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Sony Professional HVR-A1U CMOS High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
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| High-definition video camera records in 1080i, 720p, and 720i specification with analog down-converting |
| 16:9 widescreen recording; 4:3 conversion capable |
| Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 10x optical zoom lens; digital Super SteadyShot System dampens hand jitter and vibration |
| CMOS camera system; records to conventional DV tape stock |
| Powered by NP-FM50 InfoLithium rechargeable battery pack |
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Accessories
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Customers Reviews
2009-09-08
Very Handy, But Falls Short of a Great Camera
This camera is loaded with great features that are hard to find in prosumer grade miniDV / HDV, but the CMOS sensor doesn't cut it for me.
Having xlr inputs as well as minijack that accepts both mic and line level signals is essential in my line of work. So is easy on the fly manual exposure and audio gain control, manual focus, long battery life and consistent white balance and last, but far from least is good image quality in less than stellar lighting conditions. The A1U did not deliver on this last criteria. My only complaint about this camera is it's slow lens and noisy sensor. The camera relies far too much on gain rather than aperture to increase exposure which adds grain, color artifact and a shift in color balance and contrast.
Sony did a great job of cramming a lot of these features into a small camera while retaining an intuitive set of controls. For things like white balance and manual audio controls the LCD menus can be cumbersome to navigate, but the physical buttons and dials on the body of the camera make accessing exposure, focus, and zoom plus a custom assignable button a snap.
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2009-06-23
Great Second Camera
I intended for this camera to augment my main camera (Sony FX-1) on video shoots. I am a serious hobbyist. My first perception of this camera was "man it's smaller than I thought it would be". The dollars per cubic inch ratio is very high.
Second observation: In daylight I used the cam to shoot some baby hummingbirds in their nest. I thought "no big deal", but when I reviewed the tape on a high def monitor I was stunned by how good the pic was. (I guess I never tried that shot with my FX-1.)
Third: in low light, like at a dance recital, the autofocus can have problems. I don't think you want to be more than 60 ft from the subject. Also be zoomed in, that seems to take care of autofocus issues.
Fourth: the mic is great for live music. This camera excells at guerilla music shoots, where you have to move around a lot. I often put it on a monopod for an overhead shot.
Fifth: must be unmounted to swap a tape. Decide for yourself whether this is important. If you are shooting a recital in the dark and have to unmount the thing, swap tapes, and remount in_the_dark then maybe this camera isn't for you.
Sixth: for what it's worth, the cam captures all colors pretty well except the deep reds. Before the commies start crying ;) let me say that I edit this cam's footage together with the FX-1 footage. The FX-1 goes down to a deeper "blood red" which pwns the a1u's footage.
Seventh: None of my cams have problems with tape. Simply buy the tdk or sony 10 packs at Costco. Try to stick with one brand of tape though. (No need for $10 tapes.)
The A1U has earned its way into my inventory. I am glad that I started with an FX-1 (heavy artillery), augmented with the A1U (when the shot is more important than the deep blood reds), and rounded out with a used FX-1 from B&H.
I'd recommend a preowned FX-1 over a new A1U though.
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2009-03-09
Great Camcorder
This is a great Camcorder. I'll pick up another soon. It's weakness is low light recording, but is well worth the cost. I can't believe the size. This thing is tiny for the features.
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2008-06-08
Great camera for the price!!
I recently had the Canon GL1 and thought it was time to upgrade to Hi-Def. After reading about 30 customer and 20 pro reviews it was the only camera that was offered pro features and great image quality worth way more then the price. It is all because of the CMOS sensor the camera uses. It consumes less power, less money to produce, better image quality then CCD and does not smear light. Some people say it's a consumer camera because it only has a one chip sensor instead of three like a CCD sensor but a CMOS sensor is a lot different then a CCD. A single chip CMOS sensor is three mega-pixels just like three CCD chips. It should be considered a pro camera instead of a consumer camera.
OK; now what the camera can do..... It has a touch screen which is handy but you have to keep wiping it off because it smudges easily. The personalized menu is a great idea; you can have all your most used items at a touch away. The cineframe and cinematone features are a good idea if you want your movies to have a more professional Hollywood look to them. The picture quality in good light is almost identical the image quality of the Sony Z1U which cost $4,000 and that's really amazing!! The low light performance is not that good, this is a downside of the CMOS sensor. I really like the exposure lever, one strange thing is that the camera does not give exposure increments like F1.6 ..... F2.6 it just gives you a bar. Three quarters of the bar is for exposure and the last quarter of the bar is gain which digitally brightens the picture and makes the picture real grainy. Just make sure you adjust the exposure manually in dark places and turn the gain off by not going to the last quarter of the bar. It has some other great features and that I am not going to go in to but you can read about them on this page. One other thing is that this camera is quite compact and I am really amazed at the picture quality that it takes.
Over all it is great camera and a good choice for any one who needs a good Hi-Def camera for a low price.
I hope this review helps and I will be adding more to this review.
06/29/08
I don't know what the problem was with the guy below me. I think he had problems in low light with the camera, this camera is not the best in low light. The auto focus is a little slow indoors but it's a lot better in good light. He also had problems with the mic, there are a lot of settings for the mic and you have to set them right to get good sound. When rewinding tapes I did not think it made a horrendous noise but it does make different pitches as you rewind it. The camera is small, they made it compact so pros could get great images in tight places. If you need a good low light camera go with the Sony V1U.
07/18/08
Price went up $300 from when I bought it, I guess I made a good investment.
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2008-05-21
Sony Professional HVR-A1U CMOS High Definition camcorder
I purchased this camera last month, and almost at once I knew it was not the camera for me. For several years, I've owned and used a Sony DCR-VX2100 3 CCD Mini DV Camcorder, and have been truly impressed with it. I thought that buying a high definition camera from the same company would be a great move. I was so wrong.
The HVR-A1U is the most disappointing camera I have ever come across in my life. It is astonishingly slow to auto focus, and at lower light levels makes nearly continuously adjustments. Even with the CCD turned up to full brightness, the picture looks washed out. Admittedly, I used it mostly at 480i, but even in 1080i mode, the result was no better. So much for the manufacturer's boasts about the Zeiss Vario-Sonna lens; they are, in my opinion, thoroughly unwarranted.
The sound quality was also poor, despite the large mic, and when rewinding tapes, this camera makes the most horrendous noise. It is actually designed to do so since the noise changes pitch as the tape spools from one segment to the next. The sound is irritating at all pitches, and I cannot imagine why anyone would want to listen to it.
The camera was also a lot smaller than the photos lead one to believe, so check the dimensions if you're used to a bigger, semi-professional camcorder.
I returned this camera after trying it for 10 days. Buyer be warned about this one.
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Product Details
Batteries Included: 1
Binding: Electronics
Brand: Sony
Color: Black
EAN: 0027242687004
Floppy Disk Drive Description:
Has Red Eye Reduction:
Is Autographed: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Label: Sony
Legal Disclaimer:
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: HVRA1U
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: 2005-10-01
Special Features:
Studio: Sony
System Memory Size: |
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