Is the V1U on display at the DV Expo West this week?

[Herbert Bolander]

Is the V1U on display at the DV Expo West this week?

Thanks!

[Frank Howard]

Yes it is. It's showing some beautiful output and has a LOT more control than Sony's previous HD offerings. And with 24p, it's probably going to blow the Canon out of the water.

[Tony Tremble]

Frank

Could you elaborate please? In which areas does the camera have more control than previous offerings?

I am sure many of us who are interested in this camera would love to see footage to support the "blowing Canon out of the water" claim; so if anyone is going to the expo could you please try and secure some footage? :)

cheers

TT

[Paul Kendal]

I would love to see some side-by-side footage of the Sony V1U and the Canon XH-A1.

[David Ziegelheim]

It will only be days until people post side by sides. However, I wouldn't expect huge differences, as these cameras will be closely matched.

The Canon will have slight more control over DOF, which may not be obvious in many shots. The Sony may have ever so slightly higher resolution in 24p/30p progressive modes. Slightly, since with 4:2:2 the difference will only affect the Y channel. Both have 1440x1080 output.

Whether the CMOS sensors have greater dynamic range will have to be determined. And even there, tweaking the settings may change which camera really appears better.

One wild card will be how the Canon's autofocus sensor affects the quality of focus--a big HD issue--and allows the use of matte boxes...an issue for some.

To those who film where they can go directly to a computer, the HDMI output of the V1 may be an advantage. However, that is primarily just in cost, as the Canon offers the G1 with HD-SDI output. The G1 has a $3k premium, and the capture card is maybe $700 more.

Then there should be a new camera from JVC soon in the same market space, and maybe some AVCHD cameras that compete there also.

[Ron Little]

I want one now. I have a big project coming up and I want to shoot it in progressive HD.

[Barry Green]

Originally Posted by David Ziegelheim

Slightly, since with 4:2:2 the difference will only affect the Y channel.

? The Sony doesn't record 4:2:2...

[Michael Y Wong]

My (pointless) 2 cents:

I am a huge Sony fan but having played with both the V1 & A1, and having seen footage from both cameras I believe the A1 has an overal edge over the V1 in terms of picture IMHO. Colours appear more filmic on the A1 and the image a tad sharper.

Canon's 24f may be slightly inferior to true 1080p24 on the V1, but it's not a night and day differnce. Definately MUCH better then the cineframe 24, and unless being critically analyzed by the trained eye, it should loook quite similar to 24p. Furthermore, the extra points for 'film appearance' the V1 gains thanks to 1080p24, it loses due to the even wider DOF thanks to the smaller sensors. You will have extremely wide DOF footage in 24p, imo that dones't make the overall product look any closer to film.

I wanted the V1 originally but a few things just really bug me about it: 62mm lens, 1/4 inch chips (quite a turn off @ this price range), crappier low light then the Z1, potentially softer looking wide shots, I must say I am now leaning towards the XH-A1.

No doubt however, that the V1 is better for size/weight/ergonomics then the A1, and not to mention the LCD found on the A1 is greatly eclipsed in size by even the new line of 1500$ 1 chip consumer Sony HD cameras. Hopefully with peaking on the A1, I will be able to live with the smaller sized A1 LCD.

Wouldn't it be nice had just Sony released a 3chip 1/3" CMOS camera (hopefully the predecessor of the Z1/FX1) with 1080p24, small form factor (V1 sized), with an internal buffer + hard drive unit that would allow for true 48p/60p for slow motion at full resolution?!? :)

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Originally Posted by Michael Y Wong

My (pointless) 2 cents:
Canon's 24f may be slightly inferior to true 1080p24 on the V1, but it's not a night and day differnce. Definately MUCH better then the cineframe 24, and unless being critically analyzed by the trained eye, it should loook quite similar to 24p. Furthermore, the extra points for 'film appearance' the V1 gains thanks to 1080p24, it loses due to the even wider DOF thanks to the smaller sensors. You will have extremely wide DOF footage in 24p, imo that dones't make the overall product look any closer to film.

:)

While there are a number of value comparisons between the two cameras that are quite legitimate, DOF isn't one of them. The difference between the "real world" view of the two cams with the 1/4 vs 1/3 is all but insignificant.
By "wide" DOF, are you referring to a more shallow DOF?

[Michael Y Wong]

Originally Posted by Douglas Spotted Eagle

While there are a number of value comparisons between the two cameras that are quite legitimate, DOF isn't one of them. The difference between the "real world" view of the two cams with the 1/4 vs 1/3 is all but insignificant.
By "wide" DOF, are you referring to a more shallow DOF?

I stand corrected! (But will do some testing with this in the months to come when purchasing either camera)

As for wide DOF, I meant the oppsosite of shallow DOF.

my terminology:
shallow DOF - only a shallow area is in focus, ie. film/zoom lenses/open aperature
wide DOF - everythign in focus, ie. shorter focal lengh, stopped down...

[Stu Holmes]

Originally Posted by Michael Y Wong

Wouldn't it be nice had just Sony released a 3chip 1/3" CMOS camera (hopefully the predecessor of the Z1/FX1)

Mike - I think you meant "successor" not "predecessor !! ;-)

- Anyway I'm sure it'll happen before too long.

[Frank Howard]

The extra added color including look up tables, gamma, black compress, etc. will give you a lot more control.
And true 24p will definitely make a lot of people scramble to play catch up, including Canon. How many DVX100 fans have said HD isn't worth it because they can't shoot in true 24p. Now you can, and at a good price point. But that's what Sony does best.

[David Saraceno]

Just so we are all clear on this, this cam records 4:2:0, not 4:2:2?

[Michael Y Wong]

Originally Posted by David Saraceno

Just so we are all clear on this, this cam records 4:2:0, not 4:2:2?

4:2:0 onto minidv tape
4:2:2 via hdmi output uncompressed

[David Ziegelheim]

That is one of the key features, at least for more staged productions. Next comparable camera with digital HD output is the XH-G1 for over $3k more with capture card.