NX70 Not Holding Up Against Two CX500V's

Rey Lowe · December 5th, 2011, 03:25 PM

I shoot mainly stage events (choral shows and plays). I have just finished my third since acquiring the NX70 and two Sony CX500Vs. Along side one another, the NX70 has a dull picture. The colors are just not
"popping" and are slightly off. I use all three in full auto mode. It's been this way in all three venues.

Is there a factory setting that I have overlooked that should be tweaked?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Rey Lowe · December 8th, 2011, 08:30 AM

Just as a follow-up, I turned on the "Intelligent Auto" feature and that seems to have helped a great deal as far as color, but the picture still seems much less sharp than the CX500Vs.

Matt Sharp · December 8th, 2011, 11:30 AM

Maybe your NX70 has a defective lens causing it to be slightly out of focus. My NX70 is sharper than my XR550V.

Andy Lewicky · December 8th, 2011, 11:38 AM

Are you using the active IS mode? I believe that degrades the sharpness a bit. Also, any F stop above wide open gets progressively softer. And corner sharpness definitely isn't the NX70U's strong point, which probably isn't too big a deal for end viewers, though it is a little disconcerting when you're editing...

Rey Lowe · December 8th, 2011, 11:44 AM

Okay. I give. What's the "active IS" mode?

Mike Beckett · December 8th, 2011, 12:27 PM

Rey,

I think Andy means Active SteadyShot.

I can't comment on the quality, because I don't have a CX500 to compare the camera to.

Clearly there's a lot of negative feeling about this camera out there. I've been doing a lot of soul-searching about mine, especially in light of all the problems people are having, but (a) it seems to suffice for me (b) maybe I'm not fussy and (c) nobody who watches my videos has complained yet.

This doesn't mean the picture is perfect, far from it. I'm not a pro, and I'm not going to lose any money because of the camera, so maybe that makes a lot of difference to my perception.

Rey Lowe · December 8th, 2011, 01:33 PM

I do believe the Steady Shot is active. I'll turn it off if that's the case. I just remembered that I put a u/v filter on the cam to protect the lens the moment it came out of the box. While it should not be a problem, I'll remove it. I have a show tonight, so hopefully I'll see a big difference after these changes.

Rey Lowe · January 10th, 2012, 04:55 PM

For those who may be interested -

After recording the remainder of our shows for the holiday season, I saw no improvement in the quality of the footage from the NX70U. A call today to Sony's support line yielded a quick "There's something wrong with that camera. You need to send it in for service." Luckily, I dont have another taping scheduled until February 18th, so now is a good time to get it sent in and taken care of. Hopefully it's quick fix or replacement.

December 5th, 2011, 03:25 PM	#1
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	NX70 Not Holding Up Against Two CX500V's - Need Suggestions I shoot mainly stage events (choral shows and plays). I have just finished my third since acquiring the NX70 and two Sony CX500Vs. Along side one another, the NX70 has a dull picture. The colors are just not "popping" and are slightly off. I use all three in full auto mode. It's been this way in all three venues. Is there a factory setting that I have overlooked that should be tweaked? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

December 8th, 2011, 08:30 AM	#2
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: NX70 Not Holding Up Against Two CX500V's - Need Suggestions Just as a follow-up, I turned on the "Intelligent Auto" feature and that seems to have helped a great deal as far as color, but the picture still seems much less sharp than the CX500Vs.

December 8th, 2011, 11:30 AM	#3
Matt Sharp Major Player Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Northridge, CA Posts: 280	Re: NX70 Not Holding Up Against Two CX500V's - Need Suggestions Maybe your NX70 has a defective lens causing it to be slightly out of focus. My NX70 is sharper than my XR550V.

December 8th, 2011, 11:38 AM	#4
Andy Lewicky New Boot Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 14	Re: NX70 Not Holding Up Against Two CX500V's - Need Suggestions Are you using the active IS mode? I believe that degrades the sharpness a bit. Also, any F stop above wide open gets progressively softer. And corner sharpness definitely isn't the NX70U's strong point, which probably isn't too big a deal for end viewers, though it is a little disconcerting when you're editing...

December 8th, 2011, 11:44 AM	#5
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: NX70 Not Holding Up Against Two CX500V's - Need Suggestions Okay. I give. What's the "active IS" mode?

December 8th, 2011, 12:27 PM	#6
Mike Beckett Trustee Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Antrim, Northern Ireland Posts: 1,569	Re: NX70 Not Holding Up Against Two CX500V's - Need Suggestions Rey, I think Andy means Active SteadyShot. I can't comment on the quality, because I don't have a CX500 to compare the camera to. Clearly there's a lot of negative feeling about this camera out there. I've been doing a lot of soul-searching about mine, especially in light of all the problems people are having, but (a) it seems to suffice for me (b) maybe I'm not fussy and (c) nobody who watches my videos has complained yet. This doesn't mean the picture is perfect, far from it. I'm not a pro, and I'm not going to lose any money because of the camera, so maybe that makes a lot of difference to my perception.

December 8th, 2011, 01:33 PM	#7
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: NX70 Not Holding Up Against Two CX500V's - Need Suggestions I do believe the Steady Shot is active. I'll turn it off if that's the case. I just remembered that I put a u/v filter on the cam to protect the lens the moment it came out of the box. While it should not be a problem, I'll remove it. I have a show tonight, so hopefully I'll see a big difference after these changes.

January 10th, 2012, 04:55 PM	#8
Rey Lowe Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central VA Posts: 156	Re: NX70 Not Holding Up Against Two CX500V's - Need Suggestions For those who may be interested - After recording the remainder of our shows for the holiday season, I saw no improvement in the quality of the footage from the NX70U. A call today to Sony's support line yielded a quick "There's something wrong with that camera. You need to send it in for service." Luckily, I dont have another taping scheduled until February 18th, so now is a good time to get it sent in and taken care of. Hopefully it's quick fix or replacement.