HVR-V1U vs. HV20 Low Light Performance?

[Marcus Marchesseault]

Each camera has their light-gathering surface divided by color. On third of the V1's chips are dedicated to each color and roughly one third of the HV20's chip is dedicated to each color. I say roughly because green likely has more area devoted to it than the red or blue. Regardless, the pixels won't be larger on the HV20 because three times as many need to be put on the same chip to get pixels the same size as one .25" V1 chip. You can't put larger pixels on the HV20 chip if it isn't three times the size of the V1's chips combined. It doesn't matter how you divide the total surface area.

I have yet to see any test or footage from the HV20 that looks brighter than the V1. It looks like a very nice camera for the money and form-factor, but it doesn't have larger pixels than any of the 3-chip HDV cameras.

[John Bosco Jr.]

Originally Posted by Marcus Marchesseault

Each camera has their light-gathering surface divided by color. On third of the V1's chips are dedicated to each color and roughly one third of the HV20's chip is dedicated to each color. I say roughly because green likely has more area devoted to it than the red or blue. Regardless, the pixels won't be larger on the HV20 because three times as many need to be put on the same chip to get pixels the same size as one .25" V1 chip. You can't put larger pixels on the HV20 chip if it isn't three times the size of the V1's chips combined. It doesn't matter how you divide the total surface area.

I have yet to see any test or footage from the HV20 that looks brighter than the V1. It looks like a very nice camera for the money and form-factor, but it doesn't have larger pixels than any of the 3-chip HDV cameras.

I never said the pixels were larger on the HV20. In fact I said, "larger pixels and a larger aperature help the V1..." The V1 looks brighter in low light because the colors look better.
How can I explain this, so you understand? Let me try this:

Sensors do not know color. The light is gathered on a .37 inch grid in the case of the HV20 and then passes through a color filter to produce the color image. Color suffers, but brightness does not, except for smaller pixels. The V1 has 3, .25 inch sensors that are used for each color. They are still gathered by sensors that do not know color, but since they are split by a prism, the light gathering surface is still .25 inch (all three are not gathered to one larger grid). The result is sharper, more vivid and more real colors, but not better light perfomance. The angle of the chips and larger pixels give the V1 an advantage, but remember the advance optics used to produce the color image hurts its low light capability much more than a color filter.

The fact is if you put both cameras in a room with only 3 lux of light, the HV20 will produce an image; whereas, the V1 won't. From the factory, the V1 is rated at 4 lux. Sony is not going to underestimate the light capability of their camera. In fact, they're going to pad it. We're talking low light capability, and even with Sony's tricks, the V1 will not win this battle. By the way, I don't have a HV20, I have an HC7 which is my backup camera. The V1 is one of the cameras I'm considering for my main camera. If the V1 had 1/3 inch sensors, it would be an easy decision; the V1 would be my main camera.