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

							Using the Menu
Using the Menu81
EXP. FOCUS
HOURS METER
The cumulative operation time of your camcorder will be displayed with the total 
hours of operation, drum rotation, tape running, or the total number of tape 
unthreading operations.
DATE REC
bNote Even though the date/time indication on the screen is affected by the signal of zebra or 
peaking, it is recorded without influenced by zebra or peaking.
REMOTE CTRL
GAUTO OFFSelect to release the expanded focus automatically after a certain time 
(p. 33).
MANUAL OFFSelect to keep the expended focus even after a certain time. To release 
the expanded focus, press EXPANDED FOCUS again.
OPERATIONDisplays the total hours of operation in 10-hour increments.
DRUM RUNDisplays the total hours of drum rotation in 10-hour increments.
TAPE RUNDisplays the total hours of tape running in 10-hour increments.
THREADINGDisplays the total number of tape unthreading operations in 10-
operation increments.
GOFFSelect when you do not want to superimpose the date and time on the 
pictures.
ONSelect to superimpose the date and time directly on the pictures when 
recording.
GONSelect when using the Remote Commander supplied with your 
camcorder.
OFFSelect to deactivate the Remote Commander to prevent your 
camcorder from responding to a command sent by another VCR 
remote control unit.
,continued 
						

							Using the Menu82
50i/60i SEL
You can switch the system, 1080/60i (NTSC system) or 1080/50i (PAL system), 
used by your camcorder to record. It is set to 60i in the default setting.
1Select [YES] by turning the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
2Select [YES] again by turning the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press the 
dial.
The screen goes off, the system is switched.
zTip You can switch to 50i (PAL) system also when recording in the DVCAM (DV) format.
00:00:00:00120min50 i / 60 i   SEL
YES
NO Change to 50i?
Reboots
after change. 
						

							Using the Menu
Using the Menu83
Customizing Personal 
Menu
The available items vary depending on the 
power mode of your camcorder.
Unavailable items will be grayed out.
You can add frequently used menu items to 
Personal Menu, or sort them in the order you 
like (customizing). You can customize the 
Personal Menu for each power mode of your 
camcorder.
1Press P-MENU.
2Select the desired item by turning the 
SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press the 
dial.
3Select the desired setting by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
Adding a menu – Add
You can add frequently used menu items to 
Personal Menu for easier and faster access. 
bNote
 You can add up to 28 menu items each for the 
CAMERA and VCR modes. If you want to add 
more, you must delete a less important menu item 
before adding a new menu item (p. 84).
1Press P-MENU.
2Select [P-MENU SETUP] by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
3Select [ADD] by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
END P–MENU
SHOT  TRANS
REC  FORMAT
DV  W I DE  REC
COLOR CORRCT
MARKER ASS I GN  BTN
00:00:00:00120minSTBYP–MENU  SETUP
  RETURN
ADD
DELETE
SORT
RESET
 [P–MENU]: END
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
Se l ec t  t he ca t egory.  RETURN
CAMERA  SET
AUD I O  SET
LCD / VF  SET
 I N / OUT  REC
TC / UB  SET
OTHERS
,continued 
						

							Using the Menu84
4Select a menu category by turning the 
SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press the 
dial.
5Select a menu item by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
The available items vary depending on the 
power mode of the camcorder.
Only the available items are displayed.
6Select [YES] by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
The menu is added to the end of the list.
7Press P-MENU.
Deleting menu – Delete
 
1Press P-MENU.
2Select [P-MENU SETUP] by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
3Select [DELETE] by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
4Select the item that you want to delete 
by turning the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, 
then press the dial.
5Select [YES] by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
The selected menu is deleted from Personal 
Menu.
6Press P-MENU.
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
Select the i tem.  RETURN
WB  PRESET
WB  OUTDR  LVL
GA I N  SETUP
SHOT  TRANS
COLOR CORRCT
STEADYSHOT
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
ADD
YES
NO STDYSHOT  TYP
Add t o  CAMERA
modes  P–MENU?
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
END P–MENU
SHOT  TRANS
REC  FORMAT
DV  W I DE  REC
COLOR CORRCT
MARKER ASS I GN  BTN
00:00:00:00120minSTBYP–MENU  SETUP
  RETURN
ADD
DELETE
SORT
RESET
 [P–MENU]: END
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
Select i tem to delete.  RETURN
SHOT  TRANS
ASS I GN  BTN
REC  FORMAT
DV  W I DE  REC
COLOR CORRCT
MARKER
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
DELETE
YES
NO D V  W I DE  REC
D e l e t e   f r o m  CAMERA
modes  P–MENU? 
						

							Using the Menu
Using the Menu85
Arranging the order of menus 
displayed on Personal Menu 
– Sort
You can sort the menus added to Personal Menu 
in the desired order.
1Press P-MENU.
2Select [P-MENU SETUP] by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
3Select [SORT] by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
4Select the menu item you want to move 
by turning the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, 
then press the dial.
5Move the menu item to the desired 
place by turning the SEL/PUSH EXEC 
dial.
6Press the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial.
To sort more items, repeat steps 4 to 6.
7Press P-MENU.
Initializing the settings – Reset 
You can initialize Personal Menu to the default 
settings after adding or deleting menus.
1Press P-MENU.
2Select [P-MENU SETUP] by turning 
the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then press 
the dial.
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
END P–MENU
SHOT  TRANS
REC  FORMAT
DV  W I DE  REC
COLOR CORRCT
MARKER ASS I GN  BTN
00:00:00:00120minSTBYP–MENU  SETUP
  RETURN
ADD
DELETE
SORT
RESET
 [P–MENU]: END
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
Se l ec t  i t em t o move.  RETURN
SHOT  TRANS
ASS I GN  BTN
REC  FORMAT
DV  W I DE  REC
COLOR CORRCT
MARKER1
2
3
4
5
6
00:00:00:00120min
 [P–MENU]: END
Se l ec t  new  l oca t i on.SHOT  TRANS
ASS I GN  BTN
REC  FORMAT
DV  W I DE  REC
COLOR CORRCT
MARKER
MARKER  SEL1
2
3
4
5
6
7
STBY
00:00:00:00120min
 [P–MENU]: END
Se l ec t  new  l oca t i on.SHOT  TRANS
ASS I GN  BTN
REC  FORMAT
COLOR CORRCT
MARKER
DV  W I DE  REC
MARKER  SEL1
2
3
4
5
6
7
STBY
00:00:00:00120minSTBY
 [P–MENU]: END
END P–MENU
SHOT  TRANS
REC  FORMAT
DV  W I DE  REC
COLOR CORRCT
MARKER ASS I GN  BTN
00:00:00:00120minSTBYP–MENU  SETUP
  RETURN
ADD
DELETE
SORT
RESET
 [P–MENU]: END
,continued 
						

							Using the Menu86
3Select [RESET] by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
4Select [YES] by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
5Select [YES] by turning the SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
The Personal Menu settings return to the 
default settings.
To cancel initialization, select [NO].
6Press P-MENU.
Assigning the 
functions
Depending on the functions, you need to assign 
them to the ASSIGN buttons to use them. You 
can assign single function to each ASSIGN 1 
through 6 button. 
Functions you can assign to the ASSIGN 
buttons
 [FADER] (p. 44)
 [BACK LIGHT] (p. 25)
 [SPOTLIGHT] (p. 26)
 [AE OVERRIDE] (p. 87)
 [WB OUTDR LVL +] (p. 58)
 [WB OUTDR LVL –] (p. 58)
 [HYPER GAIN] (p. 87)
 [MARKER] (p. 61)
 [ALLSCAN MODE] (p. 87)
 [STEADYSHOT] (p. 60)
 [INDEX MARK] (p. 44)
 [AUDIO DUB] (p. 99) 
 [REC REVIEW] (p. 47)
 [DISPLAY] (p. 50)
 [BARS] (p. 22)
1Press MENU.
00:00:00:00120min
 [P–MENU]: END
RESET
YES
NO Ini t ial ize
CAMERA  modes
P–MENU  s e t t i n g ?
STBY
00:00:00:00120min
 [P–MENU]: END
RESET
YES
NO Are you su r e?
STBY 
						

							Using the Menu
Using the Menu87
2Select the   (OTHERS) menu by 
turning SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then 
press the dial.
3Select [ASSIGN BTN] by turning SEL/
PUSH EXEC dial, then press the dial.
4Select the number of the ASSIGN 
button you want to assign the function 
by turning SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, 
then press the dial.
[ASSIGN1] through [ASSIGN6] are 
available. [------] is displayed at the number 
that no function is assigned.
5Select the function to be assigned by 
turning SEL/PUSH EXEC dial, then 
press the dial.
6Select [OK] by turning SEL/PUSH 
EXEC dial, then press the dial.
7Press MENU to hide the menu.
Using the hyper gain function
During recording or in the recording standby 
mode, press the ASSIGN button assigned to 
[HYPER GAIN]. The gain will be increased 
to 36 dB. To restore the previous setting, 
press the button again.
When shooting a very dark subject, you can 
make it visible by using the hyper gain.
bNote
 When this function is activated, the following 
functions do not operate:
– [AE SHIFT] of the PICTURE PROFILE function
– [AE OVERRIDE]
– [BACK LIGHT]
– [SPOTLIGHT]
– Gain adjustment When this function is activated, the picture quality 
will deteriorate.
 If you use this function when the shutter speed is 
slower than 1/15, the shutter speed is automatically 
set to 1/30. 
 If you use this function when the shutter speed is 
slower than 1/12, the shutter speed is automatically 
set to 1/25. 
zTip
 It is recommended that you focus manually.
Using the AE override function
Press the ASSIGN button assigned to [AE 
OVERRIDE] and rotate the iris dial. You can 
adjust the brightness by overriding the AE 
shift value temporarily. When this function is 
activated,   appears on the screen.
bNote
 The AE override function is released when iris is 
adjusted manually.
zTip
 The highest/lowest value used by AE overriding 
depends on the AE shift value. The value varies 
ranging within ±7 of the total value of AE shift and 
AE override.
Displaying the marker
Press the ASSIGN button assigned to 
[MARKER] to display the marker on the 
screen. You can select the type of marker in 
[MARKER SEL] on the   (CAMERA 
SET) menu (p. 61).
Displaying the entire picture 
frame 
You can check the area surrounding the 
picture frame. This is not possible on 
standard TV screens. You can do this by 
pressing the ASSIGN button assigned to 
,continued 
						

							Using the Menu88
[ALLSCAN MODE]. During the simple 
allscan display, a black frame appears around 
the screen. Press the button again to restore 
the previous screen mode.
bNote
 When this function is activated, pictures are output 
in the interlace letter box format from the 
COMPONENT OUTPUT and i.LINK jacks except 
for the HDV signals.
zTip
 When you press the ASSIGN button assigned to 
[STEADYSHOT], the SteadyShot function is 
released and   appears on the LCD screen. To 
activate the SteadyShot function, press the same 
button again. You can select the effect level of the 
SteadyShot function using [STDYSHOT TYP] on 
the   (CAMERA SET) menu (p. 60).
 There are independent buttons for DISPLAY and 
BARS. However, you can assign them also to the 
ASSIGN buttons at your convenience. You can use 
both buttons. 
						

							Dubbing/Editing
Dubbing/Editing89
Dubbing/Editing
Dubbing to another 
tape
You can copy a picture played back on your 
camcorder to other recording devices (such 
as VCRs).
Connect your camcorder to a VCR as shown 
in the following illustration.
Connecting a VCR
To dub to an HDV compatible device
Connect your camcorder to an HDV compatible 
device using an i.LINK cable (optional).
To select the video format to be dubbed
The video format to be dubbed depends on the 
settings of [VCR HDV/DV] and [i.LINK 
CONV] on the   (IN/OUT REC) menu. 
Before setting these menu items, disconnect the 
i.LINK cable.
 Pictures will be dubbed in the recorded format 
when [VCR HDV/DV] is set to [AUTO], and 
[HDVtDV CONV] to [OFF] in [i.LINK 
CONV].
 Only pictures in the selected format will be 
dubbed when [VCR HDV/DV] is set to 
[HDV] or [DV]. Other pictures will be dubbed 
as blank portions, so neither picture nor sound 
will be dubbed.
bNote
 If you change the settings of [VCR HDV/DV] and 
[i.LINK CONV] with the i.LINK cable connected, 
the video device may not be able to recognize the video signal from the camcorder at the time of 
dubbing.
 When [VCR HDV/DV] is set to [AUTO] and the 
signal switches between HDV and DV, the picture 
and sound disappear temporarily.
 When the recorder is an HVR-Z1U/Z1N, set [VCR 
HDV/DV] on the   (IN/OUT REC) menu to 
[AUTO] on the recording HVR-Z1U/Z1N (p. 93).
i.LINK cable (optional)
Signal flowHDV/DV jack
Recorder
HDV/DV jackPlayer 
						

							Dubbing/Editing90
To dub to a DVCAM (DV) device
Connect your camcorder to a VCR using an 
i.LINK cable (optional).
To select the video format to be dubbed
The video format to be dubbed depends on the 
settings of [VCR HDV/DV] (p. 70) and [i.LINK 
CONV] (p. 73) on the   (IN/OUT REC) 
menu. Before setting these menu items, 
disconnect the i.LINK cable.
 When [VCR HDV/DV] is set to [AUTO], 
[HDVtDV CONV] to [ON], and [AUDIO 
LOCK] to [LOCK MODE] in [i.LINK 
CONV], HDV pictures are dubbed as audio-
locked signals, and DV pictures are dubbed as 
they are, disregarding the [AUDIO LOCK] 
setting.
 When [VCR HDV/DV] is set to [AUTO], 
[HDVtDV CONV] to [ON], and [AUDIO 
LOCK] to [UNLOCK MODE] in [i.LINK 
CONV], HDV pictures are dubbed as audio-
unlocked signals, and DV pictures are dubbed 
as they are, disregarding the [AUDIO LOCK] 
setting.
 If the tape was recorded with the HDV and 
DVCAM (DV) formats mixed, set [VCR 
HDV/DV] to [DV] to dub only pictures in the 
DVCAM (DV) format. Pictures in the HDV 
format will be dubbed as blank portions, so 
neither picture nor sound will be dubbed.
bNote
 If you change the settings of [VCR HDV/DV] and 
[i.LINK CONV] with the i.LINK cable connected, 
the video device may not be able to recognize the 
video signal from the camcorder at the time of 
dubbing.
 If [HDVtDV CONV] is set to [OFF] in [i.LINK 
CONV] while [VCR HDV/DV] is set to [AUTO], 
pictures recorded in the HDV mode will be recorded 
as blank portions, so neither picture nor sound will 
be recorded.
 When [VCR HDV/DV] is set to [HDV], the 
connected DVCAM (DV) device cannot recognize 
pictures, so pictures will be dubbed as blank 
portions.
 When [VCR HDV/DV] is set to [AUTO] and the 
signal switches between HDV and DVCAM (DV), 
the picture and sound disappear temporarily.
i.LINK cable (optional) HDV/DV jack
Signal flowi.LINK jacki.LINK compatible 
devices