Hands on with the Sony HVR-Z1

by Phil Millard

We had the opportunity to use the professional model HVR-Z1E in early January when Sony Europe brought one down to the Louvre Museum, where we were shooting a documentary on HDCAM with the HDW-730S. They were in Paris filming a promo piece for the launch of the HVR- Z1E and needed some footage of someone working with the camera. We were more than happy to check it out.

The first thing we noticed was that the HVR-Z1E records and plays back in DVCAM, consumer DV and in the HDV formats of 50i and 60i making it compatible with the PAL and NTSC worlds. Having seen the results of shooting in HDV at 50i with our own HDR-FX1 (the prosumer model) it's hard to imagine that anyone would want to continue in the other formats but until things settle down and HDV begins to really make its mark it's a great do it all/multi format camera where material shot on HDV can be easily down converted to SD and viewed on an SD monitor.

From an operator's point of view these smaller cameras are never going to compete with true High-Def Camcorders, for a number of reasons. Even with its Zeiss lens, optically it just can't compete. A good ENG style HD zoom lens from the likes of Canon or Fujinon will give far superior results and let an operator's fingers work in a way that would be second nature.

There is a real misconception with Handycam style camerasÖ that they are good for hand-held work. It really depends on what you mean by 'hand-held'. In the majority of cases hand-held means on-the-shoulder, and these small cameras are not built for that kind of operation, although you can throw them around in ways that you couldn't, or wouldn't, with a professional broadcast camera.

The controls and switches are fiddly and hard to find, and focussing the camera can at times be very frustrating - not least due to Sony's continued insistence on a lens ring that has no markings and turns without end.

All that said, if you are really comfortable with the PD170 style of camcorder then you will love this camera. Shooting in true 16:9 could possibly test some newcomers to the ratio but has to be seen as the way forward. For those who need it, safety markers for 4:3 can be used whilst shooting 16:9 1080, or indeed if shooting in DV mode, one can just switch over to a 4:3 format.

The HVR-Z1E is making some efforts to be a pro camera, and Sony has drawn on some of the improvements the PD-170 had over the PD-150.

Serious users would want to get to grips with the built-in menus that offer up control of saturation, detail, gamma, colour grab etc, with a number of presets and custom settings that are available.

Being able to switch between colour and black and white in the viewfinder is a good move as a black and white image does aid with focussing and the fact that an operator can use the viewfinder whilst the LCD screen is open at the same time will certainly appeal to some. We found the placement of the LCD a bit too high to operate comfortably with the camera up at eye level. The most practical position for the camera is probably just slightly above chest height, although this tends to lead to over use of the wide end of the zoom lens, which is either something that you like or you don't.

It will be interesting to see how owners make use of the Cine-Frame modes that allow the camera to record a 'film look' at 24, 25 and 30 fps. This is an area that Panasonic and Canon have already explored with their small cameras with some success, offering a true progessive mode. At the moment one would have to say that Cine-Frame is a gimmick along the lines of night vision, fade ups and other digital effects that were first made use of in the PD-150.

One thing is for sure, HDV is going to push on in both the pro and not-so-pro markets. With accessories already available, folk are going to dress up HVR-Z1 cameras to resemble broadcast cameras, with better mics, matte-boxes and follow focus units, as well as making use of rigs to help with hand held operation.

It's early days and there's lots going to be said about the HDV format in the coming months. There will be 'misconceptions' brought about by over-zealous retailers, as Sony's entire consumer line starts to transition to HDV.

But the HVR-Z1 will surely become the flagship prosumer HDV camera this year. And, ignoring its limitations in terms of being a professional acquisition tool, it offers entry into the world of 'HD' at a very low price point.