Projects
HD ENTRY LEVEL
S
ony has redefined the performance and features for entry-level file-based acquisition with the launch of NXCAM, its first
professional AVCHD camcorder format which records 1920x1080 images at 24Mb/s (50i or 25p), as well as supporting 720/50p and SD recordings. We travel on location to Argentina to see the first NXCAM camera –the HXR-NX5E –in action on one of its first projects, the documentary Gaucho. We also explore the benefits of the HVR-Z7E, the first HDV handheld camcorder with an interchangeable lenses. Currently being used as a newsgathering camera by ITV, the HVR-Z7E offers flexibility to producers keen to retain the option of recording in HDV, DVCAM or DV. Recording to standard CompactFlash solid-state memory cards, Sony’s HDV hybrid range also offers the option of tape for an added level of flexibility, which proved useful for Cinewessex’s recent shoot in The Gambia.
Why small is beautiful
The launch of NXCAM is the latest innovation in Sony’s range of low cost, high quality entry level camcorders
OFFERING GAMBIA A FRESH START
The lightweight Z7E’s dynamic range impressed on a recent trip to West Africa, says cameraman Chris Bowerman
When staff from UK-based cosmetics company Lush visited The Gambia in West Africa in January to help out a local children’s charity Fresh Start Foundation they took cameraman Chris Bowerman along with them to record what happened.
Bowerman from south coast facility Cinewessex took a HVR-Z7E supplied by specialist dealer Visual Impact along to make Lush Go T
o Gambia, a film
showcasing the work that the team carried out in the village of Kwinella, from repainting the school to organising the library and planting orange, mango and banana saplings.
Above:HDV cameras record onto Digital Master tape, with recording times ranging from 63 minutes (with PHDVM-63DM tapes) to 276 minutes (with PHDV-276DM tapes). HDV hybrid models provide the option to record on to CompactFlash memory cards, as well as tape. It is possible to record up to 72 minutes of video on a 16GB CompactFlash card. NXCAM models record to Memory Stick Pro Duo flash memory cards or SDHC flash memory cards, or the 128GB HXR-FMU128 flash memory unit.
28 theproducer Spring 2010
Says Bowerman: “I stayed in Kwinella for a week in very basic accommodation. Coming from a high tech industry in a rich country it was a reality check for me to see first hand how some of the rest of the world lives.” As he was to be director and sound recordist on this trip – in addition to his usual cameraman role –he would
have to carrying all the shooting kit and his own luggage, which meant compact and lightweight kit was the order of the day. That was one reason he went for the Z7E, shooting in HDV onto miniDV tape, rather than CompactFlash cards, which would have required a flash card reader and a portable hard drive to download the material on to. “That would have just meant more kit to take with me,” explains Bowerman, who ended up shooting 17 tapes.
He was particularly impressed with the Z7E’s dynamic contrast range, which was tested by the harsh lighting conditions and some very dark situations in classroom interiors. “We didn’t have the luxury of lighting but we still managed to get some really usable stuff,” enthuses Bowerman. “For a small camera, the Z7E packs quite a punch. It’s frighteningly good in comparison to others of a similar size.”
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