| |
Model
|
| Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Sony 
| Sony 
|
| Name | HDR-AX2000 | HVR-Z1 |
| European name ? | HDR-AX2000 | HVR-Z1E |
| US name ? | HDR-AX2000 | HVR-Z1U |
| lowest US price | 3499 $ | 5295 $ |
| On the market since | February 2010 | April 2005 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Sony | link to Sony |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
 | Good
 |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD SD MPEG2
| MiniDV HDV DVCAM
|
| Recording Medium | SDHC card Memory Stick PRO Duo
| MiniDV/HDV-Cassette
|
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i MPEG2 720 x756/50i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| HDV 1440 x 1080/50i MiniDV 720 x 576/50i DVCAM 720 x 576/50i HDV 1440 x 1080/60i DVCAM 720 x 480/60i MiniDV 720 x 576/60i
|
| video resolutions US ? | AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i SD MPEG2 720 x 480
| HDV 1440 x 1080/50i MiniDV 720 x 576/50i DVCAM 720 x 576/50i HDV 1440 x 1080/60i DVCAM 720 x 480/60i MiniDV 720 x 576/60i
|
| Max Bitrate ? | 24 Mbit/s | 25 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | MPEG2 MPEG4
| DV MPEG2
|
| on-board memory ? | | |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Sony
| Carl Zeiss
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 20 x | 12 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 29,5 mm | 32,5 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 72 mm | 72 mm |
| Image Stabilization ? | optically and electronically
| optical
|
| ND Filter ? | 3 | 2 |
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| No
|
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 3 | 3 |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/3 inch | 1/3 inch |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 1037000 Pixel | 1070000 Pixel |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CMOS
| CCD
|
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto manual presets WB-Shift
| auto manual presets WB-Shift
|
| Focus ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Minimum shutter time ? | 10.000 | 10.000 |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| Apperture control ? | auto manual AE-Shift
| auto manual AE-Shift
|
| Infrared recording ? | No
| No
|
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Peaking ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | 70-100% | 70-100% |
| Histogram ? | No
| No
|
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Black Strech ? | No
| Yes
|
| Knee ? | No
| No
|
| Colorbars ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | No
| Yes
|
| Custom Presets ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Set Time Code ? | No
| Yes
|
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
FBAS ? synonymous: RCA, composite | Out
| In Out
|
YC ? synonymous: S-Video | About Special Equipment
| In Out
|
YUV ? synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
|
| HDMI ? | Out
| No
|
DV / HDV (FireWire) ? synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | - | In Out
|
| USB ? | USB 2.0
| No
|
| Microphone / Audio input ? | XLR
| XLR
|
| Headphones ? | Mini-jack
| Mini-jack
|
| Lanc ? | No
| Yes
|
| Time-code interface ? | No
| No
|
| Genlock ? | No
| No
|
| Accessory shoe ? | Standard
| Standard
|
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
|
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 2100 g | 1995 g |
| Weight (with battery) | 2300 g | 2182 g |
| Battery type | Sony F570
| Sony F570
|
| Battery capacity | | 2200 mAh |
| Charger ? | internal
| external
|
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
|
| Size |
| Height | 173 mm | 139 mm |
| Width | 187 mm | 182 mm |
| Depth | 342 mm | 360 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 110 | 91 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | Color
| B/W and color
|
| Viewfinder format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | 1226880 Pixel | 252000 Pixel |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
|
| Display size | 3,2 Inch | 3,5 Inch |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Display pixels ? | 921600 Pixel | 250880 Pixel |
| Touch Screen ? | Yes
| No
|
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker Ring
| Rocker Ring
|
| Manual Focus ? | Ring
| Ring Menu
|
| Manual Aperture ? | Ring button
| Wheel
|
| Focus switcher ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| ND Filter ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Exp Lock ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Gain ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| White balance ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Push AF ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Audio Levels ? | Yes
| Yes
|
Custom Keys ? synonymous: User buttons | 7 | 6 |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
| Audio Formats ? | Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1
|
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal external XLR
| Stereo internal external XLR
|
| Audio Control ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Audio levels ? | Viewfinder Screen
| Viewfinder Screen
|
Still
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
| Recording Medium ? | Memory Stick Duo
| No
|
| Medium included ? | No
| No
|
| Effective pixels ? | | |
| Resolutions ? | | |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| |
| Flash ? | No
| No
|
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
| Specials | "Smooth Slow Record" slow motion. | |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
| luminance resolution | | |
| chrominance resolution | | |
| lens distortion | | |
| test small ISO image | | |
| noise / internal microphone | | |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode ? | | |
| Test image 12 lux optimized ? | | |
| slashCAM rating |
| Lowlight ? | Very good | Good |
| Resolution ? | Very good | Satisfactory |
| Color performance ? | Very good | Satisfactory |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | Very good |
| Optical Zoom ? | Satisfactory | Sufficient |
| Wide Angle ? | Very good | Very good |
| Configuration / image ? | Very good | Very good |
| Configuration / sound ? | Very good | Very good |
| Handling ? | Very good | Very good |
| Portability ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| Photo function ? | Poor | Poor |
| Optics ? | Good | Good |
| Dynamics ? | Very good | Very good |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
 | Good
 |
Total score ? (maximal 570) | 433 | 384 |
| Pros | + large wide angle + XLR audio + good low light performance + high resolution display / viewfinder
| + Very good image quality impression + Wide optics + handling well-conceived + Very well equipped + Supports also formats with 60i + individually controllable audio channels
|
| Cons | - sharpness only average - no touch focus - no shot transition
| - No full HDV-resolution - DV-quality only average
|
| Conclusion | Consumer camcorders like Panasonics 300-series or the JVC GZ-HM400 are able to deliver sharper FullHD images.But on the other hand the AX2000 shines with its low light capabilities, handling, display, viewfinder, wide angle and also in the audio section.As a universal workhorse this semiprofessionell AVCHD-camcorder thus makes a thoroughly good impression.Also the pricing which lies well below the EX1 makes it interesting.A touch focus and shot transiton had been nice though.The former could (as an option) be of advantage also on a rather professional model like this, while the latter would seperate it more from consumer devices. | Just as the consumer version FX1 the Sony HVR-Z1 lacks CCDs with full HDV-resolution, which is noticeable at least in the horizontals.Nevertheless, the subjective image impression is still very good due to the very good dynamic behavior with extremely little noise and the consistent color reproduction.Despite the comparatively large wide-angle, optical errors are within limits, only little distortion and chromatic aberrations can be detected.In low light-situations the FX1 is good, the low noise being a plus. |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Sony HVR-Z1 |
| slashCAM Review | HDR-AX2000 Review | HVR-Z1 Review |
| external reviews/tests | | digitalcontentproducer.com
www.digitalproducer.com
videosystems.com
videosystems.com
www.digitalproducer.com
|
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