Sony HVR Z1 in post production
 

Hi

a friend of mine and myself are considering buying a Sony HVR Z1. I recently spoke to an editor and she mentioned the various problems with HDV in post production, particularly the fact that it doesn't have a timecode track and that online editing might be a problem.

Am aware this is probably a really basic question but just wondered how people normally work with this camera in postproduction and whether this has been a problem for anyone else?

This editor also advised that if we went for this camera we should edit in Avid. Any major difference to FCP?

Anywhere where I can read up on this?

Many thanks!

HDV does have timecode, you can batch capture for online in FCP5, I've done it. I don't really understand the problem your editor has had, unless she only used FCP up to version 4.5 (i.e. FCP HD), which was not HDV compatible. HDV has ALWAYS had timecode. Even when FCP 4 was not HDV compatible you could offline edit HDV from the Z1 by downcoverting to DV in camera.

If you edit in AIC mode (i.e. FCP transcodes to an intermediate), then yes, it will not batch capture, ignores timecode, and works exactly the same as iMovie (i.e just does a capture now, and separates clips based on scene breaks), but if you capture native HDV, no problem.

In terms of batch capture, offline and online, I've used it just the same as I've used DV, except I used to use OfflineRT and then online full res DV. Now I have more HDD space, I use DV downconverted in camera to offline and online in HDV. (I could in theory just go straight to HDV and forget about offlining, but on my iMac setup, RT effects are a little snappier and crisper, plus I can get a live output to a monitor over firewire for the offline, not possible with HDV yet.)

FCP5 is fully compatible with HDV, and the Z1, I've used it. I'm sure Avid Xpress is great with it too, but as I haven't used the Z1 with Avid I can't comment.

There are loads of FCP and HDV guides out there, any one that covers FCP5 will cover HDV. Plus, Douglas Spotted Eagle's "HDV: What You Need To Know" has a good primer on HDV in FCP."

I think the Z1 and FCP5 are a great combination, for you it depends what you want to do an what your expectations are.

Dylan is right. Avid also eats it right up, time code and all. So does Premiere Pro 1.5.1. For scene detect in Premiere 2.0, you have to buy Cineform's HDV product. I have done a ton of post with the Z1. Works good. Worst thing I have had happen is a glitch in a capture on one tape (re-capturing it as I write this). And I have captured about 200 hours of HDV off of this camera.