NX100 - Anything?
 

Any reports on the camera / first hand?
Where can one even be purchased?

Thoughts?

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Looks like available at B&H.

I've been looking for info also, not much luck. Just a short review on YouTube, and a bunch of sites that have just preview info, no real review stuff.

I would like to see comparisons to the X70 and NX3, especially the low light differences.

I guess no buzz about this cam due to the fact it doesn't shoot 4K, but for my line of work, don't need 4K. Probably won't need that for a couple years.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Yea, I seen B&H got them a day or so ago -

I like you don't need 4K right now, or for a while

I am ready to pull the trigger on one, just wish I could find some
real time opinions and such on it ...

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Went ahead and dropped the money today on the NX100 - field monitor and magic arm ... due here Tuesday ....

Will let you know how it works out ....

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

A pair of video reviews:

Very extensive review:

Another one:

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Received mine. First quick low-light test. NX100 performing significantly worse than AC90.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Is there a exposure difference at comparable iso or is it just more noisy?

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

I have not examined yet for noise. NX100 is noticeably darker.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Probably a stupid question but just to eliminate the obvious, are you sure the ND is set to off?

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Ha! Yes, ND is off.

I am not the most qualified to do a light test, so if someone wants to suggest a controlled way to do it, I may be able to find time.

This may help:

The AC90 has 8,040,000 pixels (2,680,000 X 3 1/4.7 chips). The NX100 has 14,200,000 effective pixels on the 1" chip. I may be wrong, and this doesn't take into account pixel size/density, but the AC90 takes in about 60% of the light the NX100 does, giving NX100 some advantage. The AC90 lens is more than a full stop faster, so overall, the AC90 would be about 1/2 stop better in low light I think.

[REVISED: Another quick test showed NX100 a tad better... maybe 1/3 stop.]

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Received mine about a week ago ...

Perfect for the projects it was purchased to handle ..

Quick run&gun minimal effort -- and move on ...

Supplies in my opinion great footage for my needs

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

I'm very very interested in this cam. I have the AX2000 and I can share lot of material with this new NX-100 (batteries, memory cards, lanc remote control, rode mics...).

Not many reviews, but I have found this one on BH website from a customer opinion:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1156385-REG/sony_hxr_nx100.html
High-Performance Hybrid at an Unbeatable Price
By Shinji-P
from Hanford, CA
Verified Reviewer
I need to preface my review with the fact that I am a long-time Sony-camcorder user and am mostly basing my review on other Sony camcorders that I have used, own, or researched.

I consider this a hybrid-camera: one that was born out of Sony's R&D with previous models. It takes the concept of the ENG-style shoulder camcorder, combines it with the form-factor of the EX1, borrows the prosumer features of the NX3/1, keeps the optical/imaging system of the X70/AX100/CX900, and repackages it all in this awesome little lightweight package that totally rocks! Oh yeah, and it's about $1K+ cheaper than comparable prosumer cams...

So what's the catch? Well, so far I honestly can't find one. Based on my knowledge of previous Sony camcorders, the NX100 met 90% of my hopes and expectations. The size/weight are perfect. The kit battery has plenty of juice. The external battery charger was an unexpected but highly-welcomed surprise. The standard Sony L-battery and power supply are tried and true.

Now to the really good parts! This is a prosumer cam with almost all the bells and whistles that set a good ENG prosumer cam apart from a high-end consumer cam at a price point typical of the latter. 3-rings, all very smooth and precise allow for very accurate adjustment. Focus peaking is spot-on. The focus ring is easy to use, the zoom ring is typical of fly-by-wire servo zoom rings, and the iris ring is smooth and step-less...wonderful! LANC is included for remote control zoom and start/stop! Audio is full-featured: 2 channels of internal or external XLR with phantom power, fully adjustable, low-cut, limiter, manual levels, and the option to use the hot-shoe with Sony's wireless mic system. Buttons are placed on the side for all your essential camera functions for full-manual control. The NON-touch screen is a welcome feature as you can actually navigate the menus by a traditional keypad. Buttons are assignable as well. Two-card slots are a welcome upgrade coming from CX900s and I'm very happy to see the inclusion of XAVCS 50Mbps. This cam to me seems to be everything the the X70 wanted to be with what I loved about the NX3/1 at a price cheaper than both. It doesn't get much better than that! Oh yeah, it also has picture profiles reminiscent of the EX1 which is unheard of at this price point! Sony's getting back around to producing some epic gear at competitive prices.

I have a theory about the low price. 4K is the in-thing right now, and HD is seen as going the way of SD. The camera companies and TV manufacturers are pushing 4K, so in order to compete in prosumer land, Sony needed to produce a camcorder for people who want the clean, beautiful picture a 1" chip puts out but who don't need 4K and want it in a prosumer ENG package. This cam delivers and I have no complaints in that regard. I would like to dabble in 4K, but just a heads up to anyone who cares...4K is just an intermediate format that will be replaced in less than 5 years. Sure, we are going from 2MP to 8MP video with 4K imaging, but when 8K comes out we will be pushing about 32MP at high frame rates like 120Hz progressive. Now THAT is impressive! 4K just pales in comparison to 8K, and NHK, a leading global broadcasting company, has already stated they are skipping 4K and developing 8K broadcasting systems. A word to the wise: don't get too invested in 4K because your gear will be "outdated" in less than a decade. Also, higher frame rates are making a comeback. 30p is the standard these days, but 60p is gaining popularity. What is the visual difference between 60p and 60i? Not much other than that the internet doesn't do 60i so it is down-converted to 30p for uploading. Oh yeah, we've had 60i since the 1940s...ironic?
4K shows how quadrupling the resolution from HD does not make as much visual impact as it does doing the same from SD. HD looks much better than SD, but 4K doesn't look 4 times better than HD. It just looks a little better. Why am I saying all this? The NX100 is a killer HD cam that is tack sharp, has low noise, and brilliant color. It is in no way "inferior" because it doesn't put out or record a 4K signal.

Now I must say there is one thing I really don't like about this camera. The NX3/1, X70, AX100, and CX900 all suffer from this same problem: the slowest zoom speed is STILL TOO FAST. Come on Sony, lens servo motors are analog devices by nature and can be infinitely variable in speed. PLEASE release a firmware update that allows us to utilize a slower zoom speed! It is for this ONE reason that I take off a star because after all this time, Sony still refuses to recognize the need for slow zooms. My EX1 can do it, but the picture quality from that camera just doesn't look as nice as the rich, deep, and clean picture from the NX100. Is B4 lens-handling too much to ask in a prosumer cam? I guess so...

But don't let that defer you. That, in my opinion, is the only weakness of this amazing camera. If your work is ENG, events, corporate, run-and-gun, documentary, etc. then there is no reason NOT to get this cam, even if you use it as a B-cam. My own shooting style for theater performances and church services requires slow and subtle zooms, so this is a bigger deal to me than it is to most other people. I realize that so I want to put that in perspective. Guess I got spoiled with the EX1's zoom handling after using it for 6 years.

Bottom line: this cam is revolutionary in terms of what it offers for the price tag. When you look at what you get for the money, it is more than worth it. Just buy it and you'll know why.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Two videos recorded with NX-100.

Old Sony FX1 HDV vs. new NX-100

Low light on stage

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Pretty happy with mine, actually will be selling my PMW EX1R to purchase another NX-100 ..

Done some "testing" an am very happy with both manual and full auto, color is great simply very
solid for what I do ..

Am setting one up with rails / mattebox / follow focus .. if I can figure out what will work the camera
is so new nothing out on it yet ...

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Hello, I was considering in buying the Sony as a replacement for my AC90.
Do you still consider the sony worst than the PAnny ac90???

thanks

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

NX100 is definitely better in low light. Also the image is more pleasing when gained up than the AC90 IMHO.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Here's a short ice hockey clip.
https://vimeo.com/152117012

(It's 1080p60 so please download the "original" file to play from your desktop and not in the browser or in the vimeo player.)

Rec Format – 59.94
1/90
f5.2
12dB
AF

I would really be liking this camera for sports except for difficulties I have with manual focus. The lens focus data only stay on the LCD display for 3 seconds. So in order to adjust focus you have to first move the ring in order make the data appear and get a reading. That is just to much attention for a sports shooter to have to pay to the viewfinder or LCD. I need to glance in, see my reading, and make a focus decision in a fraction of a second—so I need the focus data up all the time.

(Amazingly, the zoom data, which for me seems to be less necessary, stay on the display all the time.)

I won't use this camera for sports where manual focus is required. It's been good for this type of AF sports coverage, and for events and interviews, although I turn off the shutter to compensate for lack of strong low-light performance.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Too bad they didn't put the X70 live streaming function into this little camera.

Paul

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

You cannot turn off a shutter but it most likely defaults at the same framerate you are shooting in that mode, so if you shoot at 25fps the shutter is 1/25 and if you shoot at 50fps the shutter is 1/50.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Yes, thank you for stating clearly the concept off "shutter off." So 1080p30 1/30… in low light I use that when I can get away with it (if camera and subject movement are minimal enough to avoid motion blur).

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

When you look at this camera, and think about Sony's history with "dual market model sharing" we all KNOW a 4k UHD clone model is on the way soon. Looking at the playback controls at the front of the handle, you know they blocked off plenty of room for more buttons too.

Imagine if they gave it a 8 or 10 megapixel 16x9 video sensor instead of a 20+ megapixel photography sensor? Now you are talking!

Let's see if they release a 4K model at NAB 2016. I'd wait a little longer just to see what Sony does.

CT

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Thats what I thought since the sony has a 1 in sensor.... but the OP said it performed worst than the AC90

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Can't speak for the AC90 but there is a bit more involved with the comparison of low light. I swapped over from my NX3 cams to the X70 and a couple of its cousins (cx900 and ax100). Did a quick low light test with the NX3 and the X70. I could open up the NX3 to f1.6 and the X70 can only manage f2.8. So, on first look the NX3 was a clear winner. Smaller sensor but far less pixels as well.

I then tested both of them at f4.0 as that what the X70 stops down to at the long end of the zoom. Again, the NX3 was brighter. However, the NX3 was also a lot noisier than the X70 and not nearly as sharp either. Basic tests but the the X70 needed to be at 21db of gain to match the NX3 at 12db (the figure I never went over on the NX3). Still, the X70 was noticeably cleaner.

I shot a few weddings using the two side by side and the difference in quality was really noticeable to me.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Hoping for this as well. There'll finally be a contender for an EX1 replacement for 4K if this happens. It has to have UHD 60p though, or it's not future proofed.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Hey Dave, can you tell me how fast you can toggle up and down on the gain using that up down toggle thing? Am looking to upgrade from my X70 (to a Z150), but I use the X70 dial for exposure ramping gain up or down.

Paul

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Hey everyone, just joined the site to jump into this conversation about the Nx100. I just received this last week after doing some research.

I am in a state govt agency, and this camera will be used for live-streaming remote events, and for prodcuing in-house training or other employee videos. We are still live-streaming at 480x360 with a composite input, so the dedicated BNC jack on this camera works better for us than break-out dongles.

I have put in some time going through all the menus and the manual, but haven't recorded yet because the memory cards are on back-order.

I don't see the manual on the Sony page, so maybe I can help, as far as some criticism I've seen.

There are 5 user-assignable buttons, and any of the following settings can be mapped to any of these buttons:
Low Lux - adjusts for low light (only available is shooting full auto)
Focus Magnifier
Last Scene Review
Wht Bal
WB Preset
WB Set
AE Shift *
Digital Zoom extender
Steadyshot
S&Q Motion (records in alternate frame rate for Slow or quick resulting footage)
Auto Mode Set
Scene Selection
Nightshot
Iris Push Auto
Face Detection
Color Bar
Picture Profile
Volume (for showing headphone volume - still need arrow keys to adjust)
Histogram
Zebra
Peaking
Marker
Camera Data Display
Audio Level Display
Data Code
TC/UB display
Status Check
Rec Lamp
Thumbnail.


* Someone mentioned earlier frustration at not being able to use the Iris ring to trim the AE. This button will turn ON or OFF an AE adjustment you'd previously set in the menu, -2 to +2. If you want to use the iris ring to make on the fly AE adjustments, just use the iris ring as an iris ring, or use the lever on the side to bump or pull gain in 3db increments, -3 to plus 33.

Then there is also the ND filter siwtch, which is dedicated. So between the iris ring, the manual lever (for shutter or gain adjustment) and the ND filter, there are 4 parameters you can adjust with just your left hand.

The lever is a springy-lever, and for gain it goes by 3dB, so to go from 0 to +12 would take you, IDK, 1.5 seconds? (plus the .5 seconds to press the Gain button before adjusting).
Not a smooth ramp though.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

The other reason for opting for the sony was the ClearZoom. I've been stuck with palmcorder style cams for years, which are very hard to dial in manually, but they did have 30x optical zooms on them. I am often in the back of an auditorium.

Most of the new HD semi-pro cams are 12x optical, which is not going to be enough. I should be able to get to 24x with the Clear Zoom and not have a lot of artifact on the composite output.

There is also a DV mode on this camera that let's it shoot in 480, 4:3. I wish that the Clearzoom in DV mode would actually just sample the 480 from the middle of the sensor...just give me an actual crop zoom and retain the resolution, but I don't see any indication of that.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Chris, for adjusting gain with the "springy lever thing", what happens if you hold it up or down? My X70 has the dial thing, but still pops each 3db, not too pretty........wondering if the springy lever will be easier to deal with that the dial, just not any faster I expect.

You should be able to shoot AVCHD mode using standard SDHC cards right? I know on my X70, for some stupid reason, streaming only works with XAVC codecs, not with AVCHD.

Paul

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Just curious if somebody can answer a couple of questions for me. I notice the camera has a lens cap and lens hood. I have an old HDR-FX7 with the barn door lens cover. Are they interchangeable? Can I take the barn door lens cover and use it on the NX100? My other question is about the shotgun mic holder. Is it removable? Most video I do, I use wireless or cord but not shotgun. It looks to me like it could get in the way. Maybe I'm overthinking things here.

I'm retired but just can't get it out of my blood. Don't want to invest in a camera I wouldn't be happy with.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

re: mic holder. Yes, I already removed mine, as the camera wouldn't fit in the bag I bought without looking uncomfortable. Two small phillips screws, no biggie. I got the sony multi-shoe set which allows their wireless receiver to get power and transmit sound through the hot shoe, no battery no cables.

I will play with the lever and get back to you. Paul, I'm confused by your question, you mention recording, then streaming. I'll check the manual but if you could clarify that would help.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

maybe to answer the question:

File format AVHCD, accepts: SD, SDHC, SDXC (class 4 or up), Mem stick PRO Duo (Mark 2), PRO-HG Duo

XAVC S HD: SDXC memory card class 10+.

This camera doesn't live stream over wifi or anything, it just has HDMI out or composite out, which isn't dependent on the codec you've selected. You can pick the output resolution out the HDMI.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

I hope there aren't rules against consecutive posts.

So, you can either hold the "adjustment lever" or separately keep pushing it up or down. To go from -3 to +33 by holding down took 2.9 seconds. It pauses slightly after going the first step, then quickly steps up through the rest. Not smooth like an iris adjustment, but that is optical and this is digital.

Oh and to respond to another issue posed, I couldn't get the focus distance indicator to stay on the screen either. It's not in any of the display/status options. It only pops up once you move the ring.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

That is just like my NX5U !! More than the batteries in common !!

Ron Evans

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

We shot a wedding last weekend using my buddy's new NX100 and my NX5U.

Based on what he's telling me last night, the NX100 at +27 db is cleaner, sharper, and has better color than my NX5U at +12/+15 db.

Looking forward to seeing some actual screen shots of it.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Yes my NX5U is not as good as my AX100 for noise that is even true for my NX30 comparison too. I keep my NX5U to 9db or less if I can. With the NX5U at 12db I end up using NEAT filter to clean up. The AX100 just looses a little resolution as the gain goes up but it is still sharper than the NX5U. I would just like to have all the controls of the NX5U ( like smooth gain switching etc ) in a larger sensor camera,

Ron Evans

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

seems like a thing a quick firmware update could fix. There's already a menu option for feet or meters. Just add an "always on" option.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Well my NX5U has that menu item too but it is now 6 years old so don't hold your breath for any changes. On my FDR-AX1 it does stay there all the time so why on this modern product they left it off is strange.

Ron Evans

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

First impression is that the clear zoom works really well, although I am only at DV/NTSC quality right now.

Another commenter mentioned the inaccessibility of the menu and arrow buttons at the top of the camera, and that is a problem on a tripod. However, it seems to me that fiddling with the buttons will make the image shake anyway, and given those two things, maybe just keep the remote in your pocket to quickly flip through the menu if needed.

Making small exposure adjustments is a bit tricky because the gain goes in 3db steps. But if you use the iris ring to adjust the iris, you are changing your DOF. So I am trying to get pretty close with the gain and only adjust 1 stop either way with the iris.

What I didn't test was if you set the gain to auto, it will slowly ramp gain in degrees that you can't do with the 3db step lever.

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

If it is like most Sony's you can fix the iris and shutter then use the exposure or AE shift control which will then adjust the gain. It may be smoother than switching the gain certainly seems that way on my AX100.

Ron Evans

Re: NX100 - Anything?
 

Hey Chris, if you HOLD the toggle up or down, will the gain continue to go up/down in 3db inciments, or do you have to release and repush to get to the next step?

And can anyone confirm if the NX100 REQUIRES Sony OEM batteries.........I don't think Sony L series are chipped, but you never know!

Paul