Sony HVR-Z1U Digital HDV 1080i High Definition Handycam Camcorder, 3-1/3", 16:9 Advanced HAD CCD, Switchable HDV/DV, Vario-Sonnar 12x Optical Zoom, 3.5" Wide LCD

The Sony HVR-Z1U professional camcorder shoots brilliant high definition 1080i pictures with jaw-dropping detail, color and clarity, and comes equipped with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T 12x zoom lens - the same glass and coatings as in Zeiss prime lenses.

The rapid transition to HD programming in broadcasting and postproduction has introduced a tremendous demand for an entry-level path into the HD world. Sony's response to this demand is the HVR-Z1U Digital HD Video Camera Recorder a compact and cost-effective HD camcorder that builds on the market-acclaimed DVCAMTM recorders.

The HVR-Z1U camcorder adopts the all-new, 1/4-inch HD format the HDV 1080i specification of the HDVTM format. Combined with three high-resolution 1/3-inch type mega pixel CCDs, the HVR-Z1U captures and plays back 1080i HD signals, while maintaining the DVCAM/DV recording and playback capabilities provided on current Sony DVCAM models. What's more, the HVR-Z1U offers a down-conversion capability of its 1080i recordings.

These features allow the HVR-Z1U to be active immediately in current SD systems, while also providing a step-by-step migration to the HD world operators can continue to acquire in DVCAM or DV formats, and switch to the HDV format as needed, or acquire in HDV 1080i from the start and use the down-conversion capability as required.

In addition to a unique camcorder body design and with its multitude of camera features, the HVR-Z1U offers maximum operability in the field, as well as opening up a new range of opportunities for creative shooting. Combining these features with the HD picture quality that HDV format provides, the HVR-Z1U becomes an exciting acquisition tool for a variety of applications today and tomorrow from video journalism, wedding and event videography, corporate and training productions, and digital movie-making, up to broadcast news gathering.

Offered at a price tag comparable to Sony DVCAM camcorders, the HVR-Z1U paves the way into cost-effective but uncompromised HD program production.