Thanks to the knowledge base of this forum, I had read about that long ago. Turning off macro focus did not cure my back focus issues. Nor did it on a friends V1. I never got to check it on the FX7 I had looked at.

I've been going around and around for a long while now trying to decide on what camera to buy. Seems my thoughts change depending on the side of the bed I wake up on.

The V1 has been very high on my list of what I ultimately might buy. But the difference between really nice and stunningly gorgeous perfection is sometimes all in the focus (when it is not lighting).

Is the Z1 known to be void of this problem?

Funny how people like to generalize their experience (especially bad one) up to universal proportions...

It reminds me Porthos – the famous personage from the Dumas’s “Three musketeers”. He (Porthos) believed that all Englishmen were small, bow-legged and had black hair because the only Englishman he met was small, bow-legged and had black hair…

Dear Greg Laves, you “have never gotten anyone at Sony to admit that it (i.e. the V1/FX7 back focus) was a universal problem”, because it is not and never been. I feel your pain, but it is not widespread one. The vast majority of V1/FX7 cams are free from this issue.

And Jeff, you can buy yourself a brand new V1/FX7 without any frightening thoughts about back focus and be completely happy and satisfied with the stunning quality of the footage.

Arkady, I would like to think my experience is an isolated issue. But as I have stated before, I have had my hands on three (3) camcorders from this family and they all shared the identical problem. I love the cameras picture. Maybe there was a production glitch and all of the cameras I have seen were from the same batch. They were all similar age. I don't know if that could be the case. But I do know that my findings are not totally isolated and I do know that others on this forum have had exactly the same problem. I have owned 7 Sony professional or semi-professional video cameras. My next camera will most likely be a Sony, as well. But they are not always perfect. Would I recommend a V1 or FX7. Absolutely. It is amazing bang for the buck.

Unfortunately the FX7 does not have a FOCUS MACRO setting or function.

Nonsense! Zooming in for getting focus is how manual focus is obtained in EVERY camera with a zoom lens. Do you understand WHY you zoom in?

The alternative is to zoom to frame and push AF.

PS: The lack of "contrast" mentioned is one of the best things about the V1. We have grown used to consumer camcorders having way too much contrast to compensate for any real detail. And, too many film makers crush black to get a moody or harsh look. Video guys have followed this practice. Get a good photography book and learn what correctly exposed shots look like. You should see detail in shadows and detail in highlights.

Amen. This is exactly what I notice is a difference between my SR11 and my friends FX7. The FX7 shows this detail better than my SR11.

Mike

is there a date set for the re-release of the fx7? (sorry if it has already been mentioned. i guess i missed it...)

Amazon had said November 2, but now both they and B&H are saying it is not yet in stock, with Amazon guessing 1-2 months.

I've wondered for some time if the "re-release" of the FX7 was nothing more than a rumour, although it seemed to check out...

It makes sense at the lower price point to re-release it, and I guess if the V1U is still in production it's not a huge thing to pump them out, just change the color of the goop that goes into the shell molds and load different firmware... and a couple other minor changes.

Personally I thought they should come up with an answer to the tapeless Panasonic HMC150 - basically a smaller FX7 without the tape mech... but who knows?

Michael, I don't know if Adam's info about availabilty is more current than my info, but I'll tell you that I spoke with B&H last week and they said the cam was coming in 11/5. I called them Friday after 1pm only to learn they close at 1pm, so I didn't find out if the cams showed up or not. I have FX1000 ordered and hope to use it next week, but it's looking grim at this point.

I checked at noon and Sony says the FX1000 and FX7 or out of stock. My FX7 is on back order at B&H. Let the waiting begin.

I see. So B&H already has them out just already backordered then..?

I was hoping that Sony would do something of the sort as well. It seems however that they don't want AVCHD infiltrating their pro/prosumer line. If they busted out a 1/3 inch CMOS cam that went to SxS then it would be pretty interesting....but that's probably not an easy thing to do while keeping cost down and protecting other segments of their market.

I am all in favor of going tapeless if and when the memory becomes a LOT more reasonably priced. Paying $1000+ for a P2 card or $700 for SxS cards for a very limited record time is just ridiculous, IMHO. I think the only tapeless system that is getting close to being reasonable is the CF Memory Recording Unit for the Z7 and the Z5. And being limited to HDV recording is fine with me. My HDV footage looks great but more importantly, my clients like what they see.

update on fx7/fx1000 shipping
 

I talked with a Sony salesman and he says these cams will not be shipping until early DECEMBER. I can't believe this and I won't believe this, I tell you!

I have shoots planned next week with mine.

I have been told by B&H that they have forwarded my inquiry directly to Sony and I will be hearing back from them at some point. We'll see.

Thanks for the update jeff. That's a bummer that they are coming later than expected....especially since you had made plans involving them.

Man, I've been on the edge of my seat all month. I am really eager to hear how people like their fx1000s. Guess I'll just have to wait another month....

Confirmed by B&H today, FX1000 shipping end of the month. While I'm sure no one else will have it sooner, if anyone hears of it's availability before then please post.

Edit: Amazon says will be released on Nov 22.

Victor, my back-ordered FX1000 shipped today. Maybe your FX7 isn't far behind!

B&H finally has the Sony HDR-FX7 in stock. My order hasn't shipped yet, but it's in processing. Look's like I'll have it before Thanksgiving. :-)

FX1000 first impressions
 

See my post:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/sony-hvr-...pressions.html

It's almost hilarious how much you hate the FX7.

Need to realize that not everyone needs the low-light and doesn't need to spend the extra money just to have it...

And I think everyone who read reviews knew the FX7 was terrible in low-light, but it was at the right price-point for the features it did have... and the images in daylight are awesome...

Considering that's all I shoot, it's perfect.

http://lousyhero.com/videos/epicprevhd.wmv
http://lousyhero.com/videos/epicprevhd2.wmv

All that has some post processing/editing...

Josh, the slow motion looks fantastic. What settings did you shoot with. I just got my FX7 Thangsgiving week, so I'm still tweaking settings.

If you don't mind sharing, what NLE and settings did you use in post?

Joe, hate may be too strong a word...but yes I had issues with it that I didn't expect. It was worse in low light than I expected.

1/4" chips just don't can't cut when my competitors are using much better cams. I thought it would work for me, and I was wrong. As a spare cam for specific well-lit situations it would be fine. As a hobby camera it would be just fine. If this were only a hobby I would have a 1/2 consumer cam like the HV-30 and I would be in heaven. I love shooting with small cameras.

But why would you get a camera that has been reviewed as being terrible in low-light... for low-light situations... It's like believing MPG ratings on cars, saying "well this one says it gets decent MPG... " then being disappointed when it gets less then what was cited...

The slow-motion is possible with Vegas 7/8

Set your project settings to

Field Order - Progressive
De-interlace Method - Interpolate fields
Right click the clips you want to be slow-motion, set the playback rate on clips to .500 instead of 1.000

Render out as 30p... Wallah, perfect 60p-esq slowmotion with 60i footage.

Jeff, I am not trying to pick a fight here, but I don't think hate is too strong for your feelings concerning the FX7. Seriously, think about it for a second. It is like you are on a one man mission to keep any one in the world from buying a FX7 or V1. If anyone asks about a FX7, you jump in with both feet almost as soon as the thread is posted. And you just spew one negative after another. Not to mention that you immediatly disregard anyone elses opinion if they don't bash it also.

As you probably already know, I have a V1. I can get fantastic images with it. I was on a shoot where we used three cameras. 2 - V1's and an EX1. Now personally, I would love to have an EX1 but when we did that shoot the producer (he owned the EX1) was extremely complimantary and excited about the images from the 2 V1's. His original plan was to use the EX1 as the primary camera and do pick-ups from the V1's. In the final production, he wound up using about 95% of the footage from the V1's and about 5% from the EX1. The camera can produce good footage under a variety of conditions. Unfortunately, for some reason, you and the camera didn't manage to get it done. Now recently, I have noticed that you also posted some negative comments on your new FX1000. Another great camera.

I sold my FX7 months ago. Why Joe directed a comment toward me and my opinion of the camera over a month after the last post on this thread doesn't even make sense to me.

Just today in another thread I stated to someone that they could do worse than to buy an FX7. But since they were going to be shooting next to an A1, it wouldn't make sense. This was someone looking at the FX1, the A1, and the FX7. Does that sound like I was spewing hateful comments about the camera?

I don't for the life of me understand your guys putting the focus on me in this discussion, or even bringing my opinions into it.

Do you want me to say I'm sorry for comments I made months ago? Did I hurt your feelings? What is the deal?

After Joe resurrected this discussion I said that I thought the camera would work for me AND THAT I WAS WRONG. What more do you want me to say?

You guys are spoiling for an argument or this wouldn't even have been brought up. I have not in any way asked to continue in this ridiculous debate.

Yes, if someone is asking for a recommendation for a camera am I going to recommend the FX7? Probably not. Why would I recommend a camera I didn't like? In another thread recently I DID recommend the FX7 to someone because it seemed to fit their budget and needs.

Greg, I value your experience and great comments on this board, but on this topic I must ask you to leave me out of it. Same to you Joe. Continue in this discussion amongst yourselves if you have nothing better to talk about, but don't direct any more comments toward me on this specific issue.

Heh, well I like my FX7...

You disliked the FX7, we got that, but you took it a little far, a little too often... it got to the point of being annoying and didn't really add to the discussion.

I think people need to understand that it's not perfect in every situation...

Greg, in my comments about my FX1000 which you you referred to:

I am going through a process. Initially in my post I stated I was disappointed. SO WHAT? i admitted I have not learned to work the camera. I admitted, for example I had not learned how to use the Iris ring yet.

I also said as time goes on I will learn to like the camera.

I will say again I hate the menu scroll wheel on the FX1000. I also hate that the white balance settings don't offer indoor and outdoor settings without going through the menu.

(Oh I'm sorry, I made a "negative comment" about a camera. I hope I didn't offend anyone.)

I am getting ready to order a second one, BTW.

Helpful tips and guidance were offered in the thread you refer to and I have taken those to heart and listened. If I had not expressed my feelings in that thread I would never have received the great support that I did. And I did receive some great supportive help in that thread.

You are picking and choosing parts of specific threads and leaving out the context of the discussion. I can and will make a remark about any camera I want to. I will at times be wrong. But you guys are acting like I'm talking about your girlfriends or wives. It is just plain weird.

Joe, did I take it a bit too far? If you say so.

So why do you bring it up now anyway? I'm on my way to purchasing a second FX1000 and see I now see FX7 experience as a valuable lesson, nothing more.

Go ahead and enjoy your FX7, no one is stopping you. I have said the following about the camera before but you guys conveniently forgot it. I have said if the camera works for someone, I'm happy for them. I also said if I were not making a living with video I would be happy to have one as well.

You can make a good living with the FX7, but as always, you have to know what you are doing.

Hans
I am also making a very good living with the FX7 camera as well.

Stelios

> Oh I'm sorry, I made a "negative comment" about a camera. I hope I didn't offend anyone

Well maybe it was just "a" comment, but you've made it over and over again ... after the first few times of others responding to say "Well, that's not been our experience", I think some of us started to feel exhausted.

can anyone confirm this is correct? my camera is out for the next week and i'd like to tell the cam op about this.

(can't say i've noticed any problem, though i rarely 'zoom through')

leslie

Back Focus and Macro Setting
 

When I had my first backfocus problem and sent my camera back for repair the technician tried to tell me Macro Focus was the issue. It wasn't. My V1U had a back focus problem that had to be fixed twice (thankfully under warranty).

After seeing your post I decided to test the Macro Focus again. I connected up to an external monitor and engaged Macro Focus. I zoomed fully into a target, focused, and zoomed out. At all points through the zoom the image stayed in focus.

I hope this is helpful.

Stelios, I looked at your blogspot and I am wondering if the film with Stefanos & Polina wedding was filmed with the FX7?
It looked really nice.

Cheers

Hans

Turning on peaking and using the assisted focus capability that is somewhat unique to the FX7 (manual focus ring works, but the camera auto-focus is still engaged to "assist") works fairly well in most situations. That's how I set mine up, best of both worlds for me, focus control, but a second brain working the job too...


Jeff, your comments on the FX7 have been somewhat strident... and that's rubbed a few people the wrong way. I've found the comments to be overly negative myself, and as another poster put it, "not adding to the discussion".

I can understand, I hate EVERY camera I own(ed) <wink>. Seriously... I think we'd get along well in that respect! SO not trying to pick a fight, just pointing out that some of us (that's me at least, maybe you too) tend to have high expectations that exceed the current limits of technology (and we must hope the engineers do too if we want better cameras!!!). Consider what I'm saying... I am sorry the FX7 didn't work for you or some people you know, but bashing it over and over isn't necessary. I disliked the HV20 rather violently <duck, run, "insulting really popular camera" shields up>, but I tried to keep perspective - others found it to be the best thing since sliced bread, and for some purposes, I'd recommend it wholeheartedly, with caveats, expressed with balance... I wouldn't personally own one, or the really pretty black version which followed.

Among the FEW cameras I've really enjoyed shooting a lot, the FX7 stands out, big time. It has its limitations, and I'd redesign/upgrade a few things if I were the engineer... your comments have made it sound like a paperweight, which it isn't, and the people here who have one know it to be a nice camera.

I think the FX7/V1U has a bit of an underdog reputaion - from being slammed by that famous camcorder review site (that IMO hits only about 70% correct when reviewing Sony product and slobbers all over themselves if the manufacturer starts with "C"...), being completely overshadowed by "the competition" when it came out, and just gennerally being the Rodney Dangerfield of the camera world... Thus I suppose those who know and do like the camera feel we have a bit of responsibility to "set the record straight"...

The FX7 (and V1U) isn't "perfect", and may not be the best camera in the known universe, but the "bang for the $$$" ratio is pretty tough to argue with (as admitted). That Sony chose to bring it back to market and at a more affordable price point (where there ISN'T any competition IMO) is truly a unique situation... And THAT, if you read the topic of this thread, is the question at hand. Peace out...

many thanks lee, appreciated. i won't say anything to the op - he's probably got enough to worry about anyway ;-)

have a good humbug,

leslie

If I may jump in here. My opinion of the FX7 is that it is a very good camcorder. It is not great, but is more than good enough for me. I shoot a lot of outdoor stuff at various times of the day, in a variety of weather conditions. My locations vary from inner city to the wild backcountry of the American West. I shoot static scenes, as well as "active" scenes with alot of motion envolved. Other than shooting in the dead of night, the FX7 does a good job. The PQ produced looks great on my plasma, with wonderful colors and great detail. When compared to my other cam, an SR11, the FX7 holds its own and even looks slightly better IMO.
Are there things that I would like better with the FX7? Of course. And some of those things are addressed with the FX1000, but not all (ability to use cards, flashdrives, or whatever rather than just tape).
So bottom line; the FX7 does what I demand of it quite well.

Respectfully,
Mike

Hans
Yes the wedding of Stefanos & Polina was filmed with the FX7 and the wedding couple were thrilled with the final video.

Stelios