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Reader SurveyTest Drive: Sony HVR-HD1000U, Part 1
Jan 14, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jan Ozer
I recently had a look at Sony’s new $1,900 HVR-HD1000U single-chip, shoulder-mount camcorder, which I reviewed for Digital Content Producer in the January 2008 issue. That review mostly focused on technical specs and usability. In the first of this two-part series, I’ll lay out some brief background information and describe the operation and quality of the camcorder’s Smooth Slow Rec feature. In the next installment, I’ll discuss how the camcorder compared to the Sony HDR-FX1 and Canon XH A1 in resolution and other quality tests, as well as low-light performance.
The Quick Skinny
First the basic specs. The HD1000 camcorder uses Sony’s 1/2.9in. ClearVid CMOS sensor, which includes approximately 3,200,000 total pixels, of which 2,280,000 are used during video capture. It has 10X optical zoom and electronic image stabilization, and it includes a stereo shotgun microphone that attaches to an integrated microphone holder and plugs into a stereo mini-jack without phantom power. There are no XLR or other external audio connectors, but there are two “cold” accessory shoes—one on the front for a light, the other on the back for a hard disk recorder.
The viewfinder has a .27in. color 16:9 viewfinder with 123,300 effective pixels, while the 2.7in. 16:9 LCD panel, located atop the viewfinder, has 211,200 pixels. The touchscreen LCD panel, which serves as your menu system, can swivel 180 degrees to function as a preview monitor for your subject. The camera uses MiniDV tapes, and it records in HDV and standard (63 minute) and LP (90 minute) DV modes in both 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios, interlaced only.
The camera offers four button controls for manual/auto, nightshot on/off, backlight on/off, and display on/off. There is also a configurable control ring for focus, brightness, shutter speed, auto-exposure shift, or white balance shift. You can also control zoom with the ring, but with two zoom rockers on the camcorder, this makes little sense. All other controls, including enabling and disabling image stabilization, are located in the touchscreen-controlled menu system.
The camcorder is the first I’ve seen with an onscreen histogram, which should prove useful in run-and-gun shoots—although personally I would prefer a waveform monitor. The camcorder also marks the return of the dreamy rule-of-thirds positioning guide frame that graced the DCR-VX2000 but somehow missed the boat for the HDR-FX1 camcorder class, another great tool for realtime videographers.
On the other hand, Sony didn’t throw in a remote or separate battery charger, so you have to charge the batteries in the camcorder. Fortunately, the camcorder uses the same batteries as the VX2000 and HDR-FX1, so you can use batteries or chargers from these units.
