Sony HVR-Z1 quick look and test in 2021
I have always wanted a professional video camera. With XLR inputs, internal ND filters, and millions of buttons to toggle. Well my dreams came true recently when I found the Sony HVR-Z1 for a mere £90 on eBay.
The test clips from the Z1 have been graded a bit to look more like the GH2 if I did not do this then the Z1 footage would look very dull in comparison as it does have a more flat output (and I think my GH2 was setup incorrectly that day too. also need to work on my lighting setup)
Yes the image is as expected not as sharp. it also has far less depth of field despite being F1.6 I assume this is down to the 3CCD setup. the sensors are probably smaller than the single large sensor in the GH2 and the prism used to do the 3 sensor setup might also be affecting the DOF. Rather annoying if you like blurry backgrounds.
To record the video I used HDVSplit. it is honestly not that great. crashes a lot. someone really needs to remake WinDV but with HDV support as WinDV is awesome for regular DV footage.
The Z1 footage was also filmed in the Cineframe 25p mode. next to the 24fps Panasonic GH2 footage it seems fine. no deinterlacing was done so maybe my initial issues with unsmooth motion was a user error or something.
I do plan to get some new toys to go with this. a proper firewire HDV deck would be awesome (maybe one that can handle the Z5/Z7 true progressive video format too in-case I ever get one of them)
Also want to get a Sony ECM shotgun mic to fill the empty microphone holder. their not cheap but should be a huge upgrade from the internal microphone and would made for a very usable backup audio track when I cant use my regular microphone or lapel microphone setup.
I was really close to buying a PD150 instead of this. found a deal for one at £100 but I am glad I passed on that as this bad boy popped up like 2 days later and I bought it instantly. the seller also had an FX1 for sale (basically the same camera as the Z1 but missing some features like the XLR jacks and DVCam support) both sold pretty quickly but I got the better deal as they was both sold for £90 the Z1 being a far better camera
Well done if you made it this far into the description.