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Get the Sony. If you want a cheaper videocamera take a look at the AX100. One incher. 4K. Canon has one interesting 4K offering that is in the same budget range you are at (XA40). I find videocameras have a spot in any pro's rig because they magnify the image during recording with the press of a button, have unlimited recording times, and of course dedicated microphone and headphone jacks. Only very few MILCs offer all these functions as standard. So unless you're recording caves for a new Werner doc you'll be ok.

Thanks for the information. Braw would be much easy for me to deal with. Shame the VA12Gs never seem to be heavily discounted, unlike the Ninja V. Ninja V also seems to support raw recording on a far wider array of cameras.

Only giving up the long end of the zoom for my purposes, otherwise I am using the ZV1 in 3 different ways: 1. Static unit for long recordings. With power bank it's essentially unlimited recording only limited by card size and power bank. 2. Gimbal cam. I use so little gimbal on any job and only for the same very specific purposes. I do not want any longer set up than 10 seconds. Using the QR plate means that other than switching on the gimbal and taking it off the tripod, it's around 5 seconds to transform from static to fully working gimbal camera. 3: It takes 2 seconds to release the camera from the gimbal and it's a tiny handheld unit. OK, it will not fit in the pocket with the cage but the cage adds to the handling and on a pro job, makes it look less like a compact camera. I don't 'hate' Sony as such, but rather just find them a very functional but otherwise boring camera company. Ie, their stuff works, but I get no joy from using any of it. But the main reason I gave up the AX700 is the AF. It is not reliable and the ZV1 is about as a good as it gets. The ZV1 just suits my needs better in the role(s) I use it for.

I had the AX700 and used it as a workhorse every job but last year, swapped it’s role for a ZV1 and sacrificed 70+mm range for: Size/weight/genuine pocketability. Faster aperture lens. Better AF. (The AF on the AX700 can wander off and stay wandered off if you don’t keep an eye on it). It’s not a camcorder. I have mine ‘rigged up’ with: Smallrig cage Rode Wireless Go Lightweight tripod Crane M3 gimbal Powerbank File output tweaked as close as I could get it to match my full frame Lumix cameras. Obviously it does not have the same outright image quality or DR but it’s very good in it’s role as my principal static full duration single wide angle ceremony and speeches unit, but then the gimbal whips off the QR plate and it becomes uber-lightweight gimbal cam for the few times I need such a thing. The only thing I don’t love about the ZV1 is that it’s branded Sony. Maybe I will get a Lumix sticker for it…

That is ONE stealthy Emu!

If you are recording non RAW out of the fp, it is limited to 8bit 4:2:2, which you could record in ProRes HQ on the Ninja. However because the fp does not have any flavor of log build in, I personally would rule that out. Suggest to go the RAW way therefore either Ninja V or Video Assist. In that RAW workflow it is possible to use LOG and a LUT to convert that correctly now, because (at least the Ninja V) is treating the RAW out of the fp as Panasonic V-log. That is a matter of your personal feelings towards Blackmagic or FCPX. I have invested much more time in FCPX and did not wanted to start all over with DaVinci Resolve. So I went the Ninja V route.