I note that there's a stills mode on the FS700. There's a dedicated Stills button on both the handgrip and above the front mounted start-stop button. However, pressing the Stills button whilst recording does NOT record a still, even if it would temporarily freeze the video recording as with Canon DSLRs.

You must switch from Video to Stills mode to take a still, which takes only a second or so but does slightly crop your image to a more 4:3 ratio.

As the photo button on the body is pretty reduntant in stills mode, I'd like to start a petition to Sony that, when they rev the software for the FS700, the body-mounted stills button could be allocated to Expanded Focus in video mode (that FS100 button has been removed on the FS700), Or just made another User Assignable button.

Whilst we're at it, I'd also like to posit the idea that the rec buttons take stills in stills mode if we can't have stills whilst in Movie mode. That means we can allocate the Stills button to help out with things like enabling Spot Focus mode or helping out on the A-B Transition mode.

Just thinking out loud...

Matt,

I have an NX 70 which has similar functionality - with the latest firmware, the photo button becomes another assignable button (not many on the NX 70!), so I use it for last shot review - I never did figure out how to take a still photo, as it always seems not allowable in most video modes I use.

Should be something that Sony can do....

Should be something that Sony can do....

They did it on the PDX-10 - one of my all time favourite cameras (so long as it was outdoors). It had a stills button next to the zoom, IIRC - the video would freeze for a moment as the still was written to a Memory Stick.

I get the impression that at 4K, who needs a stills mode?

"I get the impression that at 4K, who needs a stills mode?"

Depends what you are wanting to take a stills shot of - 1/50th sec is quite limiting for most stills work. I suspect the result in stills mode will be good? So a request for help - can anyone with a camera shoot a single stills frame for me please? Something to illustrate max definition and quality possible - interior or exterior, and send me the original file at full quality?

Either email or I can provide a dropbox address

Thanks in anticipation!

Nick.