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First Look: Sony HVR Series

Jan 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By D.W. Leitner

Sony expands its HDV family with three new camcorders and a deck.

As with the EX1, the Z7/S270's EVF and LCD produce a full HD raster — no underscan or overscan. The Z7's LCD is mounted atop the handle in a camera-forward, eye-level position like that of the Z1. The S270's LCD is atop the viewfinder in a Dual Finder configuration, like that of the HD1000.

As in all pro Sony CMOS camcorders, a histogram is available in the viewfinder.

The Z7/S270's ND filter switch offers four positions: clear, 1/4, 1/16, and 1/64 (compare to EX1's clear, 1/8, 1/64). Shutter speeds are 1/3 to 1/10000 second in 60i/30p, and 1/2 to 1/10000 in 24p. Gain is -6dB to +21dB. “Shockless” gain is an option for which you select a brief transition period that smoothly adjusts between gain settings when you switch between them. Shockless white balance is available, too.

New Z7/S270 Picture Profile default settings mimic the looks of a PD170, an HDCAM HDW-750, a film-negative transfer (low contrast), and a film print transfer (high contrast). Adjustable color parameters include mode (standard, Cinematone 1 and 2, and ITU709); level; phase; and depth. For setting color depth, chroma is now controlled independently of luminance by use of 3D LUTs (look-up tables). A new skintone-detail function adjusts level of detail not only in skintone, but in any other color too, as selected. There's even a reverse-color detail function.

The Z7/S270 platform also embraces xvYCC, or eXtended Video YCC, an expanded color gamut promoted in consumer gear, which doubles the amount of reproducible spectrum (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XvYCC). Because xvYCC induces headaches in professionals who know a thing or two about color management — neither the XtraFine EVF or LCD can display it properly, and you need a xvYCC-compliant NLE and monitor to see it properly in post — let's consign this advanced feature to future use, at least for the time being.

Z7/S270 offers two choices of recording media for 1440×1080 HDV. The familiar option is tape, MiniDV, or standard DV (S270 only). The unfamiliar option (unless you're a pro still photographer) is CompactFlash (CF). And here, the Z7/S270 platform veers into wholly new territory, because it records to CF cards using a detachable 4oz. module about the size of the original iPod that, like a mini external drive, is capable of independently downloading video files to an NLE via IEEE 1394. Actually, “deck” is the better analogy, because it has a full set of play and record buttons for independent playback and recording. Sony calls it the HVR-MRC1 memory recording unit (supplied only with the Z7 or S270).

There will be much digital ink spilled over this innovation, and I'll merely sketch its outlines here. The MRC1 piggybacks to the rear of the Z7 and attaches to the side of the S270 opposite the operator. To be precise, it docks to a multi-pin connector and powers up from the camcorder, making cables unnecessary. (When detached, it fits a cradle that accepts an InfoLithium L battery on its backside. Sony says the little F570 will run it for 6.5 hours; the fat F970, 20.5 hours.) A CF status check is available in the viewfinder of both camcorders.

When docked to the Z7 or S270, the MRC1 records in response to the camcorder's record start and stop, capturing the same audio/video signals and timecodes on tape and CF — if desired. Why qualify this statement? Because there is a matrix of choices. You can choose to record only tape. You can choose to record only CF, making the Z7/S270 a true tapeless camcorder. You can record to both, saving the tape for your archives and using the CF for transfer to your NLE. You can record HD to tape and, simultaneously, downconvert SD to CF. You can record in “relay mode” so that after tape runs out, recording to CF continues without a break. There are other permutations, too. Needless to say, these novel production and post opportunities require a thinking cap. Consider this: two “time remaining” warnings to wax anxious about while recording to two media with mismatched capacities. Dummies be warned.

While the MRC1 doesn't permit intervalometer-style time-lapse capture (the Z7 and S270 do permit cruder “interval recording” for DV only), it does have a few nonlinear tricks up its sleeve. It has a huge cache recording store of 14 seconds, continually buffering new audio/video in memory until the record button is pushed. And it can play back clips in auto repeat, letting you examine them over and over. (Note that like the V1 and HD1000, the Z7/S270 offers Smooth Slow Rec for slo-mo, a camcorder capability not found in the MRC1. The Z7/S270's Smooth Slow Rec, incidentally, starts with 50 percent more horizontal resolution than the others and rescales progressively rather than in interlace for visibly better results.)

The great thing about CF is that it's widely used. I shouldn't have to spell out the advantages of competitive prices and availability. The MRC1 imposes two requirements: A CF card must be at least 2GB and have a read/write speed of at least 133X. For kicks, I found just such a card on the Internet for less than $45. But given the following recording limits for DV (.avi or .dv files) and 1080i/60 HDV (.m2t files), you're going to want a bigger if not a faster one: 2GB=9 minutes; 4GB=18 minutes, 8GB=36 minutes, 16GB=72 minutes. In September, Sony introduced a 4GB, 300X CF for $120 and a 8GB, 300X CF for $200, with further professional 8GB and 16GB versions on the way.

The Z7/S270 records DV and DVCAM in standard 480i. However, for the first time, the Z7/S270 enables recording of 1080-line HDV in one of three flavors: 1) simple 60i; 2) 30p and 24p over 60i; and 3) a new 30p and 24p “native progressive recording mode.” (Regrettably, unlike the EX1, the Z7/S270 comes in 60i/30p/24p and 50i/25p versions. These remarks concern the 60i/30p/24p models only.)

1080/60i needs no explanation. 1080/30p over 60i is the familiar segmented-frame approach (30PsF), in which odd and even lines are separated and recorded to tape as if they were 60 sequential interlaced fields. This permits editing and viewing using conventional 60i equipment. 1080/24p over 60i (24PsF) requires sleight-of-hand: creation of a 2:3:2:3 cadence in which every other frame contributes an additional “field.” (In the case of Panasonic's “advanced pulldown,” or 24pA, the cadence is 2:3:3:2.) Like 30p, 24p is edited and displayed as if it were 60i, with the option, if desired, of deconstructing the pulldown cadence and recovering the original 24p sequence for editing or transfer to film.

HDV's specs (www.hdv-info.org) include the option of native 1080/30p and 1080/24p recording, which first appeared in Canon's XL H1, XH A1, and XH G1 camcorders as the notorious 30F and 24F interpolated “Frame Modes” — you know, the ones that play back in no known HDV deck. (Canon doesn't make decks and has suggested using a second Canon camcorder for playback. The inexpensive HV20, which won't record 30/24F or 4-channel audio but will play them back, fits this bill for many).

© 2008 Penton Media, Inc.