Hello,
I have the option of buying a Sony HVR-V1U for $2,000 in excellent condition. Do you think it is worth it? I want to upgrade from my HV20 to something better, and I think this camera IS better...
Question Regarding Camcorder
Hello,
I have the option of buying a Sony HVR-V1U for $2,000 in excellent condition. Do you think it is worth it? I want to upgrade from my HV20 to something better, and I think this camera IS better...
For 2000$ in excellent conditions? yes. The specs tells it here. More controls overall, i'd go. Just depends on you needs...
Sells for ~3800$ brand new...
Yeah, I read the specs. For that price I consider it a steal.
The FX7 costs almost the same, does not shoot progressive and doesn't have the pro features. The other camcorder that I know of that is HD in that price range is the HMC40. While it is tapeless, I don't think it has many features as the V1U. It does not include XLR adapter, nor shotgun mic.
I've seen some FX1s on eBay for around the same price, but those are old and don't produce the same quality picture. They also don't shoot progressive. Only advantage is better low light.
i am thinking on getting the camcorder. Any other info I should know?
depends what your shooting, for narratives, I would go with the gh1 and a pl mount. But if you shoot a little bit of everything then go with the sony. Or even better , try to score an A1 on ebay in the 2,000 range.
I'm feeling frisky!
The HMC40 is a much better value than the V1u. It's $1850 at B&H brand new although you have to buy the XLR adapter separately. It comes with a 3 year warranty and a free copy of Edius Neo 2.
It records to fully native 1920x1080 24p, 60i, 720 60p, 24p, etc.
It's said to be almost as sharp as an EX1.
I'd say the only advantage the V1u has over the HMC40 is the extra zoom range. When it comes to picture quality and multiply recording modes, the HMC40 wins hands down.
B&H has the V1u for $2,720 brand new and even if you can get it for $1,700 brand new, I'd still say the HMC40 is much better value.
Last edited by Paulo Teixeira; 2010 February 15th at 05:10.
My Vimeo videos: http://vimeo.com/pauloteixeira
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Thanks for the input.Originally Posted by Paulo Teixeira
Well, the HMC40 like you said does not include the XLR adapter by default, no even the shotgun mic. Add that and the price would be closer to $2500. That's over my budget. Not to mention the costs of the SDHC cards, plus the HDD I will need to archive the footage.
On the other hand, the Sony does include a mic and XLR inputs. Its also, from my point of view, a better build camera. Nothing against the HMC40, but from what I've seen, and from what others have commented on it, the body feels cheap and like a toy. That's an opinion though. While the Sony looks very well built, solid, bigger, and not only that but has more zoom, more manual controls, etc. Another thing about the Panny is that it features touchscreen. I absolutely hate that, based on my experience.
And yeah, V1U does not shoot in 720. That doesn't matter to me though as I always shoot 1080 and downsize to web or DVD depending on the delivery method.
If you need a new cam, XLR inputs and a mic for 2k, check the Sony A1. I use it at work and love it.... not as much as my private HV30 though.
2 things I don't like: Bottom loader and it needs some light.
"It is dark the other side. Very dark!" - "Oh, shut up and eat your toast!"
I had the HC1 ("consumer" model of the A1) and sold it. Did love the constructions, controls, etc. But picture quality wasn't good and it had no progressive. So the A1 you mention is not an option.
I've read the V1U is not good in low light. However, just wanted to know, how does it compare to the HV20 or HMC40 in low light? Is it comparable, worse, or better?
Uhm, yes, the A1 has 30 and 24p wrapped in 60i.
Besides shooting in darkness, I don't have a problem with its PQ. However, I mostly shoot in controlled light situations.
"It is dark the other side. Very dark!" - "Oh, shut up and eat your toast!"
Sorry but I've done my research, and the A1 has Cineframe 24 and Cineframe 30. That is a digital emulation. Not native progressive. I've seen videos and it looks bad.
ok, then not.
"It is dark the other side. Very dark!" - "Oh, shut up and eat your toast!"
Never mind, thought you were talking about the XH A1. These names sure get confusing...
Just wanted to keep you guys informed.
I got the V1U today. My, this thing is sexy and sleek. It looks better than in pictures. The camcorder is in perfect condition. The owner told me he used it very little (he bought it on B&H btw). You can clearly see it was well taken care of.
Anyway, compared to my HV20, this thing really feels solid and well built. It is not a big camera, but it is not small either. I think the size is perfect (it is definitely larger than the HMC40 and a little bit smaller than the FX1). This is my first professional camcorder so maybe I am overreacting, but going from the HV20 to this is a huge step up in my opinion. Not comparable at all...
So far I have not had the chance to test it as I began reading the manual (want to see all the things the cam has and how to use them). However, as soon as I can I will post some footage. Cheers!
Last edited by chico_stang; 2010 February 17th at 20:18.
If you have the time, record something side-by-side with both camcorder and post something with pictures from the footage, to compare both quality.
Outside/Inside/LowLight would be great. If you have time!
Of course, if I can I will.
Thanks for your time!Of course, if I can I will.
I'd like to know how's the difference in picture quality compare to the price.
I shot some stuff (30p) inside my house today and saw the footage on my HDTV via HDMI straight from the cam. Looks really good. I tried various picture profiles. You can tweak a lot of stuff concerning the image so I am experimenting to see what looks I can create/replicate (already tried to replicate Canon's Cinemode and I think it looks very similar though I haven't made a comparison yet).
On another note, I really like the depth of field I get with the cam. I would say it is just as good if not better than my HV20. I was worried because I read since the cam has small sensors it would be difficult to achieve DOF. That has not been the case at all.
I have not captured any kind of footage yet so when I can I will try to shoot a short video about nature (as always) and post the video on Vimeo.
Hello,
I have a question. I have both a boom mic and a lavalier mic that I would like to continue using. However, both use a mini jack, and my HVR-V1U does not have that port. So, I was looking at B&H and stumbled across this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Mini_Jack.html
Would that work to convert the mini jack to XLR so I can use it on the V1U?
It works. But I'd at least get rid of the boom mic and get something with XLR. The cable runs with a boom are too long for unbalanced. The lav is no problem.
"It is dark the other side. Very dark!" - "Oh, shut up and eat your toast!"
OK, thanks. I currently have an Audiotechnica ATR55 that I use with my boom pole. What XLR shotgun mic that fits on a boom pole do you recommend?
Try to step it up a notch, that mic is the lowest end mic you can get that has a brand name.
The NTG series are great mics, especially the NTG-3. For a cheaper upgrade, an NTG-2 is my recommendation.
Just uploaded a quick test of my new V1U. The footage is straight from the cam, no color-correction. It was shot 24pA and I used the Cinema picture profile.
[ame="http://www.vimeo.com/9826421"]Testing the Sony HVR-V1U HDV Professional Camcorder on Vimeo[/ame]
Hope you like it! Will do more tests with different settings!
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