Sony HVR Z5U

he Sony HVR-Z5U is the highly-anticipated successor to the acclaimed HVR-Z1U. The camera improves upon its predecessor in a variety of areas, including overall performance and range of features. CinemaTone technology enhances both gamma and color, providing exceptional images that exhibit a beautiful film-like aesthetic. What makes the camera unique is its ability to shoot to both tape and compact flash simultaneously when using the HVR-MRC1K compact flash memory recording unit.

At the heart of the camcorder are three 1/3" ClearVid CMOS Exmor sensors, which capture detailed imagery even in extreme low light. Combined with a professional wide-angle lens and a super-high resolution LCD screen, the camera is ideal for all handheld professional applications, including weddings, news, independent film production and reality television.

• Watch Your CinemaTone

The HVR-Z5U features CinemaTone^TM technology, which comes in two flavors. CinemaTone Gamma^TM crushes blacks while keeping the mids and highlights detailed, while CinemaTone Color^TM deepens color reproduction for richer hues. Combine the two and footage becomes incredibly film-like. CinemaTone Gamma curves can be accessed by the touch of a button.

• G-orgeous G-Series Lens

The HVR-Z5U makes full use of a low dispersion glass 29.5-590mm G-Lens with a 20x optical zoom and 3 built-in ND filters. The lens comes equipped with a manual focus, iris and zoom, making it the first camera in its class to feature a fully professional lens! Bravo. The lens has a digital extender that increases magnification by 1.5x, making the lens achieve up to 30x digital zoom levels.

• ClearVID 3CMOS Technology

Sony's ClearVID sensors are positioned at a 45° angle. Since each pixel is positioned in this manner, the result is far clearer diagonal lines. Images will appear crisper, without the apparent "jaggies" that often plague video signals. Enhanced Image Processing (EIP) is responsible for processing large amounts of pixel color information, recording 4:2:2 chroma before being thrown to 4:2:0 HDV tape.

• Exmor Inside

Low-light situations can sometimes be difficult for cameras of this size due to their relatively small sensors. The result can often be additional noise or image degradation, sometimes sending otherwise usable footage to the proverbial "digital cutting room floor". By incorporating Exmor technology, Sony has once again raised the bar for handheld cameras at this price-point, reducing the lux rating from 3 to 1.5! The HVR-Z5U's ultra-sensitive 1/3" CMOS Exmor sensors take advantage of technology originally developed for their flagship XDCAM EX camera, the PMW-EX1, delivering an amazing signal-to-noise ratio.

• 24p Capability

In 24p mode, images from the CMOS can be 2:3 pulldown-converted and recorded onto tape in the standard 60i HDV format. The tape can then be played back or edited using an ordinary HDV system. True 24p editing can be achieved by uploading 2:3 pulldown-converted images via an i.LINK FireWire interface to a compatible non-linear editing system. The resultant images resemble the visual motion of film! The camera can also shoot in both standard 60i for richer temporal motion, as well as 30p, which is great for lifting stills.

• High Resolution LCD

When shooting HD footage, standard LCD screens can be very deceiving; what looked perfect amidst a full-day video shoot can sometimes prove very soft or out of focus while in post-production. This is a direct result of a simple fact: most camera-mounted LCDs cannot resolve images in the same way they are being recorded. The HVR-Z5U comes equipped with a 1-MegaPixel LCD screen, making it 4 times as clear as the LCD on the HVR-Z1U, eliminating this oft-pesky phenomenon. Record with confidence knowing that what you see is what you will get.

• Extended Dynamic Range

The camera's 30% extension in dynamic range translates into more detail in both highlights and shadows. Increased dynamic range can be very useful when color correcting during post production.

• Focus Assist

Users will be delighted by the HVR-Z5U's focus assist feature; peaking focus assist provides a simple way to ensure images are in perfect tack-sharp clarity. The process highlights high-contrast areas that represent sharp lines making focus operation incredibly quick and easy.

• Advanced Audio Recording

The built-in microphone features full stereo recording capability capturing crystal clear audio. If more directional audio recording is necessary, the unit comes equipped with a ECM-XM1 monoaural microphone, providing a high level of flexibility while allowing operators to tackle a wide range of projects.

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