Sony Professional HVR-A1U CMOS High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

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Batteries Included: 1 Binding: Electronics Brand: Sony Color: Black Display Size: 2.7 EAN: 0027242687004 Feature: High-definition video camera records in 1080i, 720p, and 720i specification with analog down-converting Is Autographed: 0 Is Memorabilia: 0 Label: Sony Manufacturer: Sony Maximum Focal Length: 51 Minimum Focal Length: 5.1 Model: HVRA1U Optical Zoom: 10 Publisher: Sony Release Date: 2005-10-01 Studio: Sony
Features 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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Editorial Reviews: The Sony HVR-A1U camcorder captures 1080i HDV images using a newly developed 1/3-inch type, 2.97-megapixel (total) CMOS sensor with new Enhanced Imaging Processor(tm) technology that optimizes the performance of the CMOS sensor. The result is HD quality imaging that has been used to produce television and professional film content. Available at an extremely affordable price, the HVR-A1U will be another powerful option for HD field acquisition by all video professionals.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: great prosumer camera Comment: hd cameras are expensive. this prosumer model is a cheaper alternative to all the glam, but actully does a very good job shooting hd video. i have used mine to create green screen videos, travel videos, and other little youtube videos. adobe premier renders the hd video from the camera very well, and setup on the camera is very easy. i have been using sony cameras for about 10 years now and this one is by far my favorite. the mic is decent quality, but has two inputs for mic cables if you want to use your own. there are settings to allow you to do special camera tricks and assign functions to a button. touch screen lcd is nice, but the lcd could be a lot bigger and i would not complain. bottom tape feeding is a little annoying, especially if you are using a tripod. you have to take the camera off the tripod, then you can change the tape. a camera with a side mount for the tape is much handier, and probably faster and quieter too. Customer Rating: Summary: a bit different than what i thought Comment: the audio is fantastic the extra place to hook up mikes and stuff is one of the best features. It also can convert hdv to dv or keep it as HDV some other cool effects include sepia shooting, blurred shots, as well as black and white. The touch screen is very nice to have, but it is nothing revolutionary. The picture quality is just OK. i have seen much better quality film on cheaper models. It shoots in a max of 1080i. Night vision is another cool feature. Although, i have found that the infrared DOES NOT shoot well past 15 ft nor does it shoot through car windows(inside to out) unless outside of vehicle is exposed to light. So far no problems with the camera, but something that is very important that i almost overlooked is the fact that the picture in a dim area is very poor even with the exposure adjusted. Customer Rating: Summary: Very Handy, But Falls Short of a Great Camera Comment: 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. Customer Rating: Summary: Great Second Camera Comment: 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. Customer Rating: Summary: Great Camcorder Comment: 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. More Reviews