Sony gets serious about HDV with two fine cameras based on the same core components

ProVideo Coalition.com: Camera Log by Adam Wilt | Founder: "Review: Sony HVR-Z7 & HVR-S270 1/3” 3-CMOS HDV camcorders
Sony gets serious about HDV with two fine cameras based on the same core components"
The HVR-Z7 and HVR-S270 camcorders take Sony’s commitment to the HDV format to the next level. Both are based on the same core technology: three 1/3” ClearVid CMOS sensors viewing the world behind interchangeable lenses. The cameras share the same EVF and LCD panels, the same microphones, the same rich feature sets (including CF card recording, and both interlaced and true progressive HDV modes), and the same fundamental performance, but they’re packaged very differently. The Z7 is a svelte Handycam, while the S270 is a no-excuses shoulder-mount camcorder, bristling with dedicated buttons and switches, full-sized BNC connectors, large-cassette capability, and four channels of audio recording—a first for HDV.

The US$6,850 (list) HVR-Z7 weighs about 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) in shooting configuration, a bit heavier than an HVR-V1 or HVR-Z1 but lighter than an HVX200 or PMW-EX1. It’s a compact and well-balanced package.

The $10,500 (list) HVR-S270 weighs in at around 15 pounds (6.8 kg)—no Handycam this, but a solid, hefty unit that feels instantly familiar to shooters used to DSR-300/400/500-series units or other, similar shoulder-mount camcorders.