V1u official street price in the USA revealed

[Lawrence Bansbach]

Originally Posted by Jason Strongfield

It is going to cost you $ 4290 for this puppy available from BH.

I find it unsettling that there is an "official" street price. I thought that in a free market economy, street price was determined by such market forces as competition and supply and demand.

[Floris van Eck]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

I wouldn't make such a statement until you see the V1. I was at the press conference and saw the footage on the 36' screen. I also saw all the added features which I wish my Z1 had. The smaller form factor is nice, it isn't a "small camera," it's like a PD-150. Sitting on the tripod you had to go right up to it to tell it wasn't a Z1. I wouldn't mind having a little more space and a little less weight in my camera bag. There was no clue from viewing the footage that this was a 1/4" chip camera. And the greater zoom range would really be helpful. I could get a wide adaptor that is smaller, lighter and cheaper than the Century 1.6x telephoto I use on the Z1.

I suppose the jury's still out on the details, but unless some new terrible thing emerges I would trade my Z1 for a V1 without looking back. I don't think I can shoot footage with that much resolution and latitude with my Z1. I suppose my only concern would be low light capability for shooting performances. But for the outdoor nature stuff I do, the V1 looks like a noticeable improvement.

Boyd, do you think the V1 will have many manual controls on the outside of the camera, like the Canon has? Or will most of the settings be in the menu's, and so will we have to do it through the LCD?

[Boyd Ostroff]

Based on my brief time with the camera, I think it's missing a couple things that the Z1 has in the way of physical controls. I don't think there's a gain switch or white balance switch like the Z1. But it has the iris wheel, menu wheel (for shutter, etc). I believe gain and WB are set using the buttons on the rear of the camera in conjunction with the menu wheel, like the PD-150.

The V1 does not have a touch screen, so no menu functions are controlled there. There are a full compliment of manual audio controls. The attached photos show most of these. It may be a little hard to see, but the HDMI connector is under the LCD along with a USB port and memory stick slot.

You get some new versatility of assigning picture profiles and some other new functions to the user buttons on the V1 also.

[Chris Barcellos]

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

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If I do this, I'm pretty sure it'll be in the next couple of weeks, so Sony missed me. I've used Sony cameras since my first one, a BVW300 I bought in 1989. All great cameras and problem-free. I thought I'd buy a Z1, but when the Canon was announced, it is a thousand bucks cheaper and does 24f, so those two items push me in that direction.

I can remember thinking this same thing when going to my third Sony (VX2000). I tortured between it and G1 and XL1s. Ultimately, when I looked at these closeup, held them, and looked throught the viewfinder, I always like the fit, feel, and the viewfinders best in the Sony.

The new Canon's do have a no nonsense Sony- like design, but at this late date, with the FX1, VX 2000 and now this camera all using the same batteries, my next is likely to be the Sony too.

[Michael Wisniewski]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

... the HDMI connector is under the LCD along with a USB port and memory stick slot.

Here's a close up of the section underneath the LCD.
http://www.dvinfo.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=693&c=47

[Michael Wisniewski]

Originally Posted by Lawrence Bansbach

I find it unsettling that there is an "official" street price.

Lawrence, there is no "official" street price. What Jason (the original poster) meant is that the posted B&H price is what we can expect to pay for the Sony V1U on the free market. Don't let your fear, uncertainty, and doubt get the better of you.

[Stu Holmes]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

Based on my brief time with the camera, I think it's missing a couple things that the Z1 has in the way of physical controls. I don't think there's a gain switch or white balance switch like the Z1.

Yes there IS a gain button on the back - top of the 2 buttons. Below is a dedicated Shutter speed button and below is White Balance. These, in conjunction (i beleive) with the little wheel below them, enables fast easy change of these settings with no need for a menu system.

Floris - all this information and lots more is freely available on this site and others (official Sony info and 'unofficial but accurate ' info too) and good pics and much solid facts and specifications exist on both the FX7 and the V1 (especially the V1 : both V1E and V1U). 6 assignable buttons on cam etc. etc.

Spend 20 minutes or so at this site and others and Sony's own sites and you shuld find answers to 95% of your questions on these new models I'd think.

This isn't a bad place to start:
http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Broadcastan...V1U/index.html
http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Broadcastan...-V1U/spec.html

And here are some great hi-res pics from Sony :
http://news.sel.sony.com/images/larg...r-angle_lg.jpg

http://news.sel.sony.com/images/larg...de_view_lg.jpg

http://news.sel.sony.com/images/larg...ng_unit_lg.jpg
(Click the "expand" button at bottom right when image has loaded to see them at full-size).

[Floris van Eck]

I have already read all those webpages but I am more intested in practical functionality. Looking at the outside of the Sony V1 and Canon A1, the Canon seems to have more settings that you can control from the camera, so not by browsing through menu's. Furthermore, what kind of microphone does the Sony ship with? I have a Rode NT-3 and Rode NTG-2 and from my first impressions, those are better microphones as the one the Sony V1 will ship with.

Also, can the EVF be set to black and white?

[Drew Long]

Originally Posted by Michael Wisniewski

Lawrence, there is no "official" street price. What Jason (the original poster) meant is that the posted B&H price is what we can expect to pay for the Sony V1U on the free market. Don't let your fear, uncertainty, and doubt get the better of you.

Actually with Sony's Minimum Advertised Price, there is an "official" street price. Of course, they can sell it for less but they can't advertise it. This is only true for Sony authorized dealers. I expect this camera to be in demand like the HVX200 was when first introduced (albeit in larger quantities).

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Stu Holmes

Yes there IS a gain button on the back - top of the 2 buttons. Below is a dedicated Shutter speed button and below is White Balance.

Yes, I realize that which is why I posted the following and the photos which show the rear of the camera.

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

I believe gain and WB are set using the buttons on the rear of the camera in conjunction with the menu wheel, like the PD-150.

But I was answering the question about what physical controls the V1 is missing which the Z1 has. The V1 doesn't have a manual switch like the Z1 has. I believe the WB and Gain function as you describe, by pushing the button and turning the wheel like the PD-150. That WB button on my PDX-10 and VX-2000 has bitten me a number of times which I pushed it accidently instead of the audio level button :-)

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Floris van Eck

Furthermore, what kind of microphone does the Sony ship with?

I didn't look very closely, but it sure looked the same as the mike which they provide for the PD-150, PD-170, PDX-10 and HVR-A1.

[Dave Lammey]

Originally Posted by Chris Barcellos

I can remember thinking this same thing when going to my third Sony (VX2000). I tortured between it and G1 and XL1s. Ultimately, when I looked at these closeup, held them, and looked throught the viewfinder, I always like the fit, feel, and the viewfinders best in the Sony.

The new Canon's do have a no nonsense Sony- like design, but at this late date, with the FX1, VX 2000 and now this camera all using the same batteries, my next is likely to be the Sony too.

Yep, one of the smartest things Sony has done is to make those great batteries and then make them compatible with all of their pro/prosumer cams ... makes you think twice about switching brands.

[Stu Holmes]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

Yes, I realize that which is why I posted the following and the photos which show the rear of the camera.



But I was answering the question about what physical controls the V1 is missing which the Z1 has. The V1 doesn't have a manual switch like the Z1 has. I believe the WB and Gain function as you describe, by pushing the button and turning the wheel like the PD-150. That WB button on my PDX-10 and VX-2000 has bitten me a number of times which I pushed it accidently instead of the audio level button :-)

Sorry Boy - my misunderstanding!

regards

[Stu Holmes]

Originally Posted by Floris van Eck

Furthermore, what kind of microphone does the Sony ship with? I have a Rode NT-3 and Rode NTG-2 and from my first impressions, those are better microphones as the one the Sony V1 will ship with.

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

I didn't look very closely, but it sure looked the same as the mike which they provide for the PD-150, PD-170, PDX-10 and HVR-A1.

Boyd and Floris - I myself wondered the same thing a week or so ago and initially thought "it looks like the same mic" as the one on the A1 etc.......
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BUT
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It's not! It's a new mic that goes on sale in October and i expect it to be a good improvment on the previous Sony mic (one with A1E/A1U), although i have no performance info. So no idea how it will compare to NTG1/2. I'm not even 100% sure IF the mic actually ships with the V1U.

Anyway, I did found out the model name and i THINK it was ECM-680. Maybe not exactly that code but something like that. I'll try to confirm..

[Tim Le]

According to the Sony specs ( http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Broadcastan...-V1U/spec.html ) the mic appears to be the ECM-NV1, which is the same as the one on the PD170. It is supplied with the camera.

I wonder what is the model number for the mic on the old Betacam SP camcorders. I heard those are actually pretty decent.