|
|
 |
|
Production
|
 |
|
 |
 |
Hail, hail HDV
New Sony Z1 delivers with solid images, user-friendly features
Apr 29, 2005
|
|
by Chuck Gloman
|
Sony has raised the bar for HDV with the introduction of the HVR-Z1U, a 3-CCD HDV professional camcorder that’s been flying off the shelves — and with good reason.
Looking a lot like its de facto DVCAM camcorder, the PD170, Sony’s Z1 is a lot more beefy and robust, and it sports a Zeiss lens. Most of the SD features, controls, and menus are similar to the PD170, but this camera does a whole lot more. From the front, the innovative lens hood snaps open and closed with the flick of a switch. With no lens cap to lose or be tethered on a string, this adds functionality and a touch of class.
The major difference on the right side of the unit is the absence of a pull-out LCD monitor, which has been moved. The cassette compartment door is in its place, with a clear plastic shield covering channel 1 and 2 audio pots. The levels may be changed by accessing the wheels that protrude from the plastic, and the tiny hash marks are still visible through the plastic.
The only other difference on this side are six assignable buttons to program your favorite features, much like the assignable “F” keys on the Panasonic DX-100A. One other interesting highlight on the right side is that “HDV” or “DVCAM” illuminates in blue when that function is activated, which attracted quite a bit of interest from my students.
XLR inputs on the left side is what separates this HD camera from its less expensive, prosumer cousin (the HDR-FX1). Any professional camera needs XLRs, and I prefer the new, lower location than where they reside on the PD170. The IEEE-1394 (i.Link) connection is now more accessible rather than under a cheap plastic flap.
 |
| It looks a lot like Sony’s PD170 DVCAM, but the new HVR-Z1U provides HDV recording and a number of other new features. |
On the top of the camera, the battery release is more durable than the flimsy switch on its predecessor, and the 16:9 viewfinder is in color and has much more detail. However, the greatest feature on the top of the camera is the articulating, 16:9 LCD monitor. All of the VCR controls as well as the LCD controls are housed under the LCD screen, and the access buttons are easier for fingers that aren’t filed to a point. The LCD screen is sharp and clear — and immediately alerts the world that you’re shooting in HD. My review camera didn’t have the optional shotgun microphone, but instead had the stereo unit that’s molded into the handle. It’s a typically adequate but unspectacular built-in mic that’s best avoided for serious audio.
Accessing the shooting options, you must scroll through four menu screens to view the record format. The camera’s only HD option is HDV 1080i, and your other choice is DV. If you select DV, you can shoot in either DVCAM or DV (SP speed). By highlighting the “component” menu item, you can shoot in 1080i/480i, 480p/480i, or 480i.
In my opinion, the most amazing thing about the Z1 is its downconversion. Everyone wants to shoot in HD if they have an HD-capable camcorder, but few really have the facilities to actually edit or distribute in that mode (yet). Editing on older versions of Adobe Premiere and Avid Xpress, I don’t have an in-house HD option.
By selecting “Down Convert” I have three SD choices: squeeze, which switches the picture so it looks like an early Cinemascope film without the anamorphic lens; letterbox, which adds the black bands to the top and bottom of your 4:3 screen (my favorite choice); and edge crop, which slices off the sides of the picture.
Knowing you can attach the IEEE-1394 from your camera to your computer and have the downconversion handled immediately is a great selling point in my book. Plus, time code is the same in HD, so you can re-edit in HD from the original EDL in the future.
Let’s Get Shooting
Sony only loaned me the camera for a brief period of time, and I made the mistake of showing it off to my class of seniors. Within two seconds of touching the camcorder, I was no longer the center of attention.
I asked one of my students to tape my advanced directing class in 1080i. He did, but he found the gamma adjustment within moments and had all the color removed from the shot except green. Thinking this would make an excellent “jeans” commercial, he further tested the camera by using different color chalks on the blackboard and selectively removing their individual colors. “This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen,” was his brief comment before he and my other students disappeared, leaving me speaking to an empty classroom.
Ninety minutes later, my students and camcorder returned, and I was asked if the university could purchase the camera for our department. The auto-focus was the greatest they had ever seen. Distracting them with a shiny object, I regained control of the camera and my class — the camera was obviously a big hit with my budding filmmakers.
The next day produced a 12-inch snowstorm, and I shot the blizzard from the relative comfort of my garage. Shooting in 1080i with the ND2 filter on, I had an incredibly sharp HD image. With the extreme contrast range, the camera had no problem separating the darks from the whites (something I still can’t do on laundry day). You may customize this camera in any number of ways to get the saturation or color balance you want for your shot.
Where this fabulous camera falls short is in fast pans. Digital artifacts are evident when you move the camera too quickly from side to side. Also, the other major drawback is that this camera doesn’t have 24p. As a filmmaker, I now have the high quality of 1080i, but I still don’t have the 24p “look.” The camera does have a “Cinema Mode,” but it’s not the same as 24p — and it doesn’t look like “cinema.”
Shooting footage in SD (480i) does look slightly sharper than the 170, but with more than 1 million pixels in each of the 1/3-inch chips, it should (ahh, the joys of oversampling). You can also shoot in either 50i or 60i, (after rebooting the camera), but I saw no difference. Sony also recommends you use their new Digital Master professional HDV tape because of its dual-active magnetic layers — when shooting HD, any artifact in the tape will not be pretty.
Don’t Forget The Deck
The HVR-Z1U may be used to transfer your HD footage to an editing program via IEEE-1394 (i.Link) as I mentioned earlier, but if you really want to impress someone, use the HVR-M10U deck. Powered either by AC or the camera’s lithium ion battery, you now have an HD/SD deck that does everything the camera does (except shoot, of course) and sports a built-in monitor. It even has a PAL option.
Pulling open the front cover reveals the eject button and mini-DV cassette compartment. Unfortunately, larger size DV cassettes will not fit. The menus on the HVR are identical to that of the camera, so if the camera is out on another shoot, the deck may be used to digitize your footage into an NLE.
This is another versatile piece of equipment, with RCA output and input, S-VHS output and input, component out, and IEEE-1394 connectivity. Lighter and smaller than two college textbooks, this deck is a great way to review your footage on its LCD screen or share your shots in class using a video projector. The only drawbacks with this deck are its cost and its inability to play larger cassettes, but it will save a lot of wear on your camcorder’s heads.
Understand that I’ve shot with Sony’s HD flagship, the CineAlta, and the Z1 is not in the same ballpark. Comparing a $6,000 camera with one that costs close to $100,000 is ludicrous. But in defense of the Z1, this camera gives you true HD imagery at a much more user-friendly price.
Chuck Gloman is an award-winning producer/director of photography with more than 800 commercials to his credit. He is also a member of the faculty at DeSales University. Contact him at chuck.gloman@desales.edu.
|
BK Precision Video Monitor Testers
Broad-line distributor web site features real-time stock status and pricing, online ordering, RFQ, technical support, product datasheets and photos. Audio Visual Equipment Rentals: $49 Delivery Anywhere
Daily/Weekly Rentals. Nationwide Service. Low Prices! Projectors, Screens, PA Systems, Laptops, Plasmas, Camcorders & More. Order Online or by Phone. Search for Audio and Video Cable
Broad-line distributor web site features real-time stock status and pricing, online ordering, RFQ, technical support, product datasheets and photos.
|
|
|
Government Video is part of the NewBay Media Community
copyright 2007© NewBay Media LLC.
810 Seventh Avenue, 27th Floor New York, NY 10019 T (212)378-0400 F (212)378-2160
|
|
|
