Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

I truly wish everyone could see the quality of picture this cam produces. I've never seen such clarity in my life. And this is true whether shooting in 24p, 30p, or 60i. It really is stunning.

Some misconceptions:

1) A lot of people reviewing this cam recommend buying a wide angle lens for it. Be aware though that the same thing is recommended for virtually any HDV and miniDV cam out there. Not one that I'm aware of comes standard with a 35mm lens, thus some people buy a wide angle lens to try and get closer to that 35mm look on the cheep. It does help, but many people will be very happy just using the lens these cams come with. The Sony V1U has a lens that comparable with just about any HDV cam out there, so don't be misled.

2) There were a number of early reviewers who spread the word that the low light performance of this cam was grainy. Actually, the low light on this cam is quite good. I have three guesses as to why this rumor started. It could be that the earliest models to ship actually did have bad low light performance for all I know. I can only tell you that my three year old V1U does very well in any lighting conditions. Second, the one fault I have with this camcorder is that it produces too bright a picture when shooting in automatic mode. So I'm guessing that some people shooting in dim lighting while using auto-mode may end-up with a picture that's using too much gain and is therefore a little grainy. Third, some people may be expecting too much of ANY cam by trying to make a scene look brighter than what it really is via boosting the gain and lowering the shutter speed. I can only tell you that when I shoot outdoors at night that with no gain at all the cam sees pretty much exactly what my eyes see. Also, Sony rates this cam at 4-lux with F1.6 at 18 dB. However, that rating is achieved in 60i. When shooting at 30p or 24p/a, (especially the latter which is what most people will use) low light shooting is dramatically improved. My old JVC SD 60i cam had a rating of 1-lux, and this cam does every bit as well in low light as my old JVC, and better in 24A.

3) The audio thing: I've simply never had a problem with the audio no matter what mics I used. I can record anything from a shotgun on voices to small condenser stereo mics recording things like classical guitar, and it sounds just as good recorded in this cam as it does recorded to my digital recorder. If there's a drop-off below 1,222Hz it must be a very gradual one because it's simply unnoticeable. Either someone is making mountains from molehills or they got a faulty cam out of the box.

Color reproduction is just superb on this cam. Some cams seem to favor greens (DVX100) and some reds (Canon - almost any model), but the colors seem perfectly balanced on the V1U. The cine/gamma tones are exceptional at the factory settings, but you can mess with them to your heart's desire.

The white balance is so good with the indoor or outdoor settings that I've quit doing it manually. I could never make things look any better.

I pretty much never use gain on a cam, but just testing it on this unit I found that it's very good. There's very little noise up to 9db and even at 18db it's still acceptable in most applications.

Shutter speeds all the way down to 1/3. What more could you ask for?

Auto focus is among the best I've ever used, and that's important when shooting in HDV.

Cons:

I never shoot in automatic, but for those who do, like I said earlier, beware that the picture produced even in bright daylight conditions is simply too bright in my opinion and not at all what your eyes see. That's the only negative aspect of this camcorder that I've yet to come across. Also, if you're viewing material at YouTube shot in 24p/a using this cam (or any other), keep in mind that YT tends to do a bad job converting material shot in 24p and makes things a little jumpy. The original footage is not like that in any way.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

The audio is difficult to work with as far as knowing which input goes to what channel and also adjusting the actual level...not very easy to work with..the rest of the camera is fine..i did have one point where there was a timecode break during taping which was a headache in post production...I used the product as a multi camera production, looks great with the proper lighting, i am happy with the camera

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

I enjoy to use these two videocam. Therefore, I bought two videocameras and only one of them has provided full the acesories included. It's because one of them didn't has the big eyecup and the remote control unit.[...]Thank you.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

The Sony HVR-V1U HDV does everything we need and more. It is easy to use the zoom capability is awesome. The auto function makes it a breeze for novices and our professionals enjoy all the bells and whistles. We stream live to the internet and it interfaces with ease to our other equipment. Thank you.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

GREAT Picture!

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

I've used this camera to tape a couple weddings now and I love it. Great picture and great audio. The controls are super easy to navigate as well.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

Use for school plays, and videoing my son's singing performances. 1080I is awesome recording. Only feature i wish it had was more length on the minidv's, sometimes I need up to two hours. purchase a mic it is well worth the investment to get the right equipment for such a great camera.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

We have a long history of Sony camcorders PD-150's, 170's X10's, so this is the next generation OK. Happy to see old batteries work with it. Great to be able to shoot on tape. Good features, like the menu. What is with the pig tale connections? I hook cameras together for EFP, but I don't know with these. We let the public check them out next month, that will be a true test!!

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

Camera works great once you learn how to use it, does not do so well in low light and is a pain to deal with. Would have gone with the panasonic instead, because of the 3CCD in it.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

I found this item extremely versatile. As a new movie maker, handling was exceptionally encouraging. Lots of room for experimenting

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

This is a great camera for someone who has control of their lighting conditions. If you plan to shoot in low light I probably would pick a camera with a better lux value

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

I have used this product 12 times since we purchased it. Great product for the money. It workes well with the Sony ahrd disc recorder the DVR60. Its a great workflow and quite nice with Final Cut Pro. Saves lots of time. The cameras are good, wish there were nor buttons like for backlight and spotlight features, they were there on the FX1, but on this model they got placed within the menu feature, which makes it hard while shooting to switch between. Also the 24p feature is kind of criptic, as it is not labled, so it takes some reaing to figure out.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

I am new to HDV video, so I was quite skeptical prior to purchasing my HVR-V1U. I did plenty of research before stumbling on this camera. My filming style consist of everything from family memories, to green screen craziness. I found the my this model provides all of the necessary tools to accomplish whatever filming task I set out to do. I am completely satisfied with this product and I am still just in the discovery phase of it!

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

Now, I'm not a professional by any means. What I bought this camera for was for our family use, for work, and to tape our services at church. I wanted a clear picture that worked well in low light. I got it! Not knowing how to adjust and all the fancy stuff it will do, I still shot a great video before learning any of those things. I since have learned some stuff not all and the picture is amazing. I can't wait to get a blu ray burner to burn in hd.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

The first test of this camera was recording a live concert that took place in a theater. This show was very intense as far as the varying array of lights used and I had to change the iris constantly. The camera handled it beautifully and I walked away with some fantastic HD footage. I was able to easily stay in focus and it worked out great. So far I am impressed and will continue to see how it goes. The only this I have yet to master on the camera is the mic options. There is no internal mic and therefore it is tricky setting up the sound correctly if you don't want to mix it. Still even with that it gets 5 stars easily.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

Great little camera. I miss having an iris wheel but I'm quickly adjusting to the sony system. The only complaint I have is the low light. Had money not been an issue I would've opted for the Z5u.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

I used this camera on a 2-camera shoot with my PD170 and could match the pictures up easily. The digital zoom works really well without degrading the picture. The power button can be easily shut off by accident - takes a little getting used to. Nice big fold-out viewfinder.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

A really great camera and the price point is wonderful! I am a pro videographer and this camera is perfect for shoots when a larger camera would be difficult to use. I shoot many videos for hospitals and the camera has the flexibility to shoot in almost any situation (except for very low light). The manual exposure controls are easy to use and even easier to get to quickly. The menu system is concise and intuitive. The 24p mode is superb. I can't say enough good things about this camera[...]

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

This camera does exactly what I wanted when I was shopping. It has XLR audio inputs, so I can attach mics. The user interface is easy to work with. I like the rail on the top of the camera. This allows me to get walking shots with ease. The unit fits in your hand and delivers a professional-looking picture.

Comments about Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder:

The camera has performed well so far. I hope the rebate from Sony is forthcoming.