I love my PDX10, for sure. I understand that most of you dear folks are highly technically competent, you like to ‘manually adjust’; just a perception I get from reading here, I always enjoy visiting, but I guess I’m more of a point and shoot person. I do indeed understand how appalling that is in this gathering…but…my idea of a balanced life is spending 99% of my aesthetically driven karma on the subject, the set, the poetics, what I'm trying to say, and the remaining whatever on the machine and the ‘settings’. Thank you Sony, thank you ever so much for taking care of the settings with the PDX10. I love just pointing and shooting; ‘focusing’ on the subject, not the machine. The PDX10, 16:9 naturally, is quite brilliant in that regard. Everyone around here where I live thinks I’m some kind of brilliant videographer, that I understand cameras and adjust up the yin yang when in fact I’m a half competent photographer story teller with a very fine acquisition device set on auto; the PDX10; most of my stuff is shot with everything on auto, default, whatever…couple of times I adjusted the exposure. I do most everything else in post.

But to get to the point: I am about to make a multimedia production featuring an ancient site that includes frescos and works of art, and I do believe I might just purchase Sony’s new HDR-FX1 for this event. It is possible, reading the specs on this charcoal device, that when I get this new glamorous super slick beast I may not ever use my PDX10 ever again!

I mean, you guys seem hugely savvy; do you think this is a good move, worth the money for a point and shoot person like me?

IF you've never shot anything before give it ago on the pdx10 first.

For one it has balanced audio inputs.

Maybe hire the hdrfx1 and do a shootout tpe situatuion to see if you really like it that much better. Because there are probably gonna be heaps of HDV cams coming out, no doubt the next pdx10 will do HDV.

Cheers,
Ben

John, no need to apologize for using "Auto"--I think the PDX-10 does a fine job, much of the time, all by itself. I tweak a few settings here and there (we all have our pet ideas on that score: mine is that the auto exposure is a tad too bright) and I go manual when it's only really called for. The rest of the time, I just shoot it as the camera sees it, and all is fine. I'm sure I'm not alone. By using the CP menu, I can essentially tweak the settings manually AND have it shoot in Auto.

Unfortunately, I really can't speak to the main question about the HDR-FX1. Haven't even seen one. It sure sounds pretty cool, though. Next time I win the lottery, I'll give it a go...

Chris

John - go for it - by the way look at my location ! I'd love to see it when you bring it to town !