I have to wonder how much of the price is because it's an "NXCAM", therefore is "professionally priced"... ala the A1u and V1U.

If that were the case, and Sony follows form, perhaps we'll see a "grey" (instead of black, it's just what color plastic flows through the molds!) "high end prosumer" version at a more digestable price point, like the HC1 and FX7 (both at one point or another in their product life cycles were in the $2K range).

It's not inconceivable that you knock off the XLR handle and mic, put a less noticeable eyecup on the VF, more subtle lens hood, and perhaps cripple a few features, and you could have a "FX" or perhaps a new designation in continuation of the old "VX" and "FX" lineage, - maybe an AX7000? There is a fairly large hole in the Sony line right now with the FX7 having been resurrected after being discontinued, and now VERY long in the tooth (and still one of my all time favorite cameras for ergonomics and functionality!).

Logically, they could fill that hole with a variation of such a camera fairly easily, and there are already interested buyers lined up - hi guys, good to see ya again, howya doin'... <wink>! I think Consumers are very much interested in "ruggedized" toys, and Sony has been doing some "tough" P&S cameras at very reasonable price points. I'd replace a CX550 with an AX7000...

dave from the specs, it seems identical to the cx700 except for the xlr, iris/focus ring, same guts, same pic quality etc.
im wondering how good the viewfinder is on it. would be nice to see how usable it is.
will send back feeback from nab.

will probably sell for around 2500.00/ list shows at 3200
i have the cx550 which is great but need to get a main cam , was leaning to the nxcam/ex1r, but if this can hold up as well, i could save alot getting it. just wish the zoom was more

Hi Jim -
Somehow I'm a bit reluctant to relate it to the CX700 - the genes are definitely related, but it's a significantly larger camera - While it MAY have the same sensor and general "guts", it should have better/bigger glass, and of course is ruggedized with more manual controls.

I'm in the same boat, like to get one "main" camera, this is the first one that's started to perk up my interests, though I fear I'd be taking the "small" cameras out out of habit!

The more I think about it, the more I suspect we'll see an AX7000 in the near future - Sony is a creature of habit.

Does anyone know where I might find some raw files (not Youtube-ized) directly off the CX700v? I would very much like to understand how the data looks versus EX1 files.

Many thanks...

Hi Jim -
Somehow I'm a bit reluctant to relate it to the CX700 - the genes are definitely related, but it's a significantly larger camera - While it MAY have the same sensor and general "guts", it should have better/bigger glass, and of course is ruggedized with more manual controls.

I'm in the same boat, like to get one "main" camera, this is the first one that's started to perk up my interests, though I fear I'd be taking the "small" cameras out out of habit!

The more I think about it, the more I suspect we'll see an AX7000 in the near future - Sony is a creature of habit.

For the price it should have a new lens but the spec looks to be the same. We will have to wait and see. I would like a version without the XLR or fancy eyepiece too.

Ron Evans

Looked a little deeper into the spec sheet, and it's still a 37mm filter size, so very well could be the same lens and imaging block...

Looks like only stereo onboard mics, but it'd be pretty easy to make a "reduced feature set" version of this camera - I really don't need the XLR's and top handle or the jutting out the back eyepiece, just show me the buttons (with better manual controls of course!)! Shouldn't be hard to bring an "AX7000" in at just around the $2k price point.

Also hope they allow VF and LCD simultaneous ala the FX7. Like the lens hood, looks a lot like the A1U hood I've got on my CX550!

I hope that the "street" price ends up a little more realistic (sorry, I just don't see it at nearly 3x the price of a CX550 or CX700) on this camera (or the AX version!), it shows promise. Has anyone seen good photos of the button configurations? I see the 3 way switch for the ring, what looks like a button for focus enhance, and the next button towards the bottom looks to be labelled "iris"... really curious as to the user interface for this camera, as it does look to have quite a few buttons scattered about!

The buttons along the bottom appear to be iris, extended focus, histogram. Then a door for the HDMI connector then a Display button. So the buttons for iris and focus will likely work like the NX5U. Pressing toggles between auto and manual. I hope the extended focus button still works like the CX700 and not the NX5U and it still retains the spot focus function from the touch screen. Will wait with interest for the manual to go up on the SOny site.

Ron Evans

There look to be more buttons or switches on the back, plus one on the opposite side of the lens and one more maybe on that side of the body... the possibility of being able to individually turn settings on and off, and control them with a wheel like on the old TRV900 or the FX7 is certainly potentially there. All that AND a touch screen and most control freaks would probably be left with few things to whine about.

C'mon AX7000... this'd be worth upgrading a CX550!

I really hope Sony will rapidly adjust the price point - this seems like so close a competitor to the new Canon at $2K, and IIRC there's a JVC and Panasonic that hit this market segment in those price ranges. $3200 just seems a bit too optimistic. Heck, VG10's seem to be bringing around $1600 in the barely used market!

Somehow this seems like it should have come in around $750-1000 lower, but it'd be easy to make an AX version meet that on the "consumer side" of Sony.


So back to the CX700 - have you A/B'd with the XR500 for low light performance to see if it's better or worse, and cleaner or noisier? I'm talking the REALLY bad lighting condition type thing, where the 5xx series have performed quite admirably in lo lux mode.

On Monday evening I did a show and used both CX700 and XR500 side by side. Picture seems identical as far as I can tell. XR500 AE shift control has more range then the CX700 as this is only + or - 1.0 EV. I think the XR500 may be more useful because of this greater range control. CX700 was set at -1.0 EV and the XR500 at AE shift -3. It was nice to have zebra and peaking to check the picture though.

Ron Evans

Hmmm, wonder whether perhaps there's 4 steps, just designated differently? Or is it just one click either way... that would be another step backwards! Even my P&S TX7 provides 6 steps each way, up to +-2 EV...

Since the CX700 supposedly uses a new sensor than the 5xx series, I'm just sort of slightly curious as performance in bad light, and lowest noise possible is something I find very important, and the 5xx series cameras are hard to beat in that respect. The new Canon lower pixel density sensor looks to come pretty close, maybe even better, but I see too much degradation in the Panasonic samples I've seen, just wondering if Sony upped the game or at least held the line.

I know that the higher pixel density sensor in the TX9 was a slight step backward over the one in the TX7, at least when it came to video - not much, but enough to "bug" a bit.

Dave, the AE shift is in 4 steps. Plus or minus 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0. So the steps are the same but the range seems bigger on the XR500. The XR500 visibly makes picture darker or lighter but on the CX700 doesn't seem so much.

Max gain on the CX700 is indicated in data code as 21db compared to 18db on the XR500 and the SR11. Noise levels are much like the XR500 haven't really noticed significant difference so far. The intelligent auto works very well seems better than the XR500.

Ron Evans

Edit: Forgot to mention that the low lux mode seems even more effect on the CX700 definitely sees in the dark.

I have decided to either return my CX700v or send it in for warranty work. The softness I noticed does indeed exist on the left side of the frame only. Here is a shot of a resolution chart (I wouldn't put too much stock in this as a measure of resolution or moire for this camera, since I made no attempt to be very careful about the setup or processing or lack thereof of the frame-grab). I did center the camera to the target and shoot normal to the center of the upper 40% of the image so that both upper corners were at the same distance and angles with respect to the camera. I was trying to verify softness that seemed particularly strong in the upper left corner.

Seems unlikely that this would be a problem for all or most cameras of this model, but has anyone else noticed this issue?

Pat

So anyone know how the cx700v would compare with the dsc-hx9v? The hx9v is obviously a point and shoot camera, but has a slightly larger exmor sensor, 1080p60 avchd recording at 28mbps.... In fact it seems to match nearly every feature.
Obviously it doesn't have the twisty LCD screen and no viewfinder. I looked on YouTube and the 1080p60 footage looks just as hood as the 700's.... Just wondering...

So, anyone using this camera with a Apple MAC? Looks like the PMB s/w will not run on a MAC.
Any issues getting files off?

Stacy -
From my experience with the P&S Sonys, here's the things you'll "miss" -

stereo sound, not 5.1,

no VF, no tilt screen,

smaller screen or display area on SOME models (in some cameras 4:3, depends on the model, you may get "letterboxed" video and native 4:3 stills, or in the TX series "pillarboxed" 4:3 stills and native 16x9 video - you'll have to check the specific model to find out the display aspect ratio)

zoom range - probably smaller on the P&S

zoom mech noise - comes through on the P&S because of the small body - may not be as bad on the new linear lens designs?

low light is not going to be nearly as good as say the 500 series handycams, you'll have to test to see if it's adequate for your needs - noise levels may or may not be acceptable at higher gains.

no dedicated audio I/O - no headphone or mic jacks - I've seen overloading/distortion in the internal mics in high volume situations on SOME models and not others...

Clip length is typically limited to 30 minutes, but you can just stop/restart

NO manual control beyond a very basic "+- EV".

One small battery - no larger optional ones, so you need to carry spares!


What you may find worth the tradeoff - pocketable, stills from the new 16.2 Mpixel sensor looked pretty good to me, and video in good light/60p was very impressive.


Frankly, a TX7 or TX9 has been what I'm carrying everywhere now, it's as compact as you can get, and covers MOST video fairly well with good stills too. I'm looking at the TX10 and TX100 when upgrading is not too expensive! Only thing I really miss is the long end of the zoom, and of course the HX series has a longer lens range

There are 3 "series" of Sony P&S currently (TX - the slim line touchscreen, WX - compact w/standard controls, and HX - larger with more controls and wider lens ranges), with several models at different price points and features. Seems like they try to make something for everyone!

I've had Sony's new top-of-the-line 1080/50p pocket cam TX100V for about two weeks and I can summarize the pros and cons of this tiny still camera with respect to overall video capability compared to a number of Sony's own compact AVCHD handycams up to the CX550E(50i) which I also own:

PROS:
-Truly pocketable, slips into almost any pocket, thus making it easy to take it anywhere
-Video image quality in the top quality 1080/50p 28Mbps mode IN GOOD LIGHT is superb. Most key attributes to good IQ, e.g. sharpness, dynamic range, motion, resistance to rolling shutter effects and aliasing and moire, are superior to those from my CX550E, CX500E, CX350E and even my HDV oldie FX-1E.
-Better still IQ
-The OLED screen is superior in resolution, contrast and color, to the screen on any of the above cams.

CONS:
-Controls for shooting video are very limited. In the video mode, you can only adjust exposure compensation in six steps up to +/-2EV. No control over white balance, aperture, shutter or exposure (except the +/- AE)
-Ineffective image stabilization (This alone makes me yearn for one of the Active OIS Handycams)
-The small size leaves almost no place for you to hold the camera and shoot video without jerking and shaking the shots.
-Noisier, softer (from noise reduction?) video in poor light

I could go on but in short, Sony seem to have successfully pulled it off again with the old tricks of segmenting their vast product lines by selectively crippling the functionality and features of their products. The fact that they have managed to build an IP capable of encoding a higher-profile H.264 1080/50 or 60p video stream at 28Mbps into such a small device that needs neither an active cooling system nor a palm-size battery is nonetheless, quite amazing.

Checking the specs the TX100V has optical Steadyshot and the HX9V also has Active mode Steadyshot like the camcorders. I am thinking of getting the HX9V when it comes out in Canada . Will be interesting to see how it compares with the CX700.

So far compared to the XR500 I think the CX700 is more sensitive and has more colour saturation. For example a scene showed 0db, F2.2 on the CX700 and was 3 db and F1.8 on the XR500 which gave a slightly darker less saturated image too. This difference seems to go through the range. I need to set low lux on the XR500 to compare with the CX700 on intelligent auto in the dark. Low lux on the CX700 produces a see in the dark full colour image. Very impressive compared to any of my other cameras. I missed out on the CX550 range so cannot tell if this was the same. Grain is not noticably different to the XR500 and they of course are a lot better than the NX5U when it is on it's limit. These little cams produce less grain wide open full gain than the NX5U at 12db.( at least my NX5U). I view grain in video playback not a still image so of course looking at grain stills may give a totally different perspective.

Ron Evans

I have decided to either return my CX700v or send it in for warranty work. The softness I noticed does indeed exist on the left side of the frame only. Here is a shot of a resolution chart (I wouldn't put too much stock in this as a measure of resolution or moire for this camera, since I made no attempt to be very careful about the setup or processing or lack thereof of the frame-grab). I did center the camera to the target and shoot normal to the center of the upper 40% of the image so that both upper corners were at the same distance and angles with respect to the camera. I was trying to verify softness that seemed particularly strong in the upper left corner.

Seems unlikely that this would be a problem for all or most cameras of this model, but has anyone else noticed this issue?

Pat

Did you sent yours back and try another?

Been Traveling with the CX700 and now that I have got back and gone through over 10 hours of footage, i'm not so happy.

Not all the time, but the camera can go very soft on the Right hand side ( opposite to yours!} on wide.

On telephoto the purple fringing on highlights makes the footage useless

and finally Active steadyshot is not as good as my MC50 (CX550)

Going to try another one, as i really like the extra frame rates etc, but unless its as sharp and clean as my MC50 i'm going to skip this years model



t

I did send mine back. The purple fringing on full telephoto zoom can be reduced if your white balance is appropriate for the scene and the aperture is stopped down. You probably already know that, but just in case.

Pat

I'm looking forward to trying the TX100...

Wacharapong - are you 100% sure you can't adjust the WB, as the TX7&9 allowed that much, along with the +-EV, no shutter or aperature, but pretty good "auto". I customized the menu on the TX7&9 so WB and EV is right there on the screen

For a more stable image, I've got some Stratos FBX folding flash brackets I've collected along the way - not much bigger than the camera folded, but if you mount the camera to it, it almost becomes like a mini fig rig when you use both hands - fairly effective for me in getting usable footage. It is tough with these tiny cameras - my wife has a WX5, and I can't even effectively hold the thing, and I don't have big hands. The TX is better, and the HX5 even easier to grip while still being fairly pocketable - you really have to try the different models to see what is "comfortable", and which features set meets your needs the best!

I don't expect the TX series to have much control wise, the thing's like a deck of cards after all! But the early reports on this new sensor are looking fairly good, and they seem to be using it across a wide range of features and price points.

If the TX100 keeps up in decent light, I may retire a CX500 or two for "B/C cams" - had thought about the CX700, but really having some doubts with the early reports here. I know that Sony takes a bit to tweak the most out of a given sensor set, maybe the NX70 or an AX70/700/7000 will get the "bugs" out...

My CX550's sill look pretty darn good overall, too bad there's no way to bump the frame rates! They perform quite well in low light, a tad better than the XR500 and just seem to have "got it right", aside from the tripod mount location being "odd". Somehow the CX700 is sounding like more steps back than forward...

Just to make sure as I happened to have the TX100V at home this morning, I looked up for WB control in the manual and fiddled with the menu for a while. No, you can't select WB in the "Movie" mode even if WB in the still "Program" mode has been set to manual or one of the presets.

Like the CX700, the TX100V is a step backward compared to your TX9 in terms of control.

Question about the files structure on the camera. I have been just plugging in my unit in my windows 7 machine. File manager has shown up with each folder being the video shot on that day.

I just had to reload my computer from scratch, and now when I plug in my camera, I no longer get what I guess I call the file mode. Now I see the lower level folders and just xx.MTS files now.

Any idea what gets changed to change this mode?

I think you were seeing PMB either from the camera ( it has it installed on the camera so that the camera can transfer to a USB drive without a computer) or you installed PMB and on the reload it was not reinstalled. They both load automatically when the camera is connected to the PC and powered up. Explorer will always see the low level files but the other information ( date, time, GPS etc ) are stored in other files that PMB uses.

Ron Evans

Okay, I figured it out. When I loaded my computer and PMB, the program changed a setting on the camera.
I went into the settings and saw one about type. It was set on disc mode. I noticed it had Auto so I switched it back to Auto. Now the camera is seen as a camera in My Computer. The files now show up on the camera as seperate folders named for the date the video was taken. And the file names within the folders are the names they were taken This way I can transfer to my computer with a nice file structure and not having to rename anything. YEA!!

Okay, I am looking at getting another Sony camera to maybe replace my CX700. So, does Sony no longer offer 96gig flash stuff, I cannot find anything. Are there any new handycams coming out that would be in the same range to replace the 700?

Only choices I seem to find at 16 gig flash HDR-CX260V/B

or 32 gig flash HDR-CX580V

or new 32 gig flash model HDR-CX430V

I have zero interest in a model with a built in projector.

Thanks

There's a new model just coming out and in the US market I believe it's called HDR-PJ790V. The specs are comparable to the CX700V e.g. 1080/60p, 96GB internal memory, 5.1 audio, improved stabilization and a projector. Be warned though, that your current Handycam accessories that attach to your cameras via the AIS shoe will not be usable with this and other new models which have a newly designed accessory hot shoe. The good news is the FV series batteries are still usable. Check the Sony website and you'll see.

Thanks, do not see this model without a projector.

All the top Sony models now have projectors. If you want the same features as the CX700 the only models have projectors, both 32G and 96G.

Ron Evans

edit: the 32G model is a 1/4 chip the 96 is a 1/3 chip so more like the CX700

Question about the files structure on the camera. I have been just plugging in my unit in my windows 7 machine. File manager has shown up with each folder being the video shot on that day.

I just had to reload my computer from scratch, and now when I plug in my camera, I no longer get what I guess I call the file mode. Now I see the lower level folders and just xx.MTS files now.

Any idea what gets changed to change this mode?

Use the software that came with the camera. The CX700 also has its own built in transfer software and that is what you may have used before. I always use the PMB or now PlayMemories software to transfer. Always attaches long files together correctly and renames files by the date and time they were shot.

Ron Evans

Thanks, do not see this model without a projector.

Sony has drastically cut back their lines, only ONE "top end" camera (last year there were 3 "higher" spec cams), and now the projector is non-optional. You might take a look at "last years" models, which are being closed out. Not huge improvements in performance, other than the "magic eyeball" (BOSS) stabilizer, which mainly counts if you're going to be handheld, and for that, it's pretty amazing. The CX760 would be comparable to the 700 (no projector).

IMO the gigantic "audio wart" on the PJ790 is pretty ugly, not sure whether the "improvement" is worth the aesthetics...

I have been using the small standard battery in my CX700. I had purchased 2 larger NP-FV100 batteries which are stated to be supported on the CX700 and all the other same type Sony cameras. But when I place either battery in the Camera and plug it in to charge, the yellow charge light starts flashing which I believe says there is an issue. If I take the batteries and put them into my external BC-TRV battery charger, the batteries charge completely with no issue. If I put them in the camera they play fine. But, it seems they will not charge correctly in the camera. I have tried in other Sony cameras, off of which say they support the battery and have the same issue.

So, any ideas how to fix since I am wanting to give these to other family members and they need to be able to charge via the camera.

Thanks

My Sony NP-FV100 battery charges correctly in my CX700, XR500 or SR11 though I never do this as I too have the wall charger. Just checked in all three to make sure my memory was correct. Manual says that if light is flashing then several issues may exist. Battery is not connected properly, battery is too hot or too cold are the more likely choices. I assume this is a genuine Sony battery? If they are not Sony batteries that may be the issue. Charging this size of battery in the camcorder will take a long time though. Its a big battery may take all day.

Ron Evans

The first question is what was the source of the batteries? Knockoffs can look VERY "genuine", but can be less that 100% compatible.

They might charge fine in say a BC-TRV wall charger that has less sophisticated "chips", but fail in a camera which often has a more sophisticated "lockout" function to prevent knockoffs and third party batteries from being used/damaging the camera/giving less satisfactory user experience...

After you charge the battery and attach to the camera, have you tried using the camera for a while - sometimes a knockoff will work OK for a while then give a non compatible battery warning and shut down...

As you may know, Sony is a bit more agressive with the electronic "lockout" of third party and knockoff products, they are constantly battling knockoffs of "sony" memory and battery products (perhaps 90%+ of which on eBay for example are FAKES!). I have some FW series knockoffs that worked OK in an older Sony A-series, but won't work in a more recent NEX, just to give one example.

From everything I see, the packaging, markings on the battery, etc. they are original Sony batteries.

I did put the battery in my camera today and used for a while. Once it did shut down which I thought was weird. Turned back on and was fine. The bottom of the battery has a normal Sony sticker so I have no reason to believe it is not real. How not, how would I tell?

Did you buy it from Sony ? If it cost a lot less than a genuine battery ( about $159 list, B&H $95 ) it is likely a fake.

Ron Evans

I bought via Amazon who had a another party. I spend 90 bucks each so not cheap But reading reviews on the seller, if looks like they are a fraud. At least they charge in an external charger and seem to work most of the time but .. I am going to try and return, even though it has been 2 years. Will see how good Amazon is about this stuff of fakes.