Z1E will replay LP tapes / Mic selection / Eng menu

[RayL]

Continuing my voyage of discovery with the Z1E, here's a few more points that seem to have been missed in all those reviews that have been written so far.

1. Although not mentioned anywhere in advertising or handbook the Z1 will replay DV tapes recorded at LP (although it won't record at LP).

2. It needs 13 (yes, 13) careful actions to change between internal and XLR mic because the changeover is buried in the menu system (there are no physical switches). Since this is a vital feature for event work and other occasions where time is of the essence (and you don't want to record without sound), the best option seems to be to add Mic Select to the P-Menu and then Sort it to be the top of the list. This reduces the number of actions to 3 (but you've still got to fiddle around to do it). Or you could load up the camera with two extra onboard XLR mics (or one XLR stereo mic with two output plugs, because changing fro Ch1 to Ch1,2 means another 13 steps through the menu).

3. The Assign buttons are great, but the selection is limited. What would be preferable is to be able to select ANY menu item to an Assign button (such as Mic Select). What's the betting that there is an Engineering menu hidden away which would allow this? Such an Engineering menu might well (for example) allow selection of LP recording in DV mode (a feature of the very similar FX1) and many other goodies.

If there is an Engineering menu, does anyone know how to access it?

Ray Liffen

[cstv]

thanks Ray - all very useful tips. I can't belive (actually no, i can!) that Sony would be so stupid as to not have a physical switch for the mic selection - insane!

mark.

[infocus]

I can't belive (actually no, i can!) that Sony would be so stupid as to not have a physical switch for the mic selection - insane!

Insane...... or clever marketing? I've heard more than one person suggest that things like that are done DELIBERATELY so as not to harm sales of their higher end (and much more expensive) cameras. The theory goes that they are sold to the prosumer market on the basis of high picture quality and "headline" features (and price!), whilst poor ergonomics, lack of mic switches etc means sales of XDCAM etc aren't affected.

Then again, the cock up theory has it that cameras like that come from the consumer stable, and they just don't understand there what makes the difference between a usable camera and one that's nice to use.

[tom hardwick]

My VX2000 + Beachtek box makes the switch-over from internal VX mics to external XLR mics so quick and simple - I simply push in or pull out the 3.5 mm right-angle signal lead leading from Beachtek to camera's 'mic-in' socket. As you say Ray (and I quote you) this is a vital feature for event work and other occasions where time is of the essence.

And as to LP replay, the DSR-11 happily does this as well, though being from the 'professional' stable there's no mention of it from Sony, anywhere.

tom.

[Alan Roberts]

I'll say it again, the FX1 is a consumer camera, not intended for use by the intelligent. I deriously doubt that there's any menus buried deeper than you can find. Undoubtedly there are factory menus, but you'd be crazy to want to tweak those, they're there to set the camera up to specification. And the Z1's just the same camera with a few more bells and whistles, it's still a consumer camera.

[Des]

The VX2000 is a consumer camera and it can handle an intelligent switchover so unless there is an intentional retrograde step I don't see the reasoning.