Is the V1 a has been already?

Ronbo

Ronbo

Active member
Every time I come to this forum looking for some chatter about the V1 I see that all the post are old.

Is no one talking about this camera? I want to know how people are using this amazing camera. Let’s talk about how you are using the V1.
 
I was really interested in this camera until I saw the XH A1. At this lower price point (can be found for less than 3100) it seems like it is the one the beat.

Coincidentally, there is a lot of discussion on the boards about the A1 - and a lot of great footage posted.
 
From what I've noticed the V1 isn't popular because:

1) A higher price point than the XH-A1 while failing to offer a significantly more attractive feature set.
2) Smaller CMOS chip which is a concerned for DOF and low light performance.
3) The "oil paint effect" which may or may not have been a technical glitch but neverless have scared away potential buyers.
4) The conception that the Sony's image isn't as "filmlike." Not commenting on whether this is true or false, just pointing this out.
 
Marcel Zyskind who shoots digital for Michael Winterbottom: "In this World", "9 Songs" and "Road to Guantanamo" has chosen the V1 after doing various tests with other cameras including Super 16. In the end decided to got with V1 saying it looked like the Super 16mm without the grain when printed to film. Don't know if that helps
 
I think I saw “Road to Guantanamo” at blockbuster. Do you know if it was shot to tape or tethered to a computer?
 
There seems to be a lot more chatter about the XHA1 than the V1 online, but the guys from the AV shops down here tell me they're selling way more V1s than XHA1s - might simply be that the guys with the Sonys are out there shooting stuff whilst the Canon guys are simply talking about shooting stuff.

That said, I've seen much more convincing A1 footage posted by Canon people, than I've seen convincing V1 footage posted by Sony people. I think the Canon is the camera to beat at the moment. And it's the only camera the seems to come close to the DVX/HVX juggernaught in terms of online forum support. Just take a look at any of the "HVX or XHA1?" threads. I get the impression no one's all that excited about the V1.
 
might simply be that the guys with the Sonys are out there shooting stuff whilst the Canon guys are simply talking about shooting stuff.
Click to expand...

Did you get this backwards?
 
No, but I can see that I haven't phrased that as clearly as I meant to - clearly the A1 users are shooting lots with their cameras and the results they're posting speak for themselves.

My point is that (down here at least) there are apparently far more V1s being sold and shot with than XHA1s but in spite of that, I have no idea what people with V1s are doing with their cameras - they sure as hell don't post the results they're getting anywhere that I can see.
 
ive shot and compared both. V1 was a great camera on paper that fell short in the real world. Im not exactly sure what causes the issues - my take is the CMOS technology used was not quite ready for the application.

Incidently for those interested the Sony V1 is priced below the A1 here in Japan and is basically just trying to play catch up.

In Aus grug there is of course a lot of Sony loyalty amongst consumers and Ill think you will find (due the lack of really knowelgeable staff in places you can buy them) that staff push the Sony more.
 
moldcad said:
I had the Canon, and returned it to buy the Sony.
Click to expand...

If you shared some of your reasons that could help those of us who are trying to decide between the two.

At the moment the Sony doesn't really seem like an option for me since the new 24f codec they have is not supported by Final Cut.

What did you not like about the Canon?
 
Yes, please tell us more.

What made you chose the Sony over the Cannon?

What was so disappointing that you would return a cam that you had already purchased?

Are you still happy with your decision?
 
The v1 doesn't use 24f, it has true 24p imbedded in a 30 i frame rate. The tapes will play on any sony hdv deck.
 
I was weighing the purchase of a V1 against the XHA1. Then Canon announced the HV20, and I decided to pick one up.

Overall, I've enjoyed the little HV20. I'm going to wait and see what the next generation of prosumer cams brings (ie. the XHA2 vs. V2 vs. HVX200a!).
 
We've done product training on both cameras and, as usual, company A says it's product is better than company B because of how it does blah blah blah, while Company B uses the same reasoning to say the opposite.
In real world shooting I think it comes down to: can you really see a difference in depth of field with the different chip sizes, and do you really need true 24p?
The Sony has some useful features like last scene review, and I dig the smaller form factor. As soon as we saw a pre-production V1U we put a number on order and they sat around collecting dust while we couldn't keep up with the demand for XH-A1s. However, just recently there seems to be some buzz generating around the V1U and sales are strong.
I would recommend either camera without hesitation. Also, I was able to capture to the Sony DR-60 from the A1 but haven't tried to drop the footage into FCP yet.
 
ANy FCP users of the Sony V1? If so add a 3 way cc to any footage that has any dark areas. Turn the mids up max - of course you wouldnt do this in the real world but - when you do, you can clearly see the blocking that turned me off the cam.
 
Actually Ill save you all the trouble - see images below. Please note that turning the mids up only serves to highlight the problem -

I had the same thing on everything I shot on the V1

ORIGINAL
1183024297.jpg


MIDS UP - BLOCKY
1183024451.jpg


I want to point out also that the V1 does have some nice features - just one for example is the focus assist, one of the best I have seen. Just cant deal with that image issue.
 
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