The Sony VX1000 is a Digital video camera that was produced by Sony Electronics in 1995, being replaced in production by the Sony VX2000 in 2000 and the VX2100 in 2004. It was the first prosumer camera that enabled the user to transfer video information via IEEE 1394 firewire to a Windows or Macintosh computer. It was also the first camcorder in which both the MiniDV format and 3CCD color processing technology were used. It was based on Sony's earlier Hi8 camcorders VX1(PAL) and VX3 (NTSC) which were also prosumer grade camcorders. During the mid-1990s, Sony dropped Hi-8 in favor of the emerging DV format, and as a result the VX3 and VX1 were discontinued in 1995. However they went on to serve as the framework for a line of professional DV cameras, including the DCR-VX1000.
This camera's resolution and video clarity was unrivaled at the time. To some it is considered the "grandfather of digital cameras". It sold for about 3500 USD when it came out in the mid nineties. The camera imaged in 410,000 pixels with a horizontal resolution of better than 530 lines. However, the camera has now been replaced by most professional/semi-professional cameras with more recent models, such as the Sony PD150 or PD170 and the Sony Z1. Videos recorded in DV can have up to two times the horizontal resolution of VHS. The use of three CCDs can yield up to three times the component color sampling of single CCD cameras. In addition to its FireWire out, it also had a set of female RCA outs (yellow, white, red/video, R audio, L audio) and a stereo microphone array at the front of the handle.
| Recording Format |
Recording System |
CCD Size1 |
Optical Zoom |
Digital Zoom |
LCD Panel |
Lens Focal Length |
| Mini DV |
NTSC |
1/3" |
10x |
20x |
No LCD Panel |
5.9 - 59 mm |
| Filter Diameter |
Image Stabilizer |
Low Light Rating |
Recommended Illumination |
Audio Format |
View Finder |
| 52 mm/Bayonet Mount |
With Image Stabilizer |
4 Lux |
100 Lux |
Hi-Fi Stereo
12 bit 32 kHz
|
180k pixel color view finder with information sub field |
