Wow!....so even a better picture?...I'll have to order a new chip!

Got to get some "u3" memory myself...

XAVCS @50Mbps requires SDXC, but even a "slow" speed card has been working fine, faster is definitely better for responsiveness/data transfer, but the slow cheap one I got at first worked

Looking forward to the higher bitrate 100Mbps XAVCS, doubling the potential amount of "data" in the mix should be a noticeable improvement on an already impressive image. I suspect a "fast" U1 card "could" handle the higher bitrate, but to ensure that there were no "gotchas", Sony decided to make the camera look for a "U3", where there will be more headroom.

With the higher bitrates and more data intensive codecs, I guess buying a new top rated card is just going to be part of "upgrading"! Life on the bleeding edge isn't cheap, but at least it looks like those U3 Transcend 64G cards aren't terribly expensive! I paid more $/G for the "slow" U1 SDXC cards not that long ago!

Denny, could you explain in what way focus has significantly improved?

Many thanks
Andy

Hi Andy,
The focus is faster, and there is significantly less hunting for that "sweet spot".
Denny

With the higher bitrates and more data intensive codecs, I guess buying a new top rated card is just going to be part of "upgrading"! Life on the bleeding edge isn't cheap, but at least it looks like those U3 Transcend 64G cards aren't terribly expensive! I paid more $/G for the "slow" U1 SDXC cards not that long ago!

I'm just thrilled that with the upgrade I get a camcorder that's better than what I initially bought....and I can use my old cards as storage or emergency backups to record on.

Recording a music concert two hours:
- Several .mts files are generated 1,97GB
- When they get together in the timeline are lost 2 seconds between each file. It is normal?
- With a Panasonic TM900 files produced 3.99 GB

Recording a music concert two hours:
- Several .mts files are generated 1,97GB
- When they get together in the timeline are lost 2 seconds between each file. It is normal?
- With a Panasonic TM900 files produced 3.99 GB

Use Sony PlayMemories software that came with the camera to transfer clips to the PC. It will make a single clip without any loss of audio. Will place in a directory named as the date of transfer and name the clip by the date and time it was shot.

Ron Evans

Ok. I should have tried before.
Thank you very much.

Have been on the look-out for a solution to mount my accessories to the camera and today I found this item. It's got a higher profile to it than some might prefer, but for lightweight use, I think it will work for me. I started to attach a SmallHD DP6 monitor but changed my mind. A little too much mass up there.

It handled my microphone, wireless receiver and LED light okay. It's solid, doesn't come off unless you loosen it. The foot is notched to prevent contact with the electrical connector inside.

Mark

Have been on the look-out for a solution to mount my accessories to the camera and today I found this item. It's got a higher profile to it than some might prefer, but for lightweight use, I think it will work for me. I started to attach a SmallHD DP6 monitor but changed my mind. A little too much mass up there.

It handled my microphone, wireless receiver and LED light okay. It's solid, doesn't come off unless you loosen it. The foot is notched to prevent contact with the electrical connector inside.

Mark

Hi Mark, I'm curious to know where you found this adapter and for how much? Do you have a link to the seller where you got yours from?

Ralph,

I got mine at a chain store in Japan, called Yodobashi Camera. I looked for a link to include in my earlier post but didn't find anything, nor anything at B&H or Amazon that was like this adapter.

Here's a link to their English web-site. If you contact them, it would be best to attach the package pictures I'm including here, just to make it easy for them to know what you're wanting.

www.yodobashi.com (http://www.yodobashi.com/ec/unite/globaltop.html)

I'd be happy to pick one up for you, but I'm travelling out of Japan right now and won't be back until October.

Price was about $30.

Mark

This a Sony adapter without the bounce feature.Multi-Interface Shoe Adapter - ADPMAC Review | Sony Store U.S. - Sony US (http://store.sony.com/multi-interface-shoe-adapter-zid27-ADPMAC/cat-27-catid-All-Camcorders-Accessories?_t=pfm%3Dcategory) but it does lift out above the shoemount

Ron Evans

I got this one. Works fine:

Fotasy MISU Sony Multi-Interface Shoe to Universal Cold Shoe Adapter (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PHQOHBU/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Zb6RvbY7BH7SX

I have that adapter Ron is talking about also, and it's useless unless you want to use (certain) Sony stuff only. I got it to work with a couple Sony microphones they had on display. It's like their multi-port adapter that takes two other adapter cables to connect to a STANDARD LANC plug. That Sony hotshoe adapter is too narrow for anything else. The bounce adapter works with standard sized accessories. Measurement of a standard accessory looks to be about 23/32" or 18mm.

Mark

Thanks Guys! I'll be doing a bit of research today on this and report back if I come across anything worthwhile.

This is the one you need, period. It's solid metal. I have one for each of my AX100s. Initially I went the stupid Sony accesories route and had to buy two pieces to accomplish the same thing. What a waste.

This one from DM accesories is perfect, but you need to check it for tightness every few hours if you put a big load on it, it will slowly untighten. But I'm very very happy with it.

DM-Accessories ? MIS-SHOE - Universal shoe mount for Sony cameras with MIS mount (http://shop.dm-accessories.com/products/mis-shoe)

Hi friends, please forgive me if this answer is posted elsewhere. I've been manually adjusting exposure settings and then switching to smartphone control in order to check shots that I myself am in. This seems to revert the camera back to auto exposure. Is there a way around this?

Can Sony AX100 rec in 10 bit or 8 bit only? Thanks

8 bit only.

Will there be a new release of this Cam any time, as i am kind of ready to plunge on the new AX53 when we get it here in Australia.

Love the 1" sensor, but how about the BOSS stabilization inside one of these Cams.

You would basically be having to GIMBAL a sensor assembly that would be 4x the size of the AX53 sensor...........not feasible.

Paul

You would basically be having to GIMBAL a sensor assembly that would be 4x the size of the AX53 sensor...........not feasible.

Thanks Paul, so it appears the BOSS system can only be used with these small sensors, shame really, at least make a stabilization unit for the AX100 something similar, because the BOSS really seems to be pretty dam good.

Cheers

Thanks Paul, so it appears the BOSS system can only be used with these small sensors, shame really, at least make a stabilization unit for the AX100 something similar, because the BOSS really seems to be pretty dam good.

Cheers

Click the "" button next to reply.....once it turns yellow, click reply, quotes then appear :)

Having a "boss" like stabilization implemented in a larger sensor camera that is equally effective is possible but then it has to be done on the sensor side like Olympus has done with the em series, so instead of the lenshousing moving around to extra compensate for shake the sensor moves around instead.

The O in BOSS stands for OPTICAL........my A7sII has a balancing sensor, works about as well as STD Steadyshot on all my camcorders. Those little tiny sensor cameras cant afford to use any pixels for ACTIVE Steadyshot, especially when they are low on MP count to start with. BOSS on an X70 would be sweet as heck though!

Paul

Somehow I expect an AX100M2 with the newer BSI/buffered sensor that showed up in the RX100M4 and RX10M2.... IF Sony decides to continue this design, and of course that is a big "if". I suspect it might depend on whether the small sensor AX53 turns out to have acceptable image quality vs. the 1" class sensor, which I sort of doubt, but we will see soon enough.

The physics of a "BOSS" type gimbal for the larger sensor block are actually rather daunting - keep in mind that ALL the components are larger and heavier by a substantial amount, meaning bigger gyro/servos, more power to run it all, and so on... Just the bigger lens would add a huge amount of mass to the assembly!

I have BOSS on my NX30U with both standard and Active. In active mode it uses both balanced optical as well as electronic image stabilizers and in this mode because it crops into the sensor has a little longer reach on the zoom. The CX700 has optical and active but no balanced servo system is a lot lighter and smaller because of this though the sensors are similar. My NX5U also has optical stabilizer as well as active too. So does the XR500. Both my FDR-AX1 and AX100 also have optical as well as active too . All have optical stabilizer lenses but only the NX30U has the balanced system . There is a difference if one is hand holding and moving.

Ron Evans

The picture of the B.O.SS system for the AX53 on the Sony web site has arrows that show horizontal and vertical movement, presumedly for the objective lens. The only detailed picture I’ve been able to find of the BOSS system is for the HDR-CX430 cam and it was announced or released on or about January 7, 2013 and that’s three years ago. That’s a long time in technology years.

There is a nice picture of the CX430 BOSS system on the Crutchfield web site; URL page says the CX430 is discontinued but the picture is still there:
Sony HDR-CX430V High-definition camcorder with 32GB flash memory at Crutchfield.com (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Rqa3DxoOXKl/p_158CX430V/Sony-HDR-CX430V.html)
Sony AX53 site: AX53 4K Handycam® with Exmor R® CMOS sensor | FDR-AX53 | Sony US (http://www.sony.com/electronics/handycam-camcorders/fdr-ax53#balanced)
What Dave says about all the mass that has to move is a concern.

The BOSS system on the AX33 has been shown to be pretty good and that cam was announced or released two years later on or about January 1, 2015, and now we have the announcement of the AX53 cam.

Hopefully the reviews indicate the AX53 cam lives up to expectations.

The big question will be whether Sony has managed to get a really good 4K image out of a small sensor - so far I have yet to be impressed with the results from a "handycam" sized (roughly 1/3") sensor. The new Panasonics seem to be pretty nice, and the demo footage from the AX53 looks promising. I'll wait to see some "real world" tests.

You're correct that in "tech time", things change really fast, and there are usually incremental improvements, some small, others major. 4K is relatively quick on the uptake, but as is typical, there are good and not so good implementations. The AX100 and the RX's produce some incredibly sharp images, and the AX33, well, not so much, but still better than "HD"...

The BOSS system is a straightforward gimballed mount, that uses gyros and motors to keep the lens-sensor block pointed physically at the "target". It's not that big, but as those links show, it requires a bit of a "cage", and if you were to try to make a large enough cage for the 1" class sensor, it would be significantly larger, and the mass of the larger parts of the imaging block would likely create some challenges, and a much larger camera!

Not too late I hope, I would like to add my opinion on the practical use of the Sony’s image stabilization modes, called SteadyShot (SS), offered today in many Sony’s cameras and camcorders. In particular, I will focus on the three stabiliser modes available in the AX100 camcorder (identical modes also found in its sibling CX900), since it has been so often reported that the Active SS mode switches on "Clear Image Zoom" and degrades the image sharpness.
Degradation of the image sharpness has been invariably observed in almost all optical and digital stabilisation systems in the past. Referring particularly to the AX100 camcorder, Wacharapong Chiowanich reported that: “ … I wish I could get a usable panning shot at a shutter speed above 1/50th. Unless I do a very slow creeping pan for a cooking show I really can't see myself using a shutter speed that high (1/120, 1/125....etc.) and get a usable footage.… Actually this camera's stabilization in the standard/optical-only mode is nowhere near impressive and the active/digital+optical mode though more effective, reduces the resolution by cropping and re-scaling and as you say may interfere with the motion when panning the camera. ….I feel this is quite similar to what I got when zooming in near the tele end when in active steadyshot mode in 4K. At the wide end or close to it the difference in resolution is not really noticeable in practice.”
Contrary to the prevailing view of certain image degradation, referring to those camcorders Alister Chapman noted that “There is no drop in resolution when you use the active steadyshot. The sensor is super-sampled so you can crop in to the image at the sensor level without loosing any image quality. However I prefer to turn this off as it can make pans stutter a little more as the electronic stabiliser tries to hold on to motion within the frame.”
Based on my limited video-shooting experience, I would propose that due to their characteristics the three stabiliser modes available in both camcorders should be well understood and best used as follows:

1. SS–Off
Should only be used with a sturdy tripod, otherwise terrible wobbling and shake will most likely ruin your footage, particularly when zoomed in heavily to your subject (the use of a tripod is probably the most recognizable technical feature of classic cinema).

2. SS–Standard: In this mode camera shake is compensated by sliding movements of the CMOS image sensor, horizontally and vertically.
2a. If used with a tripod and without any camera movement, there should be no difference to the results produced by the SS-Off mode. Still, the use of SS–Standard mode is strongly advised with a flimsy tripod, since it would eliminate any possible erratic micro-trebling that would otherwise show in the SS-off mode (the use of SS–Active is not advised in this case).
2b. If you keep shooting handheld without deviating from your initial shooting axis (practically, if you are predetermined to keep the lens axis of the camcorder constantly aligned, thus allowing only zoom-in and zoom-out movements during shooting), SS–Standard mode would make a lot of difference compared to SS-Off, since you may achieve a “tripod-like” look of your footage.
2c. If you do a handheld or tripod mounted camera movement, i.e. panning, tilting or any combination, you will get a periodic robot-like image jittering, since the SS–Standard mode will resist to such a movement by trying to create, well, a steady shot, until it abandons it and starts the vicious image tethering circle again. The alternative of turning to the SS-Off mode will have better panning results on tripod, whereas SS-Off handheld shooting usually produces a more distracting wobbling, both admittedly without the robot-like “nervous” image tethering of the SS-Standard mode. Clearly when handheld, set to the SS-Standard mode today’s camcorders have no means to know whether your intention is to pan (pun intended) or you are just shaking. So, without a tripod you are up to now helpless for a panning/tilting take.

3. SS–Active: This mode keeps a certain amount of the edge pixels of the sensor "in reserve”, the more you zoom-in the larger the reserve. Although not shown in your screen, a portion of those perimetrically reserved regions are constantly used by the digital stabilization processor to “correct” your movements, either intended or not intended. In particular, if you start trebling the SS–Active mode will immediately compensate for it, whereas if you start panning/tilting (preferably at a steady linear course) the SS–Active mode will not only diagnose it almost immediately but it will render it more gracious, e.g. with the panning movement appearing at an approximately steady angular speed, both the above actions within limits of course.
Theoretically, by applying the SS–Active mode you're not losing quality per se, but you are left with fewer pixels to make up the final image, particularly at high zoom settings, since the image is cropped to create some playroom for digital stabilisation. Consequently, the image quality is deteriorated, even in the case of the CX900 and AX100 camcorders with an image sensor of approximately 20 Mpixels (only 14 of which are said to be used for video), this degradation being undoubtedly perceived as rather blurry and less dynamic image at high zoom settings. Still, I have not observed any visible degradation at small zoom settings, e.g. at equivalent focal lengths of 30 to approximately 100 mm, probably because the amount of the “reserved” edge pixels of the image sensor is small at those small focal lengths.
It finally looks that my experience agrees totally with Wacharapong Chiowanich and partly with Alister Chapman (at small focal lengths). Aesthetically, I would rather take a more stable video that has perceptibly less detail only at high zooming than take a disturbingly shaky higher detail video. In conclusion, if you want the image to pan smoothly without the use of a tripod, I believe your single choice with both the Sony’s CX900 and AX100 camcorders is the SS-Active mode, which seems to have evolved considerably even for shooting demanding HD videos, most probably due to the high pixel count of the image sensor, combined with a fast and evolved image processor.
Dimitris

An excellent analysis, I wish I had seen it before my trip to Switzerland in July. I shot everything in SS-standard in the belief of maintaining image sharpness. My big issue seems to be small little rotational moments handheld, however hard I try most shots have an element of rotation. I use Vegas to edit down to 1080p Blu-Ray and use the Sony stabilizer in Vegas (Mercalli v2) to take this out. If the overall movement is small it does a great job in very gently floating the image which looks excellent. Of course you loose a little resolution but as I am downsizing to HD it makes no difference. From your review it seems the best option for me (for hand held) is to keep with SS-Active. I always do very slow pans in wide angle. The Blu-Ray transfers from this camera are just stunning, the only post correction I do is with the Sony levels filter to spread the RGB pixel distribution over a wider range.

Andy

Oh, I thought I would say something about the autofocus of this camera. during my trip I filled 3x64 GByte cards with hundreds of shots all of which were in pin sharp focus. What I really like is that when it locks on it does not keep micro adjusting the focus. All my previous cameras kept constantly adjusting focus spoiling the image. OK it may take a while to move to an alternative focus point but this has never been a problem to me with this camera. My only down point is at the end of the zoom for long distance where the contrast falls off significantly giving a mild milky look. This can be improved in post though. At close range the zoom end is great and produces stunning close up flower shots.

Easily the best camera I have ever had.

I have both the AX100 and the AX53. Handheld with Active ON the AX53 is visibly better. I can even hold at close to full optical tele ( 20 X ) and pan following sail boats and it is still good. All this shot 60P HD. The BOSS system does work well. Don't shoot UHD with either so cannot say how it works then.

Ron Evans

I had the AX-53 and was frustrated with the lack on simultaneous manual control of shutter, iris and gain, as well as a of external function buttons so I returned it and got the AX100 which is superior in everything except stabilisation and size.
If handheld telephoto zoom recording is important and you can live without proper manual control of basic recording functions and less external buttons, then get the AX-53, otherwise the AX100 is superior.

The high frame rate mode of the AX53 is 1920x1080, whereas the AX100 is 1280x720.
AX53 has timecode. AX100 has ND filters.
AX53 is 20x zoom, AX100 is 12x.
They use the same batteries, but I think the BOSS system on the AX53 drains the battery faster, I know the AX33 does.

I use both the AX53 and the AX100 the same way. Set WB, a gain limit, set shutter speed and control with AE shift. Using AE shift you can effectively choose what you want fixed and let the camera control 2 of the parameters. I prefer the camera to control gain and iris within a range I have preset since if the light is good it will then only control iris. I am sure the Sony engineers have the relationship well designed for best performance with lens. It works very well and I have done this for a long time with the Sony cameras. If you use the "exposure " control you let the camera choose everything ( WB, gain, iris and shutter speed even ND for the AX100 ) and you are only telling it how bright or dark. This however will fix the exposure whereas AE shift will maintain the brightness. Without setting shutter speed you will then loose control of image blur if you want to mix with other cameras. But I agree that if you want to fix the exposure under your full manual control then the AX100 is the camera to get. Of interest is that the AX53 not only has timecode but also data code when recording XAVC-S. Something neither the AX100 or my AX1 has !!! I like to look at data code and missed this with the AX1 and then the AX100 so hope there will be a firmware update for those.

Ron Evans

Hello, sorry for my stupid question but I'm lacking about technics. I read Sony AX100 records at 25p. Are 25p like 25 framerate (FPS)? Thanks for your reply.

Yes, they are 25 full frames per second.

25P are full frames called progressive , interlace 25fps is 50 fields per second ( half the vertical resolution ) so motion is smoother than 25P since it has twice the pictures in the same time even though they are half the vertical resolution. . Interlace 25fps indicates the sync pulse rate to tell interlace equipment it is the start of a 2 field sequence and as such the frame rate for timecode is in sync with this sync pulse. Same thing applies to 30P and 60i for NTSC.( actually 29.97 and 59.94 real rates )

Ron Evans

25P are full frames called progressive , interlace 25fps is 50 fields per second ( half the vertical resolution ) so motion is smoother than 25P since it has twice the pictures in the same time even though they are half the vertical resolution. . Interlace 25fps indicates the sync pulse rate to tell interlace equipment it is the start of a 2 field sequence and as such the frame rate for timecode is in sync with this sync pulse. Same thing applies to 30P and 60i for NTSC.( actually 29.97 and 59.94 real rates )


Dear Ron, do you like more 25p or 50i?

I am in Canada so NTSC, I shoot 60P most of the time( my NX5U only shoots 60i ) as I do not like the slower frame rates because of the judder to my eyes. You have to decide for yourself I think based on how and what you shoot. If nothing much moves then slower frames rates should be fine. Because of my needs the UHD on the AX100 and AX53 I have are extras I do not use. I bought the AX100 over the CX900 because I thought the resale would be better and the AX53 I got for the BOSS image stabilizer that I liked on my NX30U implemented in a newer camera. It does work well too. So I shoot HD , 60P on both of them XAVC-S 50Mbps.

Ron Evans

I am in Canada so NTSC, I shoot 60P most of the time( my NX5U only shoots 60i ) as I do not like the slower frame rates because of the judder to my eyes. You have to decide for yourself I think based on how and what you shoot. If nothing much moves then slower frames rates should be fine. Because of my needs the UHD on the AX100 and AX53 I have are extras I do not use. I bought the AX100 over the CX900 because I thought the resale would be better and the AX53 I got for the BOSS image stabilizer that I liked on my NX30U implemented in a newer camera. It does work well too. So I shoot HD , 60P on both of them XAVC-S 50Mbps.

Out of curiosity: do you like more AX100 or AX53? Then ... have they the same quality of picture?

I have both AX100 and AX53 like Ron.

In my humble opinion, the AX53 makes better pictures - there is less noise, much better HD internal recording and timecode, user-bits and time lapse recording - but of course the AX100 has more manageable manual settings and a bigger chip.

I feel that the AX100 is now showing its age, it is still a very capable camera, but I'm pretty sure the replacement for the AX100 will be very strong, hopefully with UHD 50/60P

The touch screen on the AX100 has poor response, not great in a run and gun mode, whereas the 53 is really good.

Paul :-)

Bit slow in responding as I was busy yesterday but I agree with Paul.

Ron Evans

I have both. The AX-100 has a better picture by virtue of the larger chip BUT both serve their purpose..

Hi

Long time not being here but back...

Looking to discontinue use of my PD150 and move to the ax100. Can not justify going to a 4K similar to my old PD150. Am but a humble part time for fun video person... not my main life.
I do some theatre work for a dance school (My daughter is the owner and I am slave labour).
Up to now I have edited in Premiere on ibm and now an IMAC and prepared DVD's on Encore and a duplicator stack (7) for distribution.
Several questions, on assumption of buying a ax100 within a few days(good second hand deal)

1 DVD's I am told are passed. OK, but how to distribute to customers and still have product control?

2 ax 100 has no built in xlr. Sony have two VERY expensive ones.Anyone use any xlr "box" to connect to theatre system boards? Any recommendations?

3 4K sounds great, but how to distribute? Or does one drop down a level? Even Back to DVD's???

Help....

Martin

Martin - wth regard to question #2, an XLR “box”, one solution can be a JuicedLink unit. JuicedLink has a pretty good reputation for low noise so that is a plus. Also, there are additional controls available such as gain controls for each channel and the XLRs are the locking type.

Review: LVProductionsTools of the Trade: NEW! Juicedlink CX211 XLR Adapter... (http://lvptools.blogspot.co.at/2008/04/new-juicedlink-cx211-xlr-adapter.html)

This one is the CX211 and can be found used quite inexpensive. On mine, I use a small piece of an antiskid material between the unit and the bottom of the cam so the attach screw dosen’t have to be overtightened. This also protects the typical serial number on the bottom of the cam from getting all scratched up.

The JuicedLink pre really adds to the audio capability of the cam. Separate recorders are also an option but this addresses the question. The middle picture, on the right, is the writing on the bottom of the unit.

If you do not need 4k or UHD why not look at the NX100. About the same price as the AX100 and has XLR etc with bigger batteries more professional look if that is important or even the new Panasonic UX90.

I have the AX100 and AX53 but for me unless there is 60P UHD I am not interested in slower frame rates and I use just as HD cameras. I think these cameras that are just 30P UHD is just a limitation of the technology for price and a nice marketing ploy. The higher resolution makes judder even more pronounced unless camera work is very well controlled.

Ron Evans

4K isn't that expensive to at least stick one's toe into the water - and the AX100 can still shoot 1080p. The judder or stutter or shimmer can be reduced to a significant degree by keeping shutter speeds down so a natural motion blur avoids the "series of very sharp stills" jumpiness.

I just saw UHD Blu-Ray players at a warehouse discount store for under $200 ("half off" the $400-ish retail). 4K delivery on disc may be affordable sooner rather than later, but you'll find that the enhanced detail trickles down even to an SD DVD as well as giving you pan/crop options in post. BR discs might be an option as well? Of course we live in a "streaming" era, and other "digital delivery" options. Protecting one's end product continues to be a challenge, short of physical discs... 1's and 0's can be copied if the incentive to do so is sufficient....

A friend of mine has just made an extension of the cable, from jack to XLR. I never used it yet. Do you think it is good or do I have to worry about using this extension?

Thanks John and others for the responses. I think a xlr box sounds good.Still have not pulled the pin... Too many questions. How to edit 4k, Premier? External add on mike?

Martin

Well, pulled the pin and now have an ax100. Cute little thing!!! Now trying to get familiar with it. By luck I was able to get a Beachtek DXA SLR active xlr box on eBay from Paris. Came in days and looks like it was hardly used. I have just updated the ax100 firmware and am ready to go. Will try this afternoon with grand daughter's gym class.
Any clues from those using this camera are appreciated. Also items about editing with Premier cs6 on my iMac. Best practices etc.

Thanks
Martin