Recording Formats; Aspect Ratio; Using The Menu - Sony Z1 User Manual

DVCam
DVCam is basically the same resolution as ordinary DV. However, the footage is recorded onto the tape in such
a way that where 40 minutes of ordinary DV would take up forty minutes of tape, 40 minutes of DVCam
footage would take up the entire 60 minute tape.
Issues to consider- You cannot shoot or play back DVCam with an ordinary DV camera. For importing
purposes, you would need the special deck. The camera will play it back, and so will some other DV cameras
such as the PD150 and PD170. But it is best not to use a camera for importing or playback too often, as it wears
out the recording heads, which can reduce the quality of footage the camera can record.
What are the benefits of this format?
DVCam is a more secure way of recording footage. The way the data is spread out over the tape makes it safer
to store long term, as any corruption or damage will affect less of the footage.
Many people believe that the quality is greater. It is also considered a more 'professional' format as only better
quality cameras provide it as an option. So often saying you have shot on DVCam will impress people more
than standard miniDV.
DV SP (Standard Play)
DV SP is the standard format for all camcorders that take miniDV tapes. Although cameras vary what audio
quality they use (12bit or 16bit, 32kHz or 48 kHz), the basic video recording and playback function is the same.
The quality of the footage can still vary widely from camera to camera though- depending on the quality of the
lens, the number and quality of the sensor chips, how good the camera is at handling low light etc etc.
As a good quality camera, the Z1 takes much better DV SP footage than, say, the Panasonic Handicams that the
University supplies to beginners. If you mix footage from the two cameras in one project you will notice the
greater subtlety of colour and sharpness of line on the footage from the Z1.
Aspect Ratio
The two aspect ratios available to you on the Z1 are 4:3 and widescreen 16:9.
In HDV mode the default setting is widescreen and all the pixels are used.
However, in DV and DVCam mode, the camera will record a good widescreen image without visible stretching,
but in reality the image is anamorphic.
An anamorphic widescreen image means that it is recorded on the standard number of pixels for DV (720 x
576). The standard frame size is a 4:3 shape but in anamorphic mode it 'squashes' the picture so that later you
can 'pop' it out into 16:9 for editing and screening.
Before you select the aspect ratio of your footage you should think about where it is going to end up.
If you want to screen your film in a cinema, widescreen would be best.
If you want to make DVD's for people to project at festivals or view at home, widescreen will probably be fine
for that too. Most new televisions are also manufactured with wide screens, and most standard (4:3) modern
televisions will 'letterbox' widescreen DVD's (putting black bars at the top and bottom) to make the whole
picture viewable.
However, if your film is going straight onto YouTube, for example, the ideal size they specify is 320 x 240
pixels. That translates to 4:3. If you want to upload a widescreen film onto Youtube you will have to letterbox it
before you do so.
Also, if you are mixing footage from a Z1 and a standard DV camera, the standard camera will not be able to
record in widescreen. Therefore you should set the Z1 to record in 4:3 so that you do not lose any footage later
by having to crop the image.
You select your recording format and your aspect ratio, along with many other settings, by using the
Menu.
USING THE MENU
Press the 'Menu' button on the back of the
camera.
You can navigate through the menus by
scrolling up and down with the wheel marked
'sel/push exec' (the same wheel that
controls the shutter speed). Push the
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