Comparing the Sony HVR Z1U and HD10U

reviewed by Jon B. Bushey

At the present time, there are only two professional HD cameras below $60k, with lens. The first affordable HD video camera was the JVC HD10U, a compact camcorder. Now Sony has released the HVR-Z1U, a mid-sized HD camcorder.

There are several differences between the HVR-Z1U and the JVC HD10U. First, the JVC camera shoots at 720p, the Sony at 1080i. Now don't jump to the assumption that the JVC camera would be a good choice for shooting an independent movie because it shoots progressive. The 1080i format is just as good, in fact, better in many ways for a film transfer. More on that later. Second, the Sony camera does have a higher resolution, which is nice to have when doing a blowup to film.

The third difference, is the size of the Sony, or more correctly, the lack of size in the JVC. The JVC HD10U is a much smaller camera that most other cameras. The pictures below are to scale. Both the Sony and the Canon XL1S are normal prosumer size. The JVC camera is very small. I think it is too small - you trade features and usability for it's small size.

I am amazed at all the features Sony has built into the HDV-Z1U. One feature that I really missed on the HD10U is a LANC jack. I frequently put the cameras on a jib and so the LANC port is very handy for controlling the camera from the ground. Ergonomically, the Sony camera is a step or two above the HD10U. Sony has added many controls to the HDV-Z1U that were missing from the JVC camcorder. As an example, the iris control on the Sony is much like the iris control on the Canon XL1 and XL1S. There are also 6 user programmable buttons on the HDV-Z1U, similar to the user buttons on the Canon cameras.
Speaking of other improvements Sony made, the tape door is much better on the Sony. The JVC camera had the tape door under the handstrap. Not the best place but it may have been related to the cameras small size. And, as long as I am pointing out the deficiencies in the HD10U, the batteries did not last very long. In the Sony camera, a battery that is about the same size as the JVC battery gives about twice the run time.
The image quality on the Sony camera is amazing. There is no comparison between the Sony and JVC cameras for image quality. The image from the HD10U was OK, when it was lit perfectly. Even then, the camera had too much video noise for me. And it was difficult to get the HD10U into manual exposure mode. Both cameras have an issue that is probably going to be in all of the sub 40K HD camcorders. The viewfinder and LCD screens are both (at best) SD. Focus is always an issue with HD cameras and low resolution viewfinders and LCD screens make it almost impossible to get good focus without a external monitor. The Sony camera has a feature that should help, and when I have used it it does help. There is a button which activates a temporary 2x magnification in the viewfinder and the LCD screen. It like zooming in for a second to get focus and then zooming back out - except it happens instantly and you never lose your framing.