Great review, so much practical insight... I particularly appreciated the discussion of the lens mount vs DSLR-type quick-release lens mounts for lens swapping. Coming from that background I had not even thought about the practical cons of this sort of lens mount. I've been watching all the reviews on the E2-S6, contemplating a more cinema-optimised camera for video work, and I don't think any of them covered this point. New sub!
Ive found that the power issue and files being lost due to battery drain, there is a bit of a fun glitch that sort of works as a fail safe. When working with a Ninja V ive found the ZCam will power down far before the Ninja V, when both powered from the same v-mount battery, so the Ninja will save and stop recording and continue as soon as the power comes back to the camera, should you hotswap the the v-mount thenafter. Overall very happy with this camera, was using is a b-cam to an Alexa Mini for around 6 months now and results impress, especially with good glass. The user swappable lens mounts are a god sent for working in various set ups during the course of a day - car mount to shoulder to gimbal and to tripod without fail day in day out. Only other thing to look out for is the battery mounting plate - the top retention teeth on the mount for the NPF battery can break under strain or when using adapters for v-mount batteries, so opt for solutions that will bolt the adapter to the camera body.
Nice review, it was one of my deciding factors in buying my Z-Cam E2 S6. I bought one last month and cannot wait to get to work with it after the Covid dies down.
thank you for this review, I appreciate the amount of details you covered and the amount of examples you gave as someone seriously interested in purchasing this camera. Cheers
Thx. I am trying to do reviews based on real world work experience, what matters when you take gear on a job. There are a number of good lighting/gaffer RUclipsrs out there btw.
Great review, would love to see your thoughts on the prores and z raw when you get another opportunity with the camera! I'm coming from a Gh5 and considering this or the s1h
I'm considering the A7Siii- when I can get my hands on one. Lately a number of shoots have been with the FX9, so a logical "small footprint" camera would be the A7Siii.
Does the crop factor of 4K mean you're not getting the full value of the Super35 sensor, and would this narrow the gap between the S6 and the M4 (MFT) for 4K use only?
Would really like to get my hands on an F6, but don't know anyone with one. Definitely testing A7S3 and FX6 when they come out. I have an XT4, but haven't run through a formal test yet- maybe soon, in a week or two. Basically looking to test affordable/viable digital production cameras. And lenses...
@@cinemak1759 where are you roughly located? I've got an F6. Having been hands on with most of the Z Cam lineup, the F6 really stands out as the flagship.
I was outside, in the green- some bias there. I always film faces, and of course right now I'm not working with actors/models to test. For one, not enough time, for another, may wait til we have a vaccine or therapies that mitigate Covid-19. Or reliable rapid testing available locally. For a Rec 709 camera though, the ZCam looked pretty good out of the box, and would need to be tested and tweaked with faces.
@@cinemak1759 right now I'm hesitating between the M4 and S6, but I'd like to keep my camera as light as possible so it's probably going to be the M4. And they are so cheap I might even end-up buying two, once I'm comfortable with it.
When I tested the camera summer of 2020, you lost the file. The Z cam did break up the recording to smaller files (user can set size of file). I do not know if a new firmware update will close out files if power is lost.
Color shift for high frame rate is really a shame. I've been thinking about a long term upgrade from p4k, and as much as I want to like zcams (more convenient form factor, better powering options), quirks like these + odd raw workflow make it a no go for me. :(
I'm hoping ZCam proves to be as quick and resourceful as Aputure is with their lighting units. On high frame rates, I really need to have the camera for a longer period to test- The codec also limits the frame rate, if I remember correctly, which can alter color balance too. First impression though, the high frame rate didn't look so hot, but that could be user error on my part.
the issue is completely negated when paired with a Ninja V - the color shift seems to be internal only as when working with the Ninja files there is no color shift between 23.98 and 60 fps - this is on the F6 mind you, but that should be the same case with the S6
This is not an issue. My understanding is that Z Cam created this as a safety measure, that way if something goes wrong the whole take won't be lost. And to be realistic, unless you're filming a speech or a wedding or something of that your takes aren't gonna be longer than 5 minutes.
This is a good safety solution. I'm not comfortable with really long takes, without breaking the "roll." This forces the decision. Realistically, 60 minutes is a really long time to not break the roll. In the past, I'v had producers that didn't want to break the roll, but I always felt it was short sighted.
Great review, so much practical insight... I particularly appreciated the discussion of the lens mount vs DSLR-type quick-release lens mounts for lens swapping. Coming from that background I had not even thought about the practical cons of this sort of lens mount. I've been watching all the reviews on the E2-S6, contemplating a more cinema-optimised camera for video work, and I don't think any of them covered this point. New sub!
Ive found that the power issue and files being lost due to battery drain, there is a bit of a fun glitch that sort of works as a fail safe. When working with a Ninja V ive found the ZCam will power down far before the Ninja V, when both powered from the same v-mount battery, so the Ninja will save and stop recording and continue as soon as the power comes back to the camera, should you hotswap the the v-mount thenafter. Overall very happy with this camera, was using is a b-cam to an Alexa Mini for around 6 months now and results impress, especially with good glass. The user swappable lens mounts are a god sent for working in various set ups during the course of a day - car mount to shoulder to gimbal and to tripod without fail day in day out. Only other thing to look out for is the battery mounting plate - the top retention teeth on the mount for the NPF battery can break under strain or when using adapters for v-mount batteries, so opt for solutions that will bolt the adapter to the camera body.
Those are great "from the field" observations. Would like to look at Zcam's full frame F6 sometime in the future too.
what solution would u recommend for bolting a vmount adapter to the body to avoid damaging the npf teeth?
@@Kevlexicon there are a few out there from several manufacturers - i honestly cannot recall at the moment
Nice review, it was one of my deciding factors in buying my Z-Cam E2 S6. I bought one last month and cannot wait to get to work with it after the Covid dies down.
I bought a M4 and the form factor is amazing. It feels like a mini nuclear reactor, so powerful!
I am strongly considering the M4. What lens(es) are you using with it ?
Thank you for your experience, these are the reviews that are the most practical and helpful. cheers.
thank you for this review, I appreciate the amount of details you covered and the amount of examples you gave as someone seriously interested in purchasing this camera. Cheers
Great review, especially the various formats and resolutions on the chart! Thank you! Subbed🙏
Thanks for this thorough review!
Love hearing your perspective
thanks - the color review and touch screen recommendation is really helpful
Thank you for the "gotcha" section, super helpful.
Great video. Way better review than the other RUclipsrs
Thx. I am trying to do reviews based on real world work experience, what matters when you take gear on a job. There are a number of good lighting/gaffer RUclipsrs out there btw.
Super helpful and straightforward -- thank you!
Great review!! Thanks for taking the time to go into depth on it.
Great review. Cheers!
Thanks for the excellent information and user experience.
Super.
I THINK in new firmware is new option for not spliting files
So wise. Love it!
Really good review. Appreciate the info.
Thanks for watching!
Great review my man ✊
Thanks, nice review!
Great review, would love to see your thoughts on the prores and z raw when you get another opportunity with the camera! I'm coming from a Gh5 and considering this or the s1h
I'm considering the A7Siii- when I can get my hands on one. Lately a number of shoots have been with the FX9, so a logical "small footprint" camera would be the A7Siii.
Does the crop factor of 4K mean you're not getting the full value of the Super35 sensor, and would this narrow the gap between the S6 and the M4 (MFT) for 4K use only?
What's your opinion on this camera vs the Black Magic pocket 6k?
Is there any way to get external timecode into this camera? If so, how?
Thanks for the insights! What upcoming cameras are you interested in testing to see if you'd add them to your kit over the Z Cam?
Would really like to get my hands on an F6, but don't know anyone with one. Definitely testing A7S3 and FX6 when they come out. I have an XT4, but haven't run through a formal test yet- maybe soon, in a week or two. Basically looking to test affordable/viable digital production cameras. And lenses...
cinemaK thanks I'll look out for those!
@@cinemak1759 where are you roughly located? I've got an F6. Having been hands on with most of the Z Cam lineup, the F6 really stands out as the flagship.
@@FTGTapGod I'm in NJ, about an hour away from NYC.
should one buy the ZCam S6 or F6 (full frame?) - can the F6 use the plate for S6?
Really depends on your needs, budget and glass selection. Some have said the F6 image is nicer- but I've never used it.
Thanks for the review. I found the default footage of this camera slightly greenish... What do you think?
I was outside, in the green- some bias there. I always film faces, and of course right now I'm not working with actors/models to test. For one, not enough time, for another, may wait til we have a vaccine or therapies that mitigate Covid-19. Or reliable rapid testing available locally. For a Rec 709 camera though, the ZCam looked pretty good out of the box, and would need to be tested and tweaked with faces.
You may set the file split to 60 min that way there is no need to use Concatenator.
docs.google.com/document/d/1lG_sxDgeR0G9WoChybCFNdhiHM6LNbXaw5aWWVGGtHk/edit
Perceived audio sync issue on Z CAM.
15:45 : this camera produces less noise at ISO 20,000 than my Sony a6000 at ISO 1,000. It's a bit mind-bending.
With some development these Zcams will be very competitive- at many different price points.
@@cinemak1759 right now I'm hesitating between the M4 and S6, but I'd like to keep my camera as light as possible so it's probably going to be the M4. And they are so cheap I might even end-up buying two, once I'm comfortable with it.
hi, we can shot 340 fps slow motion video?
Zcam specs out 120 fps at 1920x1080. Not sure if higher frame rates arae available at lower resolutions.
great review
What are the temperature values of Z cam? Is there a problem with the cooling?
I'm not sure if ZCam has a temperature/overheating issue. I did not encounter one. (that I remember)
If you record into the Atomos Ninja V via HDMI - what happens when the camera runs out of battery?
When I tested the camera summer of 2020, you lost the file. The Z cam did break up the recording to smaller files (user can set size of file). I do not know if a new firmware update will close out files if power is lost.
@@cinemak1759 Aw man - that sucks. Was hoping the Ninja V would help with the file loss issue.
Color shift for high frame rate is really a shame. I've been thinking about a long term upgrade from p4k, and as much as I want to like zcams (more convenient form factor, better powering options), quirks like these + odd raw workflow make it a no go for me. :(
I'm hoping ZCam proves to be as quick and resourceful as Aputure is with their lighting units. On high frame rates, I really need to have the camera for a longer period to test- The codec also limits the frame rate, if I remember correctly, which can alter color balance too. First impression though, the high frame rate didn't look so hot, but that could be user error on my part.
I’ve only noticed it in 75fps, It’s only slight so nothing a small tint adjust in post can’t fix. 60fps is fine though
ProRes and even h265 are extremely robust. I'd be surprised if you couldn't get the flexibility out of those 2 codecs that you're aiming for with raw.
the issue is completely negated when paired with a Ninja V - the color shift seems to be internal only as when working with the Ninja files there is no color shift between 23.98 and 60 fps - this is on the F6 mind you, but that should be the same case with the S6
i understean the spli file issue, but how many times you record more tha 60min? its pretty much
This is not an issue. My understanding is that Z Cam created this as a safety measure, that way if something goes wrong the whole take won't be lost. And to be realistic, unless you're filming a speech or a wedding or something of that your takes aren't gonna be longer than 5 minutes.
This is a good safety solution. I'm not comfortable with really long takes, without breaking the "roll." This forces the decision. Realistically, 60 minutes is a really long time to not break the roll. In the past, I'v had producers that didn't want to break the roll, but I always felt it was short sighted.
is the lens mount EF or EF-S?
Camera works with EF-S and EF lenses.
Did you use ZRAW?
Ran out of time, so no, didn't test ZRAW.