updated 22 Nov 2004

 

HDR-FX1 and HVR-Z1U Feature Set Comparison
an article by Chris Hurd

Sony's first pair of HDV camcorders share the same chassis design and a number of identical features. There are, however, about forty-odd differences between them. Here's a fairly comprehensive chart which compares the two. The HDR-FX1 is a consumer model; the HVR-Z1U is a professional version. This page has been substantially modified and expanded since I first put it online back on October 20th. Please note that the information here is still early and subject to change. As inaccuracies in this data are brought to light, I'll correct them as well as ammend any additions as they're discovered.

Scroll down for the entire list, or go directly to a particular section:
Camera Head  ·  Optical Group  ·  Displays  ·  Audio Group
Time Code  ·  Other Features  ·  Power & Price

Camera Head:	HDR-FX1	HVR-Z1U
Recording Format:	HDV / DV (SP) / DV (LP)	HDV / DVCAM / DV (SP)
CCD Block:	3 x 1/3" HD CCD (16:9) Super HAD
Pixel Count:	3 x 1.12 million total (3 x 1.07 million effective)
Widescreen:	Native 16:9 in HD and SD
Realtime HD Codec:	Yes	Yes
14-bit HD DSP:	Yes	Yes
HD - SD:	Built-in Down Conversion
HD out to iLink:	2 sec. delay	Realtime
Switchable 50/60 Hz:	No	Yes
CinemaTone Gamma:	One (1) mode	Two (2) modes
CineFrame 30:	Yes (NTSC only)	Yes
CineFrame 25:	Yes (PAL only)	Yes
CineFrame 24:	Yes (NTSC only)	Yes
HDV Format:	1440 x 1080, Mpeg 2 Main Profile at High-14 Level
Stream Type:	Packetized Elementary Stream at 25 Mbps
Stream Interface:	iLink IEEE 1394 (Mpeg 2 Transport Stream)
Component Output:	480i, 1080i (NTSC only) 576i, 1080i (PAL only)	480i, 576i, 480p, 1080i
Optical Group:	HDR-FX1	HVR-Z1U
Lens:	12x Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar, 72mm filter dia.
Focal Length:	4.5mm to 54.0mm w/ built-in wide angle
Equiv. 35mm f.o.v.:	40mm to 480mm in 4:3 / 32.5mm to 390mm in 16:9
Aperture Range:	f/1.6 (full wide) or f/2.8 (full tele) to f/11 (24 steps)
Shutter Speeds:	1/4 sec. to 1/10,000 sec. in Program AE Mode
Built-in ND Filter:	Two (2) Levels (ND1: 1/6 and ND2: 1/32)
Super SteadyShot:	Yes	Yes
SteadyShot Types:	Hard, Standard, Soft, Wide Angle Converter
Zoom Ring:	Manual, non-perpetuating
Top Handle Zoom:	Yes	Yes
Smooth Zoom:	No	Yes
Shot Transition:	Yes	Yes
Auto / Manual Focus:	Yes	Yes
Expanded Focus:	Yes	Yes
Exp. Focus Off Mode:	Auto Only	Auto or Manual
Min. Focus Distance:	1 cm (full wide) to appx. 80 cm (near full tele)
AF Assist:	No	Yes
Displays:	HDR-FX1	HVR-Z1U
Viewfinder:	0.44" 16:9 LCD w/ 252 kilopixels
LCD Panel:	3.5" Hybrid 16:9 LCD w/ 250 kilopixels
EVF Color:	Color only	B&W / Color
LCD with EVF:	No	Yes
Peaking Indicator:	Yes	Yes
Set Peaking Level:	No	Yes
Peaking Color:	White	White / Red / Yellow
Zebra Indicator:	Yes	Yes
Center Marker:	Yes	Yes
Action Safe Zone:	No	Yes
4:3 Safe Zone:	No	Yes
Underscan (All Scan):	No	Yes
Color Bars:	One (1)	Two (2)
Hours Meter:	No	Yes
Mirror (Reverse Disp.):	Yes	Yes
Zoom Display:	Bar	Bar / Numbers
All Data Displays Off:	No	Yes
Battery Info:	Yes	Yes
Status Check:	Audio Output, Video Output, User-Assigned Functions
Audio Group:	HDR-FX1	HVR-Z1U
HDV Rec. Format:	2ch. 16bit 48kHz Mpeg 1 Audio Layer II
DV Rec. Format:	2ch. 16bit 48kHz or 2ch. 12bit 32kHz PCM Digital Stereo
Onboard Mic:	Built-in, Stereo
Ext. Audio Input:	Stereo Mini-jack	2ch. XLR
Ext. Mic Clamp:	No	Built-in
Ext. Mic Pwr. Supply:	Plug-in Power	Phantom Power(about 40v)
Vol. Control Dials:	One (L+R linked)	Two (L/R separate)
Audio NR:	No	Yes
Audio Limiter:	No	Yes
Audio Lock Mode:	No	Yes
Audio Monitor:	No	Yes
Time Code:	HDR-FX1	HVR-Z1U
Time Code Reset:	No	Yes
Time Code DF / NDF:	Drop-Frame Only	Drop-Frame & Non-Drop Frame
Rec Run / Free Run:	Rec Run Only	Rec Run & Free Run
TC Preset / Regen:	No	Preset & Regen
Zero Set Memory:	Yes	No
User Bits:	No	Yes
D/T Char. Record:	No	Yes
Other Features:	HDR-FX1	HVR-Z1U
Edge Crop 16:9 Out:	No	Yes
AV / DV Pass-Through:	Yes	Yes
Quick Record:	No	Yes
Top Handle Record:	Yes	Yes
Color Correction:	No	Two (2) Target Colors
User Buttons:	Three (3)	Six (6)
Assignable Functions:	Six (6)	Fourteen (14)
Skin Tone Control:	Yes	Yes (expanded)
Select Setup Level:	No	Yes
Black Stretch:	No	Yes
Manual Iris:	Yes	Yes
Manual Gain:	Yes	Yes
Hyper Gain:	No	Yes
Man. White Balance:	Yes	Yes
Man. Shutter Speed:	Yes	Yes
Picture Profile:	Yes	Yes
Personal Menu:	Yes	Yes
AE Response:	Yes	Yes
Flicker Reduction:	Yes	Yes
Ext. Rec. Control:	No	Yes
Accessory Shoe:	Removeable; "cold" (unpowered)
Power & Price:	HDR-FX1	HVR-Z1U
Battery Included:	NP-570 (2200mAh) also available: NP-F770, NP-F970
AC Adapter:	AC-L15	AC-VQ850
Charge Batt on Cam:	Yes	No
Power Consumption:	7.4w (EVF) / 8.0w (LCD) / 8.4w (EVF & LCD on Z1U)
Weight w/batt:	4 lbs 10 oz (2.1 kg)	N/A
Body Color:	Gray	Black
Availability:	November 2004	February 2005
Appx. MSRP:	$3,950 USD	$5,946 USD

I'd say this chart is at least 90% complete. There are still a few unknowns, however, and a few things that have been left out, as well as some possible minor errors. I'll make corrections and add updates as new data is verified, so stay tuned. Many thanks to Jos Svendsen, Scott Anderson and Mike Tiffee for their assistance with this page!

Written and thrown together by Chris Hurd.