Rapid receives one of the first in the USA!

reviewed by Jon B. Bushey

Shortly after attending the Sundance film festival, we added another camera into our inventory. Rapid's newest addition is a compact HD 1080i camcorder.

This new HD camera allows Rapid to offer HD services to a wider array of clients. It is a compact HD camera that can capture at 1080i, the highest quality of HD. The quality of this HD camera is several times the quality of SD cameras. The HVR-Z1U is eight times better than the mini-dv SD or full sized DV cameras that are sold today. This HD camera records an MPEG-2 HD stream to tape. MPEG-2 is the broadcast standard for HD signals (ATSC for OTA transmissions.) So this camera captures at full HD broadcast quality. It is a 3 chip camera and the images are stunning.

The Sony camera features three 1.12 million pixel CCD and works in 16:9 natively. The camera can switch between SD and HD modes offering 720P, 480P, and 480I. Also, the camera features a built-in converter so on-set HD monitors can be utilized. The camera can down convert the HD signal to SD (480I) so conventional monitors can also be used during the shoot.

I have a review of the Sony HVR-Z1U and the JVC HD10U here.

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