FX1000 has arrived - first impressions

[Jeff Harper]

Update to my original post/sample clip 24p

As has been predicted by someone previously in this thread I am developing a fondness for the FX1000 more each day.

I am still editing weddings shot with my trusty VX-2100 and am still amazed at the quality of the footage, as I have always been each time I start a project.

But after only a couple of shoots with the FX1000 and having learned to play with the settings a bit, it is quite a camera.

It is the first camera I've used that produces video that looks better on my TV than on my monitor. It's easier to appreciate the benefits of a widescreen image on a HD television than in my preview window.

As I posted in another thread: below is a clip shot at church (strictly for experimentation) in 24p with the Cinema tone 1 setting. Looks great and the audio is great as well. Don't get me wrong, it is not perfect, and I don't know if I'd choose 24p next time, but overall it has a pleasing look to it that plays well on my television.

If you intend to view it is 150MB. Right click and save prior to viewing as file is too large to view otherwise unless you have some kind of crazy fast connection.

http://jeffharpervideo.com/Videos/wmv/ChurchDemo.wmv

[Noa Put]

Looked great Jeff, I noticed the "reds" were quite prominent, it became a bit distracting (those red flowers in the background) did you do some color correction or is this straight from the camera? Also the shot with only the candle light, did you shoot at 1/24 or 1/48 shutter?

[Jeff Harper]

Noa, no color correction, all shot 24p with 1/48. Couldn't help the red, that is pretty much as it was. Poinsettias are just like that...the cinema tone might have made them deeper red than they are.

[William Ellwood]

Jeff - can you tell in post what settings the cam used for every part of the footage. For instance you know how much gain the final piece was done with, where the light is the lowest? Does the FX1000 have a gain limiter, so it doesn't use for instance more than 18db?

I compared your clip to some interlaced stuff that I shot with my VX2100, and on mine I can clearly see the interlaced lines on pause, though they are much harder to see whilst playing a movie (which is how we, er, play them..)

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Noa, no color correction, all shot 24p with 1/48. Couldn't help the red, that is pretty much as it was. Poinsettias are just like that...the cinema tone might have made them deeper red than they are.

Have you tried 1/24th shutter in 24P yet, for such really dark shots it will make a difference, at least with my xh-a1. But must say even with 1/48 shutter the fx1000 did perform well, only the colors were somewhat dull but then again, with that little light every camera will struggle to show decent colors. (except the canon 5d mark II, but that's not a videocamera ;))

I also think the cinema tone is not a good setting for this type of recording, the very first images were a lot of people were wearing red as well did not look so nice, the red color was to saturated.

[Jeff Harper]

William, everything was auto except shutter speed. I've never shot progressive with 2100 so I can't comment on that.

Noa, haven't tried different shutter speeds yet in 24p. Wanted to run settings as was for entire hour to get a feel for the limitations of those settings. Keep in mind the only light was from the candles in the last shots. There was, I'm pretty certain absolutely no light coming from overhead, they were completely turned off. The colors were dull, I wouldn't expect it to look any differently with those settings. Thank you for the suggestion of using 1/24 in dark situations.

The red saturation you mention doesn't bother me, but I wish I had run for a few minutes without the cinema tone to have a comparison. If I can wake up and get there in the morning I might video tape tomorrow, but the lighting will be completely different so it won't be a fair comparison.

If I do, I will run half 30p and the rest 60i. I'll also run with and without the cinema tone feature activated. Since it is now 6am I should go to bed. I can't edit any more, everything is getting blurry.

[Ken Ross]

Originally Posted by William Ellwood

Does the FX1000 have a gain limiter, so it doesn't use for instance more than 18db?

Bill, I can tell you from the manual that the FX1000 does have gain limiters. You have a choice of where to put the ceiling for gain in 3db increments. So there is a lot of flexibility.

[Tim Akin]

Originally Posted by Martin Duffy

Tim

Mate I am in Australia and just wanted to thank you for posting the still pics. I am really excited about getting my FX1000 that arrives here in Tasmania on Tuesday

Martin Duffy
Duff TV - Hobart Video and DVD Production, Online Video Specialists

You won't be disappointed Martin, the FX1000 is a great camera.

I've have learned something on another forum though, that I am disappointed about. When the FX1 and the FX1000 were compared side by side, with gain at 0db, the FX1000 had visible noise, where the FX1 did not. The poster noted that the FX1000 had to be turned down to -3db to get the grain out, which was equal to the FX1's 0db.

This is not a major concern because this small amount of noise can be easily removed, just disappointing. Looks like Sony may have screwed around with the gain readings.

EDIT: One other thing I would like to add about this camera, (coming from VX2100's) is the added size and weight actually made my handheld work much more steady. Hard on the arms and back though, I'm sore today after yesterday's wedding, 11 hours, way to long.

[Ken Ross]

Tim, other than the gain differences, were there other comparisons made between the FX1 and 1000's picture quality?

[Tim Akin]

Ken, the comments made were that the FX1000 is brighter than the FX1 if you have each camera on identical settings, but not much. As you go higher in gain the FX1 is much cleaner. The FX1000 would be useable at 15db but only in extreme situations, but 15db on the FX1 is VERY useable and clean.

He also went on to say: "If I had to pick another camera up right now, it more than likely would be the FX1000, but if you already own the FX1's, unless you are looking for a better screen or like the handling of the FX1000 better, switching isnt going to get you much".

[Ken Ross]

Thanks Tim. No comments on sharpness, color & detail?

[Tim Akin]

No Ken, but you might find this interesting.

Test! XH-A1, FX1, FX1000, and 5DMark II on Vimeo

[Ken Ross]

Thanks Tim. I know sometimes it's tough to tell on Vimeo, but judging from what I saw there (in HD), the FX1000 looked best to me. It seemed to hold the color and detail better than the A1 which seemed dark. Again, probably because of compression artifacts on Vimeo, I didn't see much difference at all in grain.

I can't quite figure out why he was rocking and swaying whenever the FX1000 shots came on, but the A1 shots were rock steady. That was pretty distracting and didn't help focus on the FX1000 clips.

[Tim Akin]

I think your right, because the poster made a comment as to how he didn't notice the grain untill he watched it on his 50" Samsung. I agree the 1000 did look the best.

[Ken Ross]

Tim, I just revised my post to mention the panning back & forth whenever the 1000 clips came on. That was bizarre and I'm not sure why he did that. It didn't help the 1000 in relation to the A1.