The highly anticipated competition to JVC's HD camcorders, the 1st generation Sony HDR-FX1 attempts to set the standard in a new frontier, the HD market. While there is a small HD camera market due to its still high prices, the Sony HDR-FX1 sets a milestone in its affordability delivering HD quality below Professional HD cameras priced at $50,000 and up. While more people purchase HD television sets, the HD market is expected to grow tremendously, eventually replacing its older counterparts. Does the HDR-FX1 deliver its promise as a true HD competitor to the JVC cameras and will it set itself as a benchmark for other manufactures such as Canon and Panasonic to follow in the near future?
I have purchased the Sony HDR-FX1 at Frys Electronics.
For the Sony DCR-VX2100, please visit this link-
SonyVX2100
Out of the Box:
The box was nicely packed, everything in order. Manuals for usage of HDR-FX1 are all straight forward. Included accessories are:
AC-L15 Power Adaptor/ In Camera Charger
NP-F570 InfoLithium Rechargeable Battery-Insufficient size of battery for this camera
RMT-831 Wireless Remote Commander Remote Control
AA Battery
Lens Hood-Built in Lens Cap
Multi A/V Cable
Component Video Cable
Cleaning Cassette
Shoe Adapter
Large Eye Cup
Shoulder Strap
Optional Accessories
NP-F970 Battery-gives you about 7 hours of battery life, utmost needed as the battery that it comes with is insufficient to its operation
Shoulder Mount-optional, but somewhat necessary for long operation without the use of a tripod-retail about $400
First Glance:
The Sony HDR-FX1 has a solid feel, very similar to that of the
SonyVX2100 . The look and feel of the camcorder resembles the VX2100, the manual zoom and manual focus rings, zoom length, and overall shape of the body. In some aspects, it resembles the VX2100 with some improvements. Here is a breakdown of improvements from the Sony VX-2100
Sony HDR-FX1 improvements:
72mm diammeter Carl Zeiss T* Lens
LCD: 3.5" 16:9 (250K) Precision Hybrid Color
White Balance: Auto/One-Push
Iris Control
Video/Audio out composite
Hard exterior plastic body
Observation
The beautiful widescreen 3.5 inch LCD display on the oversized handle is somewhat awkward at first, but quite practical if shooting from different angles. No TOUCH SCREEN is here, Sony put buttons all over this rig to compensate for the touch screen for a more professional operation. Also, there is no digital camera/memory stick operation found in the rest of Sony's digital camcorders. This shows that Sony is dedicating this camera to one and only operation, to take breathtaking video.
Looking from the top:
VCR control is in the area where the lcd closes itself in the handle. There is an additional record button, two modes for zoom control and one off position.
Looking from the left side:
The cassette loader is fully automatic with the touch of a latch and in the place of the VX2100's lcd location. Controls galore on the left side, Iris, gain, focus, shot transition, assignments, HDV/DV status, zoom controls including millimeter approx. length
Looking from the right side;
The right side is clean, with no buttons except another HDV/DV status, zoom rocker, and hand strap. Also the video, ieee 1394 connectors, and firewire are all concealed behind a strip of plastic.
Looking from the back:
The battery compartment is deeply recessed, showing you that this camera can accompany a larger battery to become less obtrusive. All the lcd menu controls are in the back, as well as zebra controls, and record/playback switch, and record button.
Operation:
The Sony HDR-FX1 is easy to use when set to automatic operation and straightforward when set in manual operation. Buttons are easily accessible and status/time code/ focal info is apparant on the lcd. DV operation was smooth and simple, like any camcorder. HDV operation uses the MPEG compression, similar to that of JVC's HD camcorders, but it uses the 1080i format that is seen in Sony's televisions (JVC uses the 720i format).
Image quality
Low light is the strong point of this camcorder that beats anything from JVC HD at 3 lux but still a difference from Sony's VX-2100 that has a lux rating of 1. The Zeiss T* coating lens helps reduce chromatic abberations. Although the video is similar to that when seen on a regular television, there is a big difference when it is viewed on a High Definition television set that has the 1080i standard.
The competition:
JVC GR-HD1- The Sony makes the JVC look obsolete! The color, low light, camera quality, and image quality is unsurpassed compared to the JVC. Although JVC was the first camcorder to offer HD at a affordable price, it does not compete with the sony.
Software:
The camera does not include any HD sofware, but as of now, editing choices are limited as the HD market is not in its prime at the moment. Apple has the most efficient editing equipment for HD to date- Final Cut Pro HD and its beginner friendly software- iMovie HD.
Conclusion:
The Sony HDR-FX1 is a camcorder that deserves its highly anticipated status. Although this camera has a wealth of features that sony derived from its VX lineup, it introduces technology and sophistication that has not been seen in Sony's prosumer lineup for sometime. Sony hit this one right on the right time and utmost eliminated its competition, the JVC-HD1. Although this is a first generation Sony product, it has shown its competition that Sony is serious about the prosumer market and it is here to stay and make a impression on all doubters.
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