Sony V1U Issues ?

[robfilms]

I'm thinking about a used V1U for a run & gun doc i have coming up in january. the doc will be screened as a trailer on the web and distribued via sd dvd. i thought i would shoot hdv input into fcp5 and spit out as sd. i was intrigued by the v1u because of 16x9 along with a decent lens.

i know run & gun is hard on hd camera ops. how reliable is the v1u autofocus? lots of hunting? can i rely on the v1u monitor for critical focus? any work around?

i know hdv loses 2+ stops of light to a sd camera. i will often be in small offices, dark hallways, elevators, staircases. i was hoping i could use all of this darkness to help paint the visual part of the narrative. just how much gain will the v1u take before noise/blotchiness because unacceptable?

i've read about various issues with the v1u audio. rf drop outs. audio record volume too low. since alot of the run & gun will have me flying solo, i'm hoping to use a shotgun outdoors and a condensor mic indoors. i was going mic->mixpre->camera. care to share your thoughts on any audio issues you have run up against?

finally, why shouldn't i use the v1u?

thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts

be well

rob

[videohead]

V1U holds up great in low light. The CMOS gives you lots of headroom, so you can somewhat "safely" crank up the gain to get back those 2 stops. Autofocus is very solid, better than any of the Canon cameras and light years better than the VX-2000! You might also look at the HC-1 for run and gun - smaller, lighter, single CMOS.

Never had problems with the audio - the auto gain is great at low levels. I've read those posts, too and I am scratching my head, wondering where they put the mic . . . let's face it you can get bad audio with anything. The "drop outs" are what happens when the camera goes in and out of standby - not a problem getting audio to tape, but freaky if you don't know what to listen for.
The shotgun that comes with the V1U is a professional short condenser and holds up great. I've A/B'ed it with a sennheiser and it des great at close range.
The great thing about the V1u - low cost of ownership. I've taken it places I never would have taken a higher priced camera. It's durable and fairly rugged.

[EvoVideo]

Hey videohead, how many stops do you think you can go up to with the V1u. Can you go to 12db and be safe???? I'm having issues in low light as well and was told to NEVER go above 6db because of all the noise:( I shoot a lot of dark receptions for my wedding videography company so I need a camera that will shoot well in low light and not get to grainy. I bought the V1U liking the fact that it was a lot like my PD150 BUT not in low light. I knew HD cameras were bad in low light BUT man this V1U is tough to get a good picture out of in low light:(

Thanks a bunch...

[Notlad]

Evo,

I am going to shoot weddings with my two V1U's but have not done so yet. I have been shooting bands in nightclubs and I can tell you that if I try to go to 12db gain the grain makes it unusable. I am setting gain at 9db and still get some pretty bad grain occasionally. Overall though I have been pleasantly surprised after reading so many negative comments about the V1 in low light.

[Geco]

I use V1U all the time in dark conditions; all you have to do is disallow the stretch mode in the picture profile setup inside blk compnstn, and use a cinema tone. That way you can go up to 15db without to much noise, otherwise you'll have a very nasty noise. Any way, never use 18db. The Stretch system is good in very contrast situations but in day light. http://www.gecoproducciones.cl

[homes1955]

Heh guys,
I'm working with a V1U and I'm happy with performance. Only problem I've run into is on two occassions in the last 3 months the color balance has shifted on me shooting outdoors. I'll stop tape reframe and hit the button and it goes blue, like I have turned a filter wheel.