Sony FDR-AX100

[Jeff Harper]

Noa, just thought of you and your request for comparison footage. My apologies. I just shipped my CX900 back to store. I saw no reason to keep it once I worked with the AX100 for a while. I found another used one and it just seemed silly to not order.

There are so many accounts of how well it downscales, and I rendered sample footage and it is indeed fine, so I just went for it.

I feel as a solo shooter that it will make my life a little easier. Sadly, something better will no doubt come along very soon, but I can live with this camera for awhile.

I think that 4K is absolutley unnecessary for those shooting with DSLRs or other high-end cams, because they are already getting amazing images.

In my case, it just seemed the small additional cost for a used AX100 was well worth it. The CX900 alone would be perfectly fine, but now I at least have additional options for a small price.

[Noa Put]

No worries Jef, I would be interested to see how both camera's work out for you. I decided now not to jump on the 4k wagon yet, it's been just over a year that I invested in new gear and the wisest thing to do is use it this and next year before I make investments again or replace all my current camera's. By then I"m sure several new 4K camera's will be available and it will be more clear how they perform, prizes also will be lower by then so some patience will save me some money. :)

[Ken Ross]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

I think that 4K is absolutley unnecessary for those shooting with DSLRs or other high-end cams, because they are already getting amazing images.

Jeff, having seen my AX100 footage on UHD TVs as large as 85", there is no DSLR out there that can come close to this kind of video quality. Really, not even close.

Even simply downscaling the 4K footage to HD will result in a quality that again, no DSLR that shoots HD can match.

[Jeff Harper]

Well Ken, you know I'm on the bandwagon for 4K, but I'm just sayin'. I don't see why someone shooting with a Canon C300 or 5D or whatever needs the quality boost.

First, lets' agree, if we can, that virtually no one will be delivering 4K for awhile.

But as you say, 4K downsampled is awesome. Many of us here know this. My purchasing two of the AX100s is proof of my sincerity.

However, in my case I needed cameras anyway. I got a quality boost for an extra $250 per camera by buying used AX100s, it's the only reason I did it. Superior picture for a minimal cost.

Guys that are already turning out gorgeous videos, Noa, for example, do not NEED 4K.

These guys have such a command of their gear and extract such clear, in-focus images on a consistent basis that their customers are not missing out on anything.

So I agree with you! 4K is great. I'm excited about shooting again! I've got a camera that is good in low light, much better than my old ones. I can actually run in auto white balance much of the time and not worry about it. AND I've got a boost from the advantage of 4K.

But for those shooting beautiful videos already, I don't believe they need 4K. They already have what they need.

And lest we forget, content is king!

I would trade my 4K cameras in an instant in exchange for shooting skills like Dave Parrington or Noa. Sadly, skills must be honed and developed, they can't be bought! However, as I learn to find a life outside of video I'm just not willing to put in the time to grow, at least as much as I would like.

[Dave Blackhurst]

Having cameras that are fun to shoot helps a lot - more opportunity to hone your skills! And there is something to be said for looking at the "output" and being really thrilled with how good it looks technically (sharpness, contrast, color, WB) instead of kicking oneself around over things the camera didn't get quite right while you were trying to "focus" on good framing and steady shooting!

You must be finding some killer deals on those AX100's! I'm debating a second one myself, but I'm holding onto a PJ760 for the BOSS stabilization... at least for the moment.


It will be interesting to see where Sony goes moving forward - logically there will be one or more 4K capable RX series released "eventually", but the RX100M3 not getting it isn't a good sign that Sony is as excited about 4K as first adopters are!


On the Handycam side, I hope they don't do the same thing as the HC1 to HC3 transition (for those that remember, the HC1 is very similar to the AX100 in both design and "spirit"). The HC3 was a cheap consumerized HD cam that lost so many important functions and overall quality... it was pretty sad.

Sony does seem to have figured out that there is demand for enthusiast level cameras with real manual controls on top of good auto functionality, and enough "pro" features to be usable in professional applications. Hopefully they will keep that "focus"! Now if they would just surprise us RX owners with firmware upgrades for 4K... not likely, but then again...

[Bryce Comer]

For those of you who are waiting for a more professional version of this camera, sounds like you may not have too long to wait.
Google "Sony: Our Most Compact XDCAM Camcorder Will Be Out This Year"

[Bill Petropoulos]

Sony: Our Most Compact XDCAM Camcorder Will Be Out This Year - HardwareZone.com.sg

http://www.hireacamera.com/blog/inde...-compact-xdcam


Doesn't seem like it will have 4K.
Wondering if shooting in 4K with the AX100 and downressing is still a better option for final HD image quality.
Although, I'm sure this XDCAM version will have better image controls and no consumer-ish features.
I think the choice between the two will mostly come down to audio needs.

[Ron Evans]

Looks like XDCAM version of the CX900 no 4K mentioned. So a small support cam for the X180 I think.

Ron Evans

[Dave Blackhurst]

Could Sony seriously leave 4K out of the picture??? That would seem to be dumb as dirt to make the "pro" camera out of the lower CX900 rather than the AX100...

I should hope that omission is just because they aren't mentioning the feature, rather than their omitting it!

[Dan Carter]

Originally Posted by Dave Blackhurst

Could Sony seriously leave 4K out of the picture??? That would seem to be dumb as dirt to make the "pro" camera out of the lower CX900 rather than the AX100...

I should hope that omission is just because they aren't mentioning the feature, rather than their omitting it!

Though AX100 4K is mind bending, the 10 bit 4.2.2 internal HD of this new camera would be my preference. Add 5 axis OIS (wishful thinking) and Creative Styles, and I'd order today.

Wouldn't be surprised if 4K is part of the final product though.

[Jack Zhang]

The only hope we'll see for 4K on this XDCAM variant of the AX100 is an XQD slot. If it's using SDXC, it may as well be 1080.

[Ron Evans]

The new X180 replaces the NX5U and the PMW-160/150, I expect this new CX900Pro version will replace the NX30U and the PMW 100. We may wait a while for a small second camera for the FDR-AX1 and the PMW-Z100 to have 60P. This may need to wait for the next generation devices to process data without the fan. I expect it to have SXS slots with adapters just like the X180.

Ron Evans

[Ken Ross]

Originally Posted by Dave Blackhurst

Could Sony seriously leave 4K out of the picture??? That would seem to be dumb as dirt to make the "pro" camera out of the lower CX900 rather than the AX100...

I should hope that omission is just because they aren't mentioning the feature, rather than their omitting it!

I agree Dave, I can't believe they'd omit 4K at this point in time. I wonder if that mockup just isn't accurate.

Having used so many HD cameras and seeing the results of the AX100 down rez'd to HD, there's no way I'd go back to an HD only camera. The results are so much better with the 4K>HD work flow and gives you so many more options. You just can't get a pure HD camera that can do better, let alone as good.

And then, of course, you've got 4K!

[Noa Put]

Not every camera that comes out today "needs" to be 4K, this is a camera for event coverage or news gathering where you want the benefits of a small camera with a few pro features and that has good imagequality, it's a perfect b-camera to bigger professional camera's to capture footage on the go. It can be easily integrated into a existing workflow which might involve laptops for editing and a output to youtube or another streamingservice.

[Ron Evans]

Ken, one of the reasons the downscale looks better is that it effectively becomes a 422 file compared to the original 420.These new cameras are already 10bit 422 and may very well give the same results.

Ron Evans