Sony PXW-Z150 Test Footage -- HD VERSION 

Well thank you very much, Chuck. You made my day!

Was just going to say the same thing. Sony needs to hire you because you may have just sold a Z150 :)

This is of course user skill, a touch of post and well sourcing the shots as you have to get out there and capture the right weather & action, but yeah this looks great, and also makes me think this is already 6 years old, but I better choose something like this for video instead of trying to do it through the photocamera/video route.

Thank you for the compliment!

Thank you. I'm glad it was helpful.

Yes, finally . . . six years ago!. Thanks. :-)

Hi, thank you for the compliments on the video. No, I didn't change anything in the music it just sort of worked out that way at random.

I think the Z150 is a very good camera, especially when the price is taken into account. There is no question in my mind that the Z150 is head and shoulders above the other cameras you have mentioned.

All of my footage, no matter which camera I use, goes through Resolve for some tuning up. It is a step in my workflow that I enjoy. I don't know how you define "extensive" color grading, but each of the shots in this video probably took 10-30 seconds to touch up in post. I don't think anything is straight out of the camera because that is not how I work.

Thank for the compliments on the footage. I honestly cannot remember what the specific settings I used back then when I shot that footage. I absolutely hate the way the Z150 handles the management of picture profile files and it may be lost. Besides, I ended up scrapping that profile completely and building a new one from scratch because it just seemed to easy to clip the highlights. Yes, every shot has been give a quick grade in Resolve.

Hi Doug! I'm seriously considering the z150 along with the JVC ls300.. and this video is absolutely gorgeous! I've always been a videocamera guy.. but I've been using dslr/mirrorless cameras the last few years. but just miss the convenience of having everything right there on the camera.. The image from this camera is very impressive! my only issue is the not-so-fast lens.. which brings me to the JVC where I can use faster lenses.. but the specs on the z150 are pretty impressive.. especially the great 4K and 10bit HD.. it's hard to overlook that. Now I hear that panasonic is coming out with the HC-X1.. so many choices!

Yes, this video was shot in 4K UHD and down-rezzed to 1080, but I cannot remember if it was 30P or 24P. I would have to look at the original files to find out and I am on the road for the next few weeks and do not have access to them.

There is no crop factor when shooting at 120 fps. Auto-Focus works and so does Standard SteadyShot, but not Active SteadyShot.

Thanks, Doug! I purchased a PXW-Z150 and am looking forward to checking it out.

Hi Craig, my 4.5 hour Z150 training video is now online at Vimeo. vimeo.com/179567188

I purchased it and am watching it this weekend. It's great! Thanks, Doug. Craig

We are looking to film some high speed motor sports at 120fps 1080p in realtime, not slomo. B and H says this camera can do it, would you be able to confirm this?

Hi Angelo, I can't explain why you are having trouble with focus. I can honestly say that I find focusing my Z150 very easy and precise. I can't remember the last time I missed the focus even a little bit. Maybe you aren't using peaking properly? Or maybe the soft-looking picture is due to something else other than focus. I always shoot with the aperture of the lens at maximum wide open. Not only does that make focusing easier, it also provides a crisper picture (due to diffraction) than if you stop the lens down to f/8 or f/11 or lower.

Thanks. No color correction hasbeen done, but some grading in Resolve has been applied. I grade everything I shoot no matter the camera.

Thank you for the compliments. I find the precision of manual focusing to be perfectly fine on the Z150 and I have no complaints whatsoever. It is very easy to obtain nice rack-focus moves when peaking has been properly setup. I don't know if the Z150 is at the end of it's life or not, but I doubt it. I think it will continue to be a current model for at least the next year or two. I wouldn't waste time waiting around for it to be replaced any time soon.

@@DougJensenVortexMedia Hi Doug, as others have already expressed, these are very nice shots. What do you think about three chip Z-190 vs one chip Z-150? I realize that the 1 inch chip will have somewhat shallower depth of field. Are there other notable differences? Image quality? Thanks.

@@catmate8358 That is a tough question to answer because there are many different factors to be take into consideration. Yes, the Z150 has a bigger sensor so it might allow shallower DoF in some situations, but 1" is still pretty small and it is saddled with a slow lens, so shallow DoF is never going to look impressive. If shallow DoF is a big concern I'd suggest someone look at a full-frame camera or perhaps a super-35mm cinema camera. The advantage of the bigger sensor is a little better performance in low-light, but then again, neither of these two cameras is good in low-light. In fact, the Z190 is terrible in low light, but pretty good at everything else. It's got a great lens and the camera itself is packed with all the hgih-end features, functions, and settings that are found on Sony's top of the line ENG cameras. The Z150 feels like a nice prosumer camcorder. The Z190 feels like a professional camera that isn't too good in low-light. That's sort of my take on the differences. I cannot point to one and say "buy that one". I hope that helps anyway.

@@DougJensenVortexMedia Thank you very much for a thoughtful reply. I have mentioned the depth of field because that's one difference between the two cameras which is obvious from the specifications. It is not an important matter of concern and I understand that the difference is not huge. Please allow me to provide some more context. I have been asked by a local TV station to help them make a choice for a new set of studio cameras. They have been using the EX3s for 10 years and the time has come to replace those. It's a small station with limited funds for new cameras so the idea is to help them to get the best bang for the buck. For example, they can buy 7 Z150s for the price of 3 Z280s. So the question is - how good is good enough? Unfortunately, where I live, it's not possible to simply walk into a shop and take a look at different cameras, let alone test them, hence these questions. I get your point when you say that Z190 feels more professional (for me, the only proper place for the WB button is under the lens and I will never understand why would anyone want to move it somewhere else). I was somewhat alarmed by the relatively large number of negative user reviews on BH site about the Z190 and I wanted another opinion, but I don't know how credible these reviews are. Please allow me one more question: do you think there is sufficient difference in image quality between the Z190 and the Z280 to justify the difference in price? Z280 is almost twice the price of the Z190. The cameras are meant to be used exclusively in a tv studio and will not go outside. Your help in this matter is really very much appreciated.

@@catmate8358 I also appreciate your thoughtful reply and questions. I've been in your shoes plenty of times so I understand how hard it can be to choose the "best" camera for a given application. Your key comment is at the very end of your message: "to be used exclusively in a tv studio and will not go outside". That is key, because it helps rule out the Z280. The Z280 and Z190 are comparable in most situations except low-light. Assuming your TV studio will have good lighting, then that is not a factor. The Z190 would probably perform nearly as good as the Z280 in that situation. A little inferior if you put them side by side, but not enough audiences would notice or care about. So the Z190 is one option. But in a studio situation, the feature/function advantages of the Z190 over the Z150 probably won't matter to you very much. Features such as custom clip naming, last clip delete, superior zebras and peaking, better codecs, etc. Those advantages don't mean much in a studio environment. It would be great if you could demo (or buy and return) a Z150 and and Z190 and put them through some testing in your studio environment. But if that is not possible, then I'd kind of lean towards the Z150. It's a very good camera for the money and I think you'll be pleased with the picture.

The auto-focus is good, but not great. If auto-focus is an important feature to you then you may want to check out the PXW-Z90. The Z90 and Z150 are almost the same camera electronically except in a different body style and the Z90 has better AF. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7Bk2JkNdbUM.html

Not log. The Z150 is only 8-bit 4:2:0 in 4K, so the use of LOG is not advised. This video was shot with a custom picture profile that I created onboard the (details are proivded in my Master Class) and then touched up a bit in post to finalize. Everything can be made to look a little better in post.

Hi Jens, you've got it right. The Z90 has better AF, but other than that they are basically identical cameras with different form factors.

I did not know about the better AF of the z90, good to know. Another significant difference (at least for me) is the slog-2 /3. Z90 does it, Z150 does not. - Honestly, I like the design and form factor of the Z150 better, it also seems to have a stronger and sturdier build quality. Correct? Also, I am very impressed by the colors of your Z150 test footage. Is it out of the cam or graded in post? @@DougJensenVortexMedia

@@JensEser Yes, I think you are correct about S-LOG. It has been quite a few years since I worked with either of these cameras and the details are getting fuzzy. If only someone had a good tutorial video! 🙂 Pretty much everything you see online that was produced by me has been graded in post. The camera is perfectly capable of creating a decent WYSIWYG image that will be good enough for many productions, but I believe that grading in post can always bring out something a little extra. To me, grading is fact of life and always necessary.

Thank you. Because I shot this footage for testing purposes there is a mix of 24p and 30p, but I would say 95% is 4K UHD 24p -- or actually 23.98p if you want to get technical! :-)

Thanks, Doug. A lot of it looked like 30p to my mind. I guess the hyper-clarity gives the impression of 30p instead of 23.98p

And I took the time to spot check a bunch of the orignal clips just to be sure before I wrote my reply. And yes, it is mostly 24P.

There are a number of changes I make to the paint menus to improve the picture quality, but it's also a matter of being very careful to expose perfectly. A lot people simply don't know how to set exposure. I know this is going to sound like a plug for my training video, but these are not questions that I can answer and techniques I can teach someone in a few sentences here. That's why the training video takes 5 hours. vimeo.com/ondemand/z150

So in this 5h of training You explain how to set proper exposure? With examples?

Absolutely. What good is training without examples? :-)

Unless your camera is broken, it is really just a matter of learning to use peaking properly. Like I said before, I am able to nail focus 99% of the time with no effort. The camera also has an excellent Focus Magnification function to verify that the subject is in focus. Other than that, it is really just a matter of perfecting your shooting technique.

Sorry, you're asking the wrong person. I have never seen nor used the other camera you have mentioned, so I would have no way of comparing it with the Z150.

You take the SD card out of the camera . . . put it into an ordinary SD card reader . . . and then transfer (drag and drop) all of the contents of the card to a folder on your hard drive. Simple as that.

Congratulations on the new camera.

Absolutely I'd recommend investing in a Z150 or perhaps it's smaller brother the Z90. Both are virtually the same camera in two different sizes. Great cameras.

Doug Jensen awesome thank you.... I forgot to ask what kind of software would you also recommend (I’m a rookie)

For editing? I would recommend Adobe Premiere. In fact, I would recommend subscribing to the entire Adobe CC suite.

Sorry, I can't really help you with that. I don't have enough experience with the mirrorless cameras to say which one(s) would be the best match -- or if you could even do it easily.

@@DougJensenVortexMedia Thank you Sir! Can you use the PXW-150 and shoot a cinematic movie? Thank you in advance.

This is some amazing footage.

@@colerc13b Yes, I think you could with the right camera settings, lighting, etc.

@@DougJensenVortexMedia Mr Jenson I have tried everything, but I cannot get my Z150 that clear!

Absolutely. Every format and codec the Z150 can shoot is compatible with all the major NLEs.

@@DougJensenVortexMedia Tq Very much Mr.Jensen

I'm sorry, I don't understand your question.

As far as I know, all of Sony's cameras are 10-bit 4:2:2 from the SDI port

Thanks Doug. The HXNR outputs 4:2:0

I am really trying to find another Sony cam to accompany my PMW-320 to shoot B-roll and one that I can, at times, hook up to my Atomos Shogun still capturing 10bit 4:2:2 color space.

It seems to me that the PMW-320 is an ideal b-roll camera already because of it's size and shoulder-mount design. And the newer PXW-320 is even better. One of the best bargains ever at only $9K with a Fujinon lens. You're going to find it hard to beat a camera like that for b-roll. And you don't need a Shogun with it to capture 10-bit 4:2:2 internally.

Thank you Doug. You are so correct, I have been looking at the X320 since it came out and as you rightly said, you cannot beat $9k. The Fujinon lens by itself is worth about $7k or more. Next time I shall be asking you about setting color profiles in that cam. Thanks much Doug

A mix of 24P and 30P. I live in the USA so I never shoot 25P.

No. I still think the Z150 is an excellent camera for the price, but when the Z280 was released I upgraded because it suits my needs better, and the difference in price was inconsequential to me.

Doug Jensen did you make a video with the 280?

@@forresthaggertychannel4301 Yes I did. The first 75 minutes can be viewed at no charge: vimeo.com/297946781 The full 6-hour series is available here: www.vortexmediastore.com/pages/vortex-media-training-videos-and-books

There's much more to a PP than just choosing the color space, but I use REC709.

@@DougJensenVortexMedia The best images I've seen of the z150. I have to study and practice a lot more. Greetings from Mexico.

La fotocamera offre sia messa a fuoco manuale e automatico. Tuttavia, questo video è stato girato interamente con messa a fuoco manuale ad eccezione di un solo colpo in cui la barca a remi sta venendo verso la macchina fotografica a 2:54.

John, I have uploaded a 4K version ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GddQIashZV4.html

Doug Jensen yay

No Luts because I'm not shooting with LOG. I am using WYSIWYG scene files onboard the camera that I created from scratch with the paint menus so the picture is 99% finished at the time of shooting.

The details of my settings and shooting techniques are all included in my Z90 master class training video. vimeo.com/ondemand/z150

Are you saying you don't believe this video was shot with my Z150? Why don't you come to my office and I'll show you the original footage.

@@DougJensenVortexMedia Muy buenas noches y gracias por haber atendido mi comentario. Es que me parece muy espectacular ese video lo que me hace pensar que es un video hecho por la SONY, que como bien sabemos, ellos hacen sus grabaciones con sus camaras de cine profesional y luego las suben a RU-vid diciendo que es un video hecho con una camara de entrada que anuncian en ese video para así, enganchar a nuevos clientes, lo que en si, me parece una practica deshonesta.

@@lananis Yyour allegations about Sony are completely wrong and I would like to see you back up your claims with credible evidence. I have been working closely with Sony for the past 12 years and I have never seen even the slightest hint of dishonestly or lying about what cameras were used to shoot their videos. In the case of this video, I can assure that I shot it all by myself mostly in one morning when I was teaching classes in Maine last summer. It was shot with my own Z150 that I purchased off the shelf, at full retail price, from B&H and Sony had no part in the shooting or editing. Nor was I paid a single penny from Sony for shooting, editing, or posting this video.

Here's a 4K version. vimeo.com/173827285 Here's another one: vimeo.com/207652687

Yeah, that's correct. It was shot on 4K but not edited in 4K. I shoot everything in 4K for the benefits it provides in post, but I have no reason to edit or deliver in 4K yet -- and probably won't for several more years.

but if you shrink your 4K to HD - the picture looks great - same if you were taking a 24mpixel image and shrink it down to 12mpix. This is why the C300/C100 pic look sharp and crisp.

John, I understand your point, but since I have no need to edit or deliver in 4K it does not matter to me how the 4K would look if I chose to do so. 99% of my work is delivered as HD, and I would venture to say most Z150 owners are in the same boat. I am a huge proponent of 4K acquisition, but as I said, 4K editing and 4K delivery are far down the road for me. I suppose I could change the sequence settings and render out a 4K version but I am on road so it would have to wait a few days. I'll see.

How would you rate t he Z150 native ISO compare to FS7 - since you have both

I have no idea because I would have not put them on the charts and scopes to compare them. There are too many variables to just make a general statement about sensitivity. For example, the selected gamma mode on each camera would make a big difference and the lens on the Z150 is basically f/4 (unless you are zoomed out fully wide) and I never shoot with my FS7 at f/4 so I can't even visualize how they would compare. I'd have to put them side by side with scopes, using similar gammas, and matching f-stops. I'd like to be able to give you an answer but I don't want to shoot from the hip.