Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences at DVinfo.net

Buff Corsi · November 28th, 2011, 01:04 PM

I have the Sony 550V and am interested in the Sony NX70 IF there are significant differences between the two. Can someone help me? I've looked at the specs and they seem very similar other than the form factor, of course, and the XLR inputs. I am curious mostly about picture quality.

Matt Sharp · November 28th, 2011, 03:53 PM

I'll preface this by saying the CX550V, XR550V and MC50U are all essentially the same camera, with the XR using a hard drive instead of flash memory.

I run an XR550V and a CX700V along with my NX70 usually. Picture wise the first thing that jumps out at me is the wider angle 26.3mm on the NX70 vs the 29.8mm on the 550. The NX70 also handles low light better and is a tad sharper. You can also shoot 60P and 24P on the NX70, but if you're using the 550 with it you may end up using 60i to match them.

Buff Corsi · November 29th, 2011, 05:22 PM

Thanks for your thoughts. I am drawn to this camera because I want to carry and use a smaller camera. The Sony AX2000 I use is getting bigger as I get older.

Rey Lowe · March 9th, 2012, 08:43 AM

Matt,

Do you have any settings or tips to share regarding the NX70U? I''m using it with two CX500V's and the NX70U can't seem to keep up with their sharpness or vivid colors. I sent the cam in for service. Sony tested it for two weeks under numerous scenarios, made a couple of slight adjustments, then sent it back saying that my settings are "conflicting one another". I've used it for a few stage events since that time and while it is better than it was, I still can't seem to get it "dialed in".

Rey

Matt Sharp · March 9th, 2012, 12:17 PM

Did they happen to say which settings were in conflict?

I don't have any specific settings to recommend. I usually run it in full auto, if it's dark I set all the cameras to 1/30 shutter speed, if it's very dark I turn low lux on so they can boost the gain (21dB for the 550, 24dB for the CX700 and NX70). Auto focus when there's light, manual focus in low light. Cinematone off, iAuto off, digital zoom off, Steadyshot set to Active.

Rey Lowe · March 9th, 2012, 01:38 PM

Unfortunately, they did not provide any specifics beyond that.

I have been running all three in full auto, no change in shutter speed, auto focus on, cinematone off, iAuto off, digital zoom off, Steadyshot off.

Rey Lowe · April 4th, 2012, 05:34 AM

Has anyone else experienced this? I changed the display on my NX70 to show the iris, gain and shutter speed as it is shooting in order to try and pinpoint the problem I'm having with a poor picture.
While taping a children's choral concert (dark room, bright stage), I noticed that the gain is pegged at 21db even when zoomed in fully. I manually dialed it back to experiment, but the picture became too dark at around 12db.

I know this cam is not perfect in low light, but since I mostly shoot stage events, this concerns me. It may also explain the problems I've been having. Any suggestions?

Bryan Scott · April 4th, 2012, 11:31 AM

Hi Ray,

"poor picture" thats a tough description can you elaborate?

Its been one of the best low light cameras I've worked with so far. So far all the stage/studio work I shoot is lit at a minimum of 70 foot candles. I have seen the gain fall to 21db at some locations but I address this with my shutter speed and let the sensor collect more light. I typically don't like speeds below 30FPS and try and maintain at least 60.

I have also programed "My Buttons" for easy access of the features I need. For me its one touch white balance, shutter speed, gain. I use the lens ring for iris. I throw one touch "spot focus" into the my bottom area for interview situations.

Have you tried the "Low Lux" feature? There are some instances where there just isn't enough light for any camera. I first used this while shooting at the Orlando Science Center. Many of their exhibits are literally in the dark. The client was standing next to me the entire time and we had disappointed him with our Panasonic VariCam on a previous shoot. Their was almost no light and I flipped on the Low Lux on the NX70 and was amazed at the results.

On one of my older cameras it would just default into a low lux mode. With the NX70 you'll need to turn this on. So in those instances I'd put those other features in auto and turn the low lux on. If the shutter speed falls to low you may need to take control of that.

So FPS and low lux for those really tough under lit situations might do it.

Bryan

Rey Lowe · April 4th, 2012, 11:41 AM

Thanks, Bryan.

This has been an issue since I got this camera. Despite the stage area being brightly lit, I cannot understand why the gain goes so high. The image always comes out grainy and the colors are nowhere near vivid. Pathetic next to the two CX500's set to full auto at the same shows.

Bryan Scott · April 4th, 2012, 01:24 PM

Sorry for your frustration. Brightly lit is a subjective description I carry a light meter and what's good for the eye isn't alway good for video. I'd need first hand experience to make a determination. It's the same "Exmor R" CMOS sensor but a different lens. The NX70 is a wide angle lens that could be your difference. Like I said I'd do the most to give the sensor more light, a slower shutter speed will do that, how slow is up to you. As far as using low lux that will be a decision to consider, its there if you need it.

Matt Sharp · April 4th, 2012, 01:29 PM

Rey, think you could post a side by side video of the cameras at wide angle in full auto? I'm interested to see the differences. Also if you can do one in manual mode, (set the CX500 playback data to 'camera info' take a clip then review and copy those settings to the NX70) that would help too.

Rey Lowe · April 4th, 2012, 05:45 PM

It would be difficult to reproduce in my home. But if I can find it, I'll post a link to the same video I sent to Sony trying to get an answer to the problem.

Rey Lowe · April 4th, 2012, 06:35 PM

This video is the same one I sent to Sony. It's choppy in some parts because it was a work-in-progress edit. Hopefully, it will give you some idea of what I was speaking of.

BBMS Choral 12_14_11_test.avi - YouTube

Bryan Scott · April 4th, 2012, 10:22 PM

I noticed the choppiness more than the color differences but I could see them. If multi-cam is the direction you're going than matching cameras is the goal. Matching the same camera model would be easier and recommended. I would set up all three cameras together and experiment.

The fact that you have 2 in full auto and one in manual mode makes this a bit more difficult in devising a formula. The NX70 is different enough that full auto is not going to give you the same results. Plus you're using a different lens.

I took a minute and downloaded your operations manual.
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/HDRCX520V_handbook.pdf
Man they really tie your hands don't they! Where is the basic scene info displayed? How do you view the gain, frame-rate, shutter speed and iris settings?

This is what I'd do if possible, and I don't know if it is:

In a test situation not an actual shoot, find out what settings the CX500 is choosing in low light? and yes the shoot you showed us was less than the typical 70 foot candles I shoot in. If your involved or have influence in the lighting I'd work on balancing the lighting across your subjects. There was over a full F-stop difference just left to right on the CX500 wide shot. If I was panning from left to right I'd need to iris through that move. It's not just whats falling on the tops of their heads its what falls on their faces. Some were getting considerable side light and others almost nothing. Without having any real motion in the static shots to judge by my guess is the CX500 is using a slower shutter speed to increase the light along with a wide open iris and who knows what the gain setting is?

They have this camera so automated I don't know if those settings can be exposed. It's your camera you tell me?

One thing you can do with the NX70 is turn on the shot info under the set-up menu under Data Code and choose Camera Data and turn it on. You can then look at the camera settings "when" the material was shot. I just pulled up some blue screen material I shot yesterday where I used 0db F2.6 shot at 60p and at a shutter speed of 60. You can at lest gather that much info from your NX70 shots on your camera as a starting point.

Here is the goal: Make sure everyone is shooting at the same frame rate (60fps or 30), shutter speed (8-90 to what ever), iris and gain settings. In essence make sure each camera is collecting the same amount of light. Then we can start to tell where the differences are if any and share them across multiple cameras. If we cant do that then we can begin to match the look across cameras.

Matt Sharp · April 4th, 2012, 10:43 PM

It looks like the NX70 is much softer than the CX500s. Also noticeable shake as you pan, do you have steadyshot off?

If it were me I'd switch it to a wide position and use one of the CX500s as the tight shot. The naturally wider angle of the NX70 may be hurting it in terms of iris stop down as you zoom in vs what the CX500 would be at.

November 28th, 2011, 01:04 PM	#1
Buff Corsi New Boot Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Santa Rosa, California Posts: 9	Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences I have the Sony 550V and am interested in the Sony NX70 IF there are significant differences between the two. Can someone help me? I've looked at the specs and they seem very similar other than the form factor, of course, and the XLR inputs. I am curious mostly about picture quality.

November 28th, 2011, 03:53 PM	#2
Matt Sharp Major Player Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Northridge, CA Posts: 280	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences I'll preface this by saying the CX550V, XR550V and MC50U are all essentially the same camera, with the XR using a hard drive instead of flash memory. I run an XR550V and a CX700V along with my NX70 usually. Picture wise the first thing that jumps out at me is the wider angle 26.3mm on the NX70 vs the 29.8mm on the 550. The NX70 also handles low light better and is a tad sharper. You can also shoot 60P and 24P on the NX70, but if you're using the 550 with it you may end up using 60i to match them.

November 29th, 2011, 05:22 PM	#3
Buff Corsi New Boot Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Santa Rosa, California Posts: 9	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences Thanks for your thoughts. I am drawn to this camera because I want to carry and use a smaller camera. The Sony AX2000 I use is getting bigger as I get older.

March 9th, 2012, 08:43 AM	#4
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences Matt, Do you have any settings or tips to share regarding the NX70U? I''m using it with two CX500V's and the NX70U can't seem to keep up with their sharpness or vivid colors. I sent the cam in for service. Sony tested it for two weeks under numerous scenarios, made a couple of slight adjustments, then sent it back saying that my settings are "conflicting one another". I've used it for a few stage events since that time and while it is better than it was, I still can't seem to get it "dialed in". Rey

March 9th, 2012, 12:17 PM	#5
Matt Sharp Major Player Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Northridge, CA Posts: 280	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences Did they happen to say which settings were in conflict? I don't have any specific settings to recommend. I usually run it in full auto, if it's dark I set all the cameras to 1/30 shutter speed, if it's very dark I turn low lux on so they can boost the gain (21dB for the 550, 24dB for the CX700 and NX70). Auto focus when there's light, manual focus in low light. Cinematone off, iAuto off, digital zoom off, Steadyshot set to Active.

March 9th, 2012, 01:38 PM	#6
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences Unfortunately, they did not provide any specifics beyond that. I have been running all three in full auto, no change in shutter speed, auto focus on, cinematone off, iAuto off, digital zoom off, Steadyshot off.

April 4th, 2012, 05:34 AM	#7
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences Has anyone else experienced this? I changed the display on my NX70 to show the iris, gain and shutter speed as it is shooting in order to try and pinpoint the problem I'm having with a poor picture. While taping a children's choral concert (dark room, bright stage), I noticed that the gain is pegged at 21db even when zoomed in fully. I manually dialed it back to experiment, but the picture became too dark at around 12db. I know this cam is not perfect in low light, but since I mostly shoot stage events, this concerns me. It may also explain the problems I've been having. Any suggestions?

April 4th, 2012, 11:31 AM	#8
Bryan Scott New Boot Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 21	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences Hi Ray, "poor picture" thats a tough description can you elaborate? Its been one of the best low light cameras I've worked with so far. So far all the stage/studio work I shoot is lit at a minimum of 70 foot candles. I have seen the gain fall to 21db at some locations but I address this with my shutter speed and let the sensor collect more light. I typically don't like speeds below 30FPS and try and maintain at least 60. I have also programed "My Buttons" for easy access of the features I need. For me its one touch white balance, shutter speed, gain. I use the lens ring for iris. I throw one touch "spot focus" into the my bottom area for interview situations. Have you tried the "Low Lux" feature? There are some instances where there just isn't enough light for any camera. I first used this while shooting at the Orlando Science Center. Many of their exhibits are literally in the dark. The client was standing next to me the entire time and we had disappointed him with our Panasonic VariCam on a previous shoot. Their was almost no light and I flipped on the Low Lux on the NX70 and was amazed at the results. On one of my older cameras it would just default into a low lux mode. With the NX70 you'll need to turn this on. So in those instances I'd put those other features in auto and turn the low lux on. If the shutter speed falls to low you may need to take control of that. So FPS and low lux for those really tough under lit situations might do it. Bryan

April 4th, 2012, 11:41 AM	#9
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences Thanks, Bryan. This has been an issue since I got this camera. Despite the stage area being brightly lit, I cannot understand why the gain goes so high. The image always comes out grainy and the colors are nowhere near vivid. Pathetic next to the two CX500's set to full auto at the same shows.

April 4th, 2012, 01:24 PM	#10
Bryan Scott New Boot Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 21	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences Sorry for your frustration. Brightly lit is a subjective description I carry a light meter and what's good for the eye isn't alway good for video. I'd need first hand experience to make a determination. It's the same "Exmor R" CMOS sensor but a different lens. The NX70 is a wide angle lens that could be your difference. Like I said I'd do the most to give the sensor more light, a slower shutter speed will do that, how slow is up to you. As far as using low lux that will be a decision to consider, its there if you need it.

April 4th, 2012, 01:29 PM	#11
Matt Sharp Major Player Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Northridge, CA Posts: 280	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences Rey, think you could post a side by side video of the cameras at wide angle in full auto? I'm interested to see the differences. Also if you can do one in manual mode, (set the CX500 playback data to 'camera info' take a clip then review and copy those settings to the NX70) that would help too.

April 4th, 2012, 05:45 PM	#12
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences It would be difficult to reproduce in my home. But if I can find it, I'll post a link to the same video I sent to Sony trying to get an answer to the problem.

April 4th, 2012, 06:35 PM	#13
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences This video is the same one I sent to Sony. It's choppy in some parts because it was a work-in-progress edit. Hopefully, it will give you some idea of what I was speaking of. BBMS Choral 12_14_11_test.avi - YouTube

April 4th, 2012, 10:22 PM	#14
Bryan Scott New Boot Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 21	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences I noticed the choppiness more than the color differences but I could see them. If multi-cam is the direction you're going than matching cameras is the goal. Matching the same camera model would be easier and recommended. I would set up all three cameras together and experiment. The fact that you have 2 in full auto and one in manual mode makes this a bit more difficult in devising a formula. The NX70 is different enough that full auto is not going to give you the same results. Plus you're using a different lens. I took a minute and downloaded your operations manual. http://www.docs.sony.com/release/HDRCX520V_handbook.pdf Man they really tie your hands don't they! Where is the basic scene info displayed? How do you view the gain, frame-rate, shutter speed and iris settings? This is what I'd do if possible, and I don't know if it is: In a test situation not an actual shoot, find out what settings the CX500 is choosing in low light? and yes the shoot you showed us was less than the typical 70 foot candles I shoot in. If your involved or have influence in the lighting I'd work on balancing the lighting across your subjects. There was over a full F-stop difference just left to right on the CX500 wide shot. If I was panning from left to right I'd need to iris through that move. It's not just whats falling on the tops of their heads its what falls on their faces. Some were getting considerable side light and others almost nothing. Without having any real motion in the static shots to judge by my guess is the CX500 is using a slower shutter speed to increase the light along with a wide open iris and who knows what the gain setting is? They have this camera so automated I don't know if those settings can be exposed. It's your camera you tell me? One thing you can do with the NX70 is turn on the shot info under the set-up menu under Data Code and choose Camera Data and turn it on. You can then look at the camera settings "when" the material was shot. I just pulled up some blue screen material I shot yesterday where I used 0db F2.6 shot at 60p and at a shutter speed of 60. You can at lest gather that much info from your NX70 shots on your camera as a starting point. Here is the goal: Make sure everyone is shooting at the same frame rate (60fps or 30), shutter speed (8-90 to what ever), iris and gain settings. In essence make sure each camera is collecting the same amount of light. Then we can start to tell where the differences are if any and share them across multiple cameras. If we cant do that then we can begin to match the look across cameras.

April 4th, 2012, 10:43 PM	#15
Matt Sharp Major Player Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Northridge, CA Posts: 280	Re: Sony NX70 vs Sony 550V differences It looks like the NX70 is much softer than the CX500s. Also noticeable shake as you pan, do you have steadyshot off? If it were me I'd switch it to a wide position and use one of the CX500s as the tight shot. The naturally wider angle of the NX70 may be hurting it in terms of iris stop down as you zoom in vs what the CX500 would be at.