B-camera to accompany the NX70: the Sony HDR-GW77

[Mike Burgess]

Thanks for your reply Mark. Yes, I am aware that my two cams are dated, but I am familiar with them and how to get the best from them. The GW77 would be something I would use in situations where a tripod and my other cams would be impractable. I am planning on getting this GW77 soon, as soon as I round up a couple hundred more $s I can afford to use on something other than bills.
Love your video. I love Chicago, especially downtown, along the lakefront, and the western suburbs (where there are railroads present).

Mike (Railfan)

[Mark Rosenzweig]

I'll see if I can get some railroad shots in my next travels.

[Mike Burgess]

COOL! Try for some daytime and nighttime. :)

[Mark Rosenzweig]

As promised, a night-time train video:

Sony HDR GW77 Video: Toy and High-Speed Trains in Dim Light on Vimeo

[Mike Burgess]

Nice videos! As for keeping the focus on the moving model trains, how did you do that? How far were you from those trains when you were shooting them? Was everything on the GW77 on auto?

Thanks for those video shots. I enjoyed them.

Mike

[Mark Rosenzweig]

For this video, exposure was manual, wb and focus were auto. I was right next to the model-train tracks.

[Mike Burgess]

Thanks Mark. I am encouraged by your videos. With my SR11, shooting those model trains and focusing on the train itself, would have made the rest of the foreground and back ground out of focus. Apparenty, the result of a shallow depth of field. Again, with my SR11, to keep the moving train in focus, I would have had to continually adjust the focus on the train by either manually adjusting the focal distance, or by continuously using the spot focus feature; not the smoothest methods let me tell you. So those things were what I was watching for the most, and it seemed that the examples in your videos showed that the GW77 could do a better job than my SR11.
As to the night scenes, they appeared better than what my SR11 could do also. Hard to tell how much do to not being able to do a direct comparison.

How accurate were the colors in your night scenes?...... Of both the real trains, and of the model trains.

Thanks again.
Mike

[Mark Rosenzweig]

The color accuracy in low light is excellent. I carefully compare what I see on the lcd and what I see when I shoot (the lcd is very good) and I never have felt the need to use manual wb under these conditions (unlike for the Panasonic TM900).

[Mike Burgess]

Great. That is good to know. Hoping to get my GW77 for Christmas. Have lots of upcoming jobs for it, including a video of model trains.

Thanks.
Mike

[Dave Blackhurst]

With all the talk on this little cam, picked one up cheap secondhand... Pretty decent!

It's small, but bigger than I expected (RX100 spoiled me). Ergonomics of a "pistol grip" design are going to take some getting used to. Seems to handle low light quite unexpectedly well - mostly keeping up with a current "PJ" series cam. Not bad for a "small chipper".

Obviously there are limits to what a "pocket" camera can do, no audio I/O, no remote, and that awkward vertical shape... but for quick video aquisition you can take anywhere, looks pretty good, and as a B or C camera that is "weatherproof", could be a handy thing to have around! The customizable touchscreen buttons are a nice touch too - making up for the lack of any place to put real buttons!

Auto WB adjusts smooth and quickly to changing conditions from what I can see, and you can use the touch screen to choose what part of the frame to focus and expose for - again, check those customizable buttons once you get hands on - easy access to functionality otherwise "buried" in the menus!

[Michael C. Ray]

Hope this thread is still alive, I have a couple questions concerning this GW77 -

1) Any way to mount it to a small shoulder rig for a bit more stabilization

2) I have noticed the model numbers have a V / L / B at the end is just just a color of the
actual camera thing or?

3) I want to use them as a B-Roll camera on a boat of people catching fish, with either a 30u or 70u
as main, how close is the footage?

Thanks in advance

[Dave Blackhurst]

Keep in mind it's a "pistol grip" format (and a rather awkward one at that, as it's basically a "vertical block"). It does have a tripod mount on the bottom, so you should be able to attach it to most "rigs", although it is very small and lightweight. I tried mounting a very basic "L" bracket (flash bracket), and that seemed to help a bit (think "two handed"/ micro FigRig type thing).

Just out of curiousity I popped it on a "homebrew" rig I cobbled up out of modded flash brackets, and it actually worked quite well, although it looks "odd"! My suggestion would be get the lightest "rigs" you can, perhaps just cobble up a couple from the plumbing section using plastic pipe and fittings (easy to build 'em if you ever played with Tinkertoys or blocks), someting with two handles and a shouder extension would do the trick, and you'd be out for under $20, unless you want to paint them and make them look less ghetto. MOST rigs are just too big, bulky and heavy for these tiny little cameras from what I've found, and there aren't any "micro" rigs, even thought these little cams probably benefit the most from a "3 point" or "4 point" support system. I am used to shooting "small and light", and want to keep the total rig that way to avoid any hand/wrist/back strain, most of the "big rigs" defeat that purpose!


The suffix on these is the color designation, although the "V" refers to GPS in all Sony camera nomenclature. I think you'll find the designation to be GW77V unless there are international models without GPS (which does happen), and I believe these come in Black (B?), White (W?), and Blue (L) outside color, guts being identical.


I haven't fiddled with putting mine next to a PJ710 yet (which will be the same image block as an NX30, with less features, and I believe the same sensor as the 70), it's on my "to do list" for integrating some different cameras into the mix, but offhand the video is of a solid enough quality, and has the typical "Sony look" so it shouldn't be too big a problem. I am a little nervous about not having an "AE shift" to pull the exposure back, as that's sort of a Sony shooter "secret", but there do seem to be "spot focus/exposure" features which can be mapped to an onscreen "button", and I have to fiddle with it a bit more. I suspect the video is a little less crisp than the 710, but again, I need to shoot some tests side by side, it's definitely "good" from the samples I've shot just dragging the thing along and shooting whatever is happening.

I got one cheap enough I couldn't pass it up, figuring it never hurts to have a "bad weather" camera, and I can't justify a 70. Somehow I don't see the retail price, but it does seem to be a good little camera if you need something that won't be bothered by water, dirt, an accidental drop and whatnot. I've also got a couple DSC-TX20's that serve a similar purpose... the GW77 definitely is a better video camera than those, and they actually will "do in a pinch"!

Hope these observaitions are of some use to you. Let me know if you've got any other questions and I'll see if I can offer any insight!

[Michael C. Ray]

I went ahead and picked one up, I like it and pretty sure it will serve the use well. I purchased a opteka shoulder rig and together I think we have a winner. I did see a panny in my travels at a much better price, but I fear the footage will look too different.

I took it with me on a location scout at a carwash and am really happy with what it pulled for me there.

Really niche camera for my production, and exactly what we need on the boats for B-Roll ....

[Mike Burgess]

It has been awhile since the last post on this thread. Hope there is still some interest.

Mark, what is the latest with your GW77? Any new shots?

Well, I went and finally found a GW77 in my town at a small camera shop downtown. Did a bit of fiddling with it in the store and outside and then put it on lay-away. Am now paying on it weekly until I have it paid for.....will be awhile until I finally have it. Can't wait until I can bring it home to use it for real.

Handling it is definitely different from my SR11 and FX7. Will have to get used to that. It will also be interesting to compare the video it produces to what my other cams produce, and see how they match up on a project. Am sorry to see that this little cam is discontinued, but it will probably be replaced with something "more advanced".

[Mike Burgess]

Finally bought a GW77. By now, I know the cam is old news, but for me, it is new. Will be learning it over the next few weeks.