That is a cheap LED with CTO.

Paul

Of course...

Terence what are the front filter thread size?

Paul

It is 82mm at the front as well as at the back, as the sides of the lens appear parallel. But I double checked with my callipers just to make sure. I think I'll get one of those Bower polarizing filters you had in your video.

-Terence

Happy to say my 10 year-old Manfrotto LANC remote control pan bar is now working flawlessly with the PXW-X70. I just received a Sony Multi Adapter Cable (SOVMCAVM1) and Manfrotto Adapter Cable LANC/AV-R Sony (MA522AV) from B&H. Much easier to run than using the remote control in your left hand and a standard pan arm in your right. These two cables are needed to make it work. The order arrived in Canada two days after I placed it - shipped at Ground price. Great service from B&H!

Does anyone know if the X70 can be jam sync'd to something like a Sound Devices 702T so that it can use free run timecode untethered? I think it would need to have an onboard time code clock.

-Terence

Good news - Catalyst Browse has been updated to 1.1.0.86, and now includes batch Transcoding of multiple files...

This is not on Sony's web site yet and you can only find it through the app. It's a bit hidden - open Catalyst, at the very top right click Options, then in the box that comes up click About, then in the next box click Check for Updates. Once it finds it you can download, install, and relaunch. The new version is 1.1.0.86 and does indeed give access to the Transcode option even when multiple files are selected. In my haste I did not read the entire list of features/fixes.

Very glad to see this!

thanks David,
Just to say I opened Browse and up came a prompt saying new version available

thanks David,
Just to say I opened Browse and up came a prompt saying new version available

Same here. I like the fact that it has now caught up with the past and will link files that are part of a single AVCHD clip !!!!!

Ron Evans

NOT A SOLUTION.

The new version, which have just wasted an hour getting around, will only transcode multiclip mode to AVCHD. It WILL NOT transcode to ProRes, or XAVC on my Mac, but it will transcode to DPX, which will not work in FCP X. So I shot 30 clips on a story, and then another half hour transcoding to DPX to figure that out, now have to ingest via SDI.

What is the point of transcoding to a format you can shoot in camera if it takes 3 minutes per minute of footage to transcode? Pointless.

Paul

Like you I can't seem to do anything useful with this. Back to Prepare. What on earth are the developers in Sony doing? do they live on another planet?

OK so I'm stupid but when I select several file to transcode, the transcode button is greyed out. Back to square one. What am I doing wrong?

You are operating a camera with a codec that will not be editable until so much time passes that the cost of the camera drops several hundred dollars, and is replaced with a NEWER UNIT WITH BETTER HARDWARE FEATURES. :-)

Paul

Catalyst Prepare is $199 at the Sony site but I was able to purchase it for about $50 less from B&H. I don't have an X70 (yet) but do have a new Sony A7s.

Just confirmed I can only transcode to AVCHD or DPX on my PC as well. DPX doesn't work in Sony Vegas either, and this is not a multiclip issue, Catalyst Browse refuses to transcode even a single file to anything other than AVCHD or DPX. This free Sony software appears to be a "Whoops, I accidentally shot this on a format that is not editable, and need to transcode to the other format that I should have selected in my camera menu" solution. They should just call this "SD Card Footage Repair" Browse.

This means there is still no way to get my 10 bit 4:2:2 50Mbps video out of my camera........how annoying.

Paul

Why not use Premiere Pro? It will run with XAVC right out of the camera, or transcode to whatever you like. Get a free demo or sign up for a Creative Cloud subscription. Cheaper than an external ProRes recorder...

Just confirmed I can only transcode to AVCHD or DPX on my PC as well. DPX doesn't work in Sony Vegas either, and this is not a multiclip issue, Catalyst Browse refuses to transcode even a single file to anything other than AVCHD or DPX. This free Sony software appears to be a "Whoops, I accidentally shot this on a format that is not editable, and need to transcode to the other format that I should have selected in my camera menu" solution. They should just call this "SD Card Footage Repair" Browse.

This means there is still no way to get my 10 bit 4:2:2 50Mbps video out of my camera........how annoying.

Paul

X70 10bit 4:2:2 MXF files will edit fine in Edius 7.4 which will also show DPX too ( still image sequence !!!). I have Vegas 12, as you say nothing !! CS6 will show DPX. Pretty useless piece of software. Only use is to get the files into the computer for me. At least my edit software will work with them. Premiere Pro CC I believe will also work.

Ron Evans

I don't know what to say - mine works.

In the Browse View in Catalyst Browse I can select multiple clips and transcode them to ProRes.
Select them, click the File dropdown at lower right.
Choose Transcode to...
Set Format to ProRes
Choose preset you want.

My only choices are DPX and XAVC no ProRes I am on Windows though. Trans coding to XAVC Intra will then work in Vegas 12.

Ron Evans

I'm on Mac - latest version of Browse (1.1.0.86 from earlier this week) and latest OSX.

Windows version is (1.1.0.87) with DPX or XAVC as options

Just confirmed I can only transcode to AVCHD or DPX on my PC as well. DPX doesn't work in Sony Vegas either, and this is not a multiclip issue, Catalyst Browse refuses to transcode even a single file to anything other than AVCHD or DPX. This free Sony software appears to be a "Whoops, I accidentally shot this on a format that is not editable, and need to transcode to the other format that I should have selected in my camera menu" solution. They should just call this "SD Card Footage Repair" Browse.

This means there is still no way to get my 10 bit 4:2:2 50Mbps video out of my camera........how annoying.

Paul

Looks like you'll have to stump up for Prepare .

I don't know what to say - mine works.

In the Browse View in Catalyst Browse I can select multiple clips and transcode them to ProRes.
Select them, click the File dropdown at lower right.
Choose Transcode to...
Set Format to ProRes
Choose preset you want.
Exactly the same as you, Mac 10.6, updated Browse- Nothing- the file menu transcode button is greyed out I used the pop up 'new version available which is 1.02 but if I follow your instructions David and go to options/about etc an even newer version 1.1 appears. Then magically I can transcode multiple files. What on earth was the pop up for?
It's like being in a computer game maze.

Paul as I mentioned the transcode to XAVC Intra will work in Vegas 12 so you can edit your X70 video. Transcode is quite fast too. XAVC Intra is the full version of XAVC rather than the LongGOP of the X70 so file size is bigger about 5 times as big !!! But is easier to edit with. OF interest too is the fact i could not get the data code button on the X70 I had as a demo to work but this latest version of Catalyst shows all the data code information !!!

Ron Evans

Just figured out that part of my problem is that I shoot 720p60. In a test, 1080p60 WILL transcode to ProRes and XAVC. This is still a problem for me, as my work issued editing platform is FCP X, and if you use FCP X, you will no doubt be aware that you cannot export/render/share a 720 file from a 1080 master unless you do something like drop a 1 second 720 clip at the beginning of the timeline.

I must say though, I did nee a noticeable improvement in quality on the XAVC footage I ingested via SDI. The night gained up colorful stuff looked smoother, less noise, colors popped a bit more. :)

Paul

Paul,

Also looking at the SDI option. Are using it with Sony Vegas? Will this simple card, an SDI cable and Vegas 13 do the job?

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/decklink/techspecs/W-DLK-06

Gabor

If you are using Vegas then you are on a PC. You can convert to XAVC with Browse and the only downside is file size. Its fast too. Files are about 5 times the size of XAVC-L from the X70. Play fine in my Vegas 12 and so I am sure do so in Vegas 13. Paul's problem is he is on a Mac with FCPX. As mentioned before Edius 7.4 plays native files just fine.

Ron Evans

My primary issue is that I shoot/broadcast news in 720p60, which invalidates all of the usable codecs in browse. I believe that 1080p60 transcodes in batch processing are workable for non news situations. My speedy 4770k i7 PC took about a minute to transcode a single 30 second file. Making as XAVC S Media Player compatible file took another 4 minutes to transcode that XAVC 30 second clip.

If I am not mistaken, once you convert to regular XAVC, you can do cut's only editing without rerendering, smart rendering is what it's called.

Paul

Ron,

Thanks for your help. David mentioned on the earlier page that selecting multiple clips was possible. Is that only in the mac version of Catalyst Browse? Or can I do that in the Windows version as well? Any idea how? Simply holding down the Shift-key doesn't help.

Gabor

A bit more like a TV commercial (back in the 1980s) for colour photographic film?

Andrew

Gabor, FYI, BlackMagic Media Express will not ingest at 1080p60, you would have to output 1080p30 or 720p60 regardless of the format of the recording for Media Express to see the inbound signal.

Paul;

Ron,

Thanks for your help. David mentioned on the earlier page that selecting multiple clips was possible. Is that only in the mac version of Catalyst Browse? Or can I do that in the Windows version as well? Any idea how? Simply holding down the Shift-key doesn't help.

Gabor

Selection is standard windows either use shift or ctrl etc. then go to file menu in bottom right of pane and select what you want. I just did a test of encode speed to XAVC on my WIn 7 64bit i7 3770K with 16G RAM encoding 2 files total of 4 min 35 sec reading from one hard drive and writing to another and it took 5 min 38 sec. These XAVC Intra files run in either Vegas 12 or Edius 7.4 on my PC.

Ron Evans

I hate to say this but this new camera has a control layout I wish the Sony's had........if it didn't have that 1.23" sensor.....

JVC GY-HM200 4KCAM Compact Handheld Camcorder GY-HM200 B&H Photo

Paul

Anyone have any thoughts on how this cam compares, image-wise, to an EX1/R? I realize the EX is HD only with no upgrade path but that's fine 'cause right now so is the 70.

I shot a film festival as B camera (CX900) to an EX1 shooting A camera. The other photographer said my video looked much cleaner than his in the available light and with LED lighting.

Paul

I know this is from a different camera to the one we are discussing, but on the topic of exceptionally good imaging (better than a SLR camera) in low light situations ...

Here are a couple of frame grabs from my PMW-300, which had the sensor running at 12dB gain. It was a Blues Brothers tribute band performing at a private dance event. The CU shot of the singers was posted to their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Soul-Men-Blues-Brothers-Tribute-Band/111770698554) and generated a heap of likes and "awesome photo!" comments.

Also worth noting on the Facebook page was a comment from the band's friend/photog promising to not drink so much so that she can take better photos next time. Yeah, the mind boggles.

Andrew

In what respect was the image cleaner on the CX900? Are we talking noise/grain here? Do you know what the two cams' settings were compared to each other as far as gain/exposure/etc.? Thanks.

Unknown, he just said it looked better when he viewed both versions on his Mac......assuming cleaner less noise/grain.

Paul

Just got a Fujinon WCV-82SC converter from Broadcast Brokers in France sent to Thailand (100 euros).
The rings to allow the 82-62 adaptor to be fitted need to be around 8 mm. I only have a 4mm one at present so will have to get more from Ebay. So if anyone gets their hands on this converter remember to get several cheap UV filters, remove the glass and fit!

I shot a film festival as B camera (CX900) to an EX1 shooting A camera. The other photographer said my video looked much cleaner than his in the available light and with LED lighting.

Paul

Paul , in November you put up a YT video showing very accurate colours and elsewhere suggested starting from the 'Still PP
could you let us know what setting you have please, I think they are great
thanks
Mike

Mike, heading in to my station a few hours early tonight to do some more extensive vectorscoping of my X70. I should have post-able finalized ITU709 and Cinematone PP calibrations. I have learned a lot about how these cameras are adjusted, and will also post a how to tutorial on the best ways to eyeball calibrate the settings without a vectorscope or chart/monitor etc.

Paul

Paul,
Thanks
Mike

After my dismal experience with the AX100, some of which I fully lay on my own lack of knowledge, then an even more frustrating couple of day stint with Sony's new X-180 (which went back due to a myriad of defects and quirks), I bought the X70. Initially this purchase was a gap filler due to the delay in Sony releasing the X200 camera, but the X 70 has turned out to be a very good choice.

I received it a day before a three week still shooting assignment on the east coast, so I packed it and it's manual in my carry on for some in flight familiarization. The X70 is one of those cameras that just fits and behaves right. Two hours into my flight it had become an old friend and I had shot beautiful, stabilized clips of the sky scapes we were navigating. All of the buttons, toggle switch menu navigation, varying functions, made sense and once I had gone through them a couple of times, they became old hat.

I reviewed the clips on the camera display, but because of a hectic schedule and the holidays, I had not been able to see them on an appropriate display. Today I plugged the X70 into a 65" flat screen and watched everything that I have shot on it. The subject matter ranged from clips of beautiful cloud formations slipping by the Gulfstream, to dusk city skylines with bright fountains dancing in the frame, to my Grandchildren on Christmas morning in a poor light mix of daylight and incandescent . The Sony handled all of this very capably with no blown highlights and very little noise in the night scenes. Based upon my experiences, for $2,200 this little camera was a very pleasant surprise.

I have an Atomos Shogun arriving in a few days that should really round out this system nicely, while I wait for someone else to be the test bench on the X-200 when it is finally released.

A side note, were it not for all of you here, and your willingness to share your vast equipment and technical experience, I would still be at the starting gate wondering what to do and which way to go. This is an invaluable forum, populated with great people and I for one very much appreciate you all. And to the sponsors, because of this thread and the knowledge I have gleaned here, Y'All have sold some nice gear.

Sincerely,

Jim Wilson

P.S. A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2015 to everyone here!

Glad you're happy with the results - what settings did you use? Did you adjust the Picture Profiles, Knee, exposure, etc.?? Please share!

Hi David,

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn't fiddle with any custom settings/profiles at this point. My clips look very good, but they have that untweaked, little bit neutral flat character that a RAW file has before one shines it up. This was just my initial shakedown cruise, I need to become much more familiar with what the X70 can do. Oddly, while we were at a movie tonight, B&H sent me an email notifying me that the Sony X-200 is now in stock. I'm sure it's a great camera, but I think I'll hold off and get to know the X-70 before I decide to jump off with the 200.

I'll get back to you on any settings that I find beneficial, please let me know if you find any that you like.

Happy New Year!

JW

you mean the pmw x-200? that thing is 6300...quite a price bump.

Hi Josh,

Yes, I realize that we're not talking apples to apples. I bought the X-180, but it failed miserably right off the bat. A great Sony Tech person convinced me to hold out for the X-200 which was to be released in late October or early November, which turned into 12/31/14. The 200 was a couple grand bump from the 180, but supposedly it had the chops to justify it. So, I was comfortable with the investment, just not sure about the tool. Something that additionally complicates my decision is that I have an upcoming project that may require something like the Red Dragon product, again a huge step into yet another world.

oh im sure for that price its amazing!

anyway, anyone have input on how low light is on the 70, compared to, again, an ex1? Im thinking of how its an f4 lens, wondering how much gain you can get away with on the 70 before it gets nasty.

Josh, I shot some clips of the Jacksonville Florida city skyline at night with very slight gain bump and they were virtually noise free. I don't have the video handy, but I can show you the lighting scenario in a still image.................

That'd be great, thanks. I think the other major drawback to me with this cam was the limited zoom. . .many claim the 24x digital zoom is next to noise free. . .any thoughts on that?