GEAR
SONY Z200
software cleans it right up though. But in typical use in good light, the footage is highly detailed, with natural colours and very low noise with plenty of information in the shadows and highlights, too. The camera offers various flavours of 709 colour and also S-Log3 for even more dynamic range – as well as the very useful S-Cinetone which gives a more cinematic look right out of camera. All of Sony’s pro models offer this and it’s a very clean look that’s not too stylised. It’s our go-to setting when there isn’t time for a full colour grade. The camera also offers different strengths of HDR. To record the highest-data codecs, the Z200 uses a pair of CFexpress Type A cards which can be pricey. But these card slots also accept cheaper, standard SD cards if you don’t need the all-singing codecs. And most users don’t. The Z200 is packed with Sony’s newest tech including Fast Hybrid AF with phase detection. Although manual focus is traditional, autofocus is vital on ENG and events cameras and the Z200 moves it on from the older model. Sony’s advanced AF system has focus points covering 98% of the width of the frame and 82% of its height, to provide tracking that’s responsive. There is face detection technology that works well and now human pose estimation AI, which uses its own processing unit. This uses deep-learning technology to recognise human bodies and tracks them even if the person moves out of shot and back in, turns away or has their face covered. It works better than you might imagine. You can also adjust AF transition speed and subject-shift sensitivity to customise the AF operation. The AF tracks its subjects well, and the focus point can be selected by touching the screen. We tried this for some focus pulls but it wasn’t perfect, so switching to manual focus was needed in situations where contrast was low. The AI processor can also auto- frame a subject. You set the camera to a wider focal length to take in all the areas your subject might be in. The camera crops into the scene to keep your subject in the centre of the frame, even if they move around. It’s ideal for users who want a multicam set-up but don’t have enough operators, although it’ll probably be popular with self-shooting vloggers.
If you are a Sony user then you will quickly get to grips with it, but beginners will have a steep learning curve. This offers all the controls of pro-level cameras plus lots more screens added to set up streaming. The left side of the body also has the variable ND filter system which can be adjusted using a dial-wheel or set to auto. So you can keep your shutter speed and aperture constant for a desired depth-of-field and alter exposure using the ND wheel. It’s fast and simple and is ideal for fast-paced ENG-type use. Sony’s MI Multi Interface connector sits on the top and allows attachment of dedicated accessories, like a wireless receiver, which work without any cables. As the camera can record four audio channels, you can use two via the MI Shoe receiver and two via the full-size XLR inputs on the right of the camera. The Z200 has a decent viewfinder touchscreen that’s an 8.8cm/3.5in LCD, as well as a viewfinder which is bright and detailed. The camera has HDMI and SDI for outputting footage, with the Z190’s lower-spec 3G-SDI being replaced by 12G-SDI output that’s four times the bandwidth. So you can output 4K via SDI, where on the Z190 you needed to go via the HDMI as the 3G-SDI won’t cut it.
This camera is made for 4K quality and if you stick to 50/60p, the 4K is oversampled from the 5K readout in All-Intra, 4:2:2 10-bit quality. The camera offers lower- quality such as 4:2:0 in Long GOP and you can record in 4K/120p or 240p in HD. S&Q mode allows up to 5x slow motion but is recorded without audio. And Sony says a conventional broadcast-style XAVC in an MXF wrapper will be added in a future upgrade. There is no arguing over the image quality – it is excellent, especially in good light. When light drops and you have to dial some gain in, there is some noise as you’d expect, especially as the lens can go wider than f/2.8 at the wider end. Some noise reduction
CHECK ONE, TWO Audio is controlled by this very clear menu setting
CLEAN MACHINE The right side is dominated by the handgrip which is comfortable and perfectly positioned to control the zoom
“The Z200 is packed with Sony’s newest tech including Fast Hybrid AF with phase detection”
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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