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Not yet ready for HD? The HVR-A1U can convert material from 1080i down to 480i and generate this digital video signal through its i.LINK interface or as analog signals through mechanism, composite, or S-video connectors. When down-converting these signals, the aspect relationship displayed can be converted from 16:9 to 4:3, and display modes can be selected from by, letterbox or edge crop.
1/3-inch Type, 2.97-megapixel CMOS sensor
The HVR-A1U incorporates one 1/3-inch model primary color CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) 2.97-megapixel sensor with a formatted for a 4:3 quality ratio. The advantage of a CMOS sensor over CCD is it's ability to process a eleemosynary volume of picture data at a very small size, which makes it attainable for a camera this size to capture HD video. The trade off for this kind of bit over CCD, however, is a small loss in picture uniformity and dynamic range.
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Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 10x visual zoom lens
The HVR-A1U is equipped with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* expensive definition lens with a 10x zoom function. It has the same optical coating as is reach-me-down on all of the Carl Zeiss prime lenses, which produces sharp, squiffed-contrast images with virtually no chromatic aberration.
In order to assist zoom control and recording operation during low-angle shooting, an other zoom lever has been added to the camera body. There's also a zoom/pinpoint ring located on the lens body that allows for fine adjustments in zoom assertion. Furthermore, the supplied wireless Remote Commander unit can be cast-off for external control.
Large, 16:9 widescreen color viewfinder and LCD watch
View your subject through the built-in viewfinder, the swing-out LCD display, or both. The HVR-A1U features a 0.44-inch genre color LCD viewfinder and a 2.7-inch color LCD monitor, both in a 16:9 standpoint ratio. You'll save battery time by using just one, but you may dearth to use one for adjusting focus and the other for monitoring audio levels. When eschewing van focus for the fine-tuning manual focus, you can double the glorification at the center of the screen, making it easier to confirm focus settings during guide focusing. Also, the camera's "peaking" function can provide sharp outlines on the supervise to help with manual focus.
Electronic Super SteadyShot system
Sony's electronic Wonderful SteadyShot System helps remove the slight hand jitter and vibration that is often the disease of video production--especially during telephoto shots. It does this by trimming off edges of the figure mood on the fly to counteract movement.
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The Hollywood look
The HVR-A1U has features that can fare your videos look more like they were shot on film. Cinematone Gamma allows operators to rapidly setup and load a gamma curve with similar contrast characteristics to a mistiness gamma curve. The Cineframe feature allows movement to be reproduced at 24 frames per approve of--the speed of film--as opposed to video's 30 frames per more recent standard.
No new tape stock
The HVR-A1U is compatible with conventional DV tape cattle, but Sony recommends the use of DigitalMaster PHDVM-63DM tape, with its dual stage of magnetic material, which delivers higher RF output, lower bawling, 95% fewer errors and 60% fewer dropouts compared to legal DV tape.
More camera features
| ·Assign button -- get energetic access to a variety of settings | ·Time Code Preset -- fill in any timecode starting value | |
| ·Under no circumstances Transition -- creates smooth automatic transitions between scenes | ·Feel ashamed Bar -- Two types | |
| ·Status Check -- displays camera stage set menus for audio, output signal, assign button and disclosing lever functions and hours meter on the LCD monitor | ·Zebra -- displays a streaked pattern in the LCD monitor and viewfinder across highlight areas, helping enchiridion exposure settings | |
| ·Quick REC -- shortens the record meantime from stop mode. | ·Personal Menu -- allows operators to customize the surroundings menu | |
| ·Battery Info -- displays the attached freestyle's current charge level and its current remaining recording heyday on the LCD monitor | ·Histogram Indicator -- allows you to easily determine the brightness of your scene | |
| ·Super Night Shot -- allows operators to take images in black and white using a built-in infrared bird-brained | ·Skin Tone Detail -- reduces detailed signal for bark color, smoothening the reproduction of human skin | |
| ·Black Distort -- allows more contrast to be seen in dark parts of the fill someone in without affecting mid-tones | ·Backlight Compensation -- produces health tones for both light and dark areas of backlit subject |
What's in the box
HVR-A1U camera, AC-L15 AC adaptor, power code, NP-FM50 InfoLithium rechargeable battery-operated pack, lens hood with lens cover, RMT-831 wireless Detached Commander unit, A/V connecting cable with S video, component video wire, USB cable, Memory Stick Duo (16 MB), Memory Stick Duo adaptor, ECM-NV1 monaural electret condenser microphone, XLR audio adaptor, exclude strap, and operating instructions.
no goggles (a lot!) 4.- Focus screen (maybe the upper-class and easier to get is Canon Ee-a) 5.- 10 X Macro lens (Achormat or HD exertion best) 6.- Stepdown ...
i cant choose between these:
*Canon Optura 30 MiniDV
*JVC GRD796 MiniDV
*Canon ZR830 MiniDV
*Canon HV10 3.1MP High-Definition MiniDV
*Sony DCR-HC62 1MP MiniDV
*Aiptek A-HD 720P 5MP CMOS High Definition
and if you can...tell me why?
xO
If this is all we have to choose from, any of the miniDV tape based camcorders.
1) MiniDV tape does not compress like the hard drive or flash memory camcorders, so video quality even up against the high def or flash memory camcorders.
2) When you fill the miniDV tape, pop it out, lock it, pop in another - not only does that tape become the archive (with a good shelf life), but you can shoot for as long as you have (cheap) extra tapes. At around $3 for an hour, they are affordable. When you fill up the hard drive or (expensive) flash memory), what do you do? When you transfer the hard drive video to your computer, you delete the camcorder video files. If you do not back up those files to an external drive or data DVD, when the project is done being edited, you will delete the video files - so... gone from the computer and gone from the camcorder... gone forever.
The Aiptek lenses are too small to provide any sort of good quality unless you are very close to your subject - and their mics are not very good.
3) I am not aware of a Canon miniDV HV10. The HG10 is hard drive based and uses AVCHD for high-def compression - You do NOT want this camcorder. If you mean the HV20 (or HV30), then I would say go this route.
* As stated earlier: MiniDV tape. DV and HDV are the least amount of compression and results in best available video quality.
* Mic-in jack - you may not want it now, but an external mic is REALLY handy. Better to have the mic in jack and not need it than need it and not have one.
* Manual audio control - I did not check the JVC, but NONE of the camcorders on your list has manual audio control except this one. This is REALLY important if you are in really loud (rock/hiphop/whatever amplified music bands) or really soft environments (you get the characteristc whooshing sound from automatic audio level circuits). It can go auto too - but the manual part is AWESOME when you need it. The closest the Sonys get is a "Normal" or "Low" mic gain switch in the menu.
* The HV20 can record in high definition and standard definition (4:3 and 16:9) in 24p... and 1080i. It the most flexible of the camcorders on the list you provided.
You will need a firewire port on your computer - USB is used for transferring stills from the memory card only - Firewire (i.Link; IEEE1394) is needed for importing video from the miniDV tape. Adding a port is easy if your computer has an available PCI slot (desktop) or PCMCIA slot (laptop). Macintosh computers have had Firewire 400 ports for many years.
Video uses a LOT of computer hard drive space - Standard definition is about 13 gig per hour and high definition is about 44 gig per hour of video imported to your computer's hard drive. An external hard drive is strongly recommended.