Thoughts on Sony HVR A1?
by Elaisha Stokes
on
May 19, 2008 at 6:55:02 am
Greetings,
You'll have to excuse my ignorance, as I'm new to all this. I am looking to acquire a small lightweight camera for overseas field production, and have been looking closely at the sony HVR A1. Here are my questions!
1. Does is use miniDV tapes? If so, does it record HDV on these tapes, or do I need special tapes for this. I'm still very confused about this whole HDV thing, and I want to make sure I'm not in over my head while I try and edit dailies in the field.
2. deck - do I need on to get my data on the my mac, or does the camera act as a deck?
3. Headphones - it's so tiny! Is there a place to put headphones in to monitor sound (maybe this is a silly question, but someone else brought it up in another forum and it was never answered, making me nervous...)
4. Lens - Is it removable? I saw that there is a wide angle adapter, but what about telephoto?
Any impressions about the quality of this camera would be most appreciated!
Re: Thoughts on Sony HVR A1? by Michael Palmer on May 19, 2008 at 1:14:52 pm
"1. Does is use miniDV tapes? If so, does it record HDV on these tapes, or do I need special tapes for this. I'm still very confused about this whole HDV thing, and I want to make sure I'm not in over my head while I try and edit dailies in the field."
Yes it records to Mini DV tape, you can use any DV or HDV tape you find, however it is best to always use the same tape brand because each manufacturer uses their own tape lubricants. Not a good idea to mix brands if you can help it.
The A1U is a fixed lens and yes there are wide angle adapters available.
As far as quality is concerned I can't say, as I have only used the Sony PD-170, Z1U, V1U and now the EX1 units. You do get what you pay for and Sony has always been a good choice for me.
Re: Thoughts on Sony HVR A1? by Ryan Mast on May 19, 2008 at 5:11:36 pm
I use it all the time. It's a fantastic starter camera. See my post from last week in this forum...
Tapes? I use the cheap Sony tapes most of the time with no problems. If you're doing a paying gig, spring for nicer Sony miniDV tapes and add it to the bill.
Yes, you can plug in headphones, but the camera doesn't give a whole lot of amplification. And there isn't a physical control on the camera to adjust volume, so I think headphones aren't terribly useful on this model. I usually do a quick sound check at the beginning of a shoot to make sure audio isn't distorted, but that's it. The auto gain adjust is usually pretty good; I trust it.
Yes, you can use 37mm lenses and filters on it. Spring for a good lens, though, if you need it -- the high resolution will really make cheap lenses look horrific.
Re: Thoughts on Sony HVR A1? by Ryan Mast on May 19, 2008 at 5:32:29 pm
Haven't used any lenses I particularly liked, sorry. :-( A cheap lens ruined some rappelling footage last summer, and I've just stayed away ever since.
Re: Thoughts on Sony HVR A1? by Greg Lefevre on May 20, 2008 at 11:20:34 pm
Good questions and smart to ask. A1 is a perfect starter camera.
1. A1 uses mini-dv tapes. Buy one brand only, and stick with the same brand. Different brands sometimes use slightly varying lubricants and mixing brands sometimes, sometimes, causes problems.
2. The A1 works as a good deck. For field playback, the 700 mentioned elsewhere in this thread is excellent. Very good 7" screen good for checking your shots in the field. Just connect via firewire. I LOVE my 700.
3. Always use headphones. A1 headphone volume is low. I use a Boostaroo headphone amp. $20. Kicks up the sound really well.
4. Good wide angle and 2x lens adapters screw onto front. B&H sells Tiffen and Raynox and others inexpensively. I have Kenkos and they work fine.
Suggestion 1: Get a CitiDISK HD recorder. Attaches via firewire to your camera and records directly to internal hard drive. Perfect tape backup. Then plug CitiDISK into your laptop and slip video files directly into your Mac/PC. I have three.
Suggestion 2: The A1 video is good in all but the lowest light, get the LitePanels Micro camcorder light ($300 appx). Terrific at close and medium range, operates on AA cells, very light weight, perfect evening and night interview light.
Re: Thoughts on Sony HVR A1? by Douglas Spotted Eagle on May 20, 2008 at 11:37:22 pm
Wow. Not often I want to challenge anyone really hard, but this post begs for it....
1. A1 uses mini-dv tapes. Buy one brand only, and stick with the same brand. Different brands sometimes use slightly varying lubricants and mixing brands sometimes, sometimes, causes problems.
This is no longer true. Years ago, yes. Today? No.
A1 headphone volume is low. I use a Boostaroo headphone amp. $20. Kicks up the sound really well.
Used with a quality low impedance headphone, the A1 is no different than any other camcorder by any relative value. Granted, we use Sony MD 7506(industry standard) or Etymotic ER 4 for everything but we also own every HDV and several other camcorders, thus enabling comparison. I've never measured the voltage to provide a specific comparison, however.
Good wide angle and 2x lens adapters screw onto front. B&H sells Tiffen and Raynox and others inexpensively. I have Kenkos and they work fine. Tiffen does not make a high resolution lens. Neither does Kenko. Raynox has two; The 5050 and the 3030, in a 37mm thread. The 5050 is a .5, the 3030 is a .3. These are not a 1080 lens, but they do resolve in the upper 600's. Century/Schneider make great high resolution lenses, for a .3 (very wide) the Baby Death is the industry standard.
Suggestion 1: Get a CitiDISK HD recorder. Attaches via firewire to your camera and records directly to internal hard drive. Perfect tape backup.
There is a reason you cannot find many reviews of what most call the "Sh***yDisk," they fail. They fail royally. Sony, Nnovia, Firestore all make rock-solid products. I strongly advocate looking at any other brand first. Google around, you'll find myriad threads on problems with the Shining Technologies product. We have two; bought one for testing, and was given one by a retailer wanting us to review. Very different models over time, one DV and the other HDV, both are junk, IMO.
Apologies if I offend, but someone is going to use this information to potentially make a purchase. Given that we have, and regularly use several A1U camcorders, it's a great camcorder in many scenarios, as long as there is adequate lighting.
Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASST
Certified Sony Vegas Trainer
Aerial Camera/Instructor
Re: Thoughts on Sony HVR A1? by Christopher Kinsman on May 21, 2008 at 4:24:24 am
Hi Elaisha, sorry about the late post but I've been out shooting with my Z1U and A1U. I really like the little A1U as my "B" Camera. I use it extensively as a wide master to cut away from my Z1U. With a slight color correction these 2 cameras can be made to match pretty well. You can view footage I've shot with these cameras at freestyleyoga.com The A1U is a single chip CMOS sensor camera. This little sensor does a pretty good job in good lighting. Lower lighting gives it a bit of trouble. I've used the sony HVL LBP 10 bulb LED light. It's a daylight balanced light but a small piece of gel can correct to match other light sources. It runs about 500 and has built in barn doors, a diffuser and a spot lens that can really throw some light. It's naturally configured to provide light in a 16X9 pattern. It also draws power from a variety of sony batteries and has an attachment to repo the battery to your pocket or belt. I would highly recommend a different mic as the provided sony mic sounds very tinny. My 3 pet peeves about the camera are: 1) the zoom control is a small lever rather than a rocker 2) the exposure lever is a bit odd and only displays itself as a bar rather than f stops. 3) bottom tape loading requires removal from tripod and shoe removal. You can buy a custom shoe online that will let you change tapes without removing the shoe. My 3 favorite things about the camera are 1) really good quality picture from a single chip camera 2) Really small size allows stealth mode and fitting into strange areas for cool shots. 3) It's low price that allowed me a 2nd camera I could use as a deck instead of my Z1U. I currently use the Sony supplied wide angle. I would advise spending some cash on your lenses as picture is everything! Century optics are very good! 1 more thing. Focus is super important with HDV. For interviews I would go manual and use a field monitor when possible. For run and gun on auto the camera will sometimes be slow to focus when changing subjects at varying depths of field. Overall - it's a really dependable little camera with a good picture. Don't plan on using the 24 or 30 cinemamode as they are only "effects" added to the picture. You're better off using magic bullet or something else to add a film look if that's what you're going for. Best of Luck! Kind Regards, Chris
