The Sony Z1

The Sony Z1

Our group decided that I would be the cameraman and as a group we decided that we should use the Sony Z1 to film our project.

I booked myself onto a Sony Z1 demo so that I could book out the camera for our project. At the tech demo we went over the basic functions very quickly, such as loading the tape, the formats it can record in (HDV, DV and DVCAM) and how to put it onto the tripod quickly. We were then shown the more advanced settings including how to correctly set the audio setting with the XLR microphones, which can trip people up if they are not aware of the procedure, as you have to change a button on the camera as well as changing a setting in the menu. We then covered the Zebras which help with setting exposure correctly; which is very useful especially when filming people.

The next thing we covered was how to program in a timed zoom to change shot if you need to. For example you might setup one shot at a certain zoom, such as a wide picture of a castle, and then by pressing the correct option on the camera zoom up on a window of the castle. This is programmed into memory so that if during the filming you wanted a certain shot at a certain point all you need do is press the appropriate button on the camera and it would operate a smooth and crisp zoom at whatever speed you wanted; thereby helping to reduce camera shake and an unsteady or uneven zooming.