Michael Slowe
Forum Replies Created
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That’s good news in a way because Media 100 will be operational on new OS versions. Speaking personally, as an editor of documentaries, I’m very happy with Media 100 and what it offers. Obviously, if you need all the weird and wonderful stuff being produced by graphic artists for commercials and suchlike, then you may have to move on. I haven’t yet seen a system that I’d be more comfortable working with than Media 100. It is surprising though that Boris is willing to let it lie, the possibilities a few years back were endless.
Michael Slowe
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Chris, I have been using an EX 1 for nine years now and merely connect the camera to my MacBook and download the contents of the S X S cards. Never had a problem. Didn’t therefore need a driver.
Michael Slowe
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Oh Leslie, you don’t want to be bothered with changing lenses, unless you’re in a studio and have bags of time for each set up. You’ll be fine with your EX1, I still marvel at the pictures mine produced when I look at my BD’s and DVD’s on decent screens. I’m not making my living with films, I do it merely for the art and the satisfaction. I always refuse commissions because I want to enjoy it with no pressure.
Michael Slowe
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Leslie, I am now a few weeks into shooting a doc with the new Sony Z150 so do have some observations concerning this camera.
As you may know, I have successfully used the EX 1 these last eight years or so, and, quite honestly was reluctant to change. My main reason to do so was not for the 4K capability, that could come much later on as far as I am concerned, it was to have the larger, mush improved sensor in the Z150. Eight years technological improvement is a lifetime in today’s ridiculously fast developing world. I mistakenly thought that the larger sensor would enable shallower DOF but I was wrong, it’s about the same. This is partly due to the fact that the f stop ramps, depending on the focal length at the time. Even at the wide angle you only have f2.8 and at any sort of tele you have f4 max, also, the iris and focus rings (properly positioned on the lens barrel) do not have ‘stop points’ like they do on the EX, which gives a rather ‘mickey mouse’ feel to the camera. These are my main gripes with this camera. Otherwise I’m very happy. It’s nice and light, handles well, gives stunning picture quality in HD. The low light capability is dramatically enhanced by being able to up the gain to +15db without any apparent loss of quality. This is entirely due to the new sensor technology. There are a few minor inconveniences such as accessing Picture Profiles and White Balance settings, not as easy or fast as with the EX and the menu controls are a pain to operate unless you have lovely female fingers!
All in all it’s a very good camera at an astonishingly cheap price, in my opinion that’s what Sony aimed at, wrongly. Another grand or even two could have really hit the jackpot, but they didn’t want to tread on the toes of the FS7 presumably.
Michael Slowe
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Very wise Leslie, I was tempted to do the same, the EX 1 is a fabulous camera but the technological advances in the matter of sensors over the ten years or so have prompted my decision.
Michael Slowe
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Although the low light performance of the Z150 is not brilliant because the lens only opens to f2.8 and only then at a wide angle setting. However, it is fantastic when gain is raised, even up to +15db. I’m currently shooting a doc in terrible lighting conditions and have had to use this amount of gain and the picture is still very good. Sony are using their very latest sensor technology which has made this possible, also making their ‘Clear Scan’ tele extension viable. So, bearing this in min d, I would say that the low light performance is pretty good. I think that it is better than with the EX 1, with that camera, increasing the gain can be a problem.
Michael Slowe
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For me it would be ‘no contest’. As an EX 1 user I looked at both the FS7 and FS5 as a possible replacement. Whilst the FS5 is a convenient size and weight I hated the lens. No three rings (focus, zoom and iris) and whilst the variable ND is clever it didn’t seem to me to be the proper way to regulate exposure.
The FS7 is a ‘proper’ camera, with all you would want. I, as an old man, found it too heavy and a bit cumbersome, but otherwise it seems ideal. I’m a documentary film maker and need the versatility that this camera (and my EX 1) offers. In the end I went for the smaller Z150, which does have its drawbacks (ramping f stops on zooming), but the new Sony Clear Scan, which extends the tele end of the zoom without too much degradation) is a winner for doc. makers. But, if you can manage it for active run and gun then the FS7 is, in my opinion, the best Sony camera if you don’t want the big boys like the F65 etc.
Michael Slowe
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Come to think of it Craig, this is what is explained in the (hopeless) User Manual with the Z150. They do point out the possibility of media becoming fragmenting over time. I don’t think that Doug Jensen mentions this.
Michael Slowe
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Ray, I’ve been worrying over this very question since changing from using the S X S cards in the EX 1 camera to the San Disc SDXC ‘Extreme Pro’ in my new Z150 camera. With the S X S I only formatted once on initial use, thereafter I merely deleted the clips via the camera menu. With the Z150 there is no facility for doing this. I’ve got in an awful mess trying to do this, both in the camera and on a lap top, so, I now format each time to delete the media. Yes, you do lose ALL files on the card when you format. That’s no problem providing you have backed up all your camera paint settings and general set upon to either a separate card or a computer or external drive. That’s what Doug Jensen of Vortex Media suggests in his wonderful Master Class on these cameras.
Michael Slowe
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Jim, funny that you should mention EditReady. I installed it a couple of weeks ago and yes, it does a great transcribe. The only problem is that there are no ‘in’ and ‘out’ options, you have to take the whole clip.
Tonight I went back to Catalyst Browse, which now works in my system and does let you do ‘in’ and ‘out’. I don’t find it any faster or slower than EditReady and it has one big disadvantage, you have to select the target codec each time you select a clip. This takes time as you have to scroll down quite a few options. Can you tell me, is there anyway you can set the target codec and it will stay fixed until you change it?
Michael Slowe