In the wake of JVC’s 2003 launch of the first consumer HDV camera, Sony
has released the company’s first "professional" HDV camera, the HVR-Z1U
Professional HDV camcorder (also called "the Z1" by Sony marketing).
Offering 3 CCDs, pro audio features and the ability to record DVCAM and
1080i HDV, the HVR-Z1U has been eagerly anticipated as the Next Big
Thing to rock the media technology industry.

I was lucky to receive the first HVR-Z1U camera available for review,
and put it through its paces. I found the technology and image quality
of the camera to be pretty impressive, and the HVR-Z1U, with a feature
set that is somewhere between DV cameras and full-fledged HD camera,
seems like a logical entry point to HD production. While not
necessarily the best solution for large-scale professional HD
production, Sony’s HDV cameras will undoubtedly usher in a new wave of
consumer HD interest.

The $3,700 HDR-FX1 consumer and the $5,946 HVR-Z1U Professional HDV
camcorders share some impressive features. First, both systems can
record both a DV signal and a 1080i signal to tape. On the HDR-FX1, the
DV signal is recorded as a standard miniDV format, while the HVR-Z1U
records the DV stream onto a DVCAM tape format.

Each camera also offers dramatically improved imagery compared to
footage from JVC’s first offering, thanks to the use of three CCDs, a
nice Carl Zeiss lens and a higher encoding data rate.

In stepping up to the pro version (HVR-Z1U), you add in over 40
additional features, most of which fall into the refinements category.
However, there are a few must-have features, including component
outputs, 1080i to 480i down conversion, XLR inputs, and switchable NTSC
or PAL operation. The HVR-Z1U has six different presets where you can
store your color, gamma, skin detail and other image refinements. The
camera has one preset and two user defined white balanced presets, as
well as an adjustable iris, gain and shutter controls.

To improve the image, the HVR-Z1U features two gamma settings, called
"Cinematones" and a "Black Stretch" feature. The Cinematone feature
adds a film-like S curve to the gamma, while the "Black Stretch"
feature boosts the level of blacks in a signal to improve a pictures
overall dynamic range. While these features are good, it would have
been nice to see a greater variety and control over gamma settings,
such as those you find in the Panasonic DVX100A or Canon XL2.

Techno babble aside, the main question is: How does the picture coming
out of the HVR-Z1U look? Pretty good-as long as you work within the
camera’s limitations. The HVR-Z1U uses a 14-bit analog-to-digital
conversion, which is astonishing in a camera at this price level.
Colors are vibrant, although they can sometimes shift, so having an HD
monitor on hand is important for accurately monitoring color and focus.
I was also impressed with the Carl Zeiss 72mm lens that Sony has put on
the HVR-Z1U-it has practically no aberrations and delivers crisp images.

The codec used in the HVR-Z1U works well-as long as you don’t move the
camera quickly or at odd angles. Panning and tilting slowly is okay,
but do some fancy hand held work a la Homicide: Life in the Streets and
the codec will produce artifacts in the image.

Instead of adding a true 24p or 30p mode, Sony has put in a 24 and 30
frame "Cineframe" mode. While the 24 Cineframe "look" is interesting,
it is definitely not progressive. The HVR-Z1U processor does
electronically process the 60i image so that it appears to look like
24p, but the cadence is set up electronically, so you can’t reverse
telecine the material to get a pure 24p video file.

Sony’s senior marketing VP Alec Shapiro says the HVR-Z1U is not
designed to replace 35mm film cameras and Sony is not selling this
camera for that market. The bottom line here is that indie filmmakers
need to look elsewhere for a low-cost HD acquisition to film output
tool. The HVR-Z1U is a 60i camera, and adding the Cineframe mode to
your HDV footage will possibly give your video-to-film transfer house
nightmares.

The HVR-Z1U, I have to say, fits an extraordinary amount of technology
into a very small camera. With the HVR-Z1U’s 14-bit AD, great lens, and
impressive color control, you can create vibrant HD material at a
fraction of the traditional cost for high-definition production.

Whether you buy it now or not is your call, but you might want to keep
in mind that while the HVR-Z1U is a great camera, it is just the start
of the HDV announcements this year-and NAB 2005 is just around the
corner in April.

Keep in mind that JVC, with its lightweigth CMOS variety, has had time
to work on a second-generation HDV camera technology that is built from
the lessons learned with its first system. At NAB, it is rumored that
JVC will show not one, but two HDV cameras with improved color control
and true 24p.

Then there is Panasonic, whose P2 tapeless camera technology might make
a great combination with HDV. By using the P2 solid-state memory,
Panasonic engineers could potentially leapfrog the HVR-Z1U’s 25 Mb/s
HDV capture rate, moving the image quality bar even higher. For that
matter, even Sony could have something else up its sleeve-but you and I
won’t know until NAB.

However, if you need to get into high-definition video right now, then
the HVR-Z1U could be your best first step and least expensive entry
into the world of HD production. The bottom line: You need to check out
the HVR-Z1U and see if it works in your productions. There’s definitely
more HDV news to come.