Sony Digital HD Video Camera Recorder HVR-Z1U/Z1N Operating Instructions

							Recording
Recording41
Step 1: Store the settings
1
Press STORE/CHECK/EXEC 
repeatedly to turn on the STORE lamp.
2Adjust the desired items manually.
To adjust the camera setup items such as iris 
manually, set the AUTO LOCK switch to 
the center position to release the auto lock 
mode. See pages 26 to 30 for details on 
adjustment.
3Press a button (A or B) to select the 
storage location.
The setting is stored in the selected button. 
The settings are called Shot A and Shot B 
respectively.
bNote
 If you set the POWER switch to OFF, the settings 
stored in Shot A and B are deleted.
Step 2: Check the stored settings (Shot)
1
Press STORE/CHECK/EXEC 
repeatedly to turn on the CHECK lamp.
2Press the button (A or B) in which the 
setting was stored.
The selected setting will take effect on the 
picture on the screen. The focus, zoom, and 
so on, are automatically adjusted as stored 
in the setting.
bNote
 You cannot check the transition time, curve set, and 
start timer using [SHOT TRANS] on the   
(CAMERA SET) menu.
Recording using the Shot transition 
function
1
Press STORE/CHECK/EXEC 
repeatedly to turn on the EXEC lamp.
2Press REC START/STOP.
3Press the button (A or B) in which the 
desired setting was stored.
Pictures will be recorded with the settings 
that were changed automatically from the 
current ones to the stored ones.
bNote
 You cannot zoom, focus, or adjust manually while 
checking or activating the Shot transition.
 When you change [SHOT TRANS] on the   
(CAMERA SET) menu, turn off the STORE/
CHECK/EXEC lamp by pressing the button.
 You cannot return from the stored Shot A or B 
settings to previous settings after you activate the 
Shot transition during recording.
 If you press the following buttons during the shot 
transition operation, the operation is canceled:
– PICTURE PROFILE
–MENU
–P-MENU
– EXPANDED FOCUS
– STATUS CHECK
zTip
 You can record using both settings by making them 
change either from Shot A to Shot B or from Shot B 
to Shot A. For example, to change from Shot A to 
Shot B, turn on the CHECK lamp and press A 
followed by REC START/STOP, then turn on the 
EXEC lamp and press B.
 You can rehearse the shot transition by pressing the 
button (A or B), in which the desired setting was 
stored, before pressing REC START/STOP in step 
2.
REC 
START/STOP
SHOT  TRANS EXEC
E S
REC00:00:05:00120min
3sec
SHOT A
SHOT B
Transition bar
S: start
E: endCountdown 
display*
*Appears when the start timer is activated. 
						

							Recording42
To cancel the operation
Press STORE/CHECK/EXEC repeatedly until 
the STORE/CHECK/EXEC lamps are all 
turned off.
Revising a specific color 
– Color Correction
You can select and revise up to 2 specific 
colors of objects, such as leaves and sky, that 
will be recorded in your favorite color tone.
1During recording or in the standby 
mode, press MENU.
2Select the   (CAMERA SET) 
menu by turning the SEL/PUSH 
EXEC dial, then press the dial.
3Select [COLOR CORRCT] by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
4Select [TYPE] by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
5Select a revision type by turning the 
SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press the 
dial.
[OFF]
Normal recording.
[COLOR REVISN]
Revises the color that has been set in the 
memory.
You cannot revise the color that is not 
included in the memory (the part is 
displayed in black and white as set in 
[COLOR EXTRCT]).
[COLOR EXTRCT]
Displays only the parts set in the memory in 
color, and displays other parts in black and 
white.
You can use this not only as an effect, but 
also for checking a color when you set the 
memory.
 appears.
6Select [MEMORY SEL] by turning the 
SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press the 
dial.
[1] (the default setting)
Only memory 1 is effective.
[2]
Only memory 2 is effective.
[1&2]
Both memories 1 and 2 are effective.
7Select [MEM1 COLOR] or [MEM2 
COLOR] by turning the SEL/PUSH 
EXEC dial, then press the dial.
8Adjust [PHASE], [RANGE], and 
[SATURATION] while referring to 
“To specify a color” (p. 43).
9Select [MEM1 REVISN] or [MEM2 
REVISN] by turning the SEL/PUSH 
EXEC dial, then press the dial. 
						

							Recording
Recording43
10Adjust the color tone.
Increasing [R] makes the selected color 
reddish, and decreasing [R] makes it less 
reddish (as cyan increases).
Increasing [B] makes the selected color 
blueish, and decreasing [B] makes it less 
blueish (as yellow increases).
No adjustment will be made at 0.
11Select [OK] by turning the SEL/PUSH 
EXEC dial, then press the dial.
12Press MENU to hide the menu screen.
To cancel the operation
Select [OFF] in step 5.
bNote
 If the selected color range is too narrow, the color 
revision may not be visible.
 In the [COLOR EXTRCT] setting, only the colors of 
the effective memory are applied. 
 In the [COLOR REVISN] setting, the color of the 
memory that is set to be ineffective will neither be 
applied nor revised.
zTip
 If you set both memories to the same setting, the 
revision effect will be doubled.
 The Color Correction setting will be retained even if 
the power is turned off. However, if you want to 
revise colors influenced by time of a day, weather, 
location, etc., it is recommended that you revise 
them just before recording.
 If you change the setting of the white balance value, 
[WB SHIFT] of PICTURE PROFILE, 
[SATURATION], and [PHASE], color range and 
phase adjusted will change. If the above settings 
have changed from when you set the Color 
Correction, check the Color Correction setting 
before recording.
 When the white balance is adjusted automatically, 
the white balance setting may vary automatically 
depending on the object. To use the Color Correction 
effectively, adjust the white balance manually.
To specify a color
A recommended way to specify a color
1
Select [COLOR EXTRCT] to change 
colors to black and white, except the 
target color.
You will easily recognize the selected 
range.
2Set [RANGE] to 4 or 5 to make a memory 
of a single color.
3Set [SATURATION] to 0 to select very 
light colors.
4Set [PHASE] so that a color is applied to 
the target object.
5Set [RANGE] so that the desired range of 
the picture can be previewed in the 
selected color.
6If you do not need the light colored part, 
set [SATURATION] so that colors are 
applied only to the desired part.
7To use the setting as a revised color, 
select [OK], go back to [TYPE] and 
change the setting from [COLOR 
EXTRCT] to [COLOR REVISN].
OptionSelect
PHASE Color phase from 0 through 31.
0 (violet) - 8 (red) - 16 (yellow) - 24 
(green) - 31 (blue)
In the default setting, memory 1 is set 
to 19, memory 2 to 8.
RANGE Range of color phase from 0 though 
31.
0: No color is selected.
1: Narrow range (single color) - 31: 
Wide range (The other colors of 
similar color phase are also selected.)
In the default setting, memory 1 is set 
to 13, memory 2 to 8.
SATURA-
TIONColor saturation from 0 through 31.
0: Colors from deep to light are all 
selected - 31: Only deep colors are 
selected.
In the default setting, memory 1 is set 
to 0, memory 2 to 15. 
						

							Recording44
Fading in and out of a scene
– FADER
You can add the following effects to 
currently recording pictures.
Assign the FADER function to one of the 
ASSIGN buttons in advance. See page 86 for 
details on how to assign a function.
[BLACK FADER]
[WHITE FADER]
1Press the ASSIGN button assigned to 
the FADER function in the standby 
mode (to fade in) or during recording 
(to fade out).
Each time you press the button, the 
indicator changes as follows:
[BLACK FADER] t [WHITE FADER] 
t no display
2Press REC START/STOP.
The FADER indicator stops flashing and 
disappears when the fade is complete.
To cancel the operation
Press the ASSIGN button assigned to the 
FADER function repeatedly until the FADER 
indicators disappear.
bNote
 You cannot use the FADER function together with 
[FRAME REC] (Frame recording).    
Recording an index signal at the 
beginning of recording
If you make an index for a scene, you can 
easily search for the scene later (p. 56).
The index function will make it easier to 
check the transition of recording or edit your 
pictures using index signals.
Assign the index function to one of the 
ASSIGN buttons in advance. See page 86 to 
assign a function.
REC START/STOP ASSIGN 1 – 6
REC START/STOP ASSIGN 1 – 6 
						

							Recording
Recording45
Press the ASSIGN button assigned to the 
index function.
When pressed during recording
 appears for about 7 seconds and an index 
signal is recorded.
When pressed in the standby mode
 flashes.
After you press REC START/STOP to start 
recording,   appears for about 7 seconds and 
an index signal is recorded.
To cancel the operation
Before starting to record, press the ASSIGN 
button assigned to the index function again.
bNote
 You cannot record an index signal on a recorded tape 
afterward.
Recording on a device 
connected via an 
i.LINK cable – 
External REC Control
By connecting the camcorder to an HDV/
DVCAM/DV compatible device (digital HD 
video camera recorder, digital video camera 
recorder, hard disc recorder, etc.) with an 
i.LINK cable, recording can be performed on 
this camcorder and on the connected device 
simultaneously, or relayed from the 
camcorder to the connected device when the 
tape in the camcorder comes nearly to the 
end.
Refer also to the instruction manuals supplied 
with the devices to be connected.
1Connect the camcorder and the device 
using an i.LINK cable (p. 89).
2Set the POWER switch to CAMERA.
3Press MENU.
,continued 
						

							Recording46
4Select the   (IN/OUT REC) menu 
by turning the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, 
then press the dial.
5Select [EXT REC CTRL] by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
6Select [REC CTL MODE] by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
7Select a recording control mode by 
turning the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, 
then press the dial.
[OFF]
The connected device does not record.
[SYNCHRONOUS]
The connected device is linked to the 
camcorder, and therefore records the 
picture, sound, and time code 
simultaneously with the camcorder. 
(  is displayed.)
[RELAY]
When the tape in the camcorder has almost 
run out, recording of the picture, sound, and 
time code is relayed to the connected device 
and the remainder of the recording is saved 
there. (  is displayed.)
8Select [STBY COMMAND] by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
9Select the state of the connected device 
in the recording stop mode by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
[REC PAUSE]
When the camcorder stops recording, the 
connected device pauses recording.
[STOP]
When the camcorder stops recording, the 
connected device stops recording.
10Press REC START/STOP to start 
recording.
11Press MENU to hide the menu screen.
To stop recording
Press REC START/STOP again.
bNote
 When [REC FORMAT] is set to [HDV1080i], and 
[HDVtDV CONV] in [i.LINK CONV] to [ON], 
pictures at the very beginning of recording will be 
distorted and flow to the connected device via the 
i.LINK cable. When you shoot pictures on this 
camcorder, it is recommended that you start with 
scenes that will not be used in the final cut.
 You cannot control the connected device during 
frame recording.
 When the camcorder is unable to communicate with 
the connected device,   and   are not 
displayed.
zTip
 To replace the tape on this camcorder while keeping 
the connected device in the recording mode, 
continue shooting until it stops automatically at the 
end of tape. Then replace the tape. 
						

							Recording
Recording47
Reviewing the most 
recently recorded 
scenes – Rec Review
You can view a few seconds of the scene 
recorded just before you stopped the tape.
Assign the Rec Review function to one of the 
ASSIGN buttons in advance. See page 86 to 
assign a function.
In the standby mode, press the ASSIGN 
button assigned to the Rec Review 
function.
The last few seconds of the most recently 
recorded scene are played back. Then, your 
camcorder is set to the standby mode. 
ASSIGN 1 – 6 
						

							Playback48
Playback
Viewing movies
Make sure you have a recorded cassette 
inserted into your camcorder.
Some of the operations are possible using the 
Remote Commander.
When you want to play back recordings on 
your TV, see page 52.
When playing back the tape, select the   
(IN/OUT REC) menu, [VCR HDV/DV], 
then [AUTO] (the default setting).
1Open the LCD panel and adjust the 
angle.
2While pressing the green button, set 
the POWER switch to VCR.
3Press m (rewind) to go to the point 
you want to view.
4Press N (play) to start playback.
To adjust the volume
Adjust the volume by pressing VOLUME 
– (decrease) / + (increase).
To stop playback
Press x (stop).
To pause
Press X (pause) during playback. 
Press N (play) or X (pause) again to restart the 
playback.
Playback stops automatically when the pause 
mode continues for more than 3 minutes. 
To fast forward or rewind
Press M (fast forward) or m (rewind) in stop 
mode.
To review movies on the viewfinder
Close the LCD panel. Then, adjust the 
viewfinder angle.
Indicators displayed during tape 
playback
AFormat of the playback signal 
(HDV1080i/ DVCAM/DV SP)
BRemaining battery
C50i/60i system indicator (p. 82)
DTape transport indicator
ETime code or user bits
FRecording capacity of the tape
POWER switch
00:00:00:0060min60minHDV1080i 
						

							Playback
Playback49
bNote
 Due to the difference in the synchronization, the 
picture and sound will disappear momentarily where 
the system switches between 60i and 50i. 
 Tapes recorded in the HDV format cannot be played 
back on video cameras using the DVCAM/DV 
format or mini-DVCAM (DV) players.
 DV format tapes are played back on your camcorder 
only if they are recorded in the SP mode (  
appears on the screen). Tapes recorded in the LP 
mode are not played back.
 Time code and user bits are not displayed correctly 
unless time code and user bits are recorded on the 
tape, or the recorded time code is compatible with 
your camcorder.
zTip
 To display the picture on both the LCD panel and the 
viewfinder, select the   (LCD/VF SET) menu, 
[VF POWER], then [ON] (p. 69).
Playing back in various modes
To fast forward or rewind during 
playback – Picture search
Keep on pressing M (fast forward) or m 
(rewind) during playback. 
To resume normal playback, release the button.
To view the picture while fast 
forwarding or rewinding – Skip scan
Keep on pressing M (fast forward) or m 
(rewind) while fast forwarding or rewinding the 
tape.
To resume fast forwarding or rewinding, release 
the button.
To play back in various modes
You will not hear the recorded sound. Also, you 
may see mosaic-like images of the previously 
played picture remaining on the screen.
To return to the normal playback mode, press N 
(play).
* Horizontal lines may appear at the top, bottom, or in 
the center of the screen. This is not a malfunction.
bNote
 Pictures in the HDV format are not output from the 
HDV/DV jack when they are paused or played 
back in other than normal playback mode.
 Pictures in the HDV format may appear distorted 
during:
– Picture search
– Reverse playback
To Press
change the 
playback 
direction* I (reverse) on the Remote 
Commander during playback.
play back slowlyy (slow) during playback.
To reverse direction 
 
1Press I (reverse) on the 
Remote Commander.
2y (slow).
play back 2 times 
faster (double 
speed) 
 ×2 (double speed) on the 
Remote Commander during 
playback.
To reverse direction
1Press I (reverse) on the 
Remote Commander.
2×2 (double speed) on the 
Remote Commander.
play back frame 
by frameC (frame) on the Remote 
Commander during playback 
pause.
To reverse direction, press c 
(frame) on the Remote 
Commander during playback 
pause.  
To Press 
						

							Playback50
Various playback 
functions
You can locate the end of the last recording, 
or display the date of recording and camera 
settings data.
Searching for the last scene of the 
most recent recording 
– END SEARCH
This function is handy when you have played 
back the tape, for example, but want to start 
recording right after the most recently 
recorded scene. The END SEARCH function 
will not work once you eject the cassette after 
you have recorded on the tape.
1Set the POWER switch to VCR.
2Press END SEARCH (VCR).
The last scene of the most recent recording 
is played back for about 5 seconds.
To cancel the operation
Press END SEARCH (VCR).
bNote
 The END SEARCH function will not work correctly 
when there is a blank section between recorded 
sections on the tape.
Displaying the screen indicators
You can display the time code and other 
information together with the pictures on the 
screen.
Press DISPLAY/BATT INFO.
The indicator switches as follows as you press 
the button:
(no display) t (display)
When the POWER switch is set to CAMERA, 
the indicator switches as follows:
(simple display) t (no display) t (detailed 
display)
Simple display
Detailed display
zTip
 You can display the screen indicators during 
playback on a TV. Select the   (OTHERS) menu, 
[DISP OUTPUT], then [V-OUT/PANEL] (p. 80). 
However, only playback mode indicators and tape 
counter appear when playing back a tape recorded in 
the HDV format, and [COMPONENT] on the   
(IN/OUT REC) menu is set to [1080i/480i]*.
* When [50i/60i SEL] is set to 60i. In case of 50i, this 
item is [1080i/576i].
STBY
F1.8100 9
dB
120min00:00:00:00 STBY
CH1
CH2
HDV1080i
F1.8100 9dB