What Is The $63,000 ZRX90 Video Camera From Suits?
Here is another “audio-stuff-on-TV” post inspired, once again, by the USA Network show, Suits. In the season 3 episode that aired on March 20th, “Moot Point,” there is a scene where the main characters take a camcorder to one of the technical guys to try and get some audio for a case.
When the tech says he can’t find ANY audio, even after the most powerful and extensive audio restoration editing, he (the tech) says he cannot “enhance sounds that weren’t picked up by a used camcorder, because the firm is too cheap to go with my recommendation of the $63,000 ZRX90.”
He later says that the camcorder he recommended is also good for making independent films on the weekends. So apparently this super expensive camcorder is much better at picking up audio. I don’t know because I would have to mortgage my house to afford something like that:).
I thought I had spent a lot of money on my camcorder – a Canon Vixia. But to hear that there was one that costs $63,000 blew my mind. I did a search on the internet for what that camcorder could be, but nothing – at least in 2014 seems to cost $63,000, like the mythical ZRX90.
“Suits” has used made up model numbers for real products before. In June, 2012, Louis Litt’s famous XJS 5000 Dictaphone made its debut. It turned out to be the Sony ICD-SX712 digital recorder. Read more about that at my post – The XJS 5000 Dictaphone From Suits. So it got me wondering if there was also a real camera behind the ZR-X90.
I asked on the Sony forum, since the dictaphone was a Sony product. My replies were interesting, stating that it could be a package of multiple things adding up to $63,000. For example, it could be the Sony HDW-790 HDCAM High Definition Camcorder, which runs about $58K, with $5K worth of accessories.
Or it could even be a Panasonic GH2 (an incredible DSLR camera that beat out a bunch of “professional” video cameras in the Zacuto Shootout) which costs a mere $1,000, with a really expensive lens. Yup, there are lenses THAT expensive. For example, the Fujinon 18-85mm T2.0 Premier PL Zoom Lens cost $87,000 clams! Amazing.
So my guess is that it is a Sony product, based on nothing more than the fact that they used a Sony product for the dictaphone. And right now, the only Sony camcorder I could find that costs in the same neighborhood as the ZRX90 seems to be the Sony HDW-790 HDCAM as I mentioned above.
I’d be interested in your opinions. Please leave a comment below if you think you have a better idea what the ZRX90 is.
Cheers!
Ken
I googled the model to just see what it was too, and the first link led me to this post. Not that matters whether they use real product names or not (could be a way to get more sponsor money IMO) but it’s good to see that some guy actually wrote a whole article about a fictitious camera on a TV show which was mentioned in a very trivial dialogue.
Thanks:).
Ken
There was a time, long ago in the age of electronic video cameras, when a camera alone, no recorder, sold for what would be $133,000. in today’s dollars ($42,000. in 1981) Those days are long gone. The old story with new technology is that the early buyers pay for the R&D that went into the product and, over the years, the price has gone down incredibly. A $1,000. or less home type camera recorder much better video than the 100,000 camera of the earliest days. As for sound, that depends on the mic used and the skill of the person recording in placing the mic and monitoring the mic level. In general, all camcorders, top to bottom, record good audio with auto gain control as long as the mic is not a long way from the subject.
Weirdly, I just searched for the same camera, which led me here! I’ve learnt something new from Doug’s post, and I guess this makes us all fans of Suits, which I have only began watching this month.