i didnt see, does the cam have buffer/cache recording (where its always recording the last 30 seconds or so and overwriting til you hit record)? thats a great feature

i didnt see, does the cam have buffer/cache recording (where its always recording the last 30 seconds or so and overwriting til you hit record)? thats a great feature

That's a critical feature for me as well. I rest a post on B&H Q&A that stated they do not believe there's any internal memory buffer but can't say for sure.

It would be a serious oversight in my opinion. It's important for ENG work which this type of camera would be used for. I've rest the PXW-X200 has it and it's featured in the description. I've shot way too many press events where speakers start late and you need to have the camera running to catch an mistimed opening statement.

I'd be extremely disappointed if the X70 doesn't have cache record.

No mention of this in the manual. You can of course record independently on the each card. Starting one card with the main stop/start button and the other with the top handle button. One could be left running all the time and the other started and stop when needed. They appear to be the same codec use though unlike the NX5U which can be different.

Ron Evans

I really think that Sony needs to state what their 4k (UHD) intentions are for the X70.

I called Sony Pro support and they could not give me any official 4k upgrade specs. The guy told me that its very "possible" that it will only be 60mbp/s. (same codec as the AX100)

I really hope that Sony at least adds 100mbp/s long GOP UHD. Keeping an "XDCAM" locked at the same bitrate as a Handycam is terrible for the brand.

If 4k is what you want from the X70, you might want to wait for Sony to release the official upgrade specs first.

You might very disappointed. Hopefully Sony will add a bit more bitrate to this model over the AX100

Any raw footage you care to share?

Not yet. I have been very busy and haven't had much of chance to use it yet. Also, I didn't realize that my SanDisk Extreme Pro cards are only SDHC. You cannot record XVAC on to the SDHC cards, only SDXC. Also the manual recommends SDXC UHS-3 cards for slow & quick motion in SDXC. I have ordered a couple 64 GB SDXC UHS-3 cards. Should be here on Wednesday. I don't really want to post video taken with AVCHD since it's not showing the cameras full potential. If that makes sense.

i didnt see, does the cam have buffer/cache recording (where its always recording the last 30 seconds or so and overwriting til you hit record)? thats a great feature

It does not have a pre-record buffer. That would have been a nice added feature.

As Cliff stated, I'm hoping there will be details forthcoming about the 4K upgrade. I also can find no mention in the manual of 120fps at all. I'd hope the upgrade would also add that - at the very least @ 720p as in the AX100.

As Cliff stated, I'm hoping there will be details forthcoming about the 4K upgrade. I also can find no mention in the manual of 120fps at all. I'd hope the upgrade would also add that - at the very least @ 720p as in the AX100.

There's no 120fps in the menu on the camera. Maybe(hopefully) that will be added with the firmware upgrade.

I'm a bit surprised that it lacks so many features already available on the ax100.
Could it be that Sony are working to add them together with the 4k firmware or have they dumbed the x70 down too much hardware wise while trying to sell it as semi pro?

Just a little update. I received my accessories by UPS last night. I can confirm that using the mulit to AV/R cable connected to an AV/R cable to 2.5mm jack cable, connected to a LANC controller does function properly. It's a bit of a cluster and a PITA, but it does work. Hopefully they will start making some LANC controllers with the mulit port on them.

This is critical news to me. Have you by chance tested this cable combination with a LANC zoom rocker attached at the end? Does it control the servo properly?

Much thanks!

I'm a bit surprised that it lacks so many features already available on the ax100.
Could it be that Sony are working to add them together with the 4k firmware or have they dumbed the x70 down too much hardware wise while trying to sell it as semi pro?

I have a cheap Lanc that came with a tripod I bought off ebay a while back. Right now, it's all I have to test it with(I should receive my Varizoom Stealth LX tomorrow). Here's what I can confirm. The Zoom in/out works perfectly. The manual focus works, but as it zooms in, the closer it gets to the minimum focal length, the slower it gets. I don't know if this is a function of the Lanc or the camera, but it makes it kind tough to get a nice rack focus that is fast enough to be usable. Again, not sure what is making it behave this way. The further you move your focal point out, the faster it moves. Also, the camera is set to turn off when you close the LCD panel. My Lanc has an on/off switch. If I close the panel and the switch is in the "on" position, the camera seems to do a cycle of powering on/off until I unplug the Lanc. If I leave the LCD open, and turn the switch to "off" on the Lanc, it works as it should. Not sure if this will be an issue with the Varizoom. I believe you can turn that functionality off on the camera so that it doesn't power off when the LCD is closed. That would also fix the issue. There's an information button on the Lanc, and it does toggle between what info is displayed on the screen. There's also a photo button on the Lanc, which used to take pictures on my XHA1s. When used with this camera, that button does nothing. There is no picture function on it.

I have a cheap Lanc that came with a tripod I bought off ebay a while back. Right now, it's all I have to test it with(I should receive my Varizoom Stealth LX tomorrow). Here's what I can confirm. The Zoom in/out works perfectly. The manual focus works, but as it zooms in, the closer it gets to the minimum focal length, the slower it gets. I don't know if this is a function of the Lanc or the camera, but it makes it kind tough to get a nice rack focus that is fast enough to be usable. Again, not sure what is making it behave this way. The further you move your focal point out, the faster it moves. Also, the camera is set to turn off when you close the LCD panel. My Lanc has an on/off switch. If I close the panel and the switch is in the "on" position, the camera seems to do a cycle of powering on/off until I unplug the Lanc. If I leave the LCD open, and turn the switch to "off" on the Lanc, it works as it should. Not sure if this will be an issue with the Varizoom. I believe you can turn that functionality off on the camera so that it doesn't power off when the LCD is closed. That would also fix the issue. There's an information button on the Lanc, and it does toggle between what info is displayed on the screen. There's also a photo button on the Lanc, which used to take pictures on my XHA1s. When used with this camera, that button does nothing. There is no picture function on it.

This information is hugely appreciated.

When you are referring to the speed relative to the focal length, are you referring to the speed at which the auto focus behaves, or the speed that the servo zoom changes the actual focal length?

Thanks again. Very helpful.

PS. If you get a chance, would you mind checking to see if there is indeed a setting in the menu that allows you to keep the camera powered on with the LCD closed? If not then no worries.

This information is hugely appreciated.

When you are referring to the speed relative to the focal length, are you referring to the speed at which the auto focus behaves, or the speed that the servo zoom changes the actual focal length?

Thanks again. Very helpful.

PS. If you get a chance, would you mind checking to see if there is indeed a setting in the menu that allows you to keep the camera powered on with the LCD closed? If not then no worries.

I'm not sure. I was using manual focus on the camera and trying to control a rack focus to move my focal point from say 15 feet away to about 2 feet away. As the focal point gets closer, the slower it changes. If that makes sense. If I'm focused to infinity, and use the Lanc to manually move the focal point to very close, you can see the distance indicator on the LCD screen. The distance closes quickly, but as it gets closer the speed it moves ramps down. It could be the Lanc, or a setting I have on the camera wrong. I don't know. I just need more time to get familiar with the camera. I can rack focus with the lens ring just fine.

Looks like B&H has an early October ship date and Adorama has them in stock.

yea, does look like adorama has it, doesn't mention anything about backorder even during checkout

Ordered from B&H last week and still haven't gotten any notification on shipment.

Yeah - bought one and accessories - will have by tomorrow - cancelled B&H. They (A) told me they only had 2 in stock so they may be gone by now

Yeah - bought one and accessories - will have by tomorrow - cancelled B&H. They (A) told me they only had 2 in stock so they may be gone by now

FYI, Campbell's Cameras does have limited quantities in stock per their Facebook page today.

Sony PXW-X70 Professional XDCAM Compact Camcorder (http://www.campbellcameras.com/Sony-PXW-X70-Professional-XDCAM-Compact-Camcorder.html?sc=31&category=76952)

Call and ask for Johanna. She will take care of you.

Glad to see some folks getting them in hand soon. I'm very anxious to see if the combination of the better codec and the options to tweak knee, gammas, etc., truly do allow for dialing in a different look. I'm hoping this gives us more than just a CX900 with XLRs.

The manual focus works, but as it zooms in, the closer it gets to the minimum focal length, the slower it gets. I don't know if this is a function of the Lanc or the camera, but it makes it kind tough to get a nice rack focus that is fast enough to be usable.

I think it's the camera.
I was hoping the engineers would change this focus behavior on the PXW-X70 compared with the AX100/CX900.

The more you zoom in on the AX100/CX900, the more turns of the focus ring is needed to nail focus, which forces you to remove your hand several times during the rack focus causing the camera to shake.

This is discouraging.
I prefer manual focus operation when shooting, and this makes it very difficult to achieve proper manual focus control when shooting handheld.

I had the same experience when I had my 2 weeks of testing out the AX100 - I found myself turning on auto focus momentarily and then going back to manual - it shortened the process.

I have found that the best technique with all the small Sony's I have ( CX700, NX30U, XR500 ) is to use spot focus. The lens has to be focused when zoomed anyway as they do not maintain focus with zoom . Just a touch on the LCD and it is very fast and can also be used to change focus point within the image of course. Camera stays in manual focus but I never use the focus ring. I have "my Buttons" set up on the NX30U so that I just touch the spot focus button I have set and the place on the image I want in focus. A disappointment is that the X70 does not have the " My Buttons " feature. Saves such a lot of time going through menus to the 3 things one uses the most.

Wish my NX5U or the new X160/X180 had this feature.

Ron Evans

I'm not sure. I was using manual focus on the camera and trying to control a rack focus to move my focal point from say 15 feet away to about 2 feet away. As the focal point gets closer, the slower it changes. If that makes sense. If I'm focused to infinity, and use the Lanc to manually move the focal point to very close, you can see the distance indicator on the LCD screen. The distance closes quickly, but as it gets closer the speed it moves ramps down. It could be the Lanc, or a setting I have on the camera wrong. I don't know. I just need more time to get familiar with the camera. I can rack focus with the lens ring just fine.

Thanks for your input.
Were you shooting wide open?
Could it be related to the large aperture and small dof at that specific focal length so that the X70 have to slow down to not over shoot the focus?


How does non-mechanical zoom/focus ring and iris knob act when you slowly begin or stop turning it?
Does it scale the turn speed smoothly or does it have crude steps and high threshold?

I love the feeling and control of mechanical rings which my JVC HM150 lacks. And even though I love the format of that little camera I'm really interested to hear how the X70 does it.
I want to challenge my creativity - not my laggy rings.

I have found that the best technique with all the small Sony's I have ( CX700, NX30U, XR500 ) is to use spot focus. The lens has to be focused when zoomed anyway as they do not maintain focus with zoom . Just a touch on the LCD and it is very fast and can also be used to change focus point within the image of course. Camera stays in manual focus but I never use the focus ring. I have "my Buttons" set up on the NX30U so that I just touch the spot focus button I have set and the place on the image I want in focus. A disappointment is that the X70 does not have the " My Buttons " feature. Saves such a lot of time going through menus to the 3 things one uses the most.

Wish my NX5U or the new X160/X180 had this feature.

Ron Evans

There are 6 function buttons that can be set to what ever function you want as a shortcut. I haven't had a chance to set them up on the camera, but I did set up the nightshot function on #6 which would normally be digital extender. So it does have a similar capability, just in a slightly different form.

Hmmm, AX100 has "My Buttons"... OH, the mysteries of Sony firmware! Features and functions seem terribly random sometimes!

Yes ,missed the assignable buttons. My NX5U and AX1 have assignable buttons too. Just have to remember what they are set too but the "My buttons" show what they are too. Actually would be nice to have both.

The X70 will overexpose like all the other Sony's I have so a guide for those new to Sony either use full manual exposure or AE shift at least -0.5ev. This is true for all the Sony cameras I have ever had !!!

Ron Evans

whoa whoa...are you saying x70 wont have a parfocal lens? how is that acceptable?

whoa whoa...are you saying x70 wont have a parfocal lens? how is that acceptable?

you must have misread something. it's parfocal

someone above mentioned other cameras not holding focus while zooming, thought they were saying the x70 was similar. my mistake.

I was the one who mentioned that as all my small Sony's do not hold focus when zoomed. I will wait and see if the X70 does but would not be surprised if it did not. The NX30U does not hold focus or the CX700.

Ron Evans

that is some weak sauce.

Thanks for your input.
Were you shooting wide open?
Could it be related to the large aperture and small dof at that specific focal length so that the X70 have to slow down to not over shoot the focus?


How does non-mechanical zoom/focus ring and iris knob act when you slowly begin or stop turning it?
Does it scale the turn speed smoothly or does it have crude steps and high threshold?

I love the feeling and control of mechanical rings which my JVC HM150 lacks. And even though I love the format of that little camera I'm really interested to hear how the X70 does it.
I want to challenge my creativity - not my laggy rings.

I tested it tonight. If I have it fully wide, then it the focus pulls at a good rate, but when I'm zoomed then it slows way down as close as I pull the focus.

The zoom/focus ring seems be smooth to me.

you must have misread something. it's parfocal

Would someone with the camera check this. Focus at wide then zoom in. Is it still in focus ? Do the opposite too. As none of my small Sony's will stay in focus in either direction.

Ron Evans

OK Ron, tried a little test with the AX100 and also the PJ760 (comparable to the NX30)...

Set to manual focus, tried focusing on objects 10-15 ft away (ish) while zoomed in, then zooming out - sure looks like the focus distance remains locked to the distance that the focus readout shows (makes sense, since the distance between the camera and target is the same, only lens zoom changes).

That said, I would imagine that in auto modes the camera might well decide to wither change "targets", or hunt a bit... when set manually, they both seem to maintain focal distance.

Good to know. Not concerned about autofocus, but it should hold focus in manual like any other camcorder.

Hi Dave, Depth of field at that distance may not vary as much as most of my shooting that is more like 50 to 100 feet in lower light. Zoomed in on an actor on the stage to a full wide stage view. In my cases the difference is obvious out of focus,meaning I can improve the focus by re focusing either manually or with spot focus. I have my NX5U to compare with which will zoom from a full stage view to closeup for a full show and maintain focus. (Though initially had to send back to Sony for a lens replacement to get it to do this. Also sent back for the same reason my FDR-AX1 and they replaced the lens unit on it too !! ) The NX30U will not do this consistently. Repeatedly zooming in and out will not result in sharp focus hence my wife who uses the NX30U, uses spot focus all the time. Was the same with XR500 , the CX700. and goes back to the XR11 and XR7.

That is my experience so other uses with less variation in depth of field due to exposure changes may be fine. The spot focus maximizes the depth of field which is what I want for my use which may of course be the exact opposite for what others want.

Honestly for shooting groups of people in good light it would be difficult to be better than the auto controls on these cameras which will consistently maximize exposure and focus assuming AE shift is used.

Ron Evans

Earlier on, some people asked for some X70 raw footage. Here are some of the files i shot in the park behind my appartment today:

http://we.tl/XlxyCMBi6U

Please feel free to use, not to publish.

What surprises me the most: The XAVC files are in .MXF format as wrapper, Sony people on the Sony stand at IBC told me it would be .MP4. Furthermore, VLC player doesn't play these XAVC files, hope they come up with an update really soon. Older versions of NLE software neither do cooperate with these files so updating your software is absolutely necessary.

Interestingly, VLC will play the XAVC footage recorded from the PMW-300 ... but not these files.

The good news is that you can use Media Player Classic (http://mpc-hc.org/downloads/) to play the files. (My installed version is 1.7.6)

Andrew

Earlier on, some people asked for some X70 raw footage. Here are some of the files i shot in the park behind my appartment today:

http://we.tl/XlxyCMBi6U

Please feel free to use, not to publish.

What surprises me the most: The XAVC files are in .MXF format as wrapper, Sony people on the Sony stand at IBC told me it would be .MP4. Furthermore, VLC player doesn't play these XAVC files, hope they come up with an update really soon. Older versions of NLE software neither do cooperate with these files so updating your software is absolutely necessary.

When I did my first test shots (yesterday), I was rather disappointed when Sony Content Browser 2.0 (paid version) would not recognize them. The software touts "XAVC support" but they must only be referring to XAVC-Intra. It is also interesting that the same file structure on the SDXC card for the X70 was on the AX100 when I used it for a couple of weeks of testing. I wonder if XAVC-L (Long GOP) is just a form of the consumer grade XAVC-S that is on the AX100 and they call it by a different name just to make it sound more "professional"

To answer someone else's question about the EVF and LCD screen playing at the same time - the answer is yes BUT (at least on my camera) it seems that when I have both on the LCD goes blank for a few seconds every minute or so - don't know if that is normal operation or not..

As someone else suggested, setting one of the assign buttons for "spot focus" really works well for relatively fast focusing without fiddling with the focus ring - just the tap of a finger and in a few seconds everything is quite sharp.

To answer someone else's question about the EVF and LCD screen playing at the same time - the answer is yes BUT (at least on my camera) it seems that when I have both on the LCD goes blank for a few seconds every minute or so - don't know if that is normal operation or not..

The X70 is equipped with a sensor on the viewfinder. If the VF is extended and your face (or something else) is moved in front of the VF than it will turn on and the LCD turns off. Not a very useful feature imho. For example: if the camera is on a tripod and you pass your right arm along the VF to reach the zoomrocker than the LCD wil blink on and off all the time. Quite frustrating.

That sounds bizarre - can't see the rationale behind that unless to conserve battery life. I did have both LCD and EVF turned on in the menu system and when my face was up against the large eyecup I could still see (with my left eye) that the viewfinder was still on but it would cut in and out without any particular pattern.

Thanks for posting these files, but I haven't found anything yet for a Mac that will play them.

Davinci Resolve Lite (v.10) got the closest, but it had wild glitches and color shifts.

I have my NX5U to compare with which will zoom from a full stage view to closeup for a full show and maintain focus. (Though initially had to send back to Sony for a lens replacement to get it to do this. Also sent back for the same reason my FDR-AX1 and they replaced the lens unit on it too !! ) The NX30U will not do this consistently. Repeatedly zooming in and out will not result in sharp focus hence my wife who uses the NX30U, uses spot focus all the time.

On my NX70U it depends which way you go with the focus. Zoomed out there is insufficient focus resolution on the focus-by-wire (e.g. jumps from 2 to 8 m) but if I zoom in and focus (say at 3.2 m) I can zoom in and out and maintain focus so it's not as if there is focus shifting.

I think it has a lot to do with the theatre environment I shoot in. We are normally 50 to 100 feet from the stage. Normally with the NX5U I focus on something about 1/3 into the stage and can manage the iris to maintain good depth of field so I do not have to continually refocus when zooming in or around the stage. For the NX30 , CX700 or the XR500 in the lower light environment they tend to be wide open with high gain and so will have less depth of field. Focusing in close will result in the image not being in focus when zoomed out to wide so will need to be re focused again to get a sharp wide image. The change is small but is noticeable on all these cameras of mine and is due I think to the best focal point to capture the full stage within the depth of field being different to the point that was at the zoomed in position. Then when zoomed in again will need refocusing again. Initially I had this problem with the NX5U till I had the lens unit replaced within warranty the exact same thing with my FDR-AX1 as I was particular when I got it and immediately sent it back !!! . I honestly haven't bothered with the smaller cameras as they mainly stay fixed unattended or my wife uses and for family stuff the NX30U is mainly in auto ( with AE shift ) and works great then. I am sure my needs are different from most as I am looking for everything in focus not just the subject. In other words maximum depth of field whether zoomed in or wide.

Ron Evans

Some new videos shot with the PXW-X70:

@samjamez shared on twitter that this was shot with the PXW-X70:

http://youtu.be/GkbYkuY3wgU?list=UUdmLKtZomd6R3eQOZlBz-iA

Thanks for posting these files, but I haven't found anything yet for a Mac that will play them.

Davinci Resolve Lite (v.10) got the closest, but it had wild glitches and color shifts.

I have an Adobe CC membership and the latest version of Premiere Pro CC plays uses and even renders files in the XAVC format without a hassle. Using a Macbook Pro OSX 10.9.5.

So neither FCPX nor Avid will import these files. I don't have an Adobe subscription so will just wait for Sony to provide their solution in October (supposedly).

The video posted above looks much better than those raw clips posted earlier this week.

I still have great hopes for this camera.

i don't see anything appealing about the IQ of this camera from the above video. the image looks old and very regular.

david

Earlier on, some people asked for some X70 raw footage. Here are some of the files i shot in the park behind my appartment today:

http://we.tl/XlxyCMBi6U

Please feel free to use, not to publish.

What surprises me the most: The XAVC files are in .MXF format as wrapper, Sony people on the Sony stand at IBC told me it would be .MP4. Furthermore, VLC player doesn't play these XAVC files, hope they come up with an update really soon. Older versions of NLE software neither do cooperate with these files so updating your software is absolutely necessary.

Should these files be playable in the most recent version of the Sony Content Browser- Can the MXF files be imported individually into the content browser, does it matter that these files are outside of the Sony folder structure?

I tried importing them and a browser error saying that it could not import came up.

Files play fine in Edius Pro 7.

Ron Evans