Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of buying this little camera; have already tested the 50 Mbps XAVC-S clips but would love to check how the 100 Mbps ones behave on my Vegas Pro timeline. Any link to a original, unchanged samples straight from the upgraded AX100, please?

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

FWIW: I updated my Firmware 3.0 on a Mac running VMWare w/Windows 7. No issues.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

I did mine for OS X as I do not have easy access to a Windows computer. Firmware for all operating systems is now live on the U.S. site.

Mac Link: http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-...d#/downloadTab

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Sony UK site finally posted ver 3.0 update today, they were unable to tell me why it had taken so long after the other worldwide sites had already provided the update.
Some users have already posted some comparisons of 60mbps and 100mbps on You-tube.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Why does that matter? the Asia Pacific firmware worked on my camera which was just online 4 days ago :)

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Yes, Andy, you did not need to wait! The original update at the link posted at the top of this thread was usable and works fine.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

I was not sure whether the AX100E files on Asia, Australia, New Zealand would be identical to what would be release for UK/Europe. Additionally once you upgrade you cannot go back or re-flash the same ver no. (probably). Looks like it is the same firmware/features as the AX33.

Andy

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Sony's update software usually inspects the camera it is about to update and checks that it meets the proper requirements before it flashes it.

I dont believe its possible to flash the camera with the firmware it wasnt made for.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Anyone had a chance yet to determine the changes to autofocus, what exactly is supposed to be better? The version 2.0 was very good anyway.
Andy

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

I have yet to see any noticeable improvement of the AF. There might have been but to me it's still impossible to tell after 2 days for shooting with the new FW. Even the face detection (tracking) is hard to tell. Overall I found the AF in the previous FW version 2.0 to be good enough.

One thing this FW sure does is make all your UHS-I U1 cards useless in the new 100Mbps 4K mode. It doesn't matter how the actual read/write speeds on your non-U3 cards are, the camera just rejects them. Now, it would take some time to find out if the 40Mbps gain is worth throwing away all the older cards and getting the newer ones.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

I have no doubts that almost doubling the bit rate is worth quite a bunch of new cards...

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

The main worry when firmware is updated is that some things get better and some may be worse. Focus is key to the overall quality of video and autofocus hunting drives me mad. I had a Sony XV1000 mini DV camcorder for ten years and the autofocus would just never keep still constantly flicking in and out. Luckily Sony included a quick auto button so you could leave it in manual and just push the button for quick autofocus.

There has been a lot of chat about the U3 cards and from Sony's point of view I can understand why they have made it U3 only. The designation of SD card speed is very confusing with class10, UHS-1, UHS-II , U1, U3 (where is U2?), SDHC, SDXC. Plus the fact that manufacturers only quote the highest figures they can obtain which of course turns out to be not representative of what you may actually achieve with your camera. Additionally the market is infiltrated with fake cards. I guess the reason they have gone U3 is at least there is a guarantee that U3 is 3x faster than U1 at 30MB/s.

So far I have only made 1 video since buying the AX100 this month, a visit to Aldbourne where 101 Airbourne were stationed just before D-Day, a lovely little village with Pub overlooking the green. The AX100 produced a pin sharp image in perfect focus for every shot so I am a bit nervous that ver 3.0 does not mess it up.
Andy

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Hi, I know there is a new firmware v3 for Sony AX100. I'd like to update my old v2 firmware but I don't know if I will get problems if I use SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s SD XC I U1 classe 10 64GB.
In your opinion can I make that update? Are there improvements over v2?
Thanks

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Is autofocus hunting improved with the new firmware? Thanks

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

[QUOTE= I don't know if I will get problems if I use SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s SD XC I U1 classe 10 64GB.[/QUOTE]

You will have no problems from the update, your old cards will work the same as they do now.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Jeff,
I thank you for your news but I have read some time ago if you use U1 SD it is impossible to rec with 100 MB/s but AX100 recs with less MB/s. But I don't remember fine and I don't know if it is right.
Then I have read U1 SD you get this writings "please use memory cards UHS-I compatible U3". Is it true? Is this an annoying writings or you see it only when you put the SD into the slot?
Thanks to clear my ideas.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

You didn't say you needed to record 100MB. For recording 100MB, I have no idea. Your old cards will still work the same as before, but I don't know which ones work for 100mb.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Andy - Welcome aboard!

That was a good post and I especially liked this part:
This is one of my pet peeves: phony, fake, even grey market, items that are imported and then retailers sell, and the Governments seem to be unable or powerless to do anything to stop it. These phony and fake items not only hurt the consumer, they hurt the company who's good reputation is on the line, and they hurt the nations economy all the while boosting the economies of those countries who allow it to continue.

What is also bad, is the used market has these phony and fake items circulating around in it for years afterward so buyer beware.

For example, online there are posts about microphones where people knock a mic for not being any good, or comparison tests between mics, but who knows if the poster has a genuine or a fake one? Then, when it is posted as being bad or not very good, there are readers who can believe it. The company's reputation is tarnished and everything that goes along with that. Companies spend resources with their help desk and technical support trying to resolve problems.

In theory, the good part about companies improving their products is that forces the bootleggers to re-tool inorder to catch up. However, in the case of something like the iPhone, these guys have managed to find out about what the new phone is like and produce the fake one before the real one even hits the street!

And as for the memory card designations - it is difficult to keep up with all the class names and that was a good summary.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

This Transcend UHS-3 card has been working for me: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1044487-REG/transcend_ts128gsdu3_128gb_sdxc_uhs_i_u3_r95_w60mb_s.html

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

I understand when you update you can then choose to record 4k at 60mbs or the new 100mbs. Does that mean you can still use your U1 cards in the 60mbs mode?

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Yes, cards that worked before the v3 update will still work in 60Mbps mode.

For 100Mbps mode, I've been using a SanDisk Extreme PRO 95 MB/s 64GB SDXC I U3 card.

Mark

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Just did my first shoot today with the new firmware, but on my end I didn't notice any difference with auto focus. It still sometimes gets confused and hunts alas, but I guess that's the nature of the beast with auto focus.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Hi gang,

But what about the video quality?
Can you see a difference now that you are shooting at 100 bits?

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Just ordered a new UH-3 San Disk. While waiting, I tried setting the REC mode to 100Mbps using my current UH-1 disk and it worked!
But, a window appeared saying: Cannot record still images when set to 4k 100Mbps

This is the current UH-1 disk I'm using:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Did a few sample test shots in 60Mbps and 100Mbps and played back the footage direct from my camera to my new SamSung Ultra 4k TV.

Image quality to my eyes was slightly sharper, but you'd have to look really good.
If you're uploading to YouTube, I doubt that you'll be able to see it once they compress it.
I'll try this later.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Just shot some video in 60bit and in 100bit to compare.
Here's is a link to the video:

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Derrick - theory aside, I can share with you my experience when after having used my EX1 for some time (1080p 4:2:0 @ 35 Mbps), I saw the 100 Mbps (and higher) 4:2:2 recordings of the same scenes (simultaneous recording) from my nanoFlash. The nanoFlash gave me 4:2:2 color resolution which was clearly visible (much nicer) on a large plasma screen; the XAVC-S codec of the AX100 is only 4:2:0 even at 100 Mbps but the bitrate difference *alone* is worth every penny! (I'm using my EX1->nanoFlash analogy as I don't yet have the AX100, or any 4k camera for that matter).

Just think about it this way: divide v2 60 Mbps by 4 (as 4k is four times the resolution of HD) - you get just 15 Mbps. With v3, at 100 Mbps, it's as if you recorded HD at 25 Mbps. Now think: 15 Mbps is a bare minimum for 4:2:0 1080p, while 25 Mbps is already what we're putting on Blu Ray disks - this tells a lot about the difference in PQ you're concerned about...

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

The major difference between 60 and 100mbs you will start to see on high detailed moving shots, there will be less macroblocking but I"m sure if you let 100 people look at a 60 vs 100mbs recording with the ax100 no-one will notice the difference.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

I mostly see a difference during editing when the camera pans, you can see the 60mbps codec breakdown more during that. But when watching footage normally on a tv I find it personally tough to spot the difference between 60mbps and 100mbps in the typical indoor scenarios I film, although I'm sure there's a torture test example out there like filming water with many trees on a windy day, etc, that would demonstrate more of a difference.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Here's a test I did of the 60/100Mbps modes.


I can't tell the difference with static scenes. I am on travel and couldn't bring a proper video fluid head, so I didn't do any panning shots, nor any scenes with branches, etc., just some props provided by the hotel. I did expect some differences to come out after doing some video effects to the footage in Vegas Pro, but I didn't see any differences there either.

Be sure to click on the HD icon for higher quality video. Shot in 4K, rendered to HD.

Mark

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

I suspect if any difference there is it would be minute to the point further re-encoding or re-compression e.g. YouTube posting or down scaling would likely make it unnoticeable. For instance, in the YouTube video posted by Derrick Mau above, I saw no difference. However, since the scenes are mostly static there might be something we could tell if some fast subject or camera movement had been included.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

In the scenario where people only use 4k picture to pan&scan for the right 1920x1080 fragment to use in their 1080p projects, I'm more than positive you will see a difference - especially with grass, tree foliage and alike.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Thanks Mark. Unfortunately the rendering to 1080p, together with the use of "mostly static" footage makes very difficult to spot any difference between 60Mbit and 100Mbit. May I suggest you shoot more "normal" footage and to uploade the 4K "RAW data " to Vimeo?

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

What I do want to know is if the higher bitrate has any effect on the noise this camera produces, something I plan on testing today since I have the camera.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

As far as noise is concerned, be prepared for actual increase of its "definition" in higher bitrate; more compression=good denoising filter...

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

I can do that once I get back from my trip. Will try to have it posted by next weekend. Scenes with motion, some panning/slider shots, shots with lots of detail.

Mark

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

That would be cool, thanks!

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

We have had the 100Mbps update for a few weeks now and I thought I would ask if anyone has really seen any difference other than a doubling of the storage required. I have not seen any perceptible difference in any of the posted on-line comparisons. Last weekend I took some footage at a wedding and used 60Mbps, it stood up well to some increase in saturation in post and overall I am very pleased with the results. Auto focus only hesitated a couple of times (indoors) and hung on to the foreground faces. The challenge in editing was to make the best quality DVD with minimal shimmer in leaves/gravel outside. I found 'video to video converter' with 2 pass encoding to down res the 4K to give the best results.

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

The search continues...
I am working on a follow-up video, but the clips I've shot so far don't show any difference. I shot trains, palm trees, water fountains at a park, did a fast pan of a flower bed... not seeing any difference. My 1:20 video is 1GB in size already. I'll have it uploaded tomorrow sometime after I add one more scene with motion. I'm not sure what good all those extra bits are doing.

Mark

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Hi Mark,

do you have a UHD monitor or a 1080p only? I ask because I wonder whether the reason for not being able to see the difference (even in fast moving footage) may be the monitor....I mean....albeit I have only a 1080p monitor, I can see the difference when I shot 1080p or 4K, but I cannot see well enough the 4K video and hence I also can not spot difference between the "almost" same footage at 60Mbit vs 100Mbit.

I believe that in theory the difference would be similar to the one we get with a 1080p at 15Mbit vs the same at 25Mbit....not a huge difference in bitrate, but still almost the double....I would bet I should see some difference....(I am puzzle)

Re: AX100 Firmware 3.0 is out today!!
 

Even if indeed there is not much difference between 4k @ 60 Mbps and 100 Mbps on a large screen, watched from the right distance (meaning just 1m for a 50" display) - which I doubt seriously - please do not forget that if your plan is to use 4k for 1080p projects (and use pan & scan cropping on the 4k material) - than those cropped "windows" will most certainly look better with much less compression artefacts visible if they are 100 Mbps.

But as I said - having experience on various bitrates on my nanoFlash (and that is for 1080p) - I am 100% positive that even full-frame 100 Mbps will look better with lots of "micromotion" (foliage in the wind, water splashes and waves, and alike).