Sony HVR-A1U HDV Camcorder Review (page 2)
Big Picture, Small Package
The designers of small camcorders have the difficult task of getting all the controls we want to fit in the smaller unit. So selections are buried in the menus, or buttons do double-duty. Such is the case with the on/off button. It's very easy to use with the right thumb, and toggles through three selections, "Camera," "Memory" and "Play." The downside of this is it's very close to the "Record" button, and you can accidentally punch the on/off button when you meant to hit "Record," taking the camera out of "Camera" mode and placing it in "Playback" mode. You can record from two locations on this camcorder, with the right thumb near the back, or on the LCD viewscreen. There was a bit of a delay on either location when we hit "Record" to when the camcorder actually began to capture.
The manual reminds users not to hold the camcorder by the hood, lens, mic or XLR jack, and the downside to any small camcorder is getting a good comfortable grip. Another downside is with bottom-loading videotape. Since we advocate using a tripod whenever possible, a bottom-loader would be a hindrance if you run out of tape halfway through your shoot.
Buy Me One, Daddy!
This camcorder would be perfect for hard-to-reach places or on a boom or jib, and its compact size makes it easy to use unobtrusively in natural settings for documentary work. Yeah, we'll take one... heck, we'll take two!
TECH SPECS
Image Device: 1/3-inch type CMOS
Lens:1 0X Optical Zoom Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens; 41-410mm focal length; filter diameter 37mm
Picture Elements: Total pixels: approx. 2.97M pixels
SD Video Signal System:NTSC
Scanning System: 1080.60i
Sync System: Internal (HD & SD)
Connectors: S-Video, A/V, Component Output, XLR IN (x2), i.LINK, LANC, Headphone stereo mini
Minimum Illumination: 7 lux @ 18dB, normal shutter
Exposure: Auto, Manual
Viewfinder: Hybrid Precision 16:9 Color & B/W Selectable 252,000 pixel
Audio: DV/DVCAM Rec.: 48kHz/16 bit, 32kHz/12 bit. HDV Rec.: MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
Provided Microphone: Wide Range Stereo Microphone
Speaker: Built-in dynamic
LCD Panel: Hybrid 16:9 2.7" type
Format: HDV/DVCAM/DV (SP) recording; HDV/DVCAM/DV (SP) playback
Recording Time: Max. 60 minutes with HDV, 40 minutes in DVCAM, & 60 minutes in DV (SP)
Weight: 1 lb, 10 oz.
Power Consumption: (VF/LCD/VF+LCD):5.8W/5.9W/6.4W
STRENGTHS
- True crisp color and detail
- Adjustable SPMTE timecode and color bars
- XLR jacks and stereo shotgun mic
WEAKNESSES
- Bottom tape loading
- On/off button easy to trigger accidentally
- Manual controls buried in menus and not on camera body
SUMMARY
Streamlined easy to use camcorder with a Carl Zeiss lens and XLR mic; a big pro HDV camcorder in a small affordable package.
Jennifer O'Rourke is an Emmy™ award-winning videographer & video editor and Videomaker's Managing Editor.
$3,100
1 Sony Drive
Park Ridge, NJ 07656
(877) 865-SONY
www.sony.com/HDV
