Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Your 'curved' building problem is called rolling shutter. When a sensor reads the lines of pixels from top to bottom instead of all at once. That's what causes your curved buildings and by far the main factors of its severity are resolution and read speed.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

BTW Alister, great job on your three AX100 videos. (Focus, overview and exposure)

I would love to see you do a "technical evaluation" too. Maybe dynamic range and resolution chart tests? (Sony AX100 vs Sony AX1 or Z100?)

What is your opinion on the 60mbps codec limit? I have noticed with a bitrate analyser that the codec will actually do up to 72Mbp/s spikes at certain times.

I find myself always expecting much worse results than I actually get with this codec. It's surprisingly "OK" (but I still have a hard time accepting it) I have noticed however, that this codec breaks quickly when trying to grade something. If you shoot perfectly in the field than you will be OK but making any significant adjustments in post makes compression artifacts "pop" out quickly.

What do you think Alister?

CT

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Cliff, your assessment of the codec is pretty good. As you say it works very well considering it's only 60Mbps. There are a lot of artefacts in the recorded image but these don't tend to be too noticeable unless you grade the image. I don't think I would like to pass the 4K though a broadcast chain, although it does hold up really well when going to YouTube etc. What really surprises me is that even very rapid major changes to a frame are handled very well, for example fast pans or lightning bolts won't break the codec. It does soften (as expected) but does not break down as many other H264 based codecs can.

I would eyeball the dynamic range at about 10 stops. Onset of over exposure is a little sudden, I'd like to see a bit more roll-off, but for a camera in this price bracket it's pretty good. I don't have any 4K resolution charts, I really need to get some and my Imatest licence has expired. It's very obviously significantly higher resolution than HD.

I do need to do some tests on the image sharpness. It is very sharp and I would like to ascertain how much of that is just pure resolution and over-sampling and how much is in camera sharpening. I also want to look at what happens when you add a touch of diffusion to take the edge off the image. It's just this stuff takes time to do right and I've been really busy lately.

For me this camera is very much like the HC1 that came out in the early days of HD. The HC1 (and A1) was never quite as good as the Z1 etc, but for the money it produced a very useful image and the AX100 is similar. I prefer the AX100 over the Z100, but it's not an F5 or FS700 with raw recorder.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

MODERATOR NOTE:
As those posting to this thread over the past couple of days will notice, it has been heavily pruned to remove the worst of the rudeness and flaming. Be nice.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

It's the readout of the sensor, correct?
too slow?

So how about the framerate now? nuthing to do with THAT, correct? And now the fact that with the stabilization off it gets better may be due to the other fact that the stabilization takes processing power away from the readout. It all makes sense now.

So it wasn't the 30p thingy. Well put Darren!

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Where do you post these test or review clips Alister? When I went to your blog I couldn't find the ax100 review clip back and it appears you have published some more videos about the camera? I"m probably looking in the wrong place but would be interested in following your findings if I know where to look.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Judder and rolling shutter are two different things and neither has anything to do with processing.

Judder is related to frame rate, resolution and shutter speed. Bending verticals is rolling shutter caused by the slow scan rate of the sensor. More pixels take longer to read so unless you have a very fast sensor the readout rate slows down. This is very typical of sensors designed for stills rather than video.

Faster shutter speeds will make rolling shutter more obvious as there is less motion blur to disguise the artifact.

The videos are only on my YouTube channel at the moment. A written review will go online some time next week along with links to those videos. More in depth tests will follow when I have time between shoots.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

This sort of "test" is exactly the sort that drives one nuts - OF COURSE, when you FULL ZOOM with CIZ on, it's a digital doubler, but if you compared 12x and 12x and took note of the line in the zoom indicator, the two will be comparable... maybe it's the "Queens' English" vs. US English, but I'd give that "test" a big thumbs down as the narration is misleading and inaccurate... indicating to me the "tester" does not know how these things work....

Most likely the CX900 and AX100 1080 modes will be identical... but of course at 4K, detail is an entirely different ballgame.

Yes, a small crop is required for "active" stabilization. Pretty much like saying you need eggs to make an omelet... and if you use egg whites it'll be a different color...

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Thx Alister, will check them out.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

The bad panning of the AX100 has everything to do with the processing. The shutter speed of my choice for players rtunning at night is 1/125. I'd rather have more distractions in the back than a blurred player in front of the viewer. I know.. I tried yesterday. The framerate in that regard makes a little or no difference regardless of the internet myth. Like I said. Then a cameramen must make choices considering what's the best at the moment and I did.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

As Alister (who does have access to, and reviews MANY cameras, with a pretty good accuracy record as reviewers go) explained it, there are several different things going on here...

FIRST, skew when panning is a function of trying to read out roughly 4 TIMES the pixels from the SENSOR as if you were dealing with a 1080 sensor - the physics dictate this will take LONGER. It takes longer to count to 16 than it does to count to 4...even for a computer...

Due to horsepower and physics, they are scanned (progressive) line by line, not all at once. This happens "fast", but (as I'll illustrate shortly), MOTION can happen FASTER... so what you see is that by the time the lower portion of the sensor is READ, if there's been fast motion/panning, the position of a vertical object is not the same as it was when the upper portion was READ, so it now appears to lean (or curve with variable pan rate). THUS, why you want to avoid whip pans, PERIOD, and why slower pan technique is required at the current level of technology. I see equivalent levels of RS (at 1080) if I whip my PJ7xx series cameras back and forth - it's easier to see using the VF, but it's ALWAYS been a factor with CMOS sensors! The idea would be a "global" read, but that's not yet an available "option"!

Nothing you, or I or Panasonic (or Sony) will do will change the laws of physics, don't expect the FZ1000 to be magically "better"... In fact, some of the macroblocking and artifacting in shadow areas I've looked at in the sample videos indicates that the FZ1000 is tossing out far more data than the AX100... I guess that's ONE way to deal with data overload!

The PROCESSOR is another factor, it takes the data read, and munches and crunches and rearranges it into the final file format, and that takes TIME. Todays processing is faster than "yesterdays", that's how it works in electronics... a 4770K i7 is faster and more capable than the older 920... Even with "better" compression, you're still dealing with roughly 4x the data at points in the process...

As I've already explained, the time required to read the ENTIRE sensor for 4K is by definition LONGER than reading a sensor for 1080p. Even longer if you consider reading every other line for "i" (anyone remember "mouse teeth", AKA temporal motion artifacts). We are talking "miliseconds" (tiny fractions of a second), but the possible motion during that time can be SIGNIFICANT.

We don't perceive it with our eyes, because our brain processes it in the way we "think" is normal. Reproducing vision with a mechanical or electronic means (AKA a camera) can result in "odd" results...

Sony no doubt is working on ways to speed up the capture/processing, just like Intel is always working on faster chips... there's no evil conspiracy involved, just engineers continuing to push the envelope, and getting farther and farther over time. That's why "the perfect camera" is and will ALWAYS be "under development", because with each "newer, better", we will find SOMETHING which could be still "better".


NOW, back to how to practically deal with the cameras we have available...

OR, "how the physics define use parameters".

If you want to avoid skew, PAN SLOWLY - the more motion, the more the required time for sensor readout will be apparent. ALSO, the more pixels that change from frame to frame, the more load on the processor, and the more "artifacting" and blurring you'll get, which becomes more apparent with 4K.

I've mentioned high shutter speeds freezing the action - this results in the eye seeing "stutter" from 30 sharp frames, which our brain begins to process as a "flip book" of stills. This is worsened by the greater sharpness of 4k over 1080 over SD...

AS mentioned, shutter speed then comes into play - how far can a given object move in 1/30 of a second... 1/60th... 1/125th... YES, it DOES matter, and fairly significantly!! Think about it, and in the first, the moving object will move FOUR TIMES more distance than the last... yes, SIGNIFICANT!!! The corollary is "how far can the camera move" in each of those time frames... do you see where understanding the physics of movement in fractions of a second now becomes PARAMOUNT in camera operation??

SO, the goal of the camera operator is to find a balance between shutter speed, camera motion, and "talent" motion blur that "looks" acceptable. With 4K, you must deal with the added number of pixels and resulting sharpness that makes "older" cameras look fuzzy and soft.


As Ken and I have both posted, taking shutter speed down gives a degree of motion blur as "talent" or background go through the frame (or the frame pans across the scene) that reduces the jarring effect. BUT you lose some of that "super sharpness" (which is perhaps not a terrible thing for fast action scenes!).

You MUST pan like a motion picture camera would (slow and deliberate). I suggest framing wider than "normal", and you can crop/pan in post and STILL have better than typical 1080 resolution. Steadiness matters FAR more, as any movement becomes more noticeable with 4K.

OK, perhaps those "limitations" are better suited to a cooking show than a soccer match or auto race, but you can STILL adjust the camera to get decent results for the latter, OR switch to the 1080/60p XAVCS mode for better quality HD. As you begin to take into consideration how much movement you'll be dealing with, the advantages of 2x the frame "samples" becomes apparent/desirable...

I felt the 30p would be a "major" issue, and in some ways it contributes a few extra hurdles, but it CAN be dealt with and still get EXCELLENT resulting footage. If you can keep the majority of the frame stable, and get a nice touch of motion blur to things moving within the frame, it looks insanely great. Wiggle the camera about and let the shutter speed run amok... not quite so much...

Bottom line, 4K is "new", it's "developing", it's going to have teething pains.... There's a reason that the AX100, the Seiki 4K TV/monitor, and the Intel integrated graphics chipset are ALL 30p "solutions"... #1, I'm cheap, and these were all "affordable", and #2, they will all likely be mostly OBSOLETE in 3-5 years, they will look "dated" as 4K/60p becomes feasible and the norm. BUT, if it opens the door to 4K to mere mortals on budgets... it ain't so bad! And I can't argue with what I can shoot and process RIGHT NOW.

THIS is the state of technology, learn to embrace, use, and enjoy it... or stick with "tried and true" HD "solutions"... or be prepared to spend A LOT more for "professional" solutions. I'll take the "bang for the buck" of my current system over what it replaces any day of the week, even with a few limitations. The "old stuff" had limitations TOO...

Once again, hopefully you will take the practical experience of others (some of us who DO own way too many cameras and can speak to how they perform...). Railing about technology that simply is not practical or economical or perhaps not even available because of some evil conspiracy is a waste of time.

I can almost guarantee that if you're disappointed with the AX100, the FZ1000 might well make you completely apoplectic, even though the price is a lot less... it's all there in the sample videos... and plenty of "gotchas" in the 4k implementation "on paper". You already see the potential in 4K, just accept that the technology has limits, and you'll be far happier enjoying what IS!

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

The problem is that the shutter rolling or rolling shutter (depending on how the internet enthusiasts like to call it) is more visible on certain cameras and less in others. The GH4 for example should be better because of a faster readout (not because must be bad by default and there in nuthing they can do about it). We know that the AX100 is a consumer camera for consumers and I must admit that Sony is pretty clear about it. no special cards needed, limited mbps and so on. So be it. It doesn't get the best technology. What I'm here to state is that (like I said several times already) it doesn't have much to do with the framerate. So let's take the myth out of this plate.

Ordered the bracket by the way, but I'm not going to get the XLR thing. Took a look at the AX1 and looks great if it wasn't for the cards (and no face detection that means a lot to me) : I need to produce 2hrs up to 4 times a week so I'd need 5 64GB cards and changing them like a DJ , plus 5 cards will cost me a thousand (just the cards). No can't do. In any case B&H have several returns at a good price, I was sertiously thinking about it. But then the cards and other stuff. Sure I'll probably able to use the varizoom (that has a dream touch for zooming) but the cards... not now at least.
The AX100 must do the work, and it will. My tests on the field yesterday (with the stabilization OFF) went very well. I'm ok with the AX100.

And thanks for taking the time to write that book over there :)

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

I suppose you "could" say it's the inability of the processor to "digest" the output from a progressively scanned sensor... but it's more accurately in how a sensor is read... only the engineers know exactly where the bottleneck is... is it the chicken or the egg, metaphorically speaking... can the sensor be read faster? Can the processor ingest that data faster?

We don't KNOW, we can only deal with the reality. Still photogs shoot FAST shutter for a reason. Video dudes have different considerations.

Frame rate is NOT an "internet myth" when dealing with MOTION, the sample rate of moving objects is REALITY, period. As is the reality of how much data a camera can practically deal with (4x as much with 4K). The math isn't exactly 4x as has been pointed out, but from a practical standpoint, it's easier to "keep it simple" to make it easier to grasp where the challenges lie.

4K is more data points than HD, 60p is more data points than 30p. Each increase requires at least SOME increase in sensor read speed, processor speed, memory speed and capacity... you can't get something for nothing!

More data points over time give you a more "accurate" representation or "capture" of reality. At a price. Calling it a myth simply denies the physics and reality...

The AX100, at $2k broke ground, the FZ1000 at $900 breaks more... but these cameras WILL have limitations with the 4K implementations. At least I was able to stick an SDHC card in my AX and have it work perfectly fine even though the specs are adamant about SDXC! I was expecting a good degree of fun trying to find "fast enough" memory!

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Well, some have reported some possible RS related issues with the GH4, which I'd expect... again, got to learn to work with the camera.

Panasonic doesn't get to violate the laws of physics... all the things in my "long post" apply to one degree or another to them, same as Sony...

You have discovered the "price" to be paid for higher framerates, higher bitrates, and "better" 4K, and yep, it ain't pretty, not one bit! Those fast memory cards that fly away like candy at the circus are needed to deal with the same larger numbers of bits that originate at the sensor, if not reduced via compression along the way... I think the FZ1000 memory specs are also higher (and likely more expensive, offsetting the initial "savings")?

No free lunch.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

For the incoming Lumix fz1000, I Just bought 2 x Transcend SDXC 64GB U3 95MB/sec Read 60MB/sec Write Ultimate UHS-1 Memory Card cost 79.00 for the pair shipped

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Dave,
I use the cowboy studio 20bucks shoulder mount and it's fine. It was fine with the EX1 so can definitely hold the AX100 ... it's a necessary thing, in my opinion. The part that pushes on the chest mu be replaced with something softer and thicker or you'll get the camera moving on each and every breath you take. With more layers of something soft it will be fine.

Do you know of any eyecup for the AX100?

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Hi Bruce,
if you are referring to the cards for the AX1 then they are not the same: the AX1 needs XQD , that cost 200 bucks each and can take 25 minutes of 4K on 64 GB

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Hey Anthony
no no those ones I mentioned are for the fz1000 which is now 3 wks away. Got the 4k seiki tv today all set up ready for my cam
regards
Bruce

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

hmm but many report otherwise, literally laughing at us (AX100people)
the shutter rolls on the AX1 too, Dave. Ok not as much as our shutter, but still. Now please don't mention the framerate again as the cure for the AX100 because it's not. The cure for the AX100 would be a faster processing and maybe a higher bitrate, but mainly a faster processing.
the FZ1000 is not the camera for me: I need it for 2hrs at the time, it stops at 30 minutes.. so... even if it's a great camera as I think it will be then that marketing decision cost them a sale, mine. LOL They don't care about my sale? fine. Neither do I.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

What's the big deal about 30 min? Dont you stop tape at all? Play interrupted for whatever reason, you just keep rolling?

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Oh, sorry . I misunderstood. You got the monitor? Really? how is it? I want it too!

about the 30 minutes thing.. Bruce, it will be a disaster. When you shoot a game you have literally no time to think about anything else than the game. You can't lose the ball because if you do then it will take 3-4 seconds to get it back and everybody can see it. It's a tough business, believe me, no time for anything (even to go to the bathroom LOL, no, seriously the day of the game I don't drink at all, even water, just because of that) . 50 minutes straight per period. I can't possibly deal with that kind of stress of having the camera stop. Next season we'll go live, imagine that ... no, the FZ1000 can't do it (for me I mean)

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

really fine once I figure out how to get my nvidia 440 card set up manually for 4k.
All I've got to play back so far are some of the promotional 4k videos but even those are much more relaxing to watch Certainly easier on the eyeballs to watch

How's the storm going must be over your head bout now It will be here up the coast tomorrow mornign and I'm right on the water so its always a bit of a worrry

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Sony's professional solution proposed for 4K is two fixed cameras with electronic panning and zooming. The advantage of 4K is this pan and scan capability if one is going to follow the action then a straight HD camera would be better. Anthony I shoot theatre and stand up for each act usually about 60 mins or so at a time the last dance show ran 2 hours and 15 mins straight. No bathroom breaks !!!

XQD cards for the AX1 are $200 for 64G and run about 55mins with auto switch over to second card slot then the first can be changed etc . The PMW-Z100 of course uses these cards up in 12mins for XAVC 422 10bit recording.

Ron Evans

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

LOL when I was joking (and sort of complaining but still joking) about the bathroom thing with a still photographer he said "wait few more years and THEN you'll really understand what's like ..."
Yeah, the AX1 hold about 26 minutes per card, that with the auto switch to the next would give me 52minutes . Still it would be risky because it depends on the referee , I mean how many extra minutes he'll set. Changing the first card and put another one would do, but still it's something that I don't want to deal with now. I'd rather wait for larger cards, it shouldn't take long, Sony and Lexar are in the market already. But since I'm stubborn in nature I wanna make the AX100 work (LOL , and I will, in 4K). Well, if possible, if not then .. oh well. But I think that I can make it work (frm what I saw yesterday on a field test at least)

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Anthony I could help you with the Live streaming .Been doing it now for 2 1/2 yrs

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

The AX1 runs 55Mins for each card. Its the Z100 that runs for 12 mins.which is why I got the AX1 not the Z100. I have 3 64G cards and the 32G that came with the camera so can run for almost 3 hours and 25 mins before I run out !! Recording time at 30P of course would be the same as on the AX100, 125mins on a 64G card at 60Mbps , at 100Mbps 75 mins.

Ron Evans

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

thanks , that's nice of you!
here's what I know, but it will be handled by others (again I can't possibly deal with the live thing while shooting). Anyway they'll work out of my hdmi (or sdi that I don't have on my cameras now). Connect to blackmagic shuttle (I think) over a thinkpad laptop (with the proper USB3 they said, not all the USB3 are made equal). streaming over youtube live using a paid service that now I can't remember. My 7inch monitor gives hdmi in and out, so I can give the signal as long as it's clean. No need of sdi for now.

sounds right ?

but again that wouldn't be my problem, I'll just give the signal and a beautiful coverage ehehe, (not tgrue, I am Italian and I know the game but I am some average cameraman, honestly) . and for some more money I hope.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Damn!

Dave is an angel compared to you! LOL
You really want me to spend that money and get the AX1, don't ya?

I called and most likely they gave me the minutes for a 32GB card when I asked about the 64.
it did look a little short actually...
so no problem then, I'd need just 3 cards to be safe. 600 bucks instead of 1K

:)

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Dang, I see a "best extended shooting undergarments" thread developing...


@Anthony -

I know my post was long, but it gives the keys - careful pans, frame a bit wide/crop/pan in post if needed, and find the "right" shutter speed to allow just the right amount of motion blur, without hitting that "stutter" point. If 1/125 is working for you, that's fine, but experimenting in either direction may be worth the effort.

The AX100 is NOT an "auto" camera, and since it's right on that "consumer/professional" border, it's not surprising that there are a few users who will not be "happy", but for now, it's the most economical current solution. Hard to match the bang for the buck. Destined to become a classic.


@Bruce -
Which OS? IIRC there's an "advanced" settings in the Screen resolution (rt clik on desktop), and that allowed successful entry of custom settings on one NVIDIA laptop. FWIW, the OS and drivers seem to be a little twitchy/particular. I'm on W8.1, I think W8 was a tad better... Had to fiddle with getting the "right" Intel driver for the integrated graphics too... life on the bleeding edge!

A couple "tricks" on setup that seemed to help my Seiki look better - the backlight on mine was CRANKED at 100%, I pulled it back to 35... Sharpness was also set high, and I zeroed it - 4k IS sharp already...that helped with "shimmer". Not sure if you'll be calibrating, but I have found that "color" also is typically "hot" (couldn't calibrate at the stock "50", 35 works OK) and still fiddling with contrast and brightness - trying to balance what looks good for video (brighter) and what looks good for general computer use (darker, unless you need to work on that "monitor tan"). Still, good bang/buck, and it's certainly a joy to have such a big desktop to work on (except for when you can't find your mouse pointer!).

(FWIW, that ebay seller that was at $360 for the Seiki 39, is now at $340... tempting to buy another at that price!)

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

I handle 3 cameras (one main follow the action cam and 2 locked off from the rear of the nets fisheye cams all live switched + handle every aspect of the streaming solo . One man band + record the mix
Looking for gigs at the moment

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Hey, if the budget were there, get two AX1's, 128G fast memory cards, and whatever it would take computer wise to display 4K/60p...<wink>

My rationale was simple, the AX100 will replace 2-3 HD cameras (1080 pan/crop), it will be obsolete soon enough, as will ALL "1st gen" 4K cameras, at least cards aren't overly expensive ('cause those will drop over time too), and the ones I had worked in the end! It made economic sense and complemented the other 1" class sensor Sonys I was already using. After getting a good deal on one, it's turned out to be a darn fine VIDEO camera, quirks and all! Stills are surprisingly good, even if the body style is not great for them...

I wanted to get my toes wet w/4K, and as tempting as "going all in" is... it's not practical or "in budget". I will be trying to avoid any "HD only" additions to the camera collection from here on though!

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

@ Dave i7 920 stock with an Invidia gt440 win7
Would not show 4k as an option
I found this by xevious on the AVS forum
Manual timings:

Horizontal desktop pixels: 3840 Vertical desktop lines: 2160

Horizontal front porch: 176
Active Horizontal pixels: 3840
Horizontal Total: 4400
horizontal sync width: 88
(or instead of total if listed horizontal, back porch 296)

Vertical front porch: 8
Active Vertical pixels: 2160
Vertical Total: 2250
Vertical sync width: 10
(or instead of total if listed horizontal, back porch 72)

Pixelclock 296.7 (or put the hz at 30 and move it around until you get that pixelclock.

Did it andpresto works beautifullyI will look at altering the setings as you mention but at least it looks real fine

Looking now to upgrade my edit machine to a i7 970x or 980 or 990 which are Hex core and will perform as well as anything on the market but those suckers are still 500 bucks used

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Bruce,
they are professional teams, they can handle a dedicated crew to go live. As for myself I don't even think about getting involved with laptops, internet connections and stuff like that. That's not what I do.
besides.. I will be busy handling 30p and the bad shutter rolling on the AX100 , so no time for anything else LOL

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

Yeah I get that
However what is the overall deal worth to the team? And How many splits involved? see what I mean?

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

@Bruce -

Sounds like you are in about the same boat as I was... I just decided to get a cheaper ASUS board with integrated graphics... and a 4770K with a big honking fan so I could overclock nicely. Runs cool, quiet, and fast... wasn't too bad, and I got a few things my old board didn't have like USB3 ports! The system still has a few quirks, but overall a huge improvement, and 4K capability on the cheap!

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

RS appears to be worse when shooting in 4K, I have not noticed it on my GH4 but I also don't do any fast pans so I"m not putting the camera in a situation where the RS would appear, everything depends what type of production you will be using it for. If you don't hear people complain about it it's because they do controlled moves or just many stationary tripodshots. The ax100 will definitely replace my cx730's soon, from what I have seen and read about it it's a cx730 on steroids, I would be missing the very good OIS on the cx730 but in general being able to crop in on that 4K image in a 1080p project is an advantage I can't ignore as a solo shooter.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

These days graphics card is key to editing and playback performance. You can stick as fast a CPU in the machine as you like and it will make very little difference. Stick an up to date graphics card with at least 2GB (preferably 4GB for 4K) of fast video ram and you'll see a night and day improvement over a card like the GT440 which is way below what's really needed for 4K. The minimum is something like a GTX580 or the newer GTX760.

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

I need to see the difference in size of those three cameras that you have. would you mind posting a picture of the three cameras next to eachother?
a piece of paper with your name would be great

so you don't pan at all?
ever?

really?

I mean... how's that possible?
maybe you could try just for this community here and test the AX100 against the GH4 panning a little, for us... could you do that?

you have the cameras, right? so...

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

If Edius is the NLE in question # of cpu cores are the speed bumps More cores = faster rendering
the i7 920 930 950 960 are quad core (8 threads) 970 980 990 are Hex core (12 threads)
The new extreme intel processors right around the the corner will be 8 cores (16 threads) at that point 4k will be a breeze

Re: Sony FDR-AX100
 

+Dave
my x58 mobo has usb3 etc and from what I've been able to gleen from gurus on various computer forums the architecture of the x58 still provides us with the best bang (if you have one already) and there's not been significant improvements in boards and chipsets with their new processors insofar as video rendering is concerned. So overclocked watercooled hex cored extreme processors might be the way to go. Might be one of the reasons 300.00 (980x) seem to be as scarce as hen's teeth