... or I can say how driver support on OSX is terrible compared to Windows 8.1 from our experience on the same laptop, etc, etc, but what's the point. My experience with OSX is quite frankly that's it's limited and less stable than Windows 8.1 which works like a champ.

I'll admit I have stayed at 10.7.5 because it is super stable. (But, I have no actual data that says 10.9.2 isn' fine.) And, it's true that most of the hate for 8/8.1 comes from Metro. But, even if one can go directly to the Start menu, all that extra code and the hooks from Metro to/from Windows are still inside Windows. And, it looks likes MS now wants to make Metro apps run under Windows. They just won't give-up the notion that devices for Metro don't sell -- and folks don't want it in Windows.

But even if Windows were rock solid it has two huge problems for me: viruses that kill my friends computers on a regular basis and a 1990's GUI. It's butt ugly. And, MS has spread this ugly to Office. To me, MS products just scream "we don't give a damn because we make a ton of money because our OS must be on every computer not sold by Apple."

Moreover, Apple OS is free. I'd have to spend money to buy 8.1 just before 9 arrives. It's a no win game. Oh -- and there's not a single bit of Windows-only software that I would ever want or use. The big video guys are on the Mac.

I have to jump in here and make a simple observation...

Editing 4K video.. on ANY laptop? Seriously? A laptop is the wrong tool for editing video.
Sure, go ahead.. tell us which apps and on which OS work and don't work... but if you are editing 4K video, it should be on a fast workstation with a 30" screen.

I could go on and on about what makes a good workstation... SSD drives, tons or RAM, etc....

Laptop users please note.. you can't put 2 video cards in a laptop!


I got a Sager laptop way back in 2008 that came with dual video cards, in SLI configuration. They do exist. Also, SSD drives can be installed in any laptop (well, not sure about Apple Products), just take out the HDD and install the SDD, same fit, etc. That 2008 laptop had 3 HDDs and now I've got it running with one HDD and two SDD in RAID. About the RAM thing... I have 16GB in my newer 2011 Sager laptop, but I believe you can get them with up to 64GB now. I only edit on laptops since I got the Sager. I just don't agree with your form-factor limitation for 4K. The camera under discussion doesn't even have that high of a data rate. I sometimes shoot to Prores 422 or uncompressed. I use Adobe PP to edit those, on my laptop.

Mark

there's not a single bit of Windows-only software that I would ever want or use. The big video guys are on the Mac.

I"m trying to understand what this has to do with the Sony FDR-AX100? Not trying to be smart but Mac/windows discussions are getting a bit old now.

Now about editing 4k on a laptop, another windows based solution would be Edius which can use proxy files as well, I can edit anything I"d like in that way on my I5 lenovo business laptop that has just minimal specs, it is only too slow to do the converting part which I do on a more powerfull desktop pc and then just export my edit to the laptop; once I have done my editing with the laptop in the field I can just reimport those changes to my desktop pc for more critical adjustments like colorcorrecting or checking for any focus issues on a big screen, and finally to export the whole thing to web, dvd, blu-ray and so on.


the only thing I would ask myself is if this would be a good solution to edit 4K files, for reviewing purpose I would like to have a 4K screen connected as well if needed, I would find it difficult judging 4K focus for instance on a 15 inch laptopscreen.

Steve, that's quite a tale you tell. I have 8 windows laptops and 3 windows desktops and 1 Mac. Half of them have windows 8 and the other half windows 7 They all run beautifully and I haven't had a virus since 2003.

As far as metro you don't have to use it if you don't want o. Just resort back to the old start menu. It takes about a good hour to learn windows 8 and it's rock solid.

Every problem that you have on a PC you can bet you have on a Mac. And if you don't believe that just google it. A good for instance would be to google "macbook overheating". And from there you can google any problem you find on a PC and it shows up on Macs in large numbers.

This Mac Vs PC has got to be the silliest argument in the world.

but for general video work I can't be chained to a desk, I need to be able to work wherever.

so you do all your "general editing"... inside a car using a laptop in the parking lot at Wal-Mart? Hey whatever works for you... my projects allow me to do all my editing... after we are done shooting... in a comfortable room.. with a workstation and calibrated monitor and speakers. Nice leather chair too. Much easier than any laptop configuration.

the only thing I would ask myself is if this would be a good solution to edit 4K files, for reviewing purpose I would like to have a 4K screen connected as well if needed, I would find it difficult judging 4K focus for instance on a 15 inch laptopscreen.

I think the ones posting about their fantastic laptop editing solutions... like the small monitors.

I got a Sager laptop...

Look at real world 4K video tests... go ahead and put 50 layers of 4K video and tell me how fast is plays on any laptop.

Pushing Apple's new Mac Pro and Final Cut Pro X to their limits - fcp.co (http://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/news/1372-pushing-apple-s-new-mac-pro-and-final-cut-pro-x-to-their-limits)

I didn't mean to hijack this thread about the Sony FDR-AX100 camcorder... editing 4K video is a totally different topic, maybe this should be a new thread.

Not trying to be smart but Mac/windows discussions are getting a bit old now.

One needs to be careful when looking at video cards specs. Many cards are geared towards "gaming"... and work wonderful for those applications.

When Apple created the new Mac Pro, it had ONE market really in mind, and that was 4K video editing. If you are NOT editing video, there is really no reason the buy the newest MacPro. It actually does not get very good benchmarks on "games". It is the COMBINATION of working with Final Cut Pro and the new dual FirePro D700 GPU cards that make the workstation scream.

So if you want to compare "apples and oranges"... oh I couldn't resist.

A new workstation for editing is just like any other tool. I don't let a brand name determine which gear I use, I use the best tool for the price. The new MacPro needs to be seen as a hardware AND a software solution. If you don't like using Final Cut Pro, then no reason to get the new MacPro. But if you do like the software, then there really is one best choice right now for running Final Cut Pro — and that is the new Mac Pro. Maybe there might be a laptop with dual FirePro D700 coming soon, but right now it doesn't exist.

One needs to be careful when looking at video cards specs
I don't even need a dedicated videocard with edius pro as it utilizes the onboard gpu to render blur-ray format out twice realtime and it handles all native 1080p 50p files in realtime, even several layers of multicam without any conversion, the reason why I commented about these Mac/windows discussions is that they quickly turn into bashing eachother which is starting to happen here, they don't contribute to anything.

With my current pc set up I know I could handle about anything I trow at it, even high bitrate 4k files, only not in it's native format, for that I would have to convert to a intermediate file, the only downside to that would be the extra disc space needed.

This looks about the same when Hdv started to appear, a lot of pc systems at that time where choking on it and you needed expensive rendercards to save some export times, pc hardware development goes so fast soon 4k will be dealt with as easy as you would handle avchd now.

so you do all your "general editing"... inside a car using a laptop in the parking lot at Wal-Mart? Hey whatever works for you...

You have to respect the fact Derek that not everyone can work from inside a cozy office, many need portable solutions that work in the field, I am curious though about userfeedback on different workable laptop/software solutions that make 4K editing possible in reraltime. Is it not that the sony ax100 has a lower bitrate 4K codec? Should that not make editing easier?

The big video guys are on the Mac.

I guess Edius Professional, used by a number of network affiliates, are not one of 'the big guys'. There are others but I find these generalizations a bit overdone. The main video editor used on the Mac is FCP. Period.

Most others simply don't run on a Mac and they are, of course, dismissed out of hand by Mac fans as not being as good. If it doesn't run on a Mac it's not worth considering. This is kind of silly.

I'd like to get back to the AX100 which I think was the topic of this thread. But let me end with this, years ago it WAS true, Mac was the only game in town for stable video editing and FC was the only good editing program. For those that still believe this, it's time to come out of your cave, it is simply untrue. Living in the past is unproductive.

Choices abound on the windows platform (unlike the Mac) and not just choices, excellent choices. Both the Mac and the PC are, IMO, equally adept at video editing and it comes down to which program do you prefer and what will it run on.

Back to the AX100, please.

so you do all your "general editing"... inside a car using a laptop in the parking lot at Wal-Mart? Hey whatever works for you... my projects allow me to do all my editing... after we are done shooting... in a comfortable room.. with a workstation and calibrated monitor and speakers. Nice leather chair too. Much easier than any laptop configuration.

Guess you've never heard of a hotel room. Some people shoot and travel. You really need to understand that not everyone shoots like you or has your preferences.

Oh, and not everyone puts '50 layers of 4K video' in their editor.

One last comment about the PC/Mac. At the moment they are all Intel PC's. Stability depends on what software is running and how up to date the drivers are loaded. I like making my own PC's so my choice of course is the PC. I usually make to the best price point in the cycle and my current PC started as an i7 2600K and now has a i7 3770K it has been running stable for several years with NO problems. As a PC with only editing software loaded it only goes to the internet for program updates I have a totally separate PC for mail and WEB browsing loaded with virus protection and Malware programs etc.

I have loaded Adobe Production Suite CS6, Vegas 11 and 12, Edius Pro7 as well as several other programs like TMPGenc, Sound Forge, Spectral Layers. All work happily together without crashing. Vegas and Edius will use the Intel QUicksync for fast encoding. For Edius this means a BLuray compliant AVC file from the timeline in about half the realtime. A 2 hour timeline in under 1 hour output on my PC.



Back to 4K editing. I have had my FDR-AX1 for about 4 months and have found the following. I shoot 60P XAVC-S 150Mbps.

Pros:
Beautiful picture when viewed at 1920x1080 from the camera or downscaled in software.
Dynamic range appears larger.
Crop re-framing works as I wanted it to in good light. My only reason for getting the camera.

Cons:
Low light performance is not good, a stop or two slower than my other cameras.
Focusing is even more critical than HD.
Compute requirements are large. Vegas will playback with reduced preview resolution at full frame rate. Edius will playback at close to full frame rate with buffer hovering at 2.
Converting to intermediate file also takes a long time , just like it did when HDV and AVCHD appeared !!
Decoding the LongGOP takes cores so I think a new 8 core or dual Xeon is my next build !!

Ron Evans

Has anyone tried an SDXC card with a capacity greater than 64 gig? Perhaps 128 gig? If so, do they work as reliably as the 64 gig cards do?
Thanks,
Denny

so you do all your "general editing"... inside a car using a laptop in the parking lot at Wal-Mart? Hey whatever works for you... my projects allow me to do all my editing... after we are done shooting... in a comfortable room.. with a workstation and calibrated monitor and speakers. Nice leather chair too. Much easier than any laptop configuration.

No silly not in a car, I edit right at a video shoot at whatever location I happen to be. I've used various homes here in LA for filming, but I also own a second property as well that I use as my film house and I will do editing right there while waiting for the next girls to arrive, and also since the footage is fresh in my mind after a shoot it's often easiest and fastest to edit the footage immediately after a shoot wherever I may be. It's also a way for others to see the footage right then and there on my laptop if they are curious. When I come home I toss the edited footage to my gaming pc which renders all my projects overnight automatically via my Vegas Pro scripts in all the formats I need in the directory structure I need. Yes I love Vegas Pro, it saves me so much time :)


Back to the AX100, please.

I've still been playing around with the camera, overall the image is just gorgeous! I do wish it's low light performance was better though, it doesn't feel like it's significantly better in that regard to my NX30. I tried the small Sony stereo add on mic as well which I happen to have, this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJSYV4S

...and it works well with this camera. I also just orderded the Zunow WCX-08 wide conversion lens which has a 62mm thread and hence can fit the AX100. I always need a wide conversion lens for situations that are really tight, hopefully this one wont degrade the 4k image too much.

I use as my film house and I will do editing right there while waiting for the next girls to arrive.....

Not touching that one!!! ;)


I've still been playing around with the camera, overall the image is just gorgeous! I do wish it's low light performance was better though, it doesn't feel like it's significantly better in that regard to my NX30. I tried the small Sony stereo add on mic as well which I happen to have, this one:

Amazon.com: Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone (Black): Camera & Photo (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJSYV4S)

...and it works well with this camera. I also just orderded the Zunow WCX-08 wide conversion lens which has a 62mm thread and hence can fit the AX100. I always need a wide conversion lens for situations that are really tight, hopefully this one wont degrade the 4k image too much.

I agree, it is a gorgeous image. But I suspect 4K is light hungry and the low light imagery is not the cleanest I've seen. Still good, but not class-leading. I need to do an A/B with my RX10 again and see how they compare with what is essentially the same sensor.

Pete, it seems that people that are using that mike do like it.

Pete, it seems that people that are using that mike do like it.

Yeah it's cool although that's mostly my backup mic. The one I'll probably use most often is the same one I use with my vg900, which is the xlr-a1m adapter along with it's ecm-xm1 mic. I attached pics of both with my little scorpion handles.

That Sony XLR-K1M Adapter and Microphone Kit looks perfect on the handle.
I might upgrade and get a stereo shotgun instead of the stock ECM-XM1 mic.

Lightweight and easy to move handheld.

I'm sorry if I'm OT.
I know there are some led lights for video cameras with a staining control (Color Temperature Adjustable with dimming knob), that is 3200±300K-5600±300K. Do you have some experiences with them?
I have seen a led light here: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Bi-Color-312-Camera-LED-Light-Panel-Video-Camera-Camcorder-DV-DSLR-Dimmable-3200K-5600K-Filters/1710553025.html
Thanks for some ifo

This is the first real low light footage I've seen.

Its hardly DSLR quality, but I didn't expect it to be.

SONY FDR-AX1 Gdansk Poland. Ultra low light test. 4K, 3840x2160 II - YouTube



Also, considering what others are saying about the 4k potential limiting the low light capture - I wonder if the non-4k CX900 might actually be a better low light camera?

That video is from a FDR-AX1 not an AX100. I have an AX1 and it is about 2 stops slower than my NX5U. Used as a wide full stage camera for theatre it is just about a stop slower than my NX30 or CX700 but gives a very good image when down converted. Cropping is not really viable in really low light though as the focus and noise level are obvious if not downconverted.

Ron Evans

Ugh! Stupid Youtube search giving me non-exact searches. Hate that!

Looks like theres still no footage out there for the AX100 in proper low light.


Some people are claiming low light, but in my view is just indoor light, not really low light.

Some of us are planning to shoot wedding dances with this. We need to see how it copes!

I actually thought some of the scenes in those AX1 night shots weren't too bad. We could say they weren't DSLR quality in terms of how a fast lens would have handled those scenes, but we could also say, from the standpoint of detail, they were much better than DSLR quality. :)

Yeah it's cool although that's mostly my backup mic. The one I'll probably use most often is the same one I use with my vg900, which is the xlr-a1m adapter along with it's ecm-xm1 mic. I attached pics of both with my little scorpion handles.

Quick question:

When you add the XLR adapter and attachment, does the AX100 still display those horrible "triangle" level meters?

I was hoping that maybe Sony would let it flip over to "real" calibrated audio meters when it is connected.

CT

Quick question:

When you add the XLR adapter and attachment, does the AX100 still display those horrible "triangle" level meters?

I was hoping that maybe Sony would let it flip over to "real" calibrated audio meters when it is connected.

CT

Yeah it still shows the 5 triangle meters with the xlr attachment, which is odd since it seems to be locked to 2 channel audio in 4k recording mode anyways so 3 of the triangles don't do anything at all.

Someone had once mentioned something about the color controls on the AX100. I'm not sure how many are aware of this, but within each white balance selection (AWB, outdoor, indoor etc) you have a button called 'option'. Under this option you have the ability to shift the color balance via an onscreen grid toward the amber, blue, green and magenta.

This will be a familiar option among those that regularly use a DSLR and some more pricey camcorders, but it's an option easily missed on the AX100 if you don't know it's there.

About digital ZOOM

Hello, can you tell me how much possible is to use the FDR-AX100 digital Zoom withouth noticeable loss of video quality? For example is 20x good on 4k video?

I'm.not a fan of any digital zoom and never use them. On the AX100, you're better off using the Active stabilization which automatically increases the zoom to an 18x device. You'll take a slight hit on resolution at the upper end of that zoom range, but it should be far better than using digital zoom.

Since Sony calls it "Clear Zoom" I assume the 18X is the limit of the digital zoom before the image gets bad.

But linking this digital zoom option to stabilization is, I think, new for Sony. And, calling this kind of stabilization ACTIVE is strange too.

It implies the other mode isn't active. Which I've been assuming is our old friend Optical Stabilization -- OIS. It's slower in response but handles large movements. Seems simpler to call it "Optical."

Then Active -- which places a window on the CMOS chip -- uses sensors to move that window around to handle jiggle. Seems simpler to call it "Optical + Electronic."

My question is when one engages Active, does the window crop the image to smaller than 8MP -- and if it does, how much smaller. Since the chip has so many pixels, I would hope it would not be necessary to start with a window smaller than 8MP. Buffer space for stabilization would then come from the area outside the 8MP. But, if the initial video downscale winds up with 8MP, the stabilization buffer space must come from the 8MP and thus the window would be smaller than 8MP.

The smaller the window crop, the more digital zoom that must be applied to get image back to 8MP size. I don't trust the word Clear. Of course, the crop still reduces the angle of view. In other words, Clear Zoom wouldn't really start at 1.0X.

Steve, one guy did a test on another forum and found the crop factor ranged from 5% at the wide end to about 54% on the tight end. He shot a resolution chart and found little difference between the chart with Standard OIS or Active IS.

I need to do some A/Bs myself. I think to judge the real world impact of Active IS, it's important to keep framing the same between the two methods of IS. Since the crop factor and therefore the magnification changes with the amount of zoom, the test needs to be done in stages to maintain the same framing.

Do you know if AX100 can use NP-FV70 or NP-FV100 batteries? I don't know if they there are, but I'd like to know if it be problematic to use them. I need to know if AX100 will loss of balance.
thanks

Do you know if AX100 can use NP-FV70 or NP-FV100 batteries? I don't know if they there are, but I'd like to know if it be problematic to use them. I need to know if AX100 will loss of balance.
thanks

Yup it comes with an FV70 battery, but I have two FV100 batteries that I use. I didn't have any problem using the FV100's with my previous tiny NX30, and likewise they seem fine with the somewhat larger AX100.

Do you know if AX100 can use NP-FV70 or NP-FV100 batteries? I don't know if they there are, but I'd like to know if it be problematic to use them. I need to know if AX100 will loss of balance.
thanks

The AX100 comes with the NP-FV70 in the box, and can use the NP-FV100.

Yup it comes with an FV70 battery, but I have two FV100 batteries that I use. I didn't have any problem using the FV100's with my previous tiny NX30, and likewise they seem fine with the somewhat larger AX100.

Good!! How many mAh are NP-FV100?

Good!! How many mAh are NP-FV100?

Mine say 3700 mAh, and they are genuine Sony batteries.

Steve, one guy did a test on another forum and found the crop factor ranged from 5% at the wide end to about 54% on the tight end.

I think this implies the horizontal buffer is about 160 pixels which is not much. I wonder if the cropped image is even zoomed back to UHD. Maybe the Clear Zoom simply records a smaller image. I seem to remember something about this.

I just had this thought -- once Active stabilization is turned on, Clear Zoom is also turned on. So does this mean the zoom rocker now controlling digital zoom? Or, like other cameras, is the digital range simply added to the optical zoom?

I've got to go back and carefully review the manual.

Today I was shooting in manual mode. It took a bit of non-intuitive playing around to get the manual mode to work something like a pro camera. Odd that Sony consumer cameras are more complicated to use in manual mode than a Sony pro camera. No wonder consumers simply use auto.

[QUOTE=Steve Mullen;1839407

Today I was shooting in manual mode. It took a bit of non-intuitive playing around to get the manual mode to work something like a pro camera. Odd that Sony consumer cameras are more complicated to use in manual mode than a Sony pro camera. No wonder consumers simply use auto.[/QUOTE]

I am assuming it works just like the NX5 or AX1 in that the manual selector just means you can use manual control. If you do not set any of the parameters ( iris , gain, shutter, WB ) it is still in full auto. If you do not set ALL the controls the camera is still in auto using the controls that are not set. Sony have had this system for years. To explain. If you set WB and shutter then the camera will use iris and gain to expose the image. Set iris as well and the camera will use the gain to control exposure within the gain range set by max gain in the menu. NX5U and AX1 show the status of each parameter in the LCD of whether the parameter is in auto or manual set mode with value. I assume the AX100 is the same ?

Means you can have shutter or iris priority with gain limit and bias with AE shift something I use a lot on my NX5U as well as AX1. With AE speed one can also control how fast the AE changes .

Ron Evans

Yes, this is all correct. You can pick and choose each of the 3 settings in either manual or auto. Any combo you want...you are not "forced" into any auto mode on any of them. (like dozens of Handycams in the past and even two NXCAMs force on you today)

Another nice feature is "exposure. You can select any one or two settings of the three and the leave the other(s) on auto. When you adjust the "exposure" up or down, any auto settings will be adjusted to raise or lower the over all exposure.

For instance. Lock your shutter speed at 1/60 and leave the other two on "auto". When you raise and lower "exposure", the system will manipulate "gain" and "iris" to meet the level you want. You can pick any combination you want of the three. You just need at least one of them set for "auto" to use "exposure" feature.

White balance with this camera is literally as good as it gets in "any" camera. They even give you a color pallet/grid to fine tune the hue to the exact temp you want.

Sony rarely gives this much manual control for this price. (the Handycam VG series was the only other that comes to mind)

Bravo Sony....keep this standard up!

CT

Looks like theres still no footage out there for the AX100 in proper low light.

Hard to know what any one person considers "low-light." Here in Vegas or in Asia -- where I usually shoot -- these scenes are low-light.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOATUKHrov1jQvLSOj9Dmew

In a small town in MN, this many lights would scare the cows.

I'll do some ordinary in home shots ASAP.

24fps, 1/48th, Auto.

Uploaded both ProRes 422 and h.264 (at 270Mbps). Do folks see a difference? Were graphics added ProRes 422 should be better.

Be sure to watch in 4K! (If you use Safari, you need to use a different browser because you can no longer select what stream you want to watch.)

You can pick and choose each of the 3 settings in either manual or auto.

Another nice feature is "exposure. You can select any one or two settings of the three and the leave the other(s) on auto. When you adjust the "exposure" up or down, any auto settings will be adjusted to raise or lower the over all exposure.

Looking at the camera I expected the Gain and Shutter buttons would toggle from Auto through the values and back to Auto. I also was surprised why WB wasn't where the Iris button is because that's also a function that toggles from Auto through the values and back to Auto. There's really no value to the current system when after pressing a button one must use the Manual Dial to pick a value.

When I read the manual Sony wants you to press PROG AE, press one of the three buttons, and then adjust the value using the dial. That's three steps! (The same issue exits for Gain and Iris.)

I understand you like the Exposure function, but traditionally "exposure" is adjusted by an Iris control based on the current Gain and Shutter settings -- which could be Auto. (So one would still have an exposure function but without introducing the exposure control.)

Sony wants you to press PROG AE, Iris, and then adjust the aperture using the dial. Again, that's three steps. It would be far more natural to have the current Manual button (renamed Iris) toggle Iris between Auto and the lens-ring or Manual dial. The current Focus/Zoom switch would enable you to select Iris or Focus. (When Auto is selected, the menu set AE Shift would be employed.)

And, what's with the PROG AE button? It's obvious that when Iris, Gain, and Shutter are all in Auto -- a "program" could/would be followed. Sony, however, never publishes a graph of the program. I'd like to know if it keeps the shutter-speed at 1/48 or 1/60 for as long as possible.

Lastly, the Press-and-Hold function is really annoying as it brings up a pop-up. Why would I suddenly want to adjust WB Mg-G? More likely I would want to adjust audio level.

Nevertheless, Sony's manual/auto design is what it is. As I posted, I found a way to adjust everything.

But, I have a question. Sony wants you to press PROG AE, press one of the three buttons, and then adjust the value using the dial. But, the manual never says what to do after you set a value. For example, I set the shutter to 1/48. Now I want to "register" or "lock" the value as with any menu system. How do I lock the value?

I'm.not a fan of any digital zoom and never use them.

THIS IS WHAT THE SONY MANUAL ACTUALLY SAYS:

SteadyShot (Movie)

You can compensate for camera shake.
1.  - [Camera/Mic] - [  Camera Settings] - [  SteadyShot] - desired setting.
Descriptions of menu items Active :
Records a movie using a more effective SteadyShot function.

I DON'T SEE ANYTHING ABOUT "CLEAR ZOOM."

Standard (default setting):
This product reduces camera shake using the SteadyShot function in wide-angle shooting.

IS SONY TRYING TO SAY THIS MODE IS MOST EFFECTIVE AT WIDE BUT LESS OR NOT EFFECTIVE AT TELE? THAT'S HOW I READ IT.

Off (  ):
This product does not use the SteadyShot function.

Note
The angle of view will be changed after changing the settings of the [SteadyShot] function.

THIS CONFIRMS THAT CROPPING DOES OCCUR.


When you set [SteadyShot] to [Active], the zoom magnification is 24x when recording an HD movie and 18x when recording a 4K movie.

IS SONY SAYING THE OPTICAL ZOOM LIMIT IS RAISED FROM 12X TO 24X OR 18X? THAT'S HOW I READ IT. THE DIGITAL ZOOM CAN MULTIPLY UP TO 50%.

Some easy questions:

1) If you use NP-FV100 batteries can they hinder using the viewfinder because the battery is just below this.
What is the ideal size of the battery for AX100? I need info because I have to buy many batteries.
2) How many minutes will AX100 rec on 32BG SD (rec in 4k)?
3) How many minutes is it possible to rec by a NP-FV100 battery?
4) Does anybody use compatible batteries for AX100? What brand is ok?
Thanks

Quote/But, I have a question. Sony wants you to press PROG AE, press one of the three buttons, and then adjust the value using the dial. But, the manual never says what to do after you set a value. For example, I set the shutter to 1/48. Now I want to "register" or "lock" the value as with any menu system. How do I lock the value?[/QUOTE]

Steve, as i recall it works the same as the VG30, you press the button on the value you are changing, the 'A' symbol to the left of the value will disappear and the value will be highlighted, change as required and move on to your next button which you want to change the value and repeat process, all values without the 'A' in front are locked, to unlock any value you have set press the button again and it will go to auto with the 'A' showing. You only need to press programme AE to reset all values at once to Auto after you have been in manual, not to start the process.
Dont forget you can choose to assign most of the menu choices to 'my buttons' on the screen which is a nice shortcut into the menu.

Some easy questions:

1) If you use NP-FV100 batteries can they hinder using the viewfinder because the battery is just below this.
What is the ideal size of the battery for AX100? I need info because I have to buy many batteries.
2) How many minutes will AX100 rec on 32BG SD (rec in 4k)?
3) How many minutes is it possible to rec by a NP-FV100 battery?
4) Does anybody use compatible batteries for AX100? What brand is ok?
Thanks

Here is the manual i posted way back in this overlong thread which should answer most of your questions, have a look at Sony's AX100 page on Sony's Global site which has a lot of info as well.

http://support.sony-asia.com.edgesuite.net/consumer/IM/4534651111.pdf

Steve, as i recall it works the same as the VG30, you press the button on the value you are changing, the 'A' symbol to the left of the value will disappear and the value will be highlighted, change as required and move on to your next button which you want to change the value and repeat process, all values without the 'A' in front are locked, to unlock any value you have set press the button again and it will go to auto with the 'A' showing. You only need to press programme AE to reset all values at once to Auto after you have been in manual, not to start the process.
Dont forget you can choose to assign most of the menu choices to 'my buttons' on the screen which is a nice shortcut into the menu.

Paul, you are 100% correct. Steve was making it sound a lot more complicated than it is. It's actually a very easy system to use. In fact, I think having these independently adjustable variables is unique to a small handicam like this, but then again I haven't had one of these small handicams in years.

Regarding the press and hold menu options on the front dial, this has been a Sony option on many of their higher end cameras for years, I like it. Yes, we could argue as to which options Sony should have offered that are available in the menu choices, but the system works well. I wouldn't mind seeing other camera companies used it,

Here is the manual i posted way back in this overlong thread which should answer most of your questions, have a look at Sony's AX100 page on Sony's Global site which has a lot of info as well.

http://support.sony-asia.com.edgesuite.net/consumer/IM/4534651111.pdf

Ok, I thank you ... but I don't believe much to manuals. I believe more what users tell.
Besides the maual doesn't explain my n° 1 question, that is if NP-FV100 battery can hinder a little bit using the viewfinder because the battery is just below it.

Steve, I think you are making things far too complicated. For instance I leave my NX5U and AX1 in manual ALL the time. With all the parameters auto I just have to press any one of them to move into manual or just one of them to come out of full auto. When that happens on the NX or AX1 the parameter goes to the value set ( what ever switch is set for gain and the current value for iris etc.) any AE shift is then cancelled as this only works in auto mode. So for instance I can have gain set manual, shutter speed set manual and iris in auto with spotlight set for a stage show. When the lights come up from spotlight I just press the iris control and I am back in manual control. Same thing works for AE shift etc. One button press for all these options but you do need to understand what you are doing. Sony have had this system since I bought my VX3 Hi8 and also then the lower cost V801. They left this to just the prosumer stuff over the last few years and I am glad they are now bringing it back to the lower cost models.

Ron Evans

I don't know about anybody's els's AX100, but mine is super easy:

To adjust "shutter speed", "gain" or "iris":

Step 1: Push any of the three buttons you want to adjust. ("Gain" button, "iris" button or "shutter speed button".)

Step 2: Turn wheel until you are happy.

That's it on mine. If you see an "A" next to that value display, it means that function is running on "Auto". if you don't see an "A", that means YOU have control of it.

Maybe somebody got an AX100 with some crazy firmware on it? Yes, this setup is similar to the VG20/30 as well.

I LOVE Sony for give this camera full manual options with easy access to controls.

CT

I don't know about anybody's els's AX100, but mine is super easy:

To adjust "shutter speed", "gain" or "iris":

Step 1: Push any of the three buttons you want to adjust. ("Gain" button, "iris" button or "shutter speed button".)

Step 2: Turn wheel until you are happy.

That's it on mine.

Same here, and it's the exact same on my VG900 as well. It couldn't possibly be any easier as there are dedicated buttons for each item.

ten characters

1) If you use NP-FV100 batteries can they hinder using the viewfinder because the battery is just below this.

I attached a pic of my AX100 with a FV100 battery, and pulled the viewfinder out to turn the camera on. I don't use the viewfinder with this camera as I use a scorpion handle instead, but I was able to look into the viewfinder without my face bumping into the battery.