Exclusive review of HDR-HC1

[Michal Laskowski]

The only word to describe - this camcorder is awesome for home users !!!

Regards

[Radek Svoboda]

From the article: Achieving a resolution nearly triple to most MiniDV camcorders, the new HD Sony showed 656.1 lines of horizontal resolution and 480.9 lines of vertical resolution.

Here's resolution of an excellent 1/3" 3MP SD Sony camera:
bingo link "In 16:9 mode the camcorder gave us 314 lines of horizontal resolution with 275.9 lines of vertical resolution"

1. They don't know how determine resolution.
2. The resolution is about 2x as much as with DV

[Barry Green]

Based on those numbers the resolution would be 4x as much as DV, not 2x.

If it's twice as high in resolution on the horizontal, and twice as high on the vertical, then 2x2 = 4x as much. You could fit four SD images within the resolution of the one HD image.

[Philip Williams]

They take the horizontal resolution and multiply it by the vertical resolution to come up with a "real resolution score". The HDR-HC1 came in at 315,518.49 as opposed to the model you site which came in at 88,526.07.

So to clarify, they're talking total resolution (HxW) as opposed to vertical resolution.

Philip Williams
www.philipwilliams.com

[Radek Svoboda]

Resolution is linear quantity measured in lines/milimeter, does not relate to area.

Radek

[Thomas Smet]

If this camera actually has uncompressed ouput I still think it might make a great visual effects camera.

It is a single CMOS chip but is currently the only camera that could give a true 1920x1080 pixel raster uncompressed output.

I'm sure the glass isn't the best but it does seem to hold up a decent amount of detail.

Most visual effects shooting uses well controlled lightling so the low light shouldn't be a problem.

Another thing I love is that there is no pixel shift. You can't have pixel shift on a single chip camera. I know some people love pixel shift and it does a good job but when you are trying to edit video down to the pixel level it is best to just have straight 1 to 1 pixels.

Color does seem to be a little flat but that is easy to correct for VFX shots.

A lack of true 24p is an issue but there are ways around that. Does anybody know if there will be a seperate 25i Europe model?

[Tommy James]

Who told you that you cant have pixel shift with a one chip camera ? With a one chip camera you cant capture the frame all at once at the same time if you are using pixel shifting so their will be a temporal displacement.

[Radek Svoboda]

With single chip camera you get bigger pixel shift than with 3 chip camera that includes pixel shift.

Radek

[Wayne Morellini]

Nice look, with the lens hood.

I've just posted a few threads on the camera's controls and unanswered questions:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=47018
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=47019
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=47020


A bayer system wouldn't be an ideal target for pixel shift. Pixel shift needs separate overlapping pixels, bayer is side by side, and three chip gives overlapping coverage.

I understand this sensor is maybe progressive in still mode?

[Chris Hurd]

Who told you that you cant have pixel shift with a one chip camera?

Who told you that you can? Pixel Shift is a technology employed on three-chip camcorders where the green CCD (which receives 50% of the incoming light) is shifted electronically or physically (or both) one-half pixel in the horizontal axis or vertical axis (or both). Pixel Shift requires more than one CCD.

[Radek Svoboda]

OK, but in 1 chip camera 3 color channel pixels are lot less aligned than in color shifted 3-chip camera.

Radek

[Thomas Smet]

In what way are the color channels shifted? I know how 3 chip cameras with and without pixel shift. Sorry, I have never in my life used a single chip camera so I don't know much about them. I never cared or had any desire to even look at a single chip camera until now. I still don't like the idea of a single chip but they seem to work much better today.

[Radek Svoboda]

In 3 chip camera all color pixels align, with green channel shift, green pixels are shifted 1/2 pixel. In single chip camera are all pixels separated, no alignment of pixels for different colors can exist.

Radek

[Luc Saint-Elie]

Originally Posted by Thomas Smet

In what way are the color channels shifted? I know how 3 chip cameras with and without pixel shift. Sorry, I have never in my life used a single chip camera so I don't know much about them. I never cared or had any desire to even look at a single chip camera until now. I still don't like the idea of a single chip but they seem to work much better today.

Hello,

I'm photographer, and i'm looking for a tutorial about "why in camcorder 3 Chips are the holly graal while in photography, even with very high end digital back the simple chip is the rule ?"

If anyone has a link pointing to such an explaination..

Thanks in advance

[Chris Hurd]

Short answer, three-chip camcorders are *no longer* the "Holy Grail" that they used to be. The reason that they *were* is because previously, single-chip camcorders used a complimentary color filter which was excellent for low noise. However, 3-CCD camcorders produce much better color than single-CCD cams with a complimentary (CMY) color filter. That's why they're so highly regarded compared to single-chip video camcorders, because of the difference in color accuracy.

The majority of digital still cameras are using primary (RGB) color filters which produce excellent color. That's how they can get away with using a single image sensor. These days, video is finally catching up with photo and more single-chip video camcorders are being made with primary color filters. A single-chip camcorder with an RGB color filter produces an image that is nearly as good as a thee-chip camcorder (perhaps even better if there is a big difference between image processors -- a newer 1-chip RGB might outperform an older 3-chip).

Hope this helps,