V1P - Any Australian users received theirs yet? at DVinfo.net

Lester Marston · January 5th, 2007, 05:36 PM

Hello. New to the forum and new to HDV.

I ordered a V1P in mid-December '06 and was told that delivery was expected later that month. Now the vendor is saying that I shouldn't expect delivery until toward the end of January '07.

Tried to get through to Sony Australia support but was connected to the muzak loop and hung-up after twenty minutes of that.

Of the Australian-based camo's among this forum sub-group, have any received the V1P yet? Or does anyone have any information about the delay in the local release?

cheers.

Michael Phillips · January 5th, 2007, 07:33 PM

Got mine on 22nd December Sydney, if yours is delayed I wouldn't worry as there appears to be a problem with the 25P output and it should become clearer as to it's solution by the end of January, otherwise the 50i is tops. You will need a little time to familiarize with the functions. (Get the online manual.)
Michael.

Bob Grant · January 6th, 2007, 03:05 AM

We got ours before Xmas, with the 25p fix. It's taking Sony a while to update all the cameras which is slowing down delivery.

Piotr Wozniacki · January 6th, 2007, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Grant

We got ours before Xmas, with the 25p fix. It's taking Sony a while to update all the cameras which is slowing down delivery.

So you say the 25p is fixed - how does it perform, Bob? No il paint, no marching ants? Please share your opinion!

Bob Grant · January 6th, 2007, 05:22 AM

I haven't had a chance to test the thing.
But it's the same fix as the VIE which everyone is saying is just fine so I have no reason to suspect there's going to be any issues with it.
The "marching ants" thing is not a camera problem, it's a NLE /monitoring problem.
One minor gripe, you'd thing they'd throw in the very nice LCD hood with the V1, you can only get them from Sony shops as a part for the FX7 it seems. They fit the V1 perfectly of course.

Bob Grant · January 6th, 2007, 05:41 AM

Apart from the image quality question though I have had it in my hands for a while so I guess I can comment about the camera in general.

It feels great, well balanced and solidly built. Probably even better than the Z1 in some ways. I'm very tempted to buy one I can call my own.
On the down side, I don't like the audio bridge!
The Z1 got it right, mostly. Having the XLRs on top of the camera is not good, not that I'd use them much. Also having the gain controls up there also leaves me cold.
For the brief time I had it running in 50i hooked upto a monitor I think I'm, going to prefer the image to the Z1. But that's a very subjective evaluation without having anywhere enough experience tweaking the Z1, I'm just comparing out of the box to out of the box.

For certain if you're in line for one I think you're going to be very happy with your purchase. Just one thing we've noted. The V1 does not go as wide as the Z1. We've rarely found a need for the WA adaptors on the Z1, I think the WA adaptor for the V1 will see more service. Be warned I think they're more expensive than the ones for the Z1.

Stuart Mannion · January 10th, 2007, 05:54 AM

Just picked up a V1P today here in Australia. Had an opportunity to test this new camera that has had the firmware 'fix' against a pre release demo model that hasn't been updated. I looked very carefully at both of them on a broadcast quality 1080P monitor over an hour or so. May I just say that I edit broadcast video and do onlines as part of my job as well as shoot.

Ok, both cameras displayed a noticeable difference between interlaced and progressive modes. It is subtle, but the progressive mode is very slightly softer and displays what I would call a slight 'shimmer' on the fine details of the rez chart i was looking at that the interlaced mode did not. The new 'fixed' camera was definitely a little sharper overall - it seemed that the problem is now a fair bit less pronounced.

Now I'm calling it a problem because a native progressive-scan camera shouldn't look better in interlaced mode when shooting a still image. THAT SAID I still bought the camera in the end because it looks great and the problem is VERY SMALL. If Sony releases another firmware update we'll get it for free but I'm really not too bothered. I don't think it'll be noticeable on a domestic HD telly but then I haven't tested it. The effect is noticeable but minor.

Other observations:

The rolling shutter effect is interesting if you shake the camera or whip pan on vertical lines when zoomed in. Now you're saying who shakes their camera while shooting? Well I shoot music videos from time to time and a high-shutter-speed-long-lens-shakey-shot is sometimes just the ticket for a rock and roll close-ups.

What the rolling shutter does though is make the image in this case look a bit 'bendy' and rubbery - an effect that I quite like - it certainly gives it a different edge than CCDs for this high shutter-speed shakey stuff. I'm sure you wouldn't notice it in normal shooting.

Overall nice camera. I'm happy.

Stu Holmes · January 10th, 2007, 08:18 AM

G'day Bob and Stuart

May i say both of your mini-reviews /feedback of the V1P were very useful and helpful.
- thanks for posting that info on the site.

John Hewat · January 10th, 2007, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lester Marston

...the vendor is saying that I shouldn't expect delivery until toward the end of January '07.

Ordered mine from Videoguys in Melbourne in November last year and am still awaiting delivery. Apparently Sony have held them all back to do the fix before release, which is good.

That said, the guy I spoke to said that the V1P would not be released at all in this country until they were fixed and I'm sure that I remember a post in the other thread from an Australian guy who had received a problem model.

Boyd Ostroff · January 10th, 2007, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Grant

One minor gripe, you'd thing they'd throw in the very nice LCD hood with the V1, you can only get them from Sony shops as a part for the FX7 it seems. They fit the V1 perfectly of course.

I was at the press conference where Sony introduced the V1 in New York. The LCD hood was on display as a V1 accessory and one of the demo cameras had the hood on it. In fact, Sony's pro website lists the LCD hood as a V1 accessory (part #SHL35WBP): http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Broadcastan...p=141&id=85966

The hood is very slick looking, but I'd question the need for it because (AFAIK) the V1 has a transreflective screen like the Z1, which works great under full sunlight.

January 5th, 2007, 05:36 PM	#1
Lester Marston New Boot Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Perth Australia Posts: 13	V1P - Any Australian users received theirs yet? Hello. New to the forum and new to HDV. I ordered a V1P in mid-December '06 and was told that delivery was expected later that month. Now the vendor is saying that I shouldn't expect delivery until toward the end of January '07. Tried to get through to Sony Australia support but was connected to the muzak loop and hung-up after twenty minutes of that. Of the Australian-based camo's among this forum sub-group, have any received the V1P yet? Or does anyone have any information about the delay in the local release? cheers.

January 10th, 2007, 05:54 AM	#7
Stuart Mannion New Boot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 10	New V1P owner observations Just picked up a V1P today here in Australia. Had an opportunity to test this new camera that has had the firmware 'fix' against a pre release demo model that hasn't been updated. I looked very carefully at both of them on a broadcast quality 1080P monitor over an hour or so. May I just say that I edit broadcast video and do onlines as part of my job as well as shoot. Ok, both cameras displayed a noticeable difference between interlaced and progressive modes. It is subtle, but the progressive mode is very slightly softer and displays what I would call a slight 'shimmer' on the fine details of the rez chart i was looking at that the interlaced mode did not. The new 'fixed' camera was definitely a little sharper overall - it seemed that the problem is now a fair bit less pronounced. Now I'm calling it a problem because a native progressive-scan camera shouldn't look better in interlaced mode when shooting a still image. THAT SAID I still bought the camera in the end because it looks great and the problem is VERY SMALL. If Sony releases another firmware update we'll get it for free but I'm really not too bothered. I don't think it'll be noticeable on a domestic HD telly but then I haven't tested it. The effect is noticeable but minor. Other observations: The rolling shutter effect is interesting if you shake the camera or whip pan on vertical lines when zoomed in. Now you're saying who shakes their camera while shooting? Well I shoot music videos from time to time and a high-shutter-speed-long-lens-shakey-shot is sometimes just the ticket for a rock and roll close-ups. What the rolling shutter does though is make the image in this case look a bit 'bendy' and rubbery - an effect that I quite like - it certainly gives it a different edge than CCDs for this high shutter-speed shakey stuff. I'm sure you wouldn't notice it in normal shooting. Overall nice camera. I'm happy.

January 5th, 2007, 07:33 PM	#2
Michael Phillips Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 40	Got mine on 22nd December Sydney, if yours is delayed I wouldn't worry as there appears to be a problem with the 25P output and it should become clearer as to it's solution by the end of January, otherwise the 50i is tops. You will need a little time to familiarize with the functions. (Get the online manual.) Michael.

January 6th, 2007, 03:05 AM	#3
Bob Grant Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,570	We got ours before Xmas, with the 25p fix. It's taking Sony a while to update all the cameras which is slowing down delivery.

January 6th, 2007, 05:22 AM	#5
Bob Grant Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,570	I haven't had a chance to test the thing. But it's the same fix as the VIE which everyone is saying is just fine so I have no reason to suspect there's going to be any issues with it. The "marching ants" thing is not a camera problem, it's a NLE /monitoring problem. One minor gripe, you'd thing they'd throw in the very nice LCD hood with the V1, you can only get them from Sony shops as a part for the FX7 it seems. They fit the V1 perfectly of course.

January 6th, 2007, 05:41 AM	#6
Bob Grant Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,570	Apart from the image quality question though I have had it in my hands for a while so I guess I can comment about the camera in general. It feels great, well balanced and solidly built. Probably even better than the Z1 in some ways. I'm very tempted to buy one I can call my own. On the down side, I don't like the audio bridge! The Z1 got it right, mostly. Having the XLRs on top of the camera is not good, not that I'd use them much. Also having the gain controls up there also leaves me cold. For the brief time I had it running in 50i hooked upto a monitor I think I'm, going to prefer the image to the Z1. But that's a very subjective evaluation without having anywhere enough experience tweaking the Z1, I'm just comparing out of the box to out of the box. For certain if you're in line for one I think you're going to be very happy with your purchase. Just one thing we've noted. The V1 does not go as wide as the Z1. We've rarely found a need for the WA adaptors on the Z1, I think the WA adaptor for the V1 will see more service. Be warned I think they're more expensive than the ones for the Z1.

January 10th, 2007, 08:18 AM	#8
Stu Holmes Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Europe Posts: 844	G'day Bob and Stuart May i say both of your mini-reviews /feedback of the V1P were very useful and helpful. - thanks for posting that info on the site.