PRO

[TimurCivan]

I got a news letter from DV.com thsi is what it had to say


"Sony Unveils Pro HDV camera
HVR-Z1U camcorder: Sony aims to do HDV right with the professional-level HVR-Z1U camcorder.
Sony took the wraps off the 1080i professional HDV camcorder the industry has been waiting for, and it looks like Sony has done it right.

Building on the features of the just-shipping consumer HDR-FX1 HDV camcorder, the pro model adds support for more frame rates, SMPTE timecode, two channels of balanced XLR audio input, adjustable gamma, and DVCAM.

The HVR-Z1U records HDV at 1080i, which appears to be Sony's choice for HDV acquisition.

The camcorder records HDV, DVCAM, and DV at a wide variety of scan rates and frame rates: 60i, 50i, and 30 fps, 25 fps, or 24 fps, in either SD or HD.

The HVR-Z1U is built around three Super HAD, 1/3-inch, 16:9 native CCDs. It has a 12 X optical zoom Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T Lens and a new 14-bit A/D converter, which Sony says will improve sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio. The HVR-Z1U also proves to be rather diplomatic, with switchable 60 Hz/50 Hz recording for use in PAL countries (in addition to the aforementioned 25 frame per second support).

Other key professional features include manual iris control with 24 steps, built-in HD to SD down-conversion upon playback, Hyper Gain, and the option of simultaneous use of viewfinder and LCD display.

The HVR-Z1U should be available in February 2005 for about $4,900.

Sony also announced a companion HVR-M10U VTR, which records and plays back 1080 HDV, DVCAM, and DV (at SP speed). It also plays back HDV recorded in 720/30p. It should also be available in February for about $3,700.

Sony emphasizes an entire HDV production system, which (surprise, surprise) favors Sony gear. In addition to the HVR-M10U, Sony fills out the rest of the HDV post pathway with editing from Sony Vegas (and broad third-party support), storage on Blu-ray discs, and a reliance on Sony's new DigitalMaster tape stock. www.sony.com/professional/.

Kimberly Reed is the editor in chief of DV."




WOW!

[Nathyn]

Is it me or is there something odd about a "PRO" consumer camera for a consumer format? Note I ask but I am planning on using this for filmmaking if I get one.

-Nate

[Gary_McClurg]

This is for Barry Green our expert of experts. *Can you maybe explain again why the 25i on the Pro model would be better for a film out than let's say the 24fps on the NTSC mode of the camera?

Yes cutting down from 50i to 25i is half where 60 to 30 to 24 seems like your getting more of the stobing because of more dropped frames.

[Barry_Green]

Is it me or is there something odd about a "PRO" consumer camera for a consumer format?
Well, it's an interesting question, but the same could be said about the DVX100: DV is most certainly designed as a consumer format (Panasonic offers DVCPRO and Sony offers DVCAM for professionals) but that hasn't stopped hundreds of thousands of DV cameras from being used by professionals, for professional purposes.

The FX1/Z1U situation is really rather confusing to me in the first place... the FX1 is the "consumer" version, but it has all more switches and buttons and manual control on it than you'll find on the "pro" PD150... (except for the remarkably limited audio, of course). Way, way, way more professional control than the "pro" JVC HD10. So I'd say the designation is meaningless, and a piece of equipment is "pro" if professionals would use it in their profession.

[Barry_Green]

Can you maybe explain again why the 25i on the Pro model would be better for a film out than let's say the 24fps on the NTSC mode of the camera?
I don't know that it would be. It may be. It seems like it should be.

50i converts to 25P quite nicely, with no motion artifacts.

CineFrame 24 seems to be quite substandard, as compared to CineFrame 30. CineFrame 30 looks really good -- I haven't spent much time scrutinizing it, but superb cinematographer Jay Nemeth (who owns the FX1 I've been using) has been looking at the footage under a microscope and he says CineFrame 30 looks like it may not be losing any resolution as compared to the full interlaced frame. If so, that means CineFrame 25 should be just about as good.

That's the theory, anyway. It'll be easy enough to verify as soon as the first Z1 shows up, because all we have to do is shoot some CineFrame 24 footage and some CineFrame 25 footage, and compare them...