FX1 Out of Stock at B & H (merged with Z1 thread)

[Bob Zimmerman]

I read a few guys got some. Mostly people who ran to a Apple store and bought one in the store. What a deal!!

[Craig Terott]

This thread is a bombshell.

But then again maybe there is no replacement for this camera.

[George Vick]

I can't believe I may have saved all this money for nothing....

[Sean Seah]

Dun worry,u can always ship one from Singapore. They r still in stock from expandore.

[Shawn Sonnentag]

Hmmmmmmmmmm, interesting... I have one of the last FX1's B&H had in their inventory in transit to my house at this very moment. I hope I didn't make a dumb move in purchasing the FX1 when a new model will be out in a couple of days. Oh well. it should do what I need for now anyway. :)

Shawn

[Shawn Redford]

I hope I'm wrong about this, but I think Sony is just trying to force everyone to pay more to get into prosumer HDV. The HC1 was a great camera that should have remained on the market. The FX1 is likewise the other lower cost offering in it's class. If Sony plans to drop the price of the A1U and Z1U to HC1/FX1 prices, I'll be pleasantly shocked. However, I think that Sony is just making bad decisions for consumer. What if Sony intends to make the A1U the low-cost offering and the Z1U their high-end offering for prosumer HDV? None of their competitors have anything to offer in this price range. Honestly, how long were the HC1 and FX1 on the market? The HC1 was less than a year and the FX1 was less than two years I think - why would anyone pull such new camcorders off the market, especially when the were top selling units. Sony didn't do us any favors with the HC3 IMHO (maybe a tad better picture quality in low light, but big losses in camcorder design). Anyway, let's hope I'm wrong -- but if I'm correct, I hope that Sony pays for it with a loss of sales in HDV.

[Philip Williams]

Originally Posted by Shawn Sonnentag

<snip>I hope I didn't make a dumb move in purchasing the FX1 when a new model will be out in a couple of days.<snip>

I wouldn't sweat it. I would actually expect the FX1 replacement to be less competent. Sony will probably want to distance the FXx product from the Zx product. See TRV900 --> HC1000 and HC1 --> HC3 for examples.

[Chris Barcellos]

Originally Posted by Shawn Sonnentag

Hmmmmmmmmmm, interesting... I have one of the last FX1's B&H had in their inventory in transit to my house at this very moment. I hope I didn't make a dumb move in purchasing the FX1 when a new model will be out in a couple of days. Oh well. it should do what I need for now anyway. :)

Shawn

Sounds like a good movie title: "The Last FX1". Its a story about a nifty consumer camera that competed so well with the pro cameras, that it was eroding the profits of the mega giant Sony......

[Jacob Mason]

Just got confirmation from Sony myself, they aren't manufacturing the FX1 anymore.
Something's in the air...
Oh, wait - I just need to take a shower.

[Ron Evans]

Something like a HDV replacement for the TRV900 would be great and go with my FX1. Would be a great replacement for my TRV50 too. SOny'S introductions is usually bring out a consumer model then a Pro model, then cancel the consumer model. This happened with the TRV900 and PD version and has now happened with the HC1 and the A1. I would love the reverse to happen, a 1/3" version of the XDCAM HD F330. 1/3" 3ccd, fixed lens but the same disc technology( or even BluRay!!!) and variable data rates. Can't wait to see what will happen.

Ron Evans

[Gene Crucean]

Interesting stuff. I was browsing B&H a few hours ago looking at possibly picking up another camera and it was out of stock. I didn't think anything of it at the time though.

Anyone know if this is specific to the fx1 and not the z1u?

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Gene Crucean

Anyone know if this is specific to the fx1 and not the z1u?

According to Sony -- the Z1 will be around until a version with 1440x1080 comes-out. Perhaps IBC 2006???

There is a new consumer camcorder coming out soon. Supposedly between the FX1 and the HC3. That would be seem like an improved HC1 or a simpler FX1. So according to this person the FX1 should have remained in the line-up.

But, the reaction to the FX1 going away -- if true -- was good news because it would increase sales of the Z1. (Sony could always do a $500 rebate on the Z1 to soften the impact and get FX1 types to move-up. The Z1 does have several very valuable features.

But, I'm really curious if the new camcorder will be CMOS or 3 CCD. I suspect CMOS because Sony invest so much in the DSP chip and advanced processing. So I'm thinking "HC100" with the a better sensor.

Hopefully more the size of the VX1000.

[George Vick]

I can't believe I'm reading this........ Saved for nothing. Just my luck.

[Glenn Davidson]

I was read yesterday that Sony did research that revealed consumers want cams that are very simple to use. That may be the direction they are going.

[Shawn Redford]

Consumers that want simple camcorders also freak out when they hear that the Sony HDV camcorders cost $2k, $3k or $5k. Even the HC1's $1400 price tag is sticker shock for many. The main reason I don't think this research is accurate is because: 1) the HC1 and FX1 have been hot selling camcorders and would continue to sell without a doubt.

2) Consumers buy complex Digital Still Cameras -- case in point: the Canon S2 is a very hot seller and this camera has nearly all the complex settings of an SLR, but consumers still want it (and the upcoming S3 - hey SONY, notice how Canon IMPROVES the product line rather than dumbs it down).

Sony just wants to raise the price-tag for HDV acquisition. If Panny or Canon had made something that competes with the FX1 or HC1, those would have stayed on the market. This kind of JUNK is why many have a love/hate relationship with Sony and I'm certainly not feeling any love right now. It is just plain greedy to have a working, hot selling product that you pull just because it's lower cost than anything else.