Sony's new HVR-V1U HDV cam does 24p
Pro video types without the budget for a high-end HD setup have a new friend in Sony's HVR-V1U cam: the HDV camcorder is the first in its class to shoot 1080p video at 24fps, the holy grail of indie DV cinematography. Sony's V1U is the followup to their Z1U, and is the pro companion to that FX7 prosumer cam we saw the other week. Along with the 24p action, the cam can shoot full-res 30p and 60p flicks, along with with slow-mo vids at up to 240 fields per second. In another boon to pros, the camcorder can record to HDV tapes while simultaneously pushing video to the new HVR-DR60 hard-disk recording unit which offers 60GB of space for up to 4.5 hours of recording in either HDV or DVCAM/DV mode. Other highlights include dual XLR inputs, a 20x optical zoom lens and a 3.5-inch LCD. Of course, this stuff isn't exactly "cheap" in most literal senses of the word: the camera and HDD recording unit are dropping in December for $4,800 and $1,800, respectively. Still, plenty of good things going on here, and if you don't have need for Canon's interchangeable lens capabilities, you'll save a whole lot of cash in comparison to the XL H1, and get some 24p action to boot.
