Over at DMN, Douglas Spotted Eagle has been busy doing what many of us dream of doing right now, playing with the new Sony HVR-V1U HDV digital camcorder. He has been kind enough to give us the first ever Sony HVR-V1U review, which includes a great synopsis of the features and technologies the HVR-V1U utilizes. Also, there are framegrabs and sample footage available for download. So what did he think?
Functionally, the Sony HVR-V1U’s design was greatly appreciated, with button placements all in good positions for quick adjustments. He loved the new 30X zoom, which uses a mode called “Digital Expansion” to add on to the optical zoom without losing very much information.
There were of course some things he didn’t like on the HVR-V1U, like the power button functionality and lack of assignable buttons, but there has to always be something to nitpick about. He did like the lack of a built-in microphone, since they are never really worth it over an add-on. The HVR-V1U comes with a simple shotgun mic that is far better than anything built-in. Plus you get the XLR inputs.
Make sure you give this a read and definitely check out the end of the review for downloadable footage and screenshots.
