From: bladin@wam.umd.edu (Dave Bittner & Ilana J. Getz)
Subject: EVW-300 review
Originator: bladin@rac1.wam.umd.edu
Organization: University of Maryland at College Park
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 23:20:21 GMT

Hello All!

 I recently took delivery of a Sony EVW-300
Hi8 camcorder, with a Canon 15X lens.This is  Sony's most
serious Hi8 camera venture to date, sporting HyperHAD chip
technology and a host of other advanced features. The camera
section provides a resolution of 700 lines, with 60db signal
to noise ratio. Other features include:

	Auto tracing white balance - this feature automatically
	adjusts the white balance, depending on the lighting. In
	addition, two white balance presets are provided for
	storing manual white balance settings.

	Clear Scan - this allows the user to shoot a variety of
	video monitors with no image flicker,

	Variable Gain - the "hi" & "med" positions of the gain switch can be
	assigned any value from 1 - 18db. Also, the unit can be
	set to automatically switch in the gain at a predetermined
	f stop.

These are some of the more unusual features found. The camera also
includes standard fare such as high speed shutter, sharpness
adjustment, auto iris, zebra indicator, ect.

In the short time I have had the camera, I have been *very*
impressed with its performance. The image quality of the camera
section alone is excellent, and the recorded images are also
superb. To be honest, I didnUt think Hi8 could look this good.
The edge definition is much better than I have ever seen with
the format, as is the signal to noise ratio. Chroma noise is
much improved, too.  It turns out that many of my complaints
about the Hi8 format were actually a result of poor camera 
performance.
I designed a simple side-by-side shootout between my V5000 and the
EVW-300. I set up a bunch of objects with various colors and
textures, and poured lots of light onto them, to simulate
ideal shooting conditions. I viewed the output of the V5000
first (on purpose). It looked quite good. Then I switched over
to the EVW-300. A noticeable difference. Switching between the
two, the limitations of the V5000 were clear. The one-chip
camera showed color artifacting as a result of its striped
filter, and it suffered in edge definition and fixed pattern
noise as well. The true test came, however, when I dimmed the
lights...

I wanted to simulate true "wedding reception" conditions, which
as I'm sure many of you know, can be, well, cave-like. So I
turned off the 500 watt lights, switched on a 60 watt bulb, and
fired up the gain circuitry on both cameras. The V5000 suffered
the most, losing most of the brilliance from the colors, and
producing a very large amount of chroma noise. Edge definition
suffered as well. The EVW-300 fared much better. Chroma noise
increased some, but color and definition were still very good.
The EVW-300 is truly useful in low light situations. As expected,
it truly outperforms the V5000. The HyperHAD chips provide much
more low-light sensitivity than was previously available with
a three chip camera.

The EVW-300 seems to be well made, although some of the small
switches, particularly the mic level knobs, are a bit mo
flimsy than I would have expected. Overall, though, the unit
is rugged and solid feeling. At just over 13 lbs, including
battery and tape, the EVW-300 is much lighter than a Betacam,
but to those of you who are used to lightweight 8mm or VHS
camcorders, the unit may take some getting used to. The camera
runs for over an hour on a single NP-1 battery, and audible
and visual warnings tell you when the battery is low, and when
it is about to run out.

Aside from the knobs, my only other minor complaint so far is
that the EVW-300 only outputs full-field color bars. No big
deal, but it would have been nice to have SMPTE bars...

Audio wise, the camera provides two channels of PCM digital
audio, and one channel of AFM audio. Now, my V5000 provides
both stereo AFM & PCM, although I have yet to use more
than three channels in my work. A built in mic on the EVW-300
can be assigned to any of the three channels, as can two XLR
connectors on the back of the camera. The audio quality of the
Hi8 format is excellent.

The EVW-300 can be genlocked, for multi camera shoots, and also
features 8mm time code complete with user bits.

Overall, I am very pleased with the unit. The  picture quality
is excellent, and the array of features provided are quite
convenient. The unit powers up almost instantly (faster than
the V5000), and it only takes 1/2 second to go into record mode.

The real test of the camera will come when I shoot my first
job with it, of course. Look for additional reports to follow!

As always, I welcome any questions or comments.


Dave Bittner -  Steadicam JR dealer - Mac User - Rollerblader -
==========================================================================
 "They were apes only yesterday. Give them time." 
"Once an ape - always an ape..."
"No, it will be different...Come back here in an age or so and you shall
see... they will invent great cameras like the EVW-300!"
    - The gods, discussing the earth, H.G. Wells, "The Man Who Could Work
Miracles"