 feet to 58 or 75). Sometimes it will return to the original number when the zoom is returned to the starting position. Sometimes....not. Doesn’t happen on slow zooms, but if we do a quick zoom in or out to get something...focus goes wonky, in the number at least. Does this in full MF and semi auto MF. I’ve done the focus sensor/lens calibration. Not sure if it’s anything to be concerned about, or if the number on the display isn’t...a great indicator of what is really happening (which was the case with auto focus fluctuations)
 
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Red Dog Records said:
Doug,

I am working my way through your series on the 190/280 - great stuff! Thanks for putting in the extraordinary effort to create such a complete 'manual'.

One quick question for you or anyone else who has tested this - how much delay is there in the SDI outputs of these cameras? We do lots of live broadcast events, many times with IMAG and just want to ensure the delay is negligible. (Can you tell I owned an FS700?)

Also, any idea about how long it takes (with a fast external drive) to offload a full 128GB SXS card? I am trying to determine how many cards we would need for the 280 - although for longer events we might just use an external recorder since the cost of a 256GB SXS card is about the cost of a Shogun+1GB drive and we already have access to a couple of those.

Thanks!

Andrew
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I'm not Doug but I use the SDI out on my Z190 a lot; especially use it ALL the time outputting to my LiveU solo for livestreaming on YouTube for events like convention coverage and panels and off-camera recording of video, as well as a crap-ton of video game footage from events like E3 Expo and game conventions and I haven't seen any *noticeable* delay. That's not to say any delay doesn't exist but for my usage case, I think it works VERY well and I don't notice any sort of delay.

Also, it has been confirmed that Sony and Lexar XQD card with the adapter records all formats of 1080p and 4K video that the Z280 offers. Tests and videos on YouTube has proven that XQD cards work pretty much flawlessly on the Z280 with all its recoding formats. They may not be AS reliable as SxS cards but they certainly are VERY reliable and much more so than standard SDXC cards. Also, the Z280 will not allow 4K recording of any kind of SDXC cards for some weird reason, even though technically the cards nowadays ARE definitely fast enough to handle 4K easily.
 
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treehorn said:
So I swapped out the z190s with z280s, something I wish I had done from the start. Very happy with the massive bump in light sensitivity for shooting stage/theater/lectures, etc. Have one odd-ish question in regards to focus though. We’ve noticed that when zooming in or out somewhat rapidly, the focus will shift (say from 67 feet to 58 or 75). Sometimes it will return to the original number when the zoom is returned to the starting position. Sometimes....not. Doesn’t happen on slow zooms, but if we do a quick zoom in or out to get something...focus goes wonky, in the number at least. Does this in full MF and semi auto MF. I’ve done the focus sensor/lens calibration. Not sure if it’s anything to be concerned about, or if the number on the display isn’t...a great indicator of what is really happening (which was the case with auto focus fluctuations)
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I am now also thinking of swapping my Z190 for a Z280; especially after seeing Doug's low light comparison between the two cameras. I should have just sprung for the Z280 in the first place but oh well, chalk it up to a learning experience. When in doubt, always get the better low light performing camcorder. :p
 
Red Dog Records said:
How much delay is there in the SDI outputs of these cameras?
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I don't think there is any delay at all, or at least it is so short it could only be measured in milliseconds.

As for how long it takes to off-load an SxS card -- that is hard to say. I've never timed it or even paid attention to how long it takes but any figure I gave you might not apply to you anyway. It depends a lot on your computer, type of connection to the reader, speed and type of connection to the external HDD/SSD, whether or not error checking is turned on, and other factors that are going to be different for each person.
 
treehorn said:
So I swapped out the z190s with z280s, something I wish I had done from the start. Very happy with the massive bump in light sensitivity for shooting stage/theater/lectures, etc. Have one odd-ish question in regards to focus though. We’ve noticed that when zooming in or out somewhat rapidly, the focus will shift (say from 67 feet to 58 or 75). Sometimes it will return to the original number when the zoom is returned to the starting position. Sometimes....not. Doesn’t happen on slow zooms, but if we do a quick zoom in or out to get something...focus goes wonky, in the number at least. Does this in full MF and semi auto MF. I’ve done the focus sensor/lens calibration. Not sure if it’s anything to be concerned about, or if the number on the display isn’t...a great indicator of what is really happening (which was the case with auto focus fluctuations)
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I can't really address your concerns about those numbers because I never have the focus information turned on so I have no idea what it might be showing if it was on. It is meaningless information to me and just clutters up the VF (even if the numbers were accurate, which I know they are not). So that is one of the first things I turn off. I suspect that what you are seeing is just erroneous numbers and the actual focus is just fine. I wouldn't worry about it unless you actually see the focus itself having issues.
 
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