Funny you should ask...I recently submitted following review for publication in the January issue of TV Technology:
REVIEW OF IKEGAMI HL-DV7W DVCAM CAMCORDER
Now that Sony had decided to stop making broadcast Betacam products, many production facilities, rental houses and freelance equipment owners are actively looking around for alternatives. The uncertainty of the timing of HD implementation and the costs involved in retooling in that format encourage further investigation of other digital choices as Betacam replacements. One of the most intriguing of the competing formats is DV in both the DVCAM (Sony) and DVPRO (Panasonic) permutations.
Among the major attractions of DV, aside from the small sized tapes offering long record lengths and the competitively priced cameras and recorders, is the ability to edit in the native format on inexpensive solutions like Avid Express DV or Apple’s Final Cut Pro. These systems offer a distinct cost and time savings over “traditional” NLE which usually require a subsequent redigitizing and “on-line” editorial process to finish the production after it’s off-lined in a “losey” editing compression (such as 20:1).
We’re all familiar with the various consumer (TRV900, GL1) and prosumer (PD100A, 150, XL1S) DV cameras that have become available over the last few years. Many producers, including network broadcasters, have found uses for them in undercover and more stylized and interpretive work, but only recently have professional versions of DV camcorders like the Sony DSR-500 and the Ikegami HL-DV7 come to market offering comparable pictures to the latest high-end Betacam versions, by virtue of their full sized 2/3” CCD imagers and advanced “digital signal processing”. Because I’ve long been a loyal Ikegami owner/operator, I recently jumped at the opportunity to test out their offering in this category.
When I first inspected the unit, which was shipped in the very same case as a $40000 Beta Camcorder I was quite frankly shocked by the quality of construction and attention to detail on a camera that’s selling in the sub $13000 price range. It was not a cheap plastic imitation, but the real thing! As I read the instruction manual and familiarized myself with the various switches and settings, I realized that this camera had every feature I’ve come to appreciate on my HLV59W which cost three times as much; skin tone detail, black crush and press, color saturation adjustment, electronic daylight correction, hyper gain, widescreen switchability, eight lens files, memory card, etc. In fact, it has more features than the HLV59; Ikegami added a -3dB gain setting and a dedicated shutter on/off switch, both of which they said there was no room for on the Beta camcorder model. Furthermore the DV7 accepted the same lenses, CCU remote controls and many other accessories dating back to the “Unicam” family.
But when I turned it on, and put it side by side with the V59, that’s when the delirium set in; the two cameras’ output looked the same! I aimed both at a chip chart, color chart, and practical interiors and exteriors around my shop and observed the picture on a waveform/vector scope and Ikegami TM14-20 master monitor; what I observed was virtually identical. So what are the differences? First off, the DV7 imager is an IT rather than an FIT. In the past this meant streaks and vertical lines when pointing into specular light sources, so I tried pointing into the sun; no problem! Ikegami quotes a smear level of 125dB which must be enough to eliminate the aberrant effect. Actual sensitivity is quoted at F11 at 2000 lux, a full stop faster than the HLV59; so with the hyper gain set at +48dB this camera will “see” in 0.12lux, which is virtual darkness, certainly beyond the capability of the human eye.
Obviously the other major difference is the DVCAM VTR instead of the Betacam SP on-board deck. To its favor, the DV7 accepts both “mini” and “standard” cassettes with up to 184 minute maximum recording time. Also it plays back full color without a playback adapter, which is a great convenience in checking both the quality and content of the recording in the field, and with the built in “iLink” connector allows the camera to do double duty as a source machine in the DV edit room. As to whether the DVCAM format is as good as Betacam SP that subjective evaluation remains to be seen. Betacam does sample the color at twice the rate (4:2:2 vs. 4:1:1) but can you see the difference? I don’t know. The actual published specifications favor the DVCAM video format over Betacam SP with a greater frequency response in the luminance channel and a greater signal to noise ratio, both by a factor of 10%! With the addition of an optional 26 pin adapter however, component signals can be provided for outboard Betacam SP recording or as a component source to an analog switcher, if required.
In use, the camera is a dream; it has the heft and feel of a more expensive Betacam camcorder like a BVW600 or HLV59. The viewfinder is large and bright with contrast and peaking controls right at hand, and considerable adjustment even for left-eyed operators. The timecode readout is now visible in the viewfinder display, which is a welcome addition, especially considering that the tape can go on longer than the 30 minutes we’re all used to. The camera quickly attaches and disengages from the Ikegami tripod adapter plate, but if your preference is the Sony plate, that can be alternately provided.
I was able to use the camera while on loan on a two-camera live remote for “Good Morning America”. The other camera was a vintage HLV55 provided by the another freelance crew. We fed the uplink truck composite outputs so there was no sophisticated camera control or “painting” involved, and after merely white balancing, the DV7 looked as good, if not better than the other Ikegami on the master monitor in the KU truck. The most noticeable difference was the increased sensitivity in the DV7 as the V55 struggled to make the exposure with its F5.6 @ 2000 lux block; I was able to shoot at the same exposure with the 2x extender on my wide lens to punch in on the computer screen when called for. Granted that if the client had wanted an in-camera recording they would not have accepted the DVCAM tape, but in this case, based on the requirements of the assignment I was able to send my V59 Beta Camcorder out on another job, and if pressed, I could have used the 26 pin adapter and my outboard BVW50 Beta VTR to shoot any necessary b-roll required on Beta SP.
Previous Ikegami owners should be advised that from this camera on, only Sony (B4) mount lenses will be accommodated, so if you’re upgrading from a B3 mount camera you’ll have to consider buying a new lens. Lenses in fact are a major issue, because this model is widescreen “switchable”; so to maintain the coverage you’re used to when using 4:3, a lens with a 0.8 “crossover” is required. Ikegami does however offer a non-switchable version of this camera called the HL-DV5 for those who do not anticipate the need to use widescreen (at an even lesser price). A great irony is revealed in the choice of lenses for the DV7; for in order to maximize the quality and utility of this camera a “broadcast” switchable lens is required. Such a lens costs as much or more than the camera itself! Alternatively, an “industrial” quality lens may be purchased from the same top lens manufacturers for as little as several thousand dollars.
Here is where the ultimate quality vs. value determination is really made; the decision to forgo widescreen capability would allow you to upgrade using your present B4 lenses by purchasing the DV5, but if you still shoot 4:3 and anticipate needing 16:9 in the near future, in all likelihood you’d be forced to buy new crossover lenses to accompany the DV7W. To date, however, having owned switchable cameras for about four years, I’ve had only one week’s work that required 16 x 9.
Unlike the earlier and well known “Beta vs. VHS” and “Betacam vs. MII” rivalries, this time, somehow Sony and Panasonic have managed to accommodate each others’ DV products in their own playback and editing machines. This makes it easier for producers to accept tapes from many sources and for freelancers to service accounts using formats other than those which they own. For that matter, Ikegami offers camcorders using the same camera head as that found in the DV7 packaged with Panasonic’s DVPRO25 & 50 VTRs. These units are offered in both IT and FIT versions, switchable and not. Ikegami tells me that is why this camera is so inexpensive, namely that the parts are more or less “off the shelf” and that very little additional engineering was required to bring this model to market.
So who should consider using or buying this camcorder? I think any production entity that’s not “married” to Betacam by virtue of a heavily used archive, who has control of their own post production environment (or seeks to move to DV), or is looking for a top quality digital SDTV format at the lowest price. Moreover, the longer that the HD conversion takes, the more this (and the DVPRO) format will “fill the gap” by providing a digital transition medium that saves time (in post production), money (in infrastructure and/or rental costs) and equals or possibly surpasses the quality of analog video production as we currently know it.
By John Sharaf
Lighting Director and Camera Operator from Los Angeles, Ca.
Member IATSE Local 600, NABET Local 57 and IBEW Local 45
Can be reached for comments or questions at: jsharaf@earthlink.net
Check out the complete specifications of the HL-DV7W DVCAM and
similar DVPRO cameras at
http://www.ikegami.com Revised draft 11/12/01
