[Craig Seeman]

[Michael Slowe] “but the big drawback for me is the absence of an iris ring on the lens barrel.”
I have no problem using the knurly knob for iris. For me the Z90 advantages far outweigh that.
If you’re doing run and gun ENG, there’s no other camcorder that beats the Z90. I’m able to grab shots that I’d have missed (trying to focus) otherwise. That’s what the client sees.

Otherwise you can wait until NAB and see what Sony introduces.

[Craig Seeman]

[Greg Ball] “Why would better than 14x mean anything with interviews?”

I have no idea which why you should talk to your client.
Having owned and EX1, I’m much happier shooting interviews with my Z90.
This is why I never accept client camera request without hearing them explain their motives.
Heck at most conferences I’d much prefer a camera that’s more inconspicuous and allows me to work in smaller spaces and with better quality. In some cases a larger sensor shallower DOF is better if the background isn’t something that needs to be obvious. In that case the FS5 would be an even better choice.

[Craig Seeman]

[Greg Ball] “What advantage would a EX3 offer?”

Lens options if that’s important to them. Otherwise you won’t see any difference in the recording.

You can certainly buy a 320.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1140499-REG/sony_pxw_x320_xdcam_solid_state.html

Perhaps they’re willing to go with EX3 because they want something better than the 14x that had built in.

Adding:
Clients don’t always know what’s currently available. It’s always best to asked them what “features” they need rather than camera models. Do they need long reach? Low light? Will the be doing heavy grading? Does it need to cut with pre-existing material?

[Craig Seeman]

So those of us with Netflix or Amazon Prime will be able to see it without paying anything beyond that.
Of course maybe it’ll be on iTunes with a low rental price.
????

[Craig Seeman]

I went back and forth over getting the FS5 as it has a lot of very useful features not found in many other cameras. The built in Variable ND is one. Another is the 2x zoom which would be useful if you need to reframe if you’re using a prime lens.

Ultimately, for the kind of ENG style stuff I shoot, changing lenses doesn’t make sense. I also find smaller is better although the FS5 is pretty light and small.

For “cinema” style shooting I use a Blackmagic Pocket camera .
The FS5 would be a very good documentary camera though.

[Craig Seeman]

The kind that comes off and you can lose. Not built in like the EX1.

[Craig Seeman]

FS7II with 18-110 lens. Great Camera… for $12,000.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1296066-REG/sony_pxw_fs7m2k_pxw_fs7_ii_4k_xdcam.html

[Craig Seeman]

[Keith Henderson] “Another train of thought would be, why upgrade the Z150 with Z90 specs”

True. Some might want the Z90 in a larger body. Of course they may add even more feature to a newer model but I can’t imagine what those would be. It’s quite possible the Z90 will lead in features for a while.

Looking at recent history, the X70 came out in late 2014. The Z150 came out in early 2016. The Z90 (same body as X70 but with new features) came out in late 2017 (or early 2018). So it’s possible the Z150 wont be updated for another year. Each camera may be updated every 3 years or thereabouts.

[Craig Seeman]

The Z90 is very new. Only about 3 or 4 months old.
The Z150 is about 2 years old (early 2016).
You can easily judge the approximate release of the cameras by looking at the data of the first review on major sales sites like B&H, Adorama, Amazon even.

The difference in price is due to size. I suspect the Z150 may be close to being updated to match the Z90 features. Wait until NAB and see what happens. If there’s no announcement by NAB then it’s probably many months away.

There are wide angle adaptors for the Z90 but I’m not sure if any from Sony themselves.

[Craig Seeman]

Because I’m not changing shutter speed and rarely changing gain during a shoot, I use that button for Iris and it’s very easy to reach and use (for me).