Sony Posts First PXW-X70 4K Video

[Kris Kohuth]

I know it's a beauty reel, but the hyper-disciplined nature of the shooting bothers me a bit. I'm tempted to think of the X70 as a manual-only camera; as in, it looks stunning when you're there to prevent that weird clipping, bounce in some fill, or shoot on a heavily overcast day. Which is what I'm seeing here. (Or am I being unfair?)

What I'd like to see from a 4K-enabled X70 would be a project along the lines of that "Battle of Ages" short done on the new Canon. Something with rapidly changing conditions and over-the-top movement.

I'm starting to think that if I want detail, I buy an X70, but if I want dynamic range, I buy an XC10 (and pay a small fortune in media.)

[Ricky Sharp]

Originally Posted by Kris Kohuth

I'm starting to think that if I want detail, I buy an X70, but if I want dynamic range, I buy an XC10 (and pay a small fortune in media.)

The XC10 may have a stop or two more DR than the X70. If using the cams to record HD, I think you may be able to push Sony's footage more than the XC10 (10-bit vs. 8-bit). So perhaps final footage DR would be more on par? I've ready that you can increase the black level a bit on the X70 and underexpose by a stop. Then increase levels in post; that should allow you to deal with the highlights better.

Also note that while the XC10 has a built-in ND, I believe it's more automatic (may only engage at say f/4 or narrower like their consumer offerings). Having choice of 2, 4 and 6 stops of ND on the Sony (and independent of iris) is ideal.

I'll be getting my X70 later this week so will begin shooting in various conditions. And then testing how much I can push the footage in post. Although, will only be shooting in HD (not updating at all to 4K).

[Yuri Gershberg]

XAVC 2160/24p 60

[Wacharapong Chiowanich]

Chris,

I downloaded the 1080p clip you linked to and viewed it on both 1080p and UHD displays and here's what I saw:

- no moire or noticeable aliasing on both but noticeably soft on the UHD screen (as expected)
- The 4K YouTube version looked decidedly sharper on both though there were some slight, maybe compression, artifacts on the UHD screen. On the 1080p screen it looked gorgeous and no noticeable moire or aliasing.
- Fine details on some subjects like tree leaves in the opening shots and texture of fabrics in many shots were a little smeared in your 1080p clip when viewed at 100% on the 1080p screen. Those same details were more defined on both screens in the 4K YouTube clip.

I think the benefits of 4K resolution and color sampling headroom are undeniable at 1080p. What I don't know yet is whether the 4K coming out of the upgraded X70 will be better than or only the same as 4K from my AX100.

[Ron Evans]

I think it will be pretty much the same as the AX100 but in a mxf wrapper just like the long GOP of the PXW-Z100. The camera has the advantage of the picture profiles though. The PXW-Z100 UHD long GOP is 8 bit 4:2:0 I think the X70 will be the same but limited to 30p . Hardly think they would give a better long GOP spec than the PXW-Z100 that costs over $2000 more. The FDR-AX1 and the PXW-Z100 have the advantage of 60P with the PXW-Z100 also an intra frame mode with ridiculous data rate !!!


Ron Evans

[Adriano Moroni]

Hi friends, I don't understand fine if Sony PXW-X70 can rec 50p in 4K. My Sony AX100 can rec 25p only. What a pity!
Thanks

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by Adriano Moroni

Hi friends, I don't understand fine if Sony PXW-X70 can rec 50p in 4K. My Sony AX100 can rec 25p only. What a pity!
Thanks

Where did you see that the X70 can do 50P in 4K ?

Ron Evans

[Atticus Lake]

Originally Posted by Adriano Moroni

Hi friends, I don't understand fine if Sony PXW-X70 can rec 50p in 4K.

Sony stated clearly that 4k will be 23.98FPS, 25FPS, and 29.97FPS only:

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