I have been hearing that the sony fx1 is no longer being manufactured. A sony rep said look for something around summer 2007...
If anyone knows about the FX1 being phased out I would be interested.

Joel

the FX1 was discontinued back in October of 2006. There are still some floating around, but it was replaced by the FX7.

So could this mean there's a 30p/1080p (cmos, ccd?) z2 on the horizon?

Or is Mr Sony still content with the z1? I wouldn't be surprised if they hang onto Z1 for another year.

There already is a CMOS 1080p30 camcorder released by Sony, called the V1.

I wasn't clear and I am familiar with the V1.

I meant a "Z2" with 1/3 inch chips 30p/1080p on the horizon.

Apparently I'm wrong about the FX1. I've been told twice, at different times by Sony Broadcast, that the FX1 was discontinued, but was also shown today, that Sonystyle still has em' on their website. not sure what that means except that there are still FX1's out there for sale.

Do we see a Z2 on the horizon? A slightly better Z1u would be magnificent! I'm already impressed with the Z1- in terms of aesthetic appeal Z1 in PAL beats out some of the comparable HD cams with better specs and twice as much. Colors look great and often quite filmic.

I couldnt' comment on anything I might know or not know, that Sony hasn't announced to the public.

Douglas,

I guess we now know what secret you were keeping.

I got better than I wished for - 1/2 chips and solid state recording on the XDCAM EX. I know it's not a replacement for the Z1U, but it's the step up I was looking to make with my next camera.

By the way, I enjoyed your presentation at the NAB Vegas booth.

B&H still has them in stock... if one of these largest vendors can keep them in stock (considering that they are selling tens if not hundreds of them each and every day), it can only mean one thing: Sony is still manufacturing them. As we all know, the FX1/Z1 was and still is a huge hit, I don't see why they would discontinue them. Not everyone is necessarily happy with the toy-looking small newer HDV models.

Still selling them at Sony's own store also: http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=HDRFX1&Dept=cameras&CategoryName=dcc_DICamcorders_HighDefinitionVideo

My understanding is that FX1/Z1U are a part of a different product line than the new XDCAM EX.

IF HDV is Toyota then XDCAM is Lexus... I think we'll be seeing these two cameras around for awhile.

What about a 1080 24p replacement for the FX1--with the same size chips, not the small chip, lousy-with-light CMOS babies?

it would be quite a surprise to see a 24p camcorder aimed at consumers. They wouldn't know how to manage the judder. Every soccer mom that owned one would be returning them.

First, the V1 is a 1080p camcorder. Perhaps you mean 1080p/60?
Second, while *you* might feel that the V1U is a high end consumer camcorder, Sony doesn't. It's the entry level camcorder in their broadcast series.
You lost me with the "flag-shipped" brothers comment. There is a flagship; then there is everything else in the lineup. The Z1 is the flagship of the HDV camcorders. From there, we jump to XDCAM, from which we jump to HDCAM, and then disembark at HDCAM SR.

LOTS of soccer moms/dads purchased the FX1, which is how it became the single most successful model in HDV sales.

Minor nitpick... the HVR-A1 is actually the entry level pro camera:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/DisplayModel?id=80897

While the HVR-V1 is the entry level 3-chip pro camera.

And I agree with Douglas that there are indeed plenty of "soccer moms and dads" with FX1's (and FX7's now). I see them advertised in brochures for local electronics stores all the time.

Quick note from the management... I've deleted a post here because the tone just wasn't in the spirit of the DVinfo forums. Please try to keep things friendly....

1. http://www.sony.gr/search/Search.action?site=odw_el_GR&shortcut=false&section=ODW+SS+el_GR+Search&sectiontype=Search&advanced=true&locale=el_GR&allSections=true&sections=All&query=HDR-FX7E&brand=default&audienceSrc=consumer

2.http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProduct.action?product=HDR-FX7E&site=odw_en_GB&pageType=Overview&category=HDD+HDV

3. http://www.sony.co.za/product/hdr-fx7e/sku/hdr-fx7e%2B%2B%2B%2Be35?site=hp_en_ZA_i

4. http://www.sony.se/search/Search.action?site=odw_sv_SE&shortcut=false&section=ODW+SS+sv_SE+Search&sectiontype=Search&advanced=true&locale=sv_SE&allSections=true&sections=All&query=HDR-FX7E&brand=default&audienceSrc=consumer

5. http://www.sony.ch/view/ShowProduct.action?product=HDR-FX7E&site=odw_fr_CH&pageType=Overview&imageType=Main&category=HDD+HDV