Sony FDR-AX100

[Alister Chapman]

Been playing with my Sony AX100 4K handycam. Whats it like? Really good build quality, feels solid and robust. Good zoom range but the zoom rocker is very small. Good optical and digital image stabilisers.
Low light performance is impressive for a small 4K camcorder and comparable to many better quality HD camcorders. It does not need gain for many typical indoor situations, a little bit of gain doesn't add too much noise.
Picture quality is good, its not an F55 but pictures are high resolution and sharp, only minimal CA. There is some barrel distortion at the wide end of the lens, but it is a pretty wide lens. Full manual control is easily set up via gain, shutter and iris buttons and a single rotary dial. You can set each setting, but inly actaully control one at a time as there is only one control knob.
Also large focus and zoom ring. LCD is OK, as is the rear viewfinder, but both lack the resolution needed for precise 4K focus, but color peaking can be used as a good focus aid. auto focus is accurate and does not hunt excessively. There is a magnify button to help with focussing but it's on the wrong side of the camera really.

As I said, I'm impressed overall by the pictures, very pleasing for such a small camcorder.

So whats the catch? It is a CMOS camera and it does suffer from quite a bit of skew and jello if you wave it around a lot. Fast pans will exhibit skew, more than perhaps many other video cameras. Overall though, considering price and size, I think this is a great little camera and it will be a great B cam for my storm chasing shoot which starts next week. A full video review will come soon along with a tutorial video.

I really like the AX100.

[Ken Ross]

Alister, just a point on the 'skew & jello'. To avoid this, slow panning is the way to go. Aside from minimizing or eliminating this issue, it's also a good practice for cameras that don't even have this problem.

I'm always amused when people shoot video, wildly swinging their camera back & forth to show the rolling shutter. These videos would be nauseating to watch even if they didn't have this issue. :)

So in the end, avoiding the problem will probably improve many people's shooting skills and produce more watchable videos!

[Pat Reddy]

Ken,

Alister certainly knows this. He is a pro and expert on Sony camcorders, check out his blog.

Cheers

[Marc Salvatore]

Alister,

I'm loving my AX100 as well. It's everything I wanted in my MC50 and not as heavy as my EX1. Looking forward to reading your review.

[Mark Watson]

Originally Posted by Ron Evans

Sony make a whole range of tripods with remotes and also separate remote controllers.

Ron Evans

The problem is I haven't seen any remotes that will connect directly to this camera without an adapter. The only adapter I have found is for the D-type remote plug. To use a 2.5mm remote plug, I'd have to go through two adapters or make my own. Sony put their new multi connector port on this camera. I'd like to just use my Canon ZR-2000 with this camera so I don't need to swap out remotes when going from one camera to another. I think the Canon and Sony Lanc protocols are the same, except for certain functions I can do with the Canon won't work on the Sony, just the basic start/stop, zoom and focus is what I'd expect to work.

Mark

[Dave Blackhurst]

Mark -

You're probably barking up the right tree with having to use two adapters... I have been trying to figure out an adapter for the RX10 (Cybershots don't use the same configuration on the MULTI plug evidently, dang it!). The VPR1 remote (that plugs in and works with the RX) uses the same chip as an RMAV2, yet the adapter A/V to MULTI doesn't work on the RX series (!?!?!?!). BUT to be fair, the AVM1 only lists HANDYCAMS in compatibility, not Cybershots.... sigh.

I'm sure there's a "hack", but haven't had time to completely reverse engineer the cables and circuitry - I did find some stuff on German boards with pinouts and such for the MULTI, but not enough to figure out the key to unlocking it on the RX series!

I'll have an AX100 shortly, and have both the adapters, I'll see if I've got any "different" LANCs to try variable speed. I would "suspect" that they should work, but as you state, LANC protocol implementation varies WIDELY. Typical Sony remotes have start/stop, on/off, photo, and 2 step zoom, other functions that other brand remotes might offer are "hit or miss".

Probably the cheapest option is an RMAV2 and the AVM1, I'm hoping to find THAT combo works, as I have all the bits for it already!

[Ron Evans]

I have this Sony http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/913260-REG/sony_vctvpr100_highend_remote_tripod.html as one of my tripods and it comes with 4 different cables to meet all the Sony connections. I also have a few smaller Sony tripods that I just took the handles off and modified to fit my Manfrottos tripods. All have controls for start/stop, variable zoom ( works with my SR11, XR500, CX700, NX30U and NX5U ), markers, photos and on/off. I would be surprised if the AX100 did not have variable zoom as even the still Sony HX30V has variable zoom. The on camera zoom controls can be very sensitive though. I also have a Manfrotto controller for my NX5U and a Libec with a converter cable for the NX30U. All seem to work fine.

Ron Evans

[Wacharapong Chiowanich]

Originally Posted by Dave Blackhurst

, yet the adapter A/V to MULTI doesn't work on the RX series (!?!?!?!). BUT to be fair, the AVM1 only lists HANDYCAMS in compatibility, not Cybershots.... sigh.

That's what I found out. Having my Cybershot HX400V ready on the tripod, plugging in this Sony's own Multi-to-D Shaped AV adapter into the camera's Multi port on one end and my old Handycam remote on the other and then voila! nothing happened. ALL controls on the remote were as dead as a piece of plastic. So as Dave says, when Sony say Handycam or Cybershot or Alpha, they really mean it.

[Mark Watson]

Originally Posted by Darren Levine

That's interesting, i only discerned two distinct speeds. have you been able to confirm your findings or is is more of just a feeling?

I tested again, in both HD and 4K modes and the speeds I'm getting (repeatedly) are:

4 seconds, 10 seconds and 14 seconds.

Mark

[Dave Blackhurst]

The strange thing is you'd THINK the MULTI interface would be compatible, but somehow it is implemented differently - the AV2 LED lights up, so there's power to the LANC interface, but somehow the camera is not being told to accept the commands. I've seen this before when the 2.5mm plug was replaced with the LANC integrated into the A/V jack/plug... so I do think it can be hacked so most any LANC could be used with Cybershot, just a matter of figuring out how the VPR remotes do it, since they seem to be able to work on all the Sony lines...

[Monday Isa]

Hey guys I wish I could start a new thread on this subject but without a dedicated sub-forum I have no clue where to post this question.

Twice now my AX100 battery has died while recording in 4K creating a file that won't finalize in camera leaving me with an incomplete file/corrupt 4K file. Anyone experience this yet? Anyone know of a fix to get the file finalized and closed? The AX100 can't complete finalization for whatever reason like the camcorders can do in 1920X1080. Thanks

[Darren Levine]

its a longshot, but try opening the file with VLC, it has some basic tools for repairing broken ends

[Monday Isa]

Originally Posted by Darren Levine

its a longshot, but try opening the file with VLC, it has some basic tools for repairing broken ends

It doesn't open up unfortunately in VLC :-\

[Ron Evans]

The AX100 has a directory repair function in the menus media setting. Have you tried that?

Ron Evans

[Adriano Moroni]

Originally Posted by Marc Salvatore

I ordered one because according to the write up: "The shoe base is designed and shaped to avoid all the electronic connections on the camera." We shall see... I like the sturdy construction and low profile.

According to a link on the ebay page it is manufactured by DM-Accessories which seems very reputable. DM-Accessories ? MIS-SHOE - Universal shoe mount for Sony cameras with MIS mount

Mark, have you gotten this MIS-SHOE? Is it good for AX100?