Sony HVR-V1U 3-CMOS 1080i Professional HDV Camcorder with 20x Optical Zoom
Included Accessories: AC adaptor; power cord; infoLITHIUM rechargeable battery pack; A/V, Component, USB cable; large eyecup; wireless Remote Commander; monaural condenser microphone; instruction manual & CD-ROM. The HVR-V1U is a professional camcorder for better and easier mobile filmmaking. Achieve breathtaking HD video and create unique visuals for video production that delivers an impact. In addition to typical 60i, the HVR-V1U offers 24p/30p progressive scan capture, enabling cinema and drama productions. It also adopts the world's first 2-3 pull-down HDV recording system for storage of 24p scanned images - keeping your existing gear in action. Playback your 24p/30p scan footage using Sony HDV equipment, or feed it to a compatible Non-Linear Editing (NLE) system without changing your HDV deck or monitors. Producing high-quality HDV is as simple as that. 1/4-inch, 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor imaging system White balance - Auto, one-push auto (2 positions), indoor (3200 K), outdoor (5800 K + 15steps) Shutter Speeds - 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/90, 1/100, 1/125, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/725, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/6000, 1/10000 sec Exposure - Auto, manual (Type1/Type2) Gain - 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 dB Minimum Illumination - 4 lx with F1.6 at 18 dB Records and plays out/down converts to 1080/60i, 480/60i (NTSC) Audio/Video output - A/V OUT jack, 10-pin connector; Composite video - 1 Vp-p, 75 ohm unbalanced, sync negative; Y - 1 Vp-p, 75 ohm unbalanced; C - 0.286 Vp-p, 75 ohm unbalanced Component video output - Y - 1 Vp-p (0.3 V, sync negative); 75 ohm unbalanced Pr/Pb (Cr/Cb) - 700 mVp-p (75% color bar) HDV/DV input/output - i.LINK(R) interface (IEEE 1394, 4-pin connector S100) XLR audio input - 3-pin female x 2, 327 mV, -60 dBu - 3 k-ohm, +40 dBu - 10.8 k-ohm, power supply - approx. 48 V Headphones - Stereo mini jack (3.5 mm dia.) USB
Sony HVR-V1U 3-CMOS 1080i Professional HDV Camcorder with 20x Optical Zoom Features
- 3.5-inch widescreen Clear Photo plus LCD display
- 20x Carl Zeiss Vario-Zonnar T lens with extra-low dispersion glass. 1.5x digital extender
- 3 ClearVid CMOS sensor system. 4:2:2 color used by Sony Enhanced Image Processor
- 1080/24P scanning with 2:3 pull-down recording
Generally I do like this camcorder, however if you expect to shoot indoors (or out) with less than a 60 watt bulb within 1 foot of the subject....not 2 feet mind you.... all you will get is "grainy" video. Very poor at early morning or late evening shots outdoors. Sony claims a 4 lux rating.....more like 40. I'm looking for a light now, but not sure if the outdoor shots will ever work. I film wildlife in low light......will probably have to trade this camera in.
However.....with a 60 watt (or greater) bulb close, the picture quality is exceptional. Same outdoors in full sunlight. The built-in filters work very well, and the programming features are easy to use(very much styled after 10 year old Sony cameras.....very few changes which allowed me to use this camera with little manual reference). I do love the fact that my 10 year old handycam batteries interchange with this camera....Kudos to Sony. Also Kudos for using 3 mediums for recording......tape(which only cost about $2 each at present, a few bucks more for HDV), Memory stick (4 gig max) or the optional hard drive. The remote from my old handycam has more features than the new one supplied....but crazy enough...the new programming supports the old remote.....another kudo.
Photos are very respectable, and clarity from the Carl Zeiss lens is legendary and many extra lens' are available(I bought a wide angle and 2X for about $75 as an experiment/starter, but the quality was soooo much better than I expected that unless I shoot for TV....I'm not planning to upgrade anytime soon) About 300 photos per gig of memory card will store. The camera shoots stills and video simultaneously or seperate(still shots at a higher quality) The supplied mic is adequite, but I believe there are upgrades in my future soon.
My only real issue is the light requirement. Good luck. captn
11/20/09 updated..
I've since noticed the 20X zoom on this camera seemed to be a little short of what I was after, so I purchased a 2X telephoto lens for this camera and didn't notice a difference in distance magnification. Thinking the lens was defective, I purchased a second telephoto lens this time 4.5X. Still no difference except picture quality was decreased. Both lenses claimed to be for camcorders.
I checked the distance at 75 yards with a 26X rifle scope against this camera's 30X boost and found the camera was considerably short of magnification to the target....as in about half the magnification as the scope.
Basically, I guess I'm saying that long distance filming of over 200 yards is very compromised. Actually, if you want to zoom in on a critter's eyes at over 50 yards, you may be disapointed.
I also tried a 1X wide angle lens which worked very well....just no telephoto improvement.
If there is information out there from someone who has increased the power of magnification on this camera, I'd like the info. Thanks captn
-- Not for low light!!!!!
Smooth pictures in every type of frames (30p, 24p...). The camera is perfect weight (not to heavy to get tired too fast, but not to light so it won't shake much when recording). -- Everything I Expected!
Bought the camera sight unseen, which was a mistake. I shoot in a lot of low light situations, which this camera DOES NOT do well in (my old digital 8 camera blows this away). I've had to boost to hyper gain which is an extremely grainy picture. -- well...
We use this camera in a controlled environment, 5.5kw of incandescent light, and the images are sooo nice...
The camera has been setup to shoot 24p all the time, and the color tweaked by me and a colorist, and the results are amazing.
Our casting company uses it about 90% of the time, we record to a Focus FS 4 and to tape simultaneously.
The Optical stabilization works amazing when hand held, the mic is not so good, but at least it's there.
Wish it would have another accessory shoe, one is just not enough.
All in all, the camera works great, the images are very cinematographic, stabilization is very useful, can be tweaked a lot, its as reliable as the sunrise.
I like the new Z7, but for what we do, the V1 works like a charm
f3
-- Studio Use
