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The HVR-Z1, sold by Sony's Broadcast & Professional Systems division, is fundamentally the same as the HDR-FX1, sold by the consumer division. However, Sony lists some 40 firmware-enabled features provided by the $5,946 HVR-Z1. Obviously, I am not going to list these features one by one. (You can find them at http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/5331.) Rather, based on my experience testing the camera, I'm going to point out about a dozen features that provide solutions to shooting problems. I will also detail a handful of features that I did not find to be particularly helpful. (See my article "High-Resolution DV" in last month's Video Systems for a broader overview of Sony's HDV camcorders.)
Aside from its XLR connectors, the primary feature that distinguishes the Z1 from the FX1 is that it enables you to select between Region 50 and Region 60 modes. Region 50 mode provides PAL DV/DVCAM, 1080i50, and CineFrame 25. Region 60 mode provides NTSC DV/DVCAM, 1080i60, and CineFrame 24 and CineFrame 30.
In addition to a pair of XLRs, the Z1 offers +48V Phantom power, and menu settings that enable you to individually "trim" input level from +12dB to -18dB. This feature allows you, for example, to match any mic to the Z1. The advantages of this are twofold. First, it should prevent input overload prior to the gain control. It also means the manual gain control or automatic gain control will be working at the optimum level. I found the Z1's audio limiter both unobtrusive and very effective - especially when shooting on the streets of New York.
The Z1 allows you to enable peaking and to define its color to white, yellow, or red. However, I did not find this feature to be very useful. For example, imagine you need to focus on two characters. One is holding a knife, and the other is not. When focused, the sharp-edged knife will be outlined nicely in red. However, the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears of the other person will show no red outlines. Moreover, the special magnification mode cannot be used while shooting. Therefore, I relied on auto-focus (AF) and One-Push AF (while in...