Make it longer and cover the battery in a vertical direction. The battery looks like it's about to fall off. It's ugly in my opinion.

I'm wondering if this is the final form factor, or a rough prototype. It looks kind of cobbed together from lots of different parts -- including a mix of professional shoulder cams, handicams and Sony consumer and pro offerings. Like it can't quite make up its mind what kind of camera it is.

Sony could save a lot of bulk by getting rid of that built-in (stereo?) FX-1-style microphone, using a HANDYCAM-style operational switch/trigger, and dropping the top-mounted handle a bit. I agree with the comment about the battery mounting. I'd think a traditional vertical mount would be less susceptible to getting jarred loose.

Do we know for certain yet if this is CCD or CMOS? Sony's press releases all talk about the "XD-CAM eX SERIES of cameras." That makes me wonder if this is the "Z1" of the XD-CAM world (using CCDs, perhaps?) and we'll see a slimmed-down CMOS-based "V1" version in the future? (One can hope....)

Sweet deal. I like my cams ugly and mean.

I can't wait to say goodbye to tapes.

Thanks for all the pics and news.

Hey.... is that a REMOVABLE lcd screen?

Oh, never mind. I figured it out. Looks like it swings underneath the built-in microphone.

Looks dandy. Go Sony for *not* making this a "Sony Mega-Memory Stick" format or something.

Cinealta, eh? Hmm.. don't dilute that brand!

How much is this sucker? I wouldn't mind being able to say I owned a "CineAlta" camera ;)

Ugly? Its just kind of lumpy -compared to what were used to. Its just a slightly new form factor we haven't seen before. The shape might make it handle better - erognomics. Better sony spend the money on a cam producing the resulting picture quality then spend the any $ on making the design look sexy.

The attached photo from Sony's presentation should give you a little better size reference. It's a bit larger than the Z1, but not a lot.

Seems like they were intentionally being vague on this point...

Regarding price and availability, the exact quotes from the presentation were "by the end of the year" and "under $8,000".

Actually, it's ergonomics I'm concerned about, not looks. I like the Handycam format, but I don't really want to hold a 7-pound camera up in front of my face all day. Without a shoulder brace, even the Z1 gets a bit tiring.

That can’t be the weight, is it? That’s about 2 pounds to heavy. The sweet spot is keeping it at around 5 pounds or less.

The pd170 I use when loaded with the WA lens, light, and mics weighs 10 pounds.

IMO these cams work very well with shoulder supports, monopods, and of course tripods. I care nothing for handheld.

I think the large battery in the back will make the cam better balanced than the pd170 with the WA lens, light and mics, so all will be good.

I can't wait until the clients start asking for HD in my area, so I can have a reason to switch from SD to HD.

It's the one I've been waiting for. Gorgeous!!! Thanks for the pics.

If the 1/2 inch sensors give the low light performance for receptions and concert work that we've been missing since the VX2000 series of cameras, there will be an FX 7 for sale quicker than you can say "Ebay"

This is exciting news!

Cheers Vaughan

Ditto..........

The only reason i haven't upgraded my PD170 yet was because i'm just not happy with the V1 / Z1.

Plus, i like the option of shoulder mount!