go to pdf articleprint article 1 | 3 HDV and the Z1 in context cont'd... What about Dynamic range? The dynamic range is very good and not far off a f900. The Z1 has 14 bit A/Ds that create a very smooth looking picture. There is a choice of  two "CineTone" curves that create a flatter response in the highlights. The curves do work but I think that more could be achieved by an even more aggressive approach, that would necessitate grading. Is the Z1 good in low light? The Z1 is less sensitive than a f900, by around a stop. I find that gain is less usable on HD cameras than standard def and the Z1 is no exception. Careful attention must be given to low light exposure, this hasn't stopped Sony equipping the Z1 with hyper gain. Is focus an issue? Yes. On a dull day the flip out LCD works well, on a sunny day the rear eyepiece would be used more than it currently is now on DV cams. Why? The difference with this camera is that as focus is more critical on HD than SD there will be more of a requirement to use the camera "one eyed" than at arms length to check exposure. For this reason Focus markings on the lens would be a good idea when using the camera in arms length mode. There is an infinity focus switch but this is tricky to use. Unfortunatley the focus enhance feature, which enlarges the image does not work when the camera is rolling. Timecode? Z1 has 'record run' and 'time of day free run' timecode. It is possible to sync multiple cameras using the IR remote control to simultanouesly start multiple cameras.  Like pro cameras an internal battery in theory should keep timecode in synch even if camera battery is detached. Synching time code to an external recorder is feasible using a pulse from the LANC output to some data recorders. Does it have a HD lens? The Zeiss lens 4.5mm to 54mm is adequate. Minimum f stop ranges from 1.6 to 2.8 (The camera I was testing the image went slightly soft at the wide end). It is very good at close focus. The zoom lever is not mechanically connected to the lens, so there is a slight delay when zooming. Bear this in mind if you are evaluating a delay in monitoring. Zeiss and Sony have not gone overboard by creating a long lens that is impossible to hold steady. When shooting very bright point sources green flare is quite apparent, presenting itself as a rectangular arrangement of green spots across the screen. This is not a lens issue. Sony has eliminated this optical block issue from latest f900 with a redesigned prism.  But the green flare effect is far more obtrusive on the Z1 than the early f900s. Impossible to check but I think the Z1 could benefit from a better lens. So will the audience notice the difference between HDV and HDCAM or DVCPROHD?  For SD transmission?... probably not. But for HD transmission they will. Why? Consider that the image has been upressed, sampled then compressed in camera, uncompressed and re recorded and resampled, for example, to HD 4:2:2 gone through a few generations in 4:2:2 then encoded and transmitted at 18mb to a HD channel. The chances are that since you are on a budget your control of HD post will be limited, when in fact extreme care has to be taken just to maintain the original quality of the HDV recording. Imagine the programme that airs before yours is a live football broadcast, the commercials shot on 35mm and the programme after yours is a well shot doc with glass lens, a tripod, lighting, on f900 (the camera most people use in the states for docs) We get away with this at the moment on SD, perhaps with the viewer realising that something is not quite right but the audio and content carry the baton. But commissioning editors of HD programming want top quality pictures on their HD channels, not programmes lead by audio that don't look quite right on a 42 or 46 inch screen.

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