Sony HX300 is non selectable pal/ntsc

[Bruce Dempsey]

New camera arrived from Hong Kong today and noway to select 60i
I'm in Canada and just didn't give it enough thought when I ordered
On the other hand they didn't either
Here's hoping it won't be a big hassle and ebay rating protocol will help with that
So beware HX300 does not have selectable mode ntsc/pal. It is camera specific .

[Dave Blackhurst]

There are few (if any?) "consumer" cameras that allow the user to switch between PAL (50) and NTSC (60)... I do recal a few "pro" models that had the option, and I think there is a rare example in the consumer space, but it's one more "setting" that will result in support calls, so not an expected "feature".

Most manufacturers have region specific models and firmware... that's why you have to be careful of "grey market" goods - they are legitimate in the sense of the manufacturer made them, but they were made for a different market - sometimes you don't really "save" anything in the long run, as the warranties and such don't apply, or there may actually be technical differences.

I often get international inquiries on eBay, and I have learned to mention the format differences when dealing with camera gear!

[Bruce Dempsey]

Like I said Dave, I didn't think it through
My very first HD camcorder an Hdr-HC1 came from Japan and was half the price of obtaining one locally but since then prices are really similar between here and Asia.
Mostly I buy cameras from 9th ave but this time I was in a rush to get it and they were not accepting orders during that period. So much for the rush now I have to try to send it back to Hong Kong
Been looking for the holy grail for me at least IE a rig which will shoot beautiful video and snap 1/250 sec stills at the same time. Tried a Nikon 1 and except for the fact that it couldn't keep focused on a fast moving human , almost did the trick
The HX300 may or may not allow for fast shutter while filming, (haven't quite figured that out) as the menu sez one thing then executes according to whatever it's makers decided it should do. Tried the 'fast sports scene mode" and it shot stills at 1/25 what??
Sony announced a consumer 4k camcorder earlier. Now that would produce nice fat stills right from the footage but the price of it though

[Bruce Dempsey]

1st off, the Hong Kong Merchant pointed out that video record mode clearly in their specs said 50i and I pointed out that all the other cameras on his page had large PAL VERSION signs attached except for the HX300 which I bought.in haste from him. The good news - they said send it back for a refund and gave me a number and the other particulars.
Now for the REAllY GOOD News. . I shot my last figureskating competition of the season today and drug the HX300 along with its new remote handlle with the new multi use terminal (looks like a motorola or samsung phone usb) . I shot the first 30 routines with my trusty cx550v which does just fine and then got a six minute break during which time I switched to the HX300 and the remote handle for zoom etc.
It was a bit odd at first gettting used to the new stabalization moves the lens makes but the Auto focus worked beautifully, not losing the fast moving skaters but of course I had them in the crosshairs as much as I could.
I didn't have any time at all to mess with trying for a good white balance. All I did was set it on movie and dialed up the ev a bit because the ice tends to make the skaters a bit under exposed.
So I get home and dump all the files into playMemories and click on a few of the 2 minute programs shot with the HX300. (still waiting for the good news?) Noticeably prettier video than the 550v, colous pop, resolution seems higher ( Both shot at the HQ pretty low bitrate setting which on the 550 is around 7Kbps and 9Kbps on the hx300
And this shot on a 50i camerer in a ice rink lit by 60hz full spectrum so I imagine the 60i compatible unit will be even better .

[Dave Blackhurst]

There have been suggestions that shooting 50 and adjusting it to "25" would give you a film like result... I dunno, but I prefer the highest bitrate 60p...

I have to do a little more shooting, but so far the stills don't have the nasty "overspray" effect I saw and hated with the 200 - and the "watercolor" effect when you zoom in is much less "mushy" for want of a better term.

This camera feels much more refined than prior versions, something I'm happy to see, as the format and body style have always been one of my favorites - now the image quality seems to be keeping more in line with what I expect. I knew it was possible, havng had excellent results from the TX100 and some of the others in the Sony line, glad to see he results I'm getting with this one so far are looking as good as they are, even when using "clear zoom".

Really need to shoot some video tests, looked to me like it held up fairly well in low light, but have to compare to a coule other cameras to get a feel for where this new 20 Mpixel sensor ends up - it definitely beats the previous 18 MPixel from what I've seen so far.

[Bruce Dempsey]

I have only shot 15 minutes of video with a HX300 and without tweaking as it was a live event and I had just minutes to switch cams.
Nor have I done a side by side shooting of the same scene but when I saw the first rushes from the HX300, it was reminiscent generally of the video improvement going from my HDR-FX7 to the CX550v. same sort of leap but that was merely a gut reaction 1st look and now as per usual I'm second guessing everything and Unsure of anything.
My dad had a saying "I used to be indecisive but now I'm not sure if that's true anymore'
Highest bitrate is niceest forsure but when storage has to be factored the lower bitrates begin to look better. A 2 day event will generate 130gb at the HQ setting and a tb at the 60p setting .

[Dave Blackhurst]

Yeah, but it looks SOOOOO good <wink>! And to do dual mode stills while rolling video you can't go to the progressive setting (IIRC you can do 60i/24mbps).

I already am MUCH more happy with the stills from the 300 than the 100/200, actually I would say pleasantly surprised. I've compared similar shots from the 200 with the 300 and they look much better in sharpness and dont' have "strange" compression artifacts (for want of a better description!). It's already a "keeper" as an INSANE superzoom...

I will have to run some video tests soon, but I've got a good feeling, as the 60p has been pretty good from most of the other Sonys I've used/use. If it matches the aging TX100, I'll be happy, but I hope it will be better!

There is usually a noticeable improvement in image quality between generations, although sometimes (like last years' 18M sensor) I think they go backwards... Hopefully 2013 will be a "good year"!

[Bruce Dempsey]

1 thing I For got to check before sending the 50i version back (anticipating the arrival of a 60i open box version from NJ) was whether or how hdmi live view works (well actually i didn't have the cable which is another anticipated arrival a rather pricey micro to hdmi cable

[Bruce Dempsey]

Well the Ntsc version arrived today and I'm tickled pink for several reasons not the least of which is a quick test determined that live hdmi is there and even better it does not black out the lcd screen on the camera when plugged into a HDMI monitor The video is gorgeous (highly technical term I know).Next issue is to find a way to power the camera thru the micro terminal and utilize the wired remote (for the zoom function) thru the same mico usb port and at the same time of course. Seems a usb hub function but the tech is so new there are no purpose built hubs
I've ordered a Sony wall charger with 2 usb (dual) and hoing to daisy chain. we'll see

[J. Stephen McDonald]

My experience with the Sony HX200V and HX300 is a bit different than reported here. I put an HX300 through all its paces for five days, but nothing about it measured up to the HX200V. I sent it back and bought another HX200V as a spare. I got a pleasant surprise when I found that it had an unannounced firmware upgrade to v 1.01. This fixed the noise-reduction glitch in v 1.00, that made the low NR setting use the same level as the high setting, and this necessitated using the middle setting. The v 1.01 that the last production runs used, gives better photos with the low setting, without so much NR degradation. The focus-tracking on small distant objects is more dependable with the HX200V. The extra 20X of the HX300 lens not only reduces quality, but weakens the stability of autofocusing. That extra two Megapixels on the HX300 sensor put it into the zone of diminished returns. The 18 MP of the HX200V went right to the edge of that zone, but it manages to work well despite that handicap. It would be much improved if it had just half as many pixels.

[Bruce Dempsey]

I've been using an HX300 this football season shooting Minor and High-School football and it's the best. (hate that word - but there you have it,)
Shooting with a 701 head and using the remote handle with zoom control and that long stabilized lens and being situated 10' up and way behind the goal line it's simply amazingly easy to follow the play and get nice and close when needed whereever the play goes.
Clients are gushing about the quality of their DVDs which originally shot at 1080p are the closest thing to HD I've ever seen from a consumer Camera whenboiled down to dvd.

[Dave Blackhurst]

@ Bruce -
Good to see you using it for football - I am trying to grab another of these for family to shoot the nephew with football talent. I figured it would be good for that purpose!! Actually can't think of any "better" solution at anything close to the price...

I've been quite happy with the video and stills from this camera - pairing it with a RX100 (now a Mk2), and I've got a pretty good capture kit in a tiny bag - polarizers for both, and a few backup batteries, grab a monopod or a small grip to help stabilize as needed. Doesn't look "impressive", but certainly a very capable package!



@ Stephen -

With all due respect, the HX200 was a good camera, but even at relatively low ISO's seemed to suffer with Sony "watercolor" compression - maybe that was fixed in firmware update? The images from the 300 don't seem to have that issue - there was also a very odd "overspray" I saw in my images and those that others shot, where there were high contrast transitions. Not that the 200 was at all "bad", it isn't! But I'll take the images, and accept that extra 20x (with the additional struggles to keep it stable at those crazy focal lengths)... at 50x you really start to see the need for a good monopod/stabilizer! That's not a big surprise.

As for "half as many pixels"... not really... I tested a Panasonic FZ200, which has some really GREAT features I'd love to see Sony pick up, but at 12Mpixels, it shows in the images, IMO, and not in a "good" way - the images are very good, and quite usable, but I'll take the extra pixels. Doing "full moon shots" the other night, the FZ couldn't keep up with the HX...

And the one thing that is a HUGE improvement in the 300 over the 200 is the video - low noise, surprisingly good in low light when wide, and will keep up with much more expensive "video" cameras. Between the RX100Mk2 and the HX300, I don't feel any "need" to grab a "video camera" any more, unless I want the long clip length capability.