House of Worship

Sony Delivers "Affordable HD" Tools for Ministries

New XDCAM EX and HDV Camcorders Offer Workflow Flexibility, Vast Media Options and More

For ministries looking to do more, but spend less, Sony is offering more: a full line of "affordable high-definition" production systems.

Designed to offer budget-conscious ministries more choices, the new cameras range in features from single-chip, taped-based camcorders to three-chip models that record to the latest in solid-state memory, along with other capabilities such as increased sensitivity, native progressive recording and more.


The line-up includes the new XDCAM EX™ PMW-EX1 camcorder, as well as Sony's newest HDV™ camcorders: the HVR-Z7U, the HVR-S270U and the HVR-HD1000U. These join Sony's previously introduced HDV camcorders - the HVR-Z1U, HVR-A1U and HVR-V1U - which continue to enjoy popularity among houses of worship for a variety of applications both in and out of the sanctuary.

"These new tools enhance the versatility of Sony's professional HD lineup, and open up a world of possibilities for HD digital video production that can increase a ministry's exposure and its reach to an audience," said Robin Richards, Sony Electronics' marketing manager for houses of worship.

The new PMW-EX1 model expands Sony's XDCAM® line-up of high-definition tapeless production and acquisition systems. Its distinction is that it records and stores content to ExpressCard™ high-speed media, offering workflow flexibility with selectable bit rates in addition to an extensive list of editing and effects capabilities. It's also compatible with a broad range of non-linear editing systems.

The camera uses Sony's newly developed SxS PRO™ solid-state memory as its recording medium. The SxS memory card, which currently delivers up to 800 Mbps of high-speed data transfer, enables non-linear capabilities like instant random access and file-based operation. Equipped with two SxS memory card slots, the camcorder can record up to 100 minutes of high-quality HD footage at 35Mbps, or 140 minutes at 25Mbps using two 16-GB SxS memory cards.

The imaging devices used in the camcorder are three newly designed 1/2-inch type Exmor™ CMOS sensors, each with an effective pixel count of 1920 x 1080. This 1/2-inch type image sensor allows the camcorder to provide an extremely high sensitivity of F10, a signal-to-noise ratio of 54 dB, and horizontal resolution of 1000 television lines.

According to Richards, the low-light capabilities of this new sensor will be of particular interest to ministries who need to capture footage in challenging lighting applications, for example during a service when extra lighting cannot be used.

On the HDV front, Sony's latest camcorders feature interchangeable lens systems, native progressive recording, and increased sensitivity for low-light conditions, hybrid solid-state recording and other professional features.

The new camcorders use Sony's 1/3-inch 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor™ system enhanced by Exmor™ technology. The two new technologies combine to allow the new camcorders to perform significantly better in low-light environments with sensitivity of 1.5 lux.

Users can also attach different lenses for extra flexibility, and both models have a universal standard 1/3-inch bayonet mount mechanism for easy lens changes. Each camcorder comes standard with a 12x high-quality, multi-purpose Carl Zeiss lens for HD video, with a Vario-Sonnar™ coating to reduce reflections. A specially designed 8x wide-angle lens is also available as an option.

Using a special adaptor, users can also attach the α (alpha) lens series designed for Sony's consumer digital SLR still cameras.

The new camcorders offer the option of hybrid recording when using a supplied memory-recording unit, which attaches directly to the back of the HVR-Z7U or the side of the HVR-S270U and eliminates the need for cables. The unit automatically synchronizes with the recording action of the camcorder and a special shoe connector inputs and outputs an HDV/DV stream and supplies power to the unit.

It will be compatible with Sony's Professional 306x CompactFlash card as well as standard CompactFlash cards (2GB minimum capacity, 133x minimum speed). The recording times on an 8 and 16 GB CompactFlash card in HDV, DVCAM and DV format are approximately 36 and 72 minutes, respectively.

For more information on the new camcorders, including a full listing of specifications, visit sony.com/xdcamex or sony.com/hdv.