Sony introduces HDR-CX700v 1080p60 camcorder

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by Dave Campbell

So, if I buy this camera, and record in 1080p60, what do I do with the material? BR only supports 1080p30.
Just trying to figure out how one is going to delivery to a customer to watch, now or into the future.

Bluray doesn't support 1080p30. Bluray is 1080i, 720p or 24p. Remember this is a consumer camera. The consumer can edit with the software provided by Sony or in-camera and playback on a Sony TV in 60P. That's Sony's intent. Same for Panasonic I expect. 60P will integrate fine in a 60i project and will then make a Bluray at 1920x1080i or a SD DVD as normal. For the future if the standards change then maybe there will be a 1902x1080P60 in the standard. The output from the CX700 has integrated fine both in Vegas 10 and Edius V6 with files from my NX5U and XR500. Just make sure the NLE has the properties correct.

Ron Evans

[Dave Campbell]

Ron, I am able to use CS5 to take 1920X1080p60 (just rounding) and have a BR disc made with 1920X1080 at 29.97fps setting and it works just fine. Now, looking around the web, it looks like one can author the full avchd 1920X1080P59.94 fps with some sw packages, burn onto dvd or BR media, and a number of BR players will play this avchd disc it sounds like. All I want from my output is a simple menu structure like a DVD has to just allow folks to move around easily in the material with thumb nails to show them what they are going to.
I guess the question is unless the monitor takes a native 1920X1080P59.97fps input, it would not matter.
So much to learn at this point, but still seems the bottom line is I will take video at the max quality and deal with tool improvements down the road. At least CS5 Premiere Pro can be set to work with the full quality video, even though I am not sure it means much.

Ordered my camera yesterday so hope to be playing with next week. I have my second granddaughter due in 3 weeks, so granddad needs to be ready with the camera.

[Ron Evans]

Yes Dave most NLE's will just take fields from the full frame in a normal 60i project. That's what CS5 did for you ( 29.97fps is 60i). So until things change you can just make Bluray or DVD's as normal. PS3 will play the native files from any disc they are written too.

As to monitors, all the flat panel NTSC moitors ar 60P native. They unfortunately have to deinterlace the normal 60i input to display, so 60P is what they want, certainly over HDMI.

Ron Evans

[Dave Campbell]

Ron, cs5 Pro one can get to a project of 59.94 fps. So, when I bring in my video, I do not get the red bar on the timeline, just the yellow. When I input to encore, yep, only 29.97 option. BR output looks good.

I have been reading there is avchd authoring tools out there that will put menus with a Avchd disc that some devices will play the native 1920X1080p 59.94 fps.

Fun stuff to play with. Still wish I could have gotten a cheaper camera, but I wanted the eye piece so was forced to get the 700. Really did not need the GPS or large flash card, but what the heck.

[Ron Evans]

I thought that the Motion Browser would make a 60P disc but it will not as far as I can tell. I have Edius V6.02 and Vegas 10 which will also use a 60P timeline but on export to Bluray of course will revert to 60i ( 29.97) to the spec.

Copying the files to a disc they will play in the PS3 though so will also have to see if I can find an authoring program that will do 60P BDAV.

Off away skiing for a week now.

Ron Evans

[Stacy Rothwell]

Ron,

Just like you, had really crappy weather here the day I got my camera (showed up last wednesday). So I've only been taking inside pictures, certainly NOT worth posting yet.

Do you have any issues with the transfer speed into a PC? My XR500V transfers stuff at about the speed you'd expect. However, the CX700V is dog slow. I mean I recorded a 58MB file and it took 2 minutes to transfer. The same size file on the XR500V took like 15 seconds.

Windows is not griping at me about "the speed can be faster" on the USB port.

You having these issues?

Stacy

[Jeff Mizushima]

Hello, I've been frequenting this thread to see if the CX700 is a good camera for me, but couldn't find enough info online, so I just bought it.

I didn't know you couldn't control the iris, shutter, and exposure at the same time. Does anyone know a way around this? Or at least be able to view the iris, shutter, and exposure on the LCD display at the same time? This is a real dealbreaker when I need complete manual control.

Here is a quick video review I did: YouTube - Sony HDR-CX700v REVIEW

Thanks.

[Jim Stamos]

Jeff ,
when did you buy the 700?
I chose to go with the cx550V because it was a great price, has the bigger lcd at 3 1/2", and pic quality wise its virtually identical to the 700 and 560.
the new features, peaking, zebras, 1080p and 24p would make sense for me on a higher end camera where you would use them.
but its hard to beat the performance and pic quality you get out of the cx550v.
on all these cams you can only utilize one manual adjustment,so you wont be able to control more than one at a given time.
the auto focus on this camera is excellant. im so used to shooting all manual focus (dsr300 dvcam) that i didnt think much of auto focus .but its very solid on the cx550v.
besides, since its so good, you wont use manual focus, besides the fact that using the little dial to focus is a pain.
if youre still under the return period, i would send it back and get the 550v. sony still has them for 950.

[Dave Blackhurst]

Jeff, good catch on the zebra, peaking and expanded focus not being on the CX560V... although on a small camera may not be a "necessity" - lived without them on prior Sonys.

As for "need complete manual control", there are limits to what you can do with the small form factor camera - on a bigger cam where you could have separate buttons/knobs for each function, it might be workable, but when you think about how these operate, you could easily end up "up a creek" without a control... with a larger cam, you just jump from button to button if you "need" to, but in a small camera, you've got to change button settings... As it is, you can press and hold the function button, choose EITHER iris or shutter, make your selection, then press and hold again and choose AE Shift...

You can use AE shift to alter the cameras "built in" exposure settings, in effect over-riding the preset exposure (which you also override when you adjust "exposure", albeit in a more coarse way, letting the camera decide best settings for shutter and aperature).

Effectively you are telling the camera to operate with aperature or shutter priority with the other two settings, I suspect this is done to prevent getting your image too far out of whack - this is after all a camera designed for the consumer. You should still be able to use AE shift if you want a blown out image or an artificially dark one.

As Jim notes, these cameras are already highly optimized, and generally will be able to adjust to a shooting condition faster than you can get to a button to change a setting... I find setting the AE Shift a bit to the "-" side and using exposure if and when needed is more than sufficient to control image quality in most shooting conditions.

[Pat Reddy]

In my mind the big difference with the CX700V is the 60p and the 28mps data rate at this setting. If you have looked at 60p at 28 mps from the Panasonic TM700 you know that the detail, lack of artifacts, and handling of motion is exceptional.

Pat

[Dave Campbell]

I have also ordered the 700, rather than get the 550. Screen size means nothing. I want the 60P, and 96 gig of flash. Zebra will be nice.

I have a friend who has the 550. So, when I get the 700, I want to try a test. I want to take both cameras and record with them side by side. I then am going to a friends who has a 72 inch LCD which I believe takes a native 1920X1080P signal, which I hope will take 59.94fps also. Either way, I will pump in the 1080i from the 550 and 1080p from the 700 and see if I can see any difference on the large screen.

If we can see a difference, he plans to sell his 550 and buy the 700.

[Dave Campbell]

Interesting, another forum has a person with the 700 who has blasted it and sounds like is sending back for the tm900. I guess the VF on the 700 is 4/3 not 16/9. The manual controls can only be done one at a time.
Says did not like the picture quality. Boy can folks flip flop fast on this stuff

[Jeff Mizushima]

Thanks for the responses.

Jim - I got the CX700 on March 13 and put it through some functionality tests. I couldn't live without manual control, so I just returned it.

I love small cameras and I love how pro features are being incorporated into these tiny bodies nowadays. I shot an entire feature film with a Canon HV20 and it blew me away with the high quality footage it delivered, so I was expecting the CX700 to be even better with 1080/60p and a beautiful 26.3m wide angle lens.

I need full manual control and a simple way to access it. I think that's not too much to ask.

[Buba Kastorski]

Originally Posted by Jeff Mizushima

I need full manual control and a simple way to access it. I think that's not too much to ask.

that's why I'm waiting for HF G10, there will be full manual control, not sure though about simple way to access :)

[Pat Reddy]

Jeff,

I started testing a CX700v last night. What did you think of the image quality? I'm finding it softer than the Panasonic TM700 so far, but haven't really given it a thorough test drive yet.

Pat