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Sony FDR-AX100, 4K camcorder for the masses
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  • markr041markr041

    2000-year old tomb museum, historical exam-cramming academy, drumming instruction, and modern icons.

  • markr041markr041

  • markr041markr041

    The AX100 in dim light - Grand Central Terminal, one of the dimmest public spaces in the world.

  • DrDaveDrDave

    Certainly not one of the dimmest public spaces with those overhead lights and giant clerestory windows.

  • markr041markr041

    @DrDave: Been there? The lights are pinpoints in the high ceiling, and those windows do little to illuminate the main floor. Most train stations have glass ceilings precisely because side windows cannot illuminate a vast space. This one has a solid ceiling with tiny lights. In any case, that's just one room. Most of the terminal action is below that floor - no windows - or around the room - tiny or no windows.

  • DrDaveDrDave

    Go there all the time when I play at Carnegie Hall :) This photo shows the giant windows at the end of the hall, and the smaller windows in Beaux Arts style that flow along the long walls. You can see in this photo, light pooling on the main floor. http://www.nyc-architecture.com/MID/MID031A-07.jpg

  • markr041markr041

    This is what the main concourse really looks like midday (not like that photoshopped jpeg) - an unretouched 4K video frame grab:

    http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab56/markr041/GCTDark_zpsb549cbcc.jpg

    There is a narrow channel of light, almost a hot spot, from the big window, but it hardly illuminates the room as in that phony-looking picture.

    And the key point is that the main concourse is only one room in the complex; the rest have no windows. The hallways are dark, the basement big room is dark, the train passageways are dark. Even the Apple store part of the main concourse, as you can see in the video, is very dark - lit by individual lamps. Contrast that with their standard stores, which are bright and airy.

    At f2.8, average gain needed in that big room was something like 9db. The telephoto close-up of the girl on the phone rose to something like 18db of gain (because the aperture was closed down at the telephoto end).

    You can compare how the big sensor EOS-M did with an f2.0 lens in that same place - it struggled:

    Or the BMPCC with an f1.7 lens:

    That place is a real challenge for video. The AX100 did fine.

  • markr041markr041

    The 12X zoom on the AX100 is smooth, flicker-free with no re-focus and the 4K brings out the detail at the far end. You cannot have this capability on a DSLR.

    This short video demonstrates the zoom, focusing in on a scene miles away from a great height:

  • babypandababypanda

    your videos are great for someone like me starting out and learning how to shoot. thanks!

  • DrDaveDrDave

    Wow--amazing that it did so well against the EOS M. I was just looking at that cam since it is sometimes available for cheap.

  • matt_gh2matt_gh2

    Need some advice from FDR-AX100 folks. I need a good B cam that will match the Sony FDR-AX100 which will be used as A cam for upcoming shoot. I need the B cam to basically match image type/style/colors etc. Hoping it would be reasonably priced for a B cam. Any ideas? Might be dumb question, but can I shoot FDR-AX100 at 4K and shoot B cam at 1080P and expect a reasonable match in terms of editing images together? Thanks!

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Sony FDR-AX100 at $1798 - http://www.amazon.com/Sony-FDR-AX100-Video-Camera-3-5-Inch/dp/B00HNJWVIA

  • markr041markr041

  • markr041markr041

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    FDR-AX100 will support XAVC S 4K 100Mbps high-bitrate recording through a firmware update scheduled for March 2015

    Good news!

  • WichtelfieberWichtelfieber

    Can't see any real negative for the price.

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

    4K

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Note, that only for $470 you can add full fledged XLR and shotgun (same as on X70)

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/SONY-XLR-Adapter-Kit-XLR-K2M-/221650893516

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    http://akihabaranews.com/2015/01/21/article-en/review-sony-ax100-4k-handycam-video-gallery-1128000737

  • DrDaveDrDave

    Interesting that the reviewer claims the 33 is better without testing it, I hope it is better even if the sensor is smaller. The 10 is a very good camcorder, maybe there will be a "selloff".

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Interesting that the reviewer claims the 33 is better without testing it, I hope it is better even if the sensor is smaller.

    New small chip cameras are not better. Small sensor, no NDs, much worse lens and controls.

    One good thing is that new small cams are compatible with Sony XLR addons.

  • DrDaveDrDave

    I can't find much wrong with the AX100--except the MF assist button on the wrong side.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Firmware 3.0 released

    Digital 4K Video Camera Recorder FDR-AX100

    • XAVC S 4K 100Mbps addition
    • Capture still picture from video contents shot by XAVC S
    • Trimming playback improvement
    • Auto focus performance improvement
    • Focus tracking performance to the person

    Digital 4K Video Camera Recorder FDR-AX100E

    • XAVC S 4K 100Mbps addition
    • Trimming playback improvement
    • Auto focus performance improvement
    • Focus tracking performance to the person

    http://www.sony-asia.com/support/download/602612/product/fdr-ax100e

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