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COW Reviews: HDV Format Sony HVR-Z1U
Sony HVR-Z1U: First Impressions CreativeCOW.net contributing editor Jim Harvey just made the leap to HDV by acquiring one of SONY’s new HDV Cameras the HVR-Z1U. He was torn between the FX1 and the Z1 wondering if the added features would be worth the money. In this article, Jim gives us his first impressions of the Sony HVR-Z1U.
Product Review, HDV Format
Click on the link above to read Jim’s first impressions of the Sony HVR-Z1U.
Kathlyn Lindeboom
Creativecow.net -
2 Replies
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I’m not the pro you are but I also had a buddy with the FX-1 and I decided to wait and buy the Z1. My main interest is feature production and I felt I should hang on for the increased features of the Z1.
I agree that the internal mic isn’t adequate. After examining the forums, I settled on the Audio Technica 897 short shotgun mic. It is supposed to be “better than the Sennheiser 66” and I think it is – and for $249. It is smaller than the Z1 holder but people wrap foam strips or bands from bicycle tires around it and it works fine, EXCELLENT in fact. I forgot a friend turned down my camera volume. When I captured the clip I took the audio into Sound Forge and ran it through two processes and there was NO artifcact, no buzz or hum. The sound was crisp, clear and beautiful. I just got back from shooting on a Calif beach. The wind was blowing and the wind surfers were talking thirty feet away. When I captured the footage I was amazed how clear their conversation was — more than “usable.”
I also like the Color Extraction feature. We shot a blonde reaidng a book at night outside Starbucks. The shot was black and white except for the gold of her hair we dialed in — sort of the “Sin City” look. We did the same in green and red.
I just installed Vegas 6. I first used the disc given out at NAB. It had problems — especially the Media Manage. I downloaded version 6.0a and it installed and is running perfectly — including Media Manager. I’m still experimenting with it.
All in all I’m very happy with my camera.
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I also like the Color Extraction feature. We shot a blonde reaidng a book at night outside Starbucks. The shot was black and white except for the gold of her hair we dialed in — sort of the “Sin City” look. We did the same in green and red.
Great feature isn’t it? I had some people tell me “Well, you can do the same thing in post” which of course is true, but having the ability to do it right there at the shoot is very handy. If you have the luxury of time, you can try several different “looks” and it’s all right there in the camera. I predict that you’ll see a lot of this “look” in the coming months. (Probably so much that we’ll all stop using it!)
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