Shoot Review

Superb image quality justifies a close look at this step-upcamcorder.

The three 2/3in. IT CCDs of the Ikegami HL-DV7W support native 16:9operation. In 4:3 mode a central section of the chips captures theimage.

Several months ago a client asked me what I thought about theIkegami HL-DV7W. He had been shooting with an XL1S and wanted to moveup to a more professional camera. His question led directly to thisreview.

The DV7W has three 2/3in. interline-transfer (IT) CCDs that havebeen designed to support native 16:9 operation. Each chip has 520,000elements that always image a 16:9 aspect ratio picture. When the DV7Wis switched into 4:3 mode, the picture is obtained from a centralsection of the CCDs. The camera section thus always provides a centerhorizontal resolution of 800 TV lines. The base HL-DV7W has an MSRP of$17,000.

The DV7W's sensitivity is rated at f/11 at 2000 lux with asignal-to-noise ratio of -64dB. Vertical smear is rated at -125dB. WithHyper gain (+48dB gain) enabled, the DV7W has a sensitivity of only0.12 lux. How sensitive is this? In a room with light only comingthrough a doorway, the DV7W imaged a color chart with amazing fidelity.Ikegami does not offer Sony's DPR (Dual-Pixel Readout) becausehorizontal resolution would be reduced by 50% for only a +6dB increasein sensitivity. Thus, the 0.12-lux sensitivity is obtained with normalhorizontal resolution. In normal low-illumination situations, I foundthe standard +9dB to +12dB to be fully adequate.

The preset shutter has six speeds (1/100, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500,1/1000, 1/2000 seconds). Variable speeds can be set between 1/60.3 and1/787 seconds. To enhance vertical resolution, the DV7W's Super Vfunction can be enabled to increase vertical resolution by 20%.

The DV7W features shock-less Auto White Balance that avoids suddenchanges in white balance when switching between white balancememories.

The Ikegami I reviewed had a Canon J21aX7.8B lens. The DV7W has fouroptical filters: 3000K, 5600K+1/16ND, 5600K, and 5600K+1/64ND. Eachfilter has an A or B setting. Thus, the DV7W has a total of eight AWBmemory presets. Linked to the filter, the AWB automatically changeswhite balance when the filter setting is changed. When setting the AWB,a zebra indicator appears in the viewfinder to show the white areabeing used by the AWB system. If AWB fails, an NG (“nogood”) indication appears to indicate the color temperature wastoo high or too low.

For the operator's convenience, the P. FUNC (Personal Function)button is provided for the most frequently used functions, such ascontrol of Soft Detail, Black Press, and Black Stretch.

The DV7W has an LSI-based DSP with a six-axis linear matrix systemfor fine-tuning of color to match broadcast requirements. A menu systemallows you to select dozens of DSP parameters via a very convenientrotary dial. (This is the same kind of rotary, push-button dial foundon many prosumer camcorders.) On the side of the camera, threeadditional rotary dials are provided for easy setup of parameters. Thisallows complex camera settings to be made without a remote-controlpanel. Often it's useful to be able to go back to the factory'soriginal settings. The “initialize” function does justthis.

DSP supports several functions, including Diagonal Detail, SoftDetail, Variable Detail, gamma, and Black Press — plus askin-imaging function with adjustments for skin detail.

The Diagonal Detail function increases sharpness in the diagonaldirection. By increasing detail diagonally, NTSC moiré is reduced.To ensure picture uniformity, even in high-contrast areas, Soft Detailcan be employed to produce images that are more natural, withoutexcessive edge enhancement. This mode can help reduce the “videolook” many videographers dislike. Variable Detail setting offerseight-step variable frequency boost of the detail signal. The B/Wbalance function controls the level of center-luminance detail. You canadjust in these ranges: 2.97MHz to 6.84MHz in 4:3 mode and 3.24MHz to9.00MHz in 16:9 mode.

Not only are four types of gamma characteristics selectable (OFF,0.35, 0.4, and 0.45), but a gamma curve pattern with 5X initial gain isselectable for certain broadcast requirements. To emphasize only thebrighter areas of images, Black Press is provided. It is selectable inthree steps (-7%, -5%, and -3%) and can add contrast to a washed-outpicture. The Black Stretch function meets the needs of professionalswho want to avoid excessive dark areas in high-contrast scenes. Withthree settings (3%, 5%, and 7%), this function enables improved darkareas in a picture by lifting the image level only in low-brightnessareas.

By using the Skin Detail function, the edge sharpness of skin tonecan be softened so that wrinkles and age lines become less visible.Auto Hue Detect (AHD) is available to make it easy to set skin-tonedetail.

Ikegami has included a number of features in the DV7W that oneexpects in a DVCAM camcorder. These include the use of both standardDVCAM (184 minutes) and mini-DVCAM (40 minutes) cassettes, playback ofDV tapes, and timecode preset (including user bits). Sony's ClipLinksystem is another DVCAM feature.

An Ikegami standard Unislot for a radio microphone receiver avoidsextra wiring and possible damage to the receiver. An Anton/Bauer-typebattery bracket is also provided. The bracket has an extra lightingconnection and supports the batteries' “remaining capacity”indication.

To enhance versatility, lens data files and scene data files areprovided. A lens file stores data for a maximum of eight lenses tocompensate for differences in lens optical characteristics, such asshading or color balance, and lens extender condition. A scene filestores camera settings for up to eight different shooting conditions. ASmartMedia card slot is provided in order to keep variouscamera-setting parameters in a small memory card. Full camera setup, aswell as scene file sets, can be stored to and loaded from the card.

A broadcast-quality 1.5in. viewfinder featuring over 600 horizontallines of resolution is available for the DV7W. For DV shooters who havebeen working with tiny ½in. viewfinders, the size and image detailwill be a spectacular improvement. The viewfinder can display colortemperature and two zebra patterns. You can use the DV7W's menu systemto select exactly what you want displayed in the viewfinder.

The DV7W has a FireWire port, which can output but unfortunatelycannot input DV/DVCAM. The DV7W also offers external-sync input andoutput BNC connectors, plus video and monitor out BNCs. Both Y/C outputand a 26-pin VTR connector are options. For use in a productionenvironment, an optional Triax head adaptor is available.

Ikegami has been offering the HL-DV7W in two specially pricedbundles. One has a Canon 18X zoom lens (YJ18×9BKRS-A) while theother has a Fuji 18X zoom lens (A20×8.6BRM). The bundle includesthe viewfinder, mic, memory card, operation manual, and tripod mountingplate. You'll need to contact your local Ikegami dealer for potentialdiscount bundle pricing.

I can tell you the DV7W is one great DVCAM camcorder. And, with thebundle price my client obtained, it's also a spectacular bargain.

Company: Ikegami
Maywood, N.J.
201-368-9171
www.ikegami.com

Product: HL-DV7W camcorder

Assets: Three 2/3in. chips with 520,000 elements each capture16:9 natively; available broadcast-quality 1.5in. viewfinder featuresover 600 horizontal lines of resolution; Diagonal Detail reduces NTSCmoiré; sensitivity is 0.12 lux with Hyper gain enabled.

Demographic: Cost-conscious DV shooters looking for the nextstep past a Canon XL1S.

Price: $17,000 MSRP without lens; bundle pricingavailable.

To comment on this article, email the Video Systems editorialstaff at vsfeedback@primediabusiness.com.