Sony HVR-Z1U: A Retro HD Camcorder Must-Have?

Is the Sony HVR-Z1U a must-have retro HD camcorder? Find out in this review where we go over the specs, features, and test footage of this classic camera.
My eBay store: www.ebay.com/u...
Compatible battery & charger: amzn.to/49Pu4oQ
video 8 tapes: amzn.to/44c6XUr
72mm fisheye lens: www.ebay.com/i...
ClearClick Video 2 Digital 2.0: amzn.to/47sKxP6
ClearClick Video 2 Digital 3.0: amzn.to/47myWkG
ClearClick Video 2 USB: amzn.to/40J1ItB
ClonerAlliance ViewLite AV: amzn.to/40A1THA
Gear I use to film my videos:
Canon EOS Rebel SL3: amzn.to/3RTseOa
Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens: amzn.to/3vkaPoQ
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Lens: amzn.to/3Tyn23v
Phopik Tripod: amzn.to/3RDrYBn
50 Inch Aluminum Camera Tripod: amzn.to/3tCKyBF
VL-81 LED Video Light With Softbox: amzn.to/48sotVl
VIJIM VL120 LED Light: amzn.to/3RVxD7e
Weeylite RB9 RGB Video Light: amzn.to/41ItuqM
Bestshoot Condenser Interview Microphone: amzn.to/3vdOXLU
JLab Talk Go USB Microphone: amzn.to/3v5DU7p
Tarion Camera Backpack: amzn.to/3S62caJ
0:00 Sony HVR-Z1U Camcorder Overview: Features and Evolution
3:45 In-Depth Camera Review: Zoom, Low-Light Performance, and Manual Controls
8:11 Camera Handling and Interface: Side Handle, Presets, and Settings
12:35 Camcorder Handle Features and Connectivity
16:33 Exploring Additional Features and Supporting the Channel
Edited with Gling AI: bit.ly/46bGeYv

[@CamcorderHomeVideos]

3:40 - You can purchase a Sony mirrorless camera that records in 8K for around $3,900 on B&H. 8K is equivalent to around 33MP video. A 12K camera from Blackmagic Design on B&H for around $6,400. 12K is equivalent to around 80MP video. Apparently there are some cameras that shoot 16K, but I haven't heard of the brands before; Dalsa and Tachyon. 16K is equivalent to around 132.7MP. That is 64x the resolution of 1080p, 16x the resolution of 4K, and 2x the resolution of 8K. The wraparound interior LED screen of the Las Vegas sphere is 16K in a 1:1 aspect ratio, equivalent to a resolution of 256MP. The highest resolution smartphone sensor is 200MP on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and it can record 8K video. The highest resolution mirrorless camera sensor is 102MP on the Fujifilm GFX 100 II, followed by the Hasselblad X2D 100C at 100MP. There are cameras that can achieve higher resolution photos through the use of pixel shift shooting, such as the Sony A7R IV, a camera with a 61MP sensor, that can take multiple exposures in quick succession, shifting the image sensor a small amount each time, to produce a 240MP image. The highest resolution camera disclosed to the public is the LSST camera at 3,200MP or 3.2GP (Gigapixels.) This camera is used for astronomical observations at a Chilean observatory and is not available for commercial or individual use. EarthCam's GigapixelCam is a robotic camera that can take 120,000 megapixel, or 120GP panoramas of New York City, the highest resolution photo ever captured of the city. The X80's camera takes 61-megapixel images that are then organized by the server. I am unable to tell you why cameras can shoot 16K; 132.7MP, but mirrorless cameras are limited to 102MP.

[@fletzyproductions1190]

Yesss you got it! Ps: i think you made a mistake at 4:32, the aperture opens up to f1.6, and when zoomed it it has to close to f2.8. But the highest the aperture will go is actually f11 10:44 this is the personal menu, you can easily add or remove whatever setting you can find in the menu (if you dont want to scroll through your menu) 14:03 this is a incredible feature i have yet to see in any other camera. What it does is in STORE, you can press the A button, and it saves your cameras settings (shutter speed, white balance, gain, aperture, zoom, focus), then you can change those setting and set those to B. Now what this incredible feature does is it allows you to smoothly transition between those settings

[@przemassLU]

I love the shape and size of these cameras. I have the Z1E model.

[@brandoncameracollection]

Just a tad too big for me but it feels very solidly built

[@cantkeepmedown-6876]

Cool Brandon, I used to have that camcorder and it was a real workhorse of a camera back in the day. skaters loved it. I;m so glad that we don't have to capture and edit on tape anymore, but that.s what we had to do at the time. Good to see you showing people how to go tapeless with many older cameras. I learned how to use that camera from Doug Jensen's tutorial dvd, produced by Vortex media that came with the camera on ebay and it helped me a lot too. Oldie but goodie Sony HDV camcorder. Keep the videos coming bro, Bobby D.

[@wubbadubnub]

Great camcorder, just really wish it was easier to get HDV footage out of it. I've always found the MRC1 to be too finicky and MiniDV ports seem to love to die.

[@brandoncameracollection]

Sounds similar to the canon xha1

[@wubbadubnub]

@@brandoncameracollection Absolutely. I love these HDV camcorders but I just can't justify buying them anymore. SDV camcorders will look very similar regardless of how you digitize them, but HDV shows color defects a lot clearer. I bought a JVC GY-HM150u, great camcorder if you ever decide to branch out of tapecorders. Even teh SDV footage on it looks really close to my PC100 to an extent and using SD cards makes it much easier.

[@brandoncameracollection]

@rub_nub yeah every once in a while I branch out. Like I have a review on the Sony nex vg10 and the canon xa10

[@n_3719]

1394 port on the z1 breaks easily due to strain esp from thick cables so i recommend using one of those apple/belkin cables. if you want to record tapeless avoid the z1, go with any of the 3rd gen sony hdv lineup (z5, z7, s270), you can use the mrc1 without the dock on those and those have tapeless rec trigger + integration for the mrc1/dr60. if you want a look closer to the z1 than those get a hvx200. btw avoid the v1, it sucks. lowlight and noise on it is horrible and to get an usable image you have to step down to around f3.1-f4

[@taptapkingvideo5883]

Thanks for getting the camera and MRC1 from me Brandon! I hope I helped you out on something

[@brandoncameracollection]

Yeah thank you I appreciate it 😁

[@phoenixphonkhouse451]

You should make a video comparing digitalizing hi8 tapes with firewire vs recording tapeless and explain the differences

[@reverseretro1961]

3CCD camcorders are pretty interesting, especially some of the later ones. The Panasonic HDC-SD9/HS9 is one of the very few 3CCD camcorders that record to an SD card (and/or a 60GB hard drive on the HS9). I got one myself and so far the footage is just okay-ish, probably in part due to its tiny 1/6" CCDs- but I find it interesting because it combines the already dated at the time CCD technology with up to 17mbps 1080i AVCHD video quality on an SDHC card and a high quality 5.1-channel surround sound microphone. It also has a 37mm lens thread so you can put a fisheye lens on it! Would be cool to see you do a video on it.

[@DoubleMonoLR]

The AVCHD compression alone may be doing much of the damage, even on the basic, tiny HD camcorder I have I'm pretty sure it's reducing the potential image quality. I should really compare it to recording from the HDMI output, assuming the output is taken from before compression is applied.

[@Veedy]

I have a Sony VX1000, Canon XHA1, and Panasonic HPX170P , all since brand new, all in 9++ condition. Love those old camcorder configs, still use them often. The tape models a little less, but the Canon and Panny still produce a workable image ! Do you have a workaround to go tapeless on the Canon ? TIA

[@craigw.scribner6490]

I use the Sony HVR-MRC1K on my Canon XHA1S--it works great!

[@Veedy]

@@craigw.scribner6490 Looks like a worhty unit, however somewhat expensive, is there another alternative ?

[@carmellebandibas]

Hello, I found a good sale of it but the fuse is burnt. Should I buy it and just send it for a repair? What do you think?? thank you!

[@brandoncameracollection]

No chances are you’ll probably pay more on repairs than you bought the camera for

[@carmellebandibas]

@@brandoncameracollection thank you so much! I wont be buying the camera.

[@NYARK02]

where would you rate this out of the others you have reviewed

[@brandoncameracollection]

It’s not my favorite camera I have reviewed, but that could be because it’s so beat up. I definitely like the look that comes out of the canon xha1 and Sony fx7 a little more. This camera is huge and pretty heavy

[@Marin_Medak]

Do you think that 50hrs of recording is a lot for a sony dcr-hc96e? I am looking to buy a new mini dv tape camcorder because mine dcr-hc15e started eating tapes and now the dock dosent even eject anymore. I cant hear the motor or anything. For 55 usd with a firewire card,cable,charger,handycam station,battery,remote control + the guy said he would give a cassette if you need one. Would you buy it for transfering video? And only that. When i looked online people say that the sony dcr-hc96e was top of the line camroder for the dcr-hcxx/e series.

[@DoubleMonoLR]

50 hours doesn't seem particularly much. It seemingly was at or near the top of the line for that series, but it likely won't make any difference for transferring videos. For transferring videos you just want a camera with the tape mechanism(including eject & tape loading) in good, reliable condition. Problems with the mechanism are pretty common, among seemingly basically all models. The mechanism is often also very similar(for the same brand) among various models.

[@Marin_Medak]

@@DoubleMonoLR Thanks but i already bought a dcr-hc32e that died after 2 months. Was brand spanking new btw. But thankfully i got all my tapes transfered!

[@Hi8Chronicles]

Can’t find the frame rate option :(

[@fletzyproductions1190]

Go to the bottom of the menu sections (the “other” section) and scroll all the way down. If you want 24 / 25 fps then you have to go to the picture profile menu