Sony's new DVCAM camcorder

[tom hardwick]

Sony have sprung a surprise by introducing a new DV (SP and DVCAM) camcorder:

http://tinyurl.com/lmabha

I fail to see the point really as the specification shows it to be a Z5 with the ability to record in the HDV format stripped out. Why would Sony do this, especially when

1) the camera downconverts the 1440 x 1080 (effective) signal to 720 x 576 on the way between chips and tape

2) The Z5 can do this anyway

3) The new PD175 is nowhere near as good in the gloom as the previous PD170 model.

4) It has the rolling shutter artifacts that come free with CMOS chips.

I haven't seen a street price, but it must cost every bit as much as a Z5 to manufacture, box, advertise and distribute. So again I ask - what's the point?

tom.

[billyfromConsett]

Sony are single-handedly doing all they can to keep miniDV cancorders going, and are battling against that 'tape-is-dead' conspiracy theory ...

They've got me on this one. I take it that it will be native 16:9.

If it's £500 less than a Z5, surely 99% of us would opt for the HDV option.

[tom hardwick]

I can only surmise that the Beeb or some-such has a requirement for a skip-load of ''16:9 PD170s''. Quickest hatchet job for Sony was to disable the HDV menu option on the current production Z5 - that way filmmakers in war-torn corners of the earth can't go fiddling and getting long gop dropouts on tape in less than ideal filming conditions.

But as you say, it's got to be £500 less than the Z5 before anyone would consider it, and even then they'd be looking for on-line firmware hacks to make it shoot HDV. Not that they'll find them - the TRV950 people could never activate the 16:9 option the PDX10 enjoyed, yet they were effectively one and the same camera.

tom.