HDW-790P !

The following tests were conducted by Visual Impact’s Technical Department based at their head office in Teddington during June 2007.

Introduction
Just what we needed, another new camcorder from Sony and with a confusing product code to boot ! The HDW-790P (not to be confused with the DVW-790WSP) was launched by Sony at NAB this year. It records HDCAM pictures in either 1080/50i interlace or 1080/25P progressive modes and uses three 2.2 million-pixel FIT CCDs.

First Impressions
The HDW-790P features an extremely compact and lightweight design, with a robust and reliable construction. It has 2 HD-SDI outputs, inputs for recording 4 channels of 20-bit AES/EBU digital audio and you have a choice of either a colour or monochrome viewfinder.

Operational Features
Familiar Sony lay-out for controls and menu, although the file format on the set-up cards is not compatible with the HDW-750P or HDW-F900R. The HDW-790P is equipped with dual optical filter wheels and a new option board (HKDW-905R) can be installed to add slow shutter capability (up to 64 frames) and image inversion. Additional features taken from the HDW-F900R include HyperGamma, a 12 bit A to D (ADSP) and Freeze mix. Significantly however, there is no 24/30P or 60i capability.

Picture Quality
We put the camera side by side with a HDW-F900R in our test rooms in Teddington, selecting the same configuration menu set-ups, lenses, etc. shooting with standard test charts. First impressions were very favourable for the HDW-790P. Both cameras produced stunning pictures and it was impossible to tell them apart. The blacks exhibited low noise; shadow detail was good, wide latitude helped with depth of field allowing the pictures a nice silky feel showing the extra processing power of the 12- bit A-D converter. This resulted in a more film like image in contrast to the made for TV look you see from a lot of digital cameras. Resolution, latitude and depth of field performance from both cameras were for all intense and purposes very similar if not the same both to the naked eye and on the test equipment.

Why change to a 790 ?
The HDW-750P has been out for four years and served both Sony and the industry well in that time. The new HDW-790 however, is a very different animal with the 12- bit processing and extended gamma functions delivering a less electronic picture than the over detailed and extremely colourful images produced by its predecessor. Sony seemed to have listened to the market and produced a workhorse camera which gives a more filmic look, positioning this camera as more of an ‘Europeanised’ HDW-F900R than an upgraded HDW-750P. Unless you need the 24P option this is the HD camera to choose, delivering excellent pictures at a very reasonable cost. It is certainly a worthy successor to the HDW-750P and has every chance of becoming the industry workhorse for HD TV drama production in the future.