Sony HVR-A1U - Camcorder HDV

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I have to agree, it's not good in low light indoors unless you're using stage lighting. I shot a couple of bands with it and got fantastic results. In reguler houshold light, filming the dogs playing or my grand kids can't be done. It looks like mud with little detail, and that's with the apperature opened up. Recording with the external mike is good but could use better bottom end but you can get a better mic for it, I use the Rhode NT2. I did a famouse American Idol video when I did sound for the event and taking the board directly into the XLR inputs was superb!! Crystal clear and very wide range in Hz. And that was mono going into #1 channel and sending the signal to both. I do a good sound job for major acts from time to time and if you're into this, you know the mix out front is different for recording due to speakers and accoustics ect, ect. I played with it a little and got the best of both worlds and whew!! I was stunned at the quality sound. I expected it to be thin sounding but it wasn't. Indoors, I used it under stage lighting and also got fantastic results. I do wish it was better in low light though. I do the ghost hunting thing and the night shot isn't very good, the light is very narrow beamed and weak. You need an external IR light. Bottom loading problems?? As mentioned in the other reviews, buy the adapter. I use two of them stacked togeter. That gives me plenty of room and don't have to remove the camera from the tripod. That works too, no need to gripe if you do it. They have a pin in them so it doesn't turn or anything when fussing with it. I bought the Sony wide and tele conversion lenses, they make a difference but not much. The 40x digital zoom gives some noise but that's normal for digital zooms. If you need it for wild life, I don't know of any accessories to give you a good distant shot and the digital will be a little grainy, kind of looks like it's under water. It would be good for spying though, I used it for this already to get local druggies trafficing and it 's great for that but remember to turn off your record light on the front. I forgot once and was spotted! The controls are ok but if you're in low light they should be more prominent so you can find them easily in the event you have to keep your eye on the screen. I would recommend this camera for a first time up grade to an older camera but go the next step up for low light using a larger sensor or 3 chip. For me personally, this has been a great find since I got it for [$] on line with only about 5 hours on the heads. The touch screen is cool and easy to use and if I can do it, so can you. The Auto pilot is way good for beginners, you'll get great results right out of the box.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

Camera is good in bright conditions, terrible in low light. Bottom tape loading was a bad design on this camera. Humidity sensor failed after 2nd year of user. This cost $500.00 to repair then the touch screen failed. I scrapped it after the second failure. Wouldn't recommend this camera.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I've been using this camcorder for about a year. I was introduced to it during my master's journalism degree. it's easy and light to operate. it has external mic inputs, which is imperative for interviews. I'm a freelance travel writer and blogger, and producing short videos for my work is easy and fun with this camcorder. The battery life lasts only for an hour, so maybe getting a larger battery would help in longer shoot days. Otherwise, I couldn't be more satisfied with this camcorder -- the best for its value for sure.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I got this camcorder 2 days before my first wedding... Love the quality of image and the size.
I still learning, and every time that I learn something new I just realize how great is this camera.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

Took this for a documentary. Picture quality is superb even in low ligh conditions

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

This camera is really good for Churches! I am the Tv Ministry Directory at my church and we make all of our promos with it and the picture is so great and the XLR adaptor is so neat and such a great idea!

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

Used for Church production and DVDs... the XLR jacks are a great advancement over our older cameras... Very impressed so far! Would be nice of you could write video to the Card and not the tape... only draw back.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I love this camera! I have had it for 3 years with out a problem. I've used it all over the USA, Canada and will be using it in the middle east soon. The video is really good outside with it being ok indoors. But for the price excellent. The best part of this camera is the size, i've used big cams in the past but hated the heavy weight and in-mobility these offered. The reason for 4 stars is that the low light could be better and the tape location isnt the best but all in all a Great Cam!!!

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I would love to own 5 of these camera's. The mic setup is GREAT!! It is EVERYTHIONG you need for the shots. I LOVE that it's perfect in your hand.
GREAT product!
Daniel Hamby,
Inventor of the CPT1019 Pan Tilt System

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

Sony's design dealing with tape exchange is terrible.
You have to take off the camera from the tripod, remove the tripod plate and eject the tape, put a new one in, put the tripod plate back on and return it to the tripod! TERRIBLE!

Also, I am experiencing a loss of sound due to a short out with the XLR adapter. In particular it is the +48V switch that is bad. To buy a used adapter is $325!

When it is working the sound is great, but I'm afraid of losing sound on a job.

not good.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

Overall good camera. But here is downside... The touchscreen does not work anymore. Which means you cannot by anyway access the menu functions. How stupid could SONY be to not be able to access them at least with the remote or a button on the cam. Now I am at a complete standstill, lost two jobs because of that AND to top it off, to repair I HAVE to send to LA at 135 an hour plus parts, and if I refuse repair, I still have to pay 135 bucks. Thanks SONY, you guys really messed up with this Camera.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I used this camera to shoot a short 16 min. movie, entitled "Lady Dead." To see the results go to you tube and search "Lady Dead Movie Trailer." The XLR inputs are key to shooting a professional movie with professional sound.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I use it to shoot commercials and news and feature stories. The camera is very good and shoots at a high level. It is not always easy to use the microphones. I went on a shoot and had video but no audio and now have to go back and shoot another video. The camera is very impressive otherwise.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

Perfect to use everywhere, and also shows a great image, picture, sound and zoom

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

the audio is fantastic the extra place to hook up mikes and stuff is one of the best features. It also can convert hdv to dv or keep it as HDV some other cool effects include sepia shooting, blurred shots, as well as black and white. The touch screen is very nice to have, but it is nothing revolutionary. The picture quality is just OK. I have seen much better quality film on cheaper models. It shoots in a max of 1080i. Night vision is another cool feature. Although, i have found that the infrared DOES NOT shoot well past 15 ft nor does it shoot through car windows(inside to out) unless outside of vehicle is exposed to light. So far no problems with the camera, but something that is very important that i almost overlooked is the fact that the picture in a dim area is very poor even with the exposure adjusted.[...]

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I'm not a genius about cameras but I got it for short film projects and it works great. I love the extreme close zoom ins, and the fact that I can manually focus to do quick switches from the foreground to the background in a shot. I love that turning it fast for different sorts of shots it doesn't blur! Some reviews say it's bad in low light, but of course, no camera sees as good as the human eye. That's why you buy lighting equipment or turn a light on

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I have used this camera since 2006 and I'm totally pleased with its performance. Actually, I'm on my 3rd camera at this time (the other two were damaged through extreme usage). The beauty of the A1-U is it's small size, yet great picture quality (in good light). Yes, the single chip design does not facilitate good low-light filming, that's why it has a 7-lux rating. Beyond that, the world awaits.

I've taken the A-1U into some extreme environments and have always come away with great results. From 120-feet underwater to the 19,341 foot, sub-zero summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the camera performed flawlessly. The combination of just enough weight, compact size and great image stabilization allows for sharp picture quality in tight spaces and live action shooting situations like skiing, cycling and other sports.

There's a reason the A1-U has been in production for over 5-years. It fit's a need. Outstanding picture quality, lots of programable functions, XLR audio, phenomenal macro capability (especially useful underwater) all wrapped-up in 1.5lb. bundle of performance.

For studio or location shooting where filters are needed the Cavision 3x3 matte box with mini-rail system is a perfect fit to the A1-U.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

Needed a small camcorder to record conference training. Since speakers have microphones during the sessions, I needed a direct input line and this camera had it in the price point I was looking for.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

I am using the camera for a professional video job. I was surprised (bad on me for not doing enough research) when I had trouble downloading the HDV onto my computer for editing in Media Composer. I was also disappointed that I could not listen to the audio directly from the camera during recording. It is light-weight, and with the large battery, it makes for a productive day.

Comments about Sony HVRA1U HDV Camcorder:

Use this product for church services and the only problem we are still working with is trying to get good sound quality when using XLR input. Otherwise great camera love using it. Great for kids basketball games.