HDV CAMERA OPTIONS
A few months ago on this page I suggested that for most people who come to CameraClass workshops the choice came down to mainly two cameras, the Sony Z1P or the Sony A1P.
In late 2006 however some new models were released. They are the Sony HVR-V1P, and two serious competitors to the Sony line-up, the Canon XH A1 and XH G1. Though the choices now are greater, the decision for many may be made easier - but more on this later.
First a brief (still applicable) condensed and updated explanation of why many of the other HDV cameras didn't make the list, and then a quick recap of the Z1P and A1P, the two original contenders.
HDV cameras that missed the cut.
The Canon XL H1 is an excellent camera but it lacks an LCD, which clearly many prefer to use (see pics on site for proof - I have yet to see one at a workshop), the JVC HD100 is aimed more toward professional shooters, lacks auto focus and has from some accounts post-production 'issues'. However both these cameras have interchangeable lenses, which many would perceive as a benefit. The Panasonic HVX-200, also an otherwise excellent camera, only shoots HD to memory cards. These 8G cards (the camera has 2 'slots') cost around AUD$2,500 each and hold about 8 minutes of HD - fine for drama but not for documentaries, where you could be shooting 3-4 hours on some days.
A point worth mentioning is that Sony and Canon share the same HDV system whereas other makers have their own proprietary systems. This is a problem for post-production houses when deciding which format to go with, as unlike the Betacam format, a tape shot on any make of Betacam camera could be played back in any make of Betacam deck.
Re-cap of the Sony HVR-Z1P and Sony HVR-A1P
As part of the Camera Class, Leo and I talk to and advise many course participants, about purchasing new camera and sound equipment. People in many cases who are not accustomed to handling cameras at all, but who now either have to pick one up as part of their 'day job', or who want to take advantage of the low cost and accessibility to start making their own films.
The dilemma for most was is these two cameras are SO different, in size and complexity! Many find the Z1P too bulky and heavy to hold comfortably, especially with a radio mic attached. If they are unfamiliar or inexperienced with earlier DV cameras like the DV/DVCAM Sony PD150/170s, many also find it too complex.
As a rule more expensive cameras have more accessible controls without having to delve into the menu and the Z1P has a multitude of control. This is a 'good thing', but regrettably some of the most frequently used controls on the Z1P are poorly placed which is a 'bad thing', especially for hand-holding. This is obviously less of a concern if you mainly use the camera on a tripod. (read Tony Wilson's review on the Sony HRV Z1P, 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly')
Speaking of tripods, the most annoying and REALLY SILLY 'feature' of the A1P is that the tape loads from underneath the camera. This means that when you use the camera on a tripod and need to change a tape, you must first take the camera off the tripod, then unscrew the tripod plate from underneath the camera - before being able to eject and change the tape. Having done this you then (taking a deep breath) have to reverse the whole process before being set to shoot! This 'feature' alone must have improved the sales of the smaller Manfrotto tripods that at least have a plate that doesn't require a screwdriver to remove!
On the brighter side the A1P is smaller and lighter, though less so with a wide-angle lens (see note below) and a radio mic attached, so weight is less of an issue. What does concern many, particularly those more used to the previously mentioned PD150/170s (the most popular DV cameras in the broadcast area), is the lack of accessibility to controls. Too often to get to regularly used features you have to go into the menu (which means having the LCD open - it's a 'touch screen' system), and this can be very frustrating. Another issue is that the audio channels Auto settings are not independent of each other. That is, you can't set one audio channel to MANUAL and the other to AUTO. Either both have to be on auto or both on manual
So - though both cameras have good and bad points there is no 'middle ground' and the choice between the Z1P and V1P is difficult!
Note: A1P wide-angle lenses. Be aware that the Sony wide-angle lens does not come with a lens-shade, and unfortunately the Century lens-shade does not fit either! For this reason I strongly recommend the Century wide-angle as you can at least buy a lens shade to suit. A good lens shade is a necessity for wide-angle lenses with such large front glass elements.
THE NEW HDV CONTENDERS
Sony HVR-V1P
As I mention earlier even though there are now more models to choose from, for some the choice will be made easier as one of the cameras, the Sony HVR-V1P is an HDV version of the popular DV/DVCAM Sony PD150/170 cameras. Aside from the obvious picture quality improvement the most appealing feature of the camera for many will be its size, fitting neatly between the smaller A1P and larger Z1P.
Other noteworthy features are its 20-1 lens, ability to shoot 25p progressive pictures, an LCD that swings out from the side of the camera like the PD150/170s (same size and quality as the Z1), 6 'Assign' (User) buttons, and the ability to shoot limited bursts of (much lesser quality) true slow-motion - a first for this type of camera. Another first is the ability, at the push of an 'Assign' button (when set up), to view the last scene shot, in its entirety. You’ll need headphones on to hear the sound though as the speaker doesn’t appear to function when using this!
Another new feature is the flexibility of control over exposure by allowing aperture, shutter and gain to be controlled in manual or auto either separately or in combination, a bit like a Chinese soup. You find the three options in the 'Camera Set' menu. Go to 'Exposure/Iris' then 'Dial Assign'. The camera 'Auto Lock' needs to be in the centre position, and 'Cam Data Display' will need to be 'On' to use these.
In 'Exposure 1' with the iris in manual, (where you see an 'E' for exposure next to the reading) - the iris and gain are linked, so 'winding' the Exposure/Iris wheel past its maximum opening of f1.6, will start to introduce gain - but the shutter stays locked (in PAL cameras) at 1/50 sec.
In auto iris all three exposure controls iris/gain/shutter will 'float', with the gain coming in only after the iris is fully open. The shutter defaults to 1/50 sec. but after the iris reaches a limit of f6.2 will increase to compensate for brighter light conditions. You can still set the gain and/or shutter independently to manual with the gain and shutter buttons at the rear of the camera (and change their settings with the menu wheel) - but not when the iris is locked in manual.
In 'Exposure 2' with the iris in manual, the iris is NOT linked to the gain. With the iris in auto - the same as Exposure 1 above, except that when gain comes in after the iris is fully open, moving the iris to manual locks the gain (and shutter) and the Exposure/Iris wheel only varies the iris.
In 'Iris (the closest setting to other Sony cameras) with the iris in manual, the Exposure/Iris wheel only controls the exposure and the gain and shutter can be independently set to auto or manual. When in auto, they have an 'A' (for auto) against their reading and in manual just the f-stop reading. In this mode the iris can be closed down to f11, and if desired, fully closed. Confused - I am!
If you want the camera to only show these when they are operating in manual (like most other Sony cameras), then go to the 'Display Set' menu, then to 'Cam Data Display' - and turn it off. A nice touch is the option to display the audio levels when both channels are set to auto - very useful.
Thankfully the iris control is now back as a standout button, with the Exposure/Iris wheel close by. Like the Z1, you also have the option to vary the colour balance 7 steps warmer or cooler, in 500K increments, when operating in the Daylight pre-set mode. On the Z1 you had to access this via the camera menu or set them to 'Assign' buttons, on the V1 you do it through the 'Menu' wheel, much easier.
The 20-1 lens is a big improvement on the earlier PD150/170 lenses that were 12-1 and necessitated the almost permanent attachment of a supplementary wide-angle lens. A rough test showed the V1 to be only about 8% 'tighter' against a fully zoomed wide Z1. The 35mm equivalents are 37.4mm on the V1 against 32.5mm on the Z1. For those still with PD150/170s, about half way between having and not having the wide-angle on.
One very good move by Sony is to include a camera mic - possibly the same as fitted to earlier 150/170 cameras, and an HDMI port for connecting to your new Plasma or LCD screen!
Sensitivity is certainly better than I had read about in some of the pre-production model tests - in my opinion about half a stop slower than the Z1. The pictures look pretty good and even at full +18db gain still quite acceptable, though of noticeably lower quality in low light than the Z1.
I think most people will be happy with the pictures coming out of the camera and as mentioned above there are many really useful features, some not found on other cameras yet.
There are three areas however I should mention, where there is a noticeable difference between the camera and its bigger sibling the Z1. In low light the Z1 is significantly better, it's not that the V1 is particularly bad, rather that the Z1 is particularly good! (And the Canon A1/G1 better).
I also found the auto focus to be a problem when panning, even at a medium speed. This was often noticeable in reasonable light but particularly noticeable in low light. In some situations even when using the lens at its widest I'd be thinking about locking the focus on manual. Again as with the low light issue, ignoring the comparisons, the V1 is very acceptable, but seen against the larger chip Z1 proves a point - size does matter!
Here are some other features that may not suit everyone. One is that though the Ch1 and Ch2 audio channels are independent, when a microphone in Channel 1 is set to record to both channels (CH1/CH2) both channels have to be used in the same mode - either manual or automatic. Also the TRIM controls in XLR inputs have only two settings, -8db and -16db, to cut back levels but nothing to increase levels like the Z1.
Nice camera. (RRP for the Sony HVR-V1P is approximately AUD$7,000).
Should you need or wish to bypass the digitising process and immediately start editing Sony also have a small 60G hard-disk that attaches to the camera hot-shoe and can record 4.5 hours of DV or HDV. (RRP for the HVR-DR60 is AUD$2,950).
Canon XH A1 and XH G1
The other and to me as a professional 'shooter' more interesting addition to the HDV line-up is the Canon XH A1/G1, as I see this camera as being the first serious competition to Sony's hold on the ever expanding 'prosumer' market. The A1 and G1 are essentially the same camera with the same specifications however the G1 has additional Genlock, Time Code and HD SD-SDI terminals - not a requirement for regular shooting purposes, (especially at an extra $5,000) but useful in a broadcast studio or multi-cam environment. In this short review I'll just be referring to the A1, though my comments apply to both models.
The A1 is about the same size though lighter than the Z1 and to my mind better balanced. It has a 20-1 lens (32.5mm-650mm in 35mm terms) which though displaying the same specs as the Z1 lens at the wide end of the zoom, in tests proved noticeably wider. Being a 20-1 as against the 12-1 of the Z1 it goes significantly tighter on the telephoto end of the zoom, excellent for filming sporting events and wild-life. The camera shoots 25p progressive pictures (which Canon call 25f) and has an LCD (again, smaller than the Z1).
AND A VERY SOUND UPDATE FROM LEO
Noise Reduction and the Sony PD150
During our recent workshop, I did get some sound feedback that I thought I should pass on to you. One of the participants who uses a PD150, mentioned some problems he came across using the NS (Noise Reduction) setting. Basically his experience was that when recording with the AGC and NS menu settings both set to ON, he was getting some peculiar distortion, particularly when the levels were high. If anyone has had similar problems please let me know, but in the light of that information, I would like to review my recommendation and suggest, unless you have a good reason to - leave the NS set to OFF.
Noise Reduction and the Sony Z1
Using the NS (Noise Reduction) in the 'ON' setting for the Sony Z1 camera can sometimes eliminate 'hum' which occasionally occurs when using the Rode microphone on the camera. A contradiction I know - but I don't make the equipment - I use it!
Call it synchronicity but a few days after Leo wrote this I was recording some narration on my Z1 and getting a similar distortion. It was in a dead quiet studio otherwise I may not have noticed it, and was like a build up of electrical interference that at the end of a sentence quickly died away. I tried lots of different things including bypassing the mic extension lead I was using and a different mic. After much faffing around the problem was finally solved - by turning the MIC NR (described in the Instruction Manual as 'Select to reduce noise from the microphone') to OFF. Without actually hearing the noise myself on the PD150 I can't be sure it was the same, but it does seem rather a coincidence. TW
