Earlier this month Adam Wilt got his hands on a preview model of the Sony HVR-V1 HDV camcorder. Unfortunately we didn't get to see one, but it sounds as though this will be the HD replacement for the PD170. Smaller in size than the Z1, and with a feature or two missing, the camera has three CMOS chips and the option of 24 frame progressive scan. Adam compares the new V1 with a PD150 and the HVR-Z1.

Earlier this month Adam Wilt got his hands on a preview model of the Sony HVR-V1 HDV camcorder. Unfortunately we didn't get to see one, but it sounds as though this will be the HD replacement for the PD170. Smaller in size than the Z1, and with a feature or two missing, the camera has three CMOS chips and the option of 24 frame progressive scan. Adam compares the new V1 witha PD150 and the HVR-Z1.

Adam describes the V1 as "a compact, lightweight Handycam that shoots sharp, clean HDV while offering the best laid-out controls found on a small Sony, and true progressive capture to boot. Rolling shutter will be an issue for some, but overall, the V1 looks like a worthy addition to the choices available to HDV shooters." Some features have been squeezed out whilst shoehorning the tech into the smaller form factor: no analog-in recording, no 50 Hz/60 Hz switchability, low-light capability not so great (4 lux, 1.5 stops slower than the Z1), and a lack of standard video connectors on the camera body. He says "the raw resolution of the prototype V1 surpasses that of either the Z1 or the Panasonic HVX200, and may even challenge Canon's crisp XL H1."

Adam Wilt (www.adamwilt.com) writes DV's Technical Difficulties column when he isn't too busy testing cameras and writing broadcast industry utility software.

You can read the full article describing the V1 prototype and its features in detail here:
http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.jhtml?articleId=194400711