Hello to all.

I have a shoot coming up where I will be renting the HVR-Z1U here in the US to shoot for a European client.

I have not used this camera as yet but as I understand it, it will shoot PAL 50I in standard def, 16:9 on DVCAM or Mini DV tapes... correct?

What does the camera provide for external video monitoring? I assume it will output standard def when set to SD for shooting. Does it do any kind of 16:9 into 4:3 squeeze (bars top and bottom) so I can use my existing 4:3 only monitor?

My plan is to set up and light in 60I using my trusty Sony monitor and then switch to 50I for the shoot and use the LCD screen.

Any other advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Correct, the Z1 will shoot 50i any way you want it (SD/HD, standard/wide) on any miniDV tape.

For external monitoring you can choose whatever fits you, firewire, component (ask for the supplied cable if you want to do this, it comes with a special connector on the camera end), S-video, or even composite (again, ask for the cable).

And yes, you can squeeze your pix for monitoring.

Thank you, Ervin. This will help me tons.

BTW: Nice web site!

most SONY pro monitors will accept both PAL and NTSC signal. which monitor do you have?