VERY different image.

Jason, see also Vu1 / NLE thread below.

Egads! Define 'VERY.'

well, check out the links to the YouTube pilot i shot - the Lance Profile Show.

watch everything LPS related on my youtube site in High Quality. you should be able to tell the difference. also look at the CEF projects on the site as well - they were shot using a VU1 in 3 cities in North America.

www.youtube.com/zimfilm

the VU1 is lighter and uses less battery power. it has the option of many progressive modes with pulldown but your NLE is very important for that equation too. the CMOS chips produce a crisp image but i keep my sharpness set at 3 (!) due to field tests and clipping. some people have complained about noise on this page - i think of it as a general coarseness of the image - almost impossible to explain but easy to see in the progressive modes. it has a side mounted LCD screen. turn macro off or it will kill you. there are numerous picture profile settings that will come in handy. in general it's a great little camera but depending on your needs and NLE, i would think twice before taking the $ hit.

So would I. Generally people progress to bigger chips, not smaller ones.

well, the camera does have a unique image quality and post specs.

it certainly has its uses if you are using it for a specific look and post pipeline.

I have V1 and I really like it but I think I would have a hard time justifying the extra expense of selling a Z1 and buying a V1. I think the V1 has some advantages, but I doubt it would be worth the money for you. Save it for the next "latest/greatest" to come down the road.

Thanks for the advice (and sorry for the delayed response!)

I would actually like to ask the reverse question : would any of you here that have shot with both cameras consider selling the v1 and buying the z1?
I have been shooting with the v1 now for several months, and comparing to the PD170 I have been shooting with before - while I appreciate the v1 in many ways - I have always felt that there's something lacking in the v1's picture, in terms of "crispness". I'm guessing it's probably the smaller chips, but I do not have a z1 to compare to.
I do love the progressive mode very much, but I still value image quality over it.
Z7 and EX1 are a bit too expensive for us right now. So, any logic to change to a Z1?
thanks

I can't see going to the Z1 unless much of your work is shot under low light conditions. I have only used a Z1 when there has been plenty of light but it is my understanding that it is slightly better than the V1 in that respect. The PD170/VX2100 cameras amaze me under low light and they do a great job on SD but almost everything I have shot on my V1 blows the PD170 away as for "crispness". The only issue I could see is that shooting in HDV places a lot higher demand of proper focus than shooting in SD. If your focus is soft in HD, you are going to see it.

So from your experience, under good lighting there is no advantage to the z1's bigger sensors in terms of image quality?
I have more or less learned to live with the v1's so-so low light capability, I would probably not switch cameras solely on that account.
thanks.