Comment on 16:9 quallity - A1
 

Could someone comment on the quality of the 16:9 image on the HVR-A1. Is there a big difference between the 4:3 image and the 16:9 - I supppose the question should be "is the 16:9 image native?"

I once owned a Cannon Xl1s which I sold in disgust when I realised how poor the 16:9 image was. Since I produce virtually everything in 16:9, this is important to me.

Thanks

All HD is 16:9 native. It's not cropped from a 4:3 image. Many SD cameras are now 16:9 native. The XL2 is a fine example.

The cmos sensor on the HC1/A1U is actually 4:3 at 1920x1440 effective pixels, but in HDV your pulling off a 16:9 portion at 1440x1080 (which also gives wiggle room for the electronic method of stabilization or "steadyshot").

Switch to camera mode for stills and you'll be using the full sensor surface.

So the quality of the 16:9 image in video mode is as good as in the 4:3 mode...or not?

I have FX1, which has true 16:9, and it is my understanding that the A-1 is the same. They don't use the "fake" generated 16:9 that the VXs, PDs, XL1's used.

On the FX1, I have shot both 16:9 and 4:3 in SD mode, and get a great SD result.

The image is cropped across the CMOS sensor, using pixel for pixel, where a portion of the upper and lower on the sensor is ignored. You don't stretch/scale/double the image was you would with the XL1s, and other 4:3 imagers. Even so, it's scales down to 1440 on the verticle for HDV compression. So the pixels are there, it just doesn't use them all.

Now in 4:3 DV(SD) mode, I would suppose that it uses the entire effective sensor surface, but what good is that when it's scaled down/compressed to DV25 before it hits the tape?

The CMOS sensor in the HC1/A1U is similiar to a still camera imager. The higher end FX1/Z1U cousins use Sony HAD 3 chip CCD's.

I've read other post, however, that video shot from an A1U can intercut nicely with that from an FX1\Z1U. My only guess is whether they are 16:9 or 4:3 imagers, pixel for pixel they both meet the HDV spec.

Its true that the physical sensor on FX1 is 16:9 aspect ratio and physical sensor on A1 is 4:3 aspect ratio, but A1 DOES shoot 'true' 16:9 as Peter said, as for video it uses a 16:9 chunk of the sensor. HDV is always max. 1440 x 1080 pixels.

It looks great in native 16:9 and best in HD. The non-square pixels of the Sony HDV cameras allow it to go to 1920x1080 very nicely.

heath