Sony HVR-A1U Camcorder

May’s issue of Videomaker has a review of the Sony HVR-A1U digital camcorder if you care to take a look. There’s not too much in the way of techy statistics and the like, but rather it’s more of an overview of how the camcorder operates from the eyes of an actual user.Obviously they didn’t like the fact that the tape is bottom-loading, since anyone who might use this for professional videography purposes would have to have a few moments to switch tapes. In a business like wedding videography this would turn out to be a nightmare. They also didn’t like the fact that many of the manual options are buried in the menus, rather than on the body itself. Albeit, Sony’s HVR-A1U is a very small camcorder, and the fact that they got a couple of XLR inputs on it without adding too much bulk is no small feat.
They also found that shutter speeds lower than 1/100 gave a sort of “stuttery” look on moving shots, especially in low light. Other than that, the HVR-A1U gave a very clean, crisp image with great detail, and Videomaker seems to give it a big thumbs up. Definitely check out the review if you are in the market for the HVR-A1U camcorder.

  

Features

Product Type	Camcorder - 1080i
Width	2.8 in
Depth	4.1 in
Height	7.5 in
Weight	1.5 lbs
Main Features
Camcorder Sensor Resolution	3.0 Mpix
Camcorder Effective Video Resolution	1.2 Mpix
Camcorder Effective Still Resolution	2.8 Mpix
Widescreen Video Capture	Yes
Media Type	Mini DV (HDV)
Color Support	Color
Optical Sensor Type	CMOS
Optical Sensor Size	1/3"
Min Illumination	7 lux
Recording Speed	SP
Shooting Modes	Digital photo mode
Image Stabilizer	Electronic (Super Steady Shot)
Max Shutter Speed	1/10000 sec
Min Shutter Speed	1/4 sec
White Balance	Custom, automatic, presets
White Balance Presets	Indoor, outdoor
Remote Control	Remote control - infrared
Supported Resolution	1080i, 480i
Pro Camcorder Features
Features	Zebra pattern, down-conversion playback capability
Memory / Storage
Flash Memory	16 MB flash - Memory Stick Duo
Image Storage	JPEG 1920 x 1440 JPEG 1440 x 1080 JPEG 1920 x 1080 JPEG 640 x 480
Lens System
Type	Zoom lens - 5.1 mm - 51 mm - f/1.8-2.1
Focal Length	5.1 mm - 51 mm
Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera	40 - 400mm
Focus Adjustment	Automatic, manual
Auto Focus	TTL contrast detection
Lens Aperture	F/1.8-2.1
Optical Zoom	10 x
Zoom Adjustment	Motorized drive, manual
Filter Size	37 mm
Lens Manufacturer	Carl Zeiss
Additional Features
DV input	Yes
Low Lux / Night Mode	Yes
Digital Still Camera Function	Yes
Time Code	Yes
Additional Features	Built-in speaker, backlight compensation, RGB primary color filter, analog to digital conversion with pass through, color bar, histogram display
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type	Electronic
Viewfinder Diagonal Size	0.54"
Viewfinder Resolution	252,000 pixels
Image Aspect Ratio (camcorders)	16:9
Features	B/W & color switchable
Display
Type	LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.7" - color
Display Form Factor	Rotating
Display Format	123,200 pixels
Microphone
Type	Microphone - built-in
Microphone Operation Mode	Stereo
Connections
Connector Type	1 x component video output 1 x composite video/audio output 1 x S-Video output 1 x headphones 1 x audio input 1 x Control-L (LANC) 1 x USB 1 x DC power input
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories	Lens hood, camcorder shoulder strap, lens cap, microphone, Memory Stick Duo adapter
Cables Included	A/V cable Component video cable USB cable Microphone adapter
Power
Power Device	Power adapter - external
Battery
Supported Battery	Sony NP-FM50
Supported Battery Details	1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( included )