For those who have used the V1U, can you tell us if you can display a center crosshair, aspect ratio guides and safety zones on the viewfinder?

Yes. In fact, the V1U has more marker options than any previous camcorder that Sony has offered in the low cost range. 4:3, 15x9, center, edge markers are all part of the camcorder features.

Nice! Thanks Spot.

I noticed the Canon XL-H1 has the following markers:


Center
Aspect Ratios: 4:3, 13:9, 14:9, 1.66:1, 1.75:1, 1.85:1 or 2.35:1
Safety Zone 80% or 90%


Hopefully the V1U offers at least these many options.

Here you can see the different zones for selection

http://www.sony.jp/products/Professional/c_c/hdv/HVR-V1J/feature03.html

Thanks Ray, that's a nice find!

Looks like they have the 80% and 90% safety zones and a 1/3 grid but no 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 framelines (assuming you wanted to crop to these aspect ratios later in post).