Is this the PDX-10 successor?

[Boyd Ostroff]

Admin's note: This is a continuation of the original thread
titled "What do you want in the next PDX10?" which is located at:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=43428 -- Thanks! CH

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Funny that we were just talking about this. Single chip, but I wonder if this is the PDX-10 successor?

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=44713

(EDIT)

Yup, I guess this is it: http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/5925

[Duane Smith]

This new HVR-A1U has definately piqued my interest, but obviously we'll have to see what it's really like (image and feature wise) once it hits the streets. I am concerned about it being a 1-chiper...but shouldn't a 1-chip HD camera capture better images than a 3-chip SD camera?

Also, note how the press release mentions eliminating the vertical smear:

CMOS-based technology helps eliminate the presence of smear, which is created by vertical bands of bright light stretching from the top to the bottom of an image's "bright areas" and occurs when something extremely bright like a pin-point light source is shot.

I will say that this new cam fits right into my original plan, which was to use a PDX10 to deliver 16:9 SD content on DVD for the next 2 years or so, and then migrate to HD when some sort of HD-DVD has been adopted by the public. This particular cam would allow me to migrate to something that would let me reuse a lot of my current equipment. But I won't be buying one anytime soon; my PDX10 @ $1600 was pushing my budget, but $3500 is completely out of my price range. Maybe in two years I'll actually be able to afford one.

[Chris Hink]

HDV - check
small form factor - check

ONE CHIP!!!!!! - uncheck

If this is true I'm sad to say Sony has really lost it. And to put it out there at $3500? With 3 chips, sure, I'd buy it without a second thought. Of all the things to dumb down on this great little camera how could they take away the one absolute necessity for prosumer/pro's?

[Boyd Ostroff]

I'd have to say this is very much like what I expected from Sony, although the single chip is a bit surprising. No doubt a budget decision. The photos imply even more awkward manual control however. Looks like a lever that you raise/lower to adjust either exposure or volume. Ugh. And what do you think is under those two little doors on the left side. Perhaps the I/O connectors.

Sorry Chris, looks like no real 24p or hard drive.

Sorry, no cupholder.

After introduction I suspect the street price will fall below $3,500, but who knows? This camera is fascinating, but certainly not something that I would want.

[Laurence Kingston]

My old standby, the TRV20 only has one chip and it looks pretty close to my VX2000 if the light is right. What I really wonder is how big this single CCD is and how good it is going to be in low light. If it's good in low light I can deal with the single CCD.

[Duane Smith]

Ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding, but my gut keeps telling me that 1-chip HD should look better than 3-chip SD....

[Juan Parra]

Funny that we were just talking about this. Single chip, but I
wonder if this is the PDX-10 successor?

Oops I'm gonna have to eat the words from my last post ;-)
At least, by the appearance, it looks like the PDX10 successor.
And again, as Sony did with the PDX10, this new camera
has the latest in image processing.

Originally Posted by Laurence Kingston

My old standby, the TRV20 only has one chip
and it looks pretty close to my VX2000 if the light is right. What I really
wonder is how big this single CCD is and how good it is going to be in low
light. If it's good in low light I can deal with the single CCD.

We have to think out of the box guys.
1 CCD doesn't mean is bad.
If Sony came out with this 1 CCD product for their prosumer line,
I'm pretty sure they're confident on the new technology.

"The combination of a 3-megapixel CMOS sensor with our Enhanced
Imaging Processor enables a camcorder to capture and process
high-definition video and still images with unprecedented levels of
gradation and detailed image reproduction"

I don't think at all this is due to budget decision, instead has to
do with testing its new tecnology in the market.

1/3" CCD and higher pixel count should translate into better low light
capabilities than the PDX10.

[Boyd Ostroff]

There are so many different threads on this topic in so many of our forums that my head is spinning :-0 Guess I'll stick with this one though...

Someone posted this link for the consumer version:

http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/Product/...iew/index.html

Notice that the tape appears to load from the bottom. If this is true for the pro version then it's a real step backwards...

[Duane Smith]

Hmm:

- Single chip.
- Bottom loading.
- Zoom via the focus ring.
- Manual buttons on-screen (I guess?).
- Exposure and volume share a rocker switch.
- And is the eyepiece fixed in a permanent position? What happens if you wanna use a high-capacity battery?


I think I'm starting to lose my initial excitement....

[Juan Parra]

I thought I post a review of the so-called PDX10 succesor, the HVR-A1U.

"...Sony's Enhanced Imaging Processor (EIP), which governs the behavior of the A1's CMOS, is a big step forward. It speeds 14-bit image processing enough to deliver 1080/60i HDV, while preserving a wide dynamic range, low power consumption, and the CMOS byproduct of no smear."

SONY UNVEILS CMOS HDV CAMCORDER

[Chris Hurd]

Thanks Juan, but actually that link is not a review. It's simply a basic overview which Kim Reed wrote for DV Magazine. I imagine she gleaned most of that info from the press release. Kudos to her for actually writing an original piece rather than recycling the Sony release, but it's not a review by any stretch.

[Boyd Ostroff]

In case you missed it, have a look at this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=325435

It appears that the consumer version (the HDR-HC1) doesn't have manual iris or shutter controls. No spec sheet yet on the pro version AFAIK, but looking at their press release again, I don't see any claims that it has manual controls either...

Me... I already voted with my wallet and bought a Z1. Am also keeping my PDX-10 for the time being. Have only done minimal tests so far, but I think the Z1's SD DV mode is noticeably better than the PDX-10's (as it should be for 3x the cost :-), especially when capturing as HDV and downconverting in-camera using through firewire port. And of course you can also set it for PAL for a further SD resolution boost....

[Juan Parra]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

Me... I already voted with my wallet and bought a Z1. Am also keeping my PDX-10 for the time being. Have only done minimal tests so far, but I think the Z1's SD DV mode is noticeably better than the PDX-10's (as it should be for 3x the cost :-), especially when capturing as HDV and downconverting in-camera using through firewire port. And of course you can also set it for PAL for a further SD resolution boost....

I knew you'll get the Z1 sooner or later :-)
Very interested in hearing a serious comparison
between the PDX10 and Z1.

Cheers

[Boyd Ostroff]

Hey Juan, for some first impressions see: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=46400

On my way to Argentina right now where I will get to know the camera a lot better (actually, spending the night in Dallas/Ft Worth courtesy of American Airlines after missing my connection due to equipment problems :-)

When I return to I would like to shoot some comparisons with the PDX-10 and Z1, but that will have to wait awhile. Clearly there is no contest based on what I've already seen however. Shooting in HDV mode and using firewire down conversion gives you some really nice SD footage. And I'm also getting pretty fond of using the PAL format. :-)

But of course, the Z1 costs about exactly three times as much as the PDX-10, so one would expect to see a big difference...

[Duane Smith]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

actually, spending the night in Dallas/Ft Worth courtesy of American Airlines after missing my connection due to equipment problems :-)

Dangit, I was out-of-town shooting this weekend....otherwise I would have driven out to DFW and bought you dinner. The airport is only 20 minutes from my house, which in Dallas means "nextdoor". LOL!