Sony HVR-z7u
by Rich Daniels
on
May 14, 2008 at 7:36:48 pm
I am looking for people who have used the Sony HVR-z7u. I have seen some people have had major issues with the lens and CF card. Has any one had good or bad experience with this camera.
My biggest need is HDV with low light sensitivty and native SD 4:3 recording format.
If there is another camera that would fit these needs please let me know.
Re: Sony HVR-z7u by Dan Boyd on May 15, 2008 at 1:33:19 pm
I have had the camera for about 2 months, shot several jobs both in HDV and SD. No problems with CF cards 32gb 133xTranscend, 8gb Sandisk extreme IV, 8gb 266xTransend. Fast download to my Mac. I don't use auto focus so have not had those problems. Very good in low light. Bought it to replace aging PD150. 95% happy
Re: Sony HVR-z7u by David Gray on May 16, 2008 at 1:00:30 am
I've heard of these issues however after owning the camera for nearly a month I have ran into none. I have only used the Sony 8gb 306x card though so can't comment on third parties.
One issue I sometime encounter though is the CF recorder unit is very fussy about turning on, I will sometimes have to switch it on and off a few times to get it to boot.
Don't let that put you off though its a great camera. The ease and low cost of using compact flash compared to p2 or SxS is brilliant.
I should mention i own a z7e rather than z7u, though I can't imagine them been too different apart from frame rates and SD options.
Re: Sony HVR-z7u Memory Recording Unit by Lorenzo Fiorentini on May 20, 2008 at 6:14:41 pm
I am having an issue when I try to record 1080i/60 to the memory recording unit which is loaded with a 32GB 133x ultra speed CF. (is not a Sony is a Transcend CF). I am only getting 720x480 ! I cannot find any menu options on the memory unit for HDV or MPEG2-TS settings.
Has anyone had any experience on this ?
Thanks,
Lorenzo
Re: Sony HVR-z7u Memory Recording Unit by Douglas Spotted Eagle on May 20, 2008 at 6:45:32 pm
If you're getting 720 x 480, you've got the camera set to downconvert to the MRU.
Keep in mind, you can record HDV to tape, and SD to the MRU at the same time. Or, HDV to both.
There is one small advantage to MRU being SD, BTW....you get HD on tape, and uncompressed audio on CF.
BTW, dont' screw with slow, cheap cards. They will corrupt, almost guaranteed. Headers are written too slowly.
Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASST
Certified Sony Vegas Trainer
Aerial Camera/Instructor
Re: Sony HVR-z7u Memory Recording Unit by Lorenzo Fiorentini on May 20, 2008 at 7:17:02 pm
I would like to record HDV to both, therefore I need to find where in the CAM Menu is the setting that down-convert to the MRU.
As far as the FC, if I am not mistaking, Sony does not make a 32gb yet, and according to the specs 133x should work fine at list for the HDV test.
I appreciate the info.
Re: Sony HVR-z7u Memory Recording Unit by Lorenzo Fiorentini on May 23, 2008 at 1:37:02 am
You are absolutely correct! Once I check the menu again I found my setting not to be correct. After that, I was able to record HDV on FC 133x no problem.
One last question: do you have any experience on importing HDV clips from the CF to FCP v6?
Thanks
Re: Sony HVR-z7u Memory Recording Unit by Tom Pauncz on May 23, 2008 at 4:38:49 am
No. Sorry, I don't. I am, and have been, a SONY Vegas user for years.
Having said that, I am just starting to get into HD. The great thing about the S270 is that I am able to record SD in DVCAM format, which is my primary acquisition format, for now.
Re: Sony HVR-z7u Memory Recording Unit and Sony Vegas Issues by Greg Cervantes on Jul 9, 2008 at 1:28:30 am
Two questions on this subject folks...
First how did you fix the problem with the CF card, and did it have anything to do with the kind of cards.
I bought two 8gb 233x ridata cards dirt cheap but had major problems, and read reviews that said the cf card was known for cooruption issues.
So I went to luxar's 133x, and though it had less issues it still had some problems.
What setting in the menu can fix this if there is one...
Second,
I tried to syncronous mode and while the cf recorded in real time and the miniDV looked like it recorded in real time, the miniDV captured in time lapse multiple frames instead of one.
I'm using Sony Vegas 8.0b but never have had this problem with my other cameras, so am I doing something wrong with Vegas or with the Sony 7zu settings.
Much help would be great as that i want to solve these issues before i take this cam out on a paying gig.
Re: Sony HVR-z7u Memory Recording Unit and Sony Vegas Issues by Tom Pauncz on Jul 9, 2008 at 3:17:33 am
Greg,
As far as 'corruption' with the CF cards - you'd have to be more specific about what you are seeing. As I said before, I have had zero CF card recording issues. You may wish to pop over to the Sony Vegas forum and check out this thread: HDV users: please read. It talks about red/black frames and has to do with the .m2t (HDV) files recorded.
Also, Douglas' post above is another thing I would check.
All in all, to me at least, this looks like a Z7 settings problem.
