Sony HVR-Z7U HDV Professional Video Camcorder

I love it, man! what a difference, I just love this cam, got it about a month ago and shot about 4 weddings with it already.

I bought my first Sony HD Camcorder in 2006, and now need a second one for an expanding production business. The Sony HVR-Z7U HDV is a big leap forward in technology from my original. It's beyond the typical "ProSumer" HD camera, and has a heftier feel than my first camera.HOWEVER - I GREATLY REGRET BUYING THIS FROM ELECTRONICS BASKET. The camera was delivered in May, 2013, and everything was just fine. Then, in October, the camera stopped working. When I sent to Sony in New Jersey for repairs, I was told that the camera was NOT under US warranty, as it was an Asian model. (TRANSLATION: THIS CAMERA MAY NOT BE SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES.)From that time forward, the people at Electronics Basket made every possible attempt to avoid their responsibility. They told me they could have it repaired for me, at MY cost - and it would take 8-10 weeks.I exchanged emails with Electronics Basket several times, and each time, they refused to do what was right. (I would write a book on their "excuses" on why they would not give me a refund.) Finally, when I sent the camera back to them without the original box (from 5 months ago) they said "Amazon's rules require a 50% charge for re-stocking." This IS A LIE.Luckily, the Amazon A-to-Z Buyer Protection people interceded, and I got a prompt full refund. THANKS TO AMAZON - THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE WORLD. If you are looking for this camera, it's highly recommended. JUST DON'T BUY IT FROM ELECTRONICS BASKET.

Sony HVR-Z7U ReviewFor the last 3 years I have been using the first Sony HDV camera, the Z1U, with great results. We took it in over 21 countries for the filming of a documentary and it preformed just great. However my Z1U, as much as I loved it, was growing old, so I went for the next generation, the Z7U, that I just got a couple days ago.The first thing to notice as I unpacked it is that is noticeably heavier. I knew that from the spec sheet, but I thought I wouldn't notice the 0.6 pound difference. Anyway, the newness of the camera and the fact that is a lot shorter than its predecessor got me excited enough to get over it.I also noticed and liked the new frontal design where the far reaching built in microphone of the Z1U is missing. This allows for bringing the camera much closer to the airplane or car window for instance, something I will value as a documentarian.The LensThe removable lens hood is easily removable by the push of a button, opposed to the screw system of the Z1U, a nice little touch, to be valued when you're strapped for time.The main advantage that I went for on this camera is the removable lens. So first thing I did I removed the Vario Sonnar 12x lens that comes with it. The process was easy and intuitive. Upon my first field test, I got to like this lens a lot better than the built in Z1U. It seems that the new model achieves a much better shallow dept of field, the nirvana of any professional. I also really liked the "Digital Extender" function, built in this lens, that brings the subject 1.5x closer when you're zoomed in to the max. First I thought in might be a cheapo "blow up the pixels" trick, but while watching the footage on a 50inch HD monitor, I could not tell any quality drop while using the "Extender".The focus ring is large and handy and must be pushed forward for "Auto focus". This is handy as you shoot, but it is guaranteed to move the shot if you're on a tripod shooting. I remember that the centrally located AF button of the Z1U could be moved without any jerk while shooting. The other disappointment is that there is no Autofocus push button, unless you go trough a convoluted programming procedure from the book.The zoom is handy and smooth, and what I liked the most is that the servo zoom is a lot smoother than the older one. More than that, the servo zoom on the handle bar can be programmed to various speeds and once it reaches the upper or lower limit it will ease to a stop. Totally cool and professional.The iris is located as third ring on the lens. I liked that too, and there is an Auto Iris button, but I like doing my own exposure.The CameraThere are 3 ND filters as opposed to two and they work like a charm. I was able to shoot a sunset reflection on the water without closing the iris at all or being overexposed...There are 3 gain levels and they are programmable as a new feature. I dindt change the DB levels but I used them all and could not see any image graining even on the "H" setting. I wish that was the case with the Z1U. So, yes, the low light performance of the new Z7U is net better, a Godsend for a documentarian that can't always control the lighting.The white balance seems to be the same, not much to do there, same with the menus, and status check. The picture profile has a number of sophistication's such as "black gain" and color depth that were a bit above my comprehension without further reading.The display and the outputsThe first major disappointment was the smaller LCD screen. More than that the colors on it were pale and while is it worked well in the sun, it was still simply too small. I got in trouble a lot in the past by not seeing where the focus was, so I was hoping on a larger display. Sony says that is superior since it has more pixels, but I'd preferred it bigger.The VCR functions are the same, and the HDV tape is in the back facing the cameraman, not upwards. This is great if you're changing tapes in the rain or a sandstorm like it happened once while I was in Egypt.The most valuable new output is the HDMI of course. I connected it directly to my plasma TV and it looks just great. I also liked the full size firewire connector.The new Sony Compact Flash recorder unit is small and it fits in the back, over the battery compartment so you'll need to remove it first if you want to change the battery. That is OK I guess. The unit is small and luckily it takes the wide available CF card. Thank you Sony for not requiring us to buy your overpriced Sony Stick and other non-compatible "Sony Only" kind of cards. And thank you for having a dual kind of output storage. I am a "tape" faithful for storage and backup purposes, but it is nice to have the CF option. I have not tried it yet.The biggest disappointment happened when I tried to playback on the new camera tapes recorded by the old Z1U. As soon as I put them in, the Z7U ejected them out. They were recorded in the "1080I 60FPS" a format fully compatible with the Z7U. This is highly troublesome since I have hundreds of tapes filmed on 5 continents that I might have to re-digitize one day should my hard disks crash. What am I to do, buy an $3000 VTR?SoundThe included microphone is nice and sensitive, but I rarely record more than the ambient sound on the built in mic. There are 2 XLR inputs, nothing new there. I like that the mic is easily detachable and can save space while packing the camera. Also with an XLR extension cord it can be used for interviews on a table mount if you're lacking a lapel microphone... This couldn't be done with the old model.The camera also has the capability to take still pics even while shooting. It has an SD Ram slot and a button can be assigned for picture taking. I never cared much for this feature since you can extract just as good pictures from the HD Video files.ConclusionThe new HVR-Z7U is a pretty good piece of equipment for the $6000 USD price tag. Despite a couple of shortcomings I don't regret getting it. I really hope Sony will come up with longer lens soon that would make the main new feature "interchangeable lens" so much more valuable. So far Sony offers just some one wide lens for this unit. That's disappointing, great cinema and nature shots require long lens and none are available specifically for this camera. Sony offers some options that require adapters and reduced functionality for use of their still camera lenses with the Z7U, but I am skeptical about using such non specific products.Mitch AndersonMitch Anderson is the producer of the film "The World Without US" . This feature-length documentary debates the implications and consequences of US military involvement in the world today.The World Without US - With Niall Ferguson

We found this camcorder to have features that were no better than prior version, saw no improvements in design or ease of use.

Sooo Great

it came with defective battery charger no hand strap, a button was misplaced, after 5 days of operation switch block control button stop working, I reach out to seller by phone and email and got no response

I'm loving this camera. There are times when bringing a "smaller" camera into a clients business that this camera may not have the "pro-appearance" factor - but none of the clients have been disappointed with the results. The footage I've taken with this have been on national broadcasts and look dazzling!And, it has proven to be a workhorse by working in cold temperatures, long days, high altitude, and even me when I'm crabby! I'm psyched with my purchase close to a year now of this Sony Z7U and it has payed for itself many times over. I'm glad I have this camera over the Canon or Panasonic in it's class!No problems - (knock on wood)Thanks Sony!-jl

This product does not meet my need because I can not operate it outside the United States. I will appreciate it if you can replace this product with Sony Video Camera Z7 (PAN).