From HD to 4K via Sony PXW-Z100, Memory Cards XQD, Transfer Speeds, Codecs XAVC-I, XAVC-S, XAVC-L and Recording Times

From HD to 4K via Sony PXW-Z100, Memory Cards XQD, Transfer Speeds, Codecs XAVC-I, XAVC-S, XAVC-L and Recording Times

In this world to be happy we need to have progress, and for that we need challenges.

At Plasma we are looking all the time to offer better quality services. 4K give us this sharpness, crispiness and crunchiness that we want to see in our client's videos. But there is a long way to search, research, test and learn about the implementation of 4K in the level of our studio and in the level of the target of our clients. 

I will go with prices, models and this type of camera (one-man camera with everything you need shoot and go) as an option of a sea of options.

Let's start with the prices of the Memory Cards and the Camera Sony PXW-Z100 in Lozeau

Sony PXW-Z100 Brochure of 2013

Are you kidding me? Just 20 minutes of recording in a 64GB ? Is to re-think your way of shooting.

https://pro.sony.com/bbsccms/assets/files/micro/xdcam/brochures/v2589a_PXW_Z100_Brochure.pdf




If you are looking for information about the PXW-Z100, you will arrive inevitably into this interesting and informative post of the site xdcam-user.com

A Tale of Two Cameras – The PMW-300 and PXW-Z100 reviewed.

Posted on December 20, 2013 by alisterchapman

http://www.xdcam-user.com/2013/12/a-tale-of-two-cameras-the-pmw-300-and-pxw-z100-reviewed/

The thing is that alisterchapman compare the two cameras, in witch open a new "option" if you are asking yourself witch one to buy and, this post is from 2013, so the information is valuable but in two years a lot of things happens, he talks about future updates and when the new codec will be available.

But I will quote the most valuable information (for our purposes) as follow:

The Z100 comes with Sony’s XAVC codec. This is a 10 bit, 4:2:2 “I” frame only codec. In the future there will be a firmware update to add the more compact 4:2:0, long GOP XAVC-S codec. A further update will also add the ability to record AVCHD on to an SD card into the currently un-used SD card slot next to the two XQD slots.

XAVC is a great codec. It offers very high quality 10 bit recording at different resolutions and different frame rates. Unlike Mpeg 2 it is not restricted to 30fps and HD. It is the same codec as used in the PMW-F5 and F55 cinema cameras. It is almost certainly going to become standard on most Sony pro camcorders in the future. For post production it is already supported in FCP-X, Adobe Premiere, Avid, Edius, Resolve and of course Sony Vegas.

One thing to be aware of though is the data rates. These are higher than XDCAM. In HD the data rate, depending on frame rate is around 100Mb/s, that double the amount of data compared to XDCAM HD422 and almost 3 times as much data as XDCAM EX. So a 32GB XQD card will only last a around 30 minutes (depending on frame rate 24/25/30fps, 15 mins at 50/60p). If you want to shoot in 4K things get even worse, a 32GB card lasting between 12 and 14 minutes at 24/25/30fps and a mere 6 to 8 minutes at 50/50p. For most people a 32GB card will not be big enough and your going to need a couple of 64GB cards as a minimum. Once the XAVC-S codec becomes available as an option you will be back to similar data rates and storage requirements to XDCAM HD, but without the image quality benefits that the full XAVC codec brings.

The Z100 has two slots for the XQD cards and as one card fills up the camera will automatically switch to the next card without any interruption to the recording. As XAVC can shoot at full HD when you enter into the cameras S&Q mode you can choose any frame rate up to 60fps and the recording will be in full HD. 

http://www.xdcam-user.com/2013/12/a-tale-of-two-cameras-the-pmw-300-and-pxw-z100-reviewed/

Rentals in Australia

In this site of rentals, they just show the Codec in wich the Camera Sony PXW-Z100 is able to record, XAVC recording format at 4K 50fps/60fps, 4:22 10-bit at 500/600Mbps,HD at up to 223Mbps

the Codec or how much you can record or what do you need for this... what it shows is that they camera are using the XAVC-S Format for 150 Mbps 4K Recording, but just that.

http://www.dragonimage.com.au/sony-pxw-z100-4k-compact-xdcam-camcorder-with-xavc-recording.html

About the Sony XQD Memory Cards

Considering Buying Memory Cards this is what I found about Recording Times of the Sony XQD Memory Cards. This apply for the camera Sony PXW-FS7, FDR-AX1, and the camera we are interested wich is the Sony PXW-Z100.

The larger capacity 128GB model expands the line-up allowing up to 40 minutes of 4K XAVC Intra 422 60p (600Mbps) recording with Sony's 4K video cameras.

The Data Transfer Speed of the G Series, S Series and N Series of Cards are as follow:

And it's totally clear acording the Transfer Speeds that you need the G Serie in order to record 4K without problems (wherever those could mean, I guess you need to put them into the test)

Read and Write Transfer Speed of the diferent series of the XQD Memory Cards

http://www.sony.net/Products/memorycard/en_us/xqd/

About the Firmware Update of the camera Sony PXW-Z100

This camera went to the market 2 years ago, and they are talking about future updates, until now that I just saw this 2 months ago in the official site of Sony, down below the link.

Product Firmware and Setup Utilities
Last Updated: May 4, 2015

XDCAM XAVC Memory Camcorder

For model: PXW-Z100

XDCAM 4K XAVC Hand-held Camcorder

version 3.00  |   Release Notes
Applicable products are with the system software version 2.00 only.

• XAVC-L format Recording Mode.
• Adding the time code to HDMI.

version 2.00    |   Release Notes

• Audio Channel Correction
• HDMI version 2.0
• Slow shutter speed setting in Slow & Quick mode

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-xdcam/resource.downloads.bbsccms-assets-micro-xdcam-downloads-XDCAMSoftwareDownload.shtml

This is coming from the oficial site (or microsite) of Sony in the following link : 

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-xdcam/resource.downloads

About The function to record in XAVC-L format

This is the PDF where you can see the ability to record in XAVC-Lin the camera Sony PXW-Z100, This is the date, Last Updated: May 4, 2015

http://pro.sony.com/bbsccms/assets/files/micro/xdcam/downloads/PXWZ100V300_manual.pdf

About the Codecs XAVC-I, XAVC-L and XAVC-S recording

Sony originally introduced the XAVC codec in February 2013 with XAVC-I recording in the F55 and F5 digital cinema cameras. Since that time, we've vastly expanded the range of products that incorporate XAVC technology—and we've extended the technology itself to three different tiers of production.

• XAVC-I. The Intra-frame only version delivers exquisite pictures. Using intra-frame compression means consistent quality, even in scenes with fast motion. The incorporation of highly advanced compression tools yields images of uncommon fidelity. Tech specs: MXF wrapper • 10-bit • 4:2:2 • Full HD at 89 Mbps (23.98p).
• XAVC-L. The Long-GOP version takes advantage of the similarity among video frames to achieve even greater compression efficiency. You get stunning quality and extremely modest bitrates. Tech specs: MXF wrapper
  • 10-bit (HD) • 4:2:2 (HD) • Full HD at 50, 35 or 25 Mbps.
• XAVC-S. The next-generation consumer video codec. Tech specs: MP4 wrapper • 8-bit • 4:2:0 • Full HD at 60 or 50 Mbps.

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-xdcam/resource.latest.bbsccms-assets-micro-xdcam-latest-XAVC.shtml

About the Codec XAVC-L

Long recording times.

Productions must contend with a stubborn practical question: how long are the loads? That's a critical issue for documentaries, natural history and reality TV. The magic of the XAVC codec, especially XAVC-L, is the ability to capture stunning 10-bit, 4:2:2 Full HD content at a budget-friendly 50, 35 or even 25 megabits per second. So you can record hour after hour of content on a single memory card!

XAVC-L recording enables the Sony PXW-FS7 to capture more than eight hours of spectacular HD content on a single, 128 GB card.

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-xdcam/resource.latest.bbsccms-assets-micro-xdcam-latest-XAVC.shtml

About the Atomos Shogun

http://www.atomos.com/shogun/

The Shogun automatically detects the 4K signal from the camera and you are all set to shoot. The only thing left to do is select what flavour of ProRes you want to record in. I really like the ability to choose between ProRes LT, 422 or 422 HQ. In 422HQ with a 480GB SSD you can record around 1hour and 20min of 4K footage. For a lot of users ProRes 422 will be more than enough.

http://www.newsshooter.com/2014/12/31/atomos-shogun-4k-recorder-review-the-good-the-bad-and-the-4k/

Rentals in Montreal

ATOMOS SHOGUN (HDMI) with SSD Sandisk 500GB - $90 x 48 hrs
http://royalphoto.com/en/rentals.html

In the next video I show some of the test I pass. One of the things I never read anywhere else, was that once you change of codec to another (not all) the camera have to "restart" so even if this time is not that much, just by doing the test, I realize that is not that "practical", I guess you need to know what is the exact codec you will use and stick on it and dont change it. As always depend of the type of project but at least I put it here.

Sony NX5U Picture Profile Guide

Sony NX5U Picture Profile Guide

This information comes from : http://www.xdcam-user.com/picture-profile-guide/

Here’s a quick reference guide to what the various settings in a Picture Profile do. Not all of the settings are available on every camera.

Detail Level: Changes apparent image sharpness by artificially boosting contrast around edges and coarse image details by adding a black or white edge. Does NOT actually increase resolution, only apparent sharpness. See here for more in depth information. Contrast based so be careful when shooting flat and boosting contrast in post.

Detail Frequency: Alters thickness of the applied Detail sharpening edges. Positive value is thiner than negative value. High positive values can lead to flickery edges.

Detail Black/White Limit: Sets upper and lower limits for how bright or how dark the detail correction edges can be.

H/V Ratio: Alters the balance of detail applied in the horizontal and vertical axis. Almost never needs adjusting.

V DTL Creation: Chooses the source signal for generation of the detail correction information. Normally set to Y (luma) but can be taken from G only which in some cases can lead to reduced noise visibility, but images with little green will be soft.

Knee Aperture Level (Detail): Not to be confused with Gamma Knee Aperture. Detail Knee Aperture controls addition of detail correction in knee highlights. You don’t want extra sharpening in the compressed knee highlights.

Crispening: Sets the threshold level for the application of Detail enhancement. Low value makes image look sharper, but may increase noise visibility, high value decreases appearance of noise at the expense of a softer image. See here for more in depth information on crispening.

Aperture: Adds high frequency boost to fine details making them look sharper. Most noticeable on textures and subtle details. High values will make noise more apparent, no effect on contrast. See here for more info on aperture.

Matrix: Allows selection of differing colour matrices that will give different colour ranges and saturation levels. Note that different gamma settings will also alter colourimetry. See my Video on the EX matrix here and read this for differences between white balance and the matrix.

Saturation or Matrix Level: Controls colour level of the image. As there is a limit to how much colour can be recorded, too high a saturation level can result in strong colours reaching that limit and getting clipped. This is then very difficult to fix in post. Be careful using high saturation levels, often better to do this in post production.

Hue: Similar to Phase. Changes the overall colour phase of the camera. Too much adjustment may result in  very strange colour response, use with care.

Color Correction: Allows selection of a single narrow colour range that can have it’s hue shifted. Allows you to pick a colour in your scene and change that colour to another.

R-G, R-B, G-R, G-B, B-R, B-G: Individual level and phase adjustments for the 6 primary colour vectors. In each case the level of the first character is adjusted while the phase of the second is adjusted. So increasing R-G increases the Red level and shifts the Green phase. This interaction makes adjusting these very tricky.

Multi Matrix: Similar to Color Correction (above) but allows for multiple adjustments to specific colour channels, for example R (Red) only. Can sometimes give unpredictable results to objects that are near to or between colour channels.

Preset White: Sets the colour temperature for the preset white balance setting. Normally 3200 for tungsten (indoors), 5600 for daylight (outdoors). 4400 for Fluorescent lighting.

Offset White: Allows an offset to be applied to the A, B or ATW white balance adjustment. Can be used to warm or cool the image. Positive value warms (redder), negative cools (bluer).

Gamma: Alters the gain of the camera at different brightness levels to match the gamma of the viewing device. The standard gamma for HD TV is REC-709. Std 3 on an EX is REC-709. Non standard gammas result in less accurate image reproduction with less accurate contrast, but sometimes this give a visually more pleasing image or allow a greater dynamic range to be captured. As gamma is a form of gain image may be brighter/darker and noisier or less noisy with different gamma curves. See here for more information on gamma and gamma curves.

Knee: Compresses image highlights to improve dynamic range beyond the 5 to 6 stops of a conventional gamma.

Knee Point: Sets the luma (brightness) level at which Knee compression starts.

Knee Slope: Sets the amount of knee compression. Note that too much compression may prevent exposure ever reaching 100%

Knee Saturation (Knee Aperture): Sets the saturation or colour level in the knee area. As the knee luma level is compressed the saturation level must also be reduced to match otherwise you get over saturated colours in the scene highlights.

CineGamma or HyperGamma: Special non standard gamma curves developed to give improved dynamic range and improved high light handling. May look a little flat compared to standard gammas.

Black Gamma: Adjusts the gain of the lower (darker) parts of the gamma curve. Makes the picture look more/less contrasty. Negative value make the darker parts of the image darker, but note that too much negative black gamma can lead to crushed or clipped blacks. For more info on scene file black gamma click here.

Black Level: Sets the pedestal or zero level for black. Large negative values will cause dark areas of the scene to be clipped. Positive values will result in a grey looking image as black level becomes artificially high. Does not increase dynamic range, despite making image look flat. Rarely needs adjustment beyond +/- 5.

Low Key Sat: Changes the saturation in low key or darker parts of the image. Useful for reducing colour in dark scenes. Can help keep noise levels under control as chroma (colour) noise can be objectionable in dark scenes.

Skin Detail Correction: Allows user to select a specific narrow colour range and then reduce the amount of detail correction or sharpening applied to anything that colour. Idea is to allow selective softening of faces.

 

And from this forum I found this useful information: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-nxcam-avchd-camcorders/508687-itu709-cinematone1-2-etc.html

The NX5U has two Cinematone settings available on the NX5U, i.e., Cinematone 1 and Cinematone 2. If I'm reading the Owners Manual correctly, Cinematone 1 emulates pictures recorded on 'Cinema' color-negative film and the Cinematone 2 emulates pictures recorded on 'Cinema' color print film. Prior to the Workshop, I'd been using the ITU-709 Gamma setting, which has been an excellent Gamma profile. 

So I guess I will need to run my own personal test with photos and shoots to compare. I didn't look that much, but usually when you google-it, you found pretty fast exemples. Maybe I will do a set of YouTube videos for show this tests.

So far... sayonara !