Customer Reviews

Sony HDR-CX700V High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Length:: 5:58 Mins

Pure AWESOMENESS:
(1) 26.3mm wide angle lens. You don't need a wide angle adapter anymore, this lens is beautiful at 26.3mm and does not have noticeable lens distortion.

(2) True 24p frame rate. Not 24 fake frames in a 60i wrapper, but actual 23.98 progressive. Perfect for filmmakers, especially combined with Sony's Cinema Tone color preset. I believe this is first consumer Sony Handycam that shoots 24p.

(3) 1080/60p at 28Mbps. Image quality looks more real than real. You can also get fantastic slow motion out of 1080p - most cameras shoot 60p at 720 not 1080.

(4) 96GB of internal flash storage. More than I'll ever need and with the ability to transfer my footage directly to an external hard drive without using a computer. At first I thought the extra USB cable that comes out of the camera will get in the way of shooting, but it tucks nicely into it's own plastic holder on the strap.

(5) Great in low light. I compared this to my previously owned Canon HFS200 and Panasonic HMC40 and the CX700 is sees more with better clarity and color rendition. And when low light ain't low enough for you, the NIGHT VISION mode sees in the dark. It makes me want to do bad things with it, but in a good way.

(6) The peaking functions make focus simple and easy with three colors to choose from (white, red, or yellow).

Kind of ANNOYING, but I could live with it:
(1) The control dial is too sensitive. The control wheel on the Canon HFS200/20/21 has more accurate functionality.

(2) The placement of the hot shoe, mic, and headphone inputs get in the way of actually holding the camera. Also, the hot shoe is propriety to Sony, so you will need to purchase an adapter if you are using third party hardware.

(3) Most of the functions are buried within the touch screen menu system. So ever single time you want to adjust a setting, you need to dig through the menu list. This wastes a lot of time.

(4) Although, the Geotagging is a cool idea, you need Sony software in order to view your GPS locations in each clip. You cannot see this info in Quicktime.

The DEALBREAKER:
(666) You cannot control Aperture, Shutter Speed, and Exposure at the same time! The control dial lets you select ONE setting and then all other settings are automatic. So if you set your shutter speed to 1/48 and then want to lock your exposure, the minute you switch in the menu, the shutter speed goes into auto mode. And worst of all, you cannot view the Aperture, Shutter Speed, and Exposure values on the LCD display at the same time. You really have no idea what 2 out of the 3 you are controlling.

When I had a Canon HV20, there used to be a trick to set and lock the Aperture, Shutter, and Exposure - [...]. With the CX700, you can't do that. And even if you CAN, Sony does not make it very intuitive to do because I searched through the manual and played with the camera menu for hours and couldn't find a solution. But hey, I might be retarded, so if anyone can figure this out please let me know. I guess if you want full manual control, you need to step up to Sony's Prosumer cameras.

All in all, this is a fantastic step forward for Sony handycams, but one giant leap backward.

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P.S. --- I imported the footage into Final Cut Pro 7 and the LOG AND TRANSFER does not recognize the 1080/60p footage. I am not sure if Apple will release an update OR if Sony wants to force you to use Vegas or their own transcoding software.

I am a professional DP, and this camera is awesome. It's the first small HD camera that I can shoot a sunset with. It can handle being pointed at the sun, without the nasty star pattern that every other small HD camera that I have used. I have used the new Canon ProHD sensor cameras, and the Panasonic HD-TM700, SD600. The Panasonic cameras are the sharpest, but there is so much more they fail at. Pointed at the sun and headlights, they make a nasty four or six point star pattern, and I find they are not very useful in low light. The Canon does not have a wide lens, and also performs poor in low light, a big disappointment.

This Sony HDC-CX700 and the HDC-CX560, are basically the same camera, with the 700 adding zebra lines, and a rear viewfinder, that lets the camera continue shooting with the LCD door closed. There are a few minor other differences in the models, but either way you can't go wrong. The Sony's also perform excellent in low light, and have a decent dynamic range.

I also own the Canon 5d, 7d, and T2i cameras. These DSLR cameras do not look as good to me in low light, and they suffer from a high degree of aliasing, point them at power lines for instance, and they staircase the bending lines. The Canon DSLR line also suffer from moire, point them at a brick building, and they have a tendency to create a lot of noise. The Canon DSLR is fantastic for shooting timelapse, as the stills can be shot raw. The stills from these cameras are top notch, the Sony does not shoot great stills. Just remember that time you add good glass, and memory, the DSLR option can get quite expensive for video. The DSLR's do offer the best option for shallow depth of field, which if you have that type of subject matter, looks the best. Just remember that much of what you may shoot is probably at infinity, so not much depth of field happening there. Also depending on the lens, and subject, a DSLR may offer excellent picture quality with the sun in frame.

The Sony line also shoots true 1080 / 24p and 60p. This offers ability to speed change (slow motion) and the 60p can be converted to 30p with a little work, and some third party software available from Aunsoft. There are give and takes in all the cameras mentioned, but I find the Sony 560 and 700 to be the best compromise. With all these consumer cameras, it's good to take the camera and shoot some test, I find big variances in all of these cameras, I believe that consumer cameras are not manufactured to the highest level of quality control standards. In everyone of these cameras, I have seen resolution differences in the same model, so do some testing when you get a new camera, and make sure it looks good.

So to final sum up, the Panasonic line has fantastic resolution, but suffers from bright light sources flaring, poor color rendition, and poor low light performance. The Canon ProHD camera line does not have a wide lens, poor flare, soft resolution, and so so low light performance. The Sony's are okay at resolution, but excel in handling bright light sources, produce nice color rendition, and excel in low light. Manual control is best on Panasonic, then Canon, and then the Sony's. There is something called exposure on the Sony line, which manually controls exposure, but it does not inform you as to what it is actually set at. I have got used to it, and just shoot great imagery with this camera.

Sony will be releasing a Pro version of this camera for around $3K. It's basically the 700, with some weather proofing, better manual control, and a larger form. I would rather have a 560 and a 700, and some other excellent Sony accessories that Sony offers with this camera line. The telephoto 1.7x lens works great, the Bluetooth mic is easy, and the Sony av60 tripod finish out a nice light weight run and gun camera package. Of the a fore mentioned cameras, the Canon and Panasonic are cheaper, but this Sony is good enough to basically be added to their pro line. It is an excellent compromise.

I'm venting a little bit here, but everything was great until it stopped working. My 34th anniversary trip to Europe, unfortunately.

I got the camera, tried it out at home for over almost 2 months, and everything was good. So good, in fact, that I purchased also a light, a microphone, a pistol grip, an extra battery--well, you get the idea.

1. Camera stabilization was much better than expected. I just walked out in the yard and followed my two golden retrievers, and the result was amazing for hand-held walking. I never even considered that it would be that good.

2. Low light is great. No problems here, and the white balance adjustment was more than adequate--admittedly I tried it only with very yellow lights and more typical incandescents.

3. The camera is light but not tiny, which is what I wanted. I don't do well with tiny things, but this is manageable yet much lighter in weight than previous Sony models I've had.

4. I've only recorded HD, but the picture quality seems quite good, and I didn't have a problem with overly slow focusing that some had mentioned, and was compatible with my video software (Corel Video Studio). PLENTY of room on the built-in memory--I didn't even need to purchase any additional chips.

5. I'm not a big fan of doing everything on a touch menu, but it's also not as bad as I feared it might be because of some good automatic features, so I don't need to do too much with it (yet the more advanced options are there when I need them). The ease of finding and deleting clips makes up for any additional work with the menus I need to do.

6. By the way, I enjoyed the pistol grip but do not use it as I thought I would. I do NOT use it to hold, but more as a mini-tripod with controls on it. It was a little awkward for me, but it's great for a table-top tripod--probably could have done as well with a mini-tripod instead for less $$, but my husband kind of likes it. I was surprised, however, that I could not use the remote for starting and stopping the recording. Maybe it is just me, but that would have been nice so I won't need to physically touch anything and risk moving the camera.

7. Now, reliability and support. I realize I've had the camera over a month (yes, it's still under warranty), but since I purchased a US camera, I need US support, which is fine unless you're vacationing out of the US. Unfortunately, I went on vacation in Europe with my new camera and all gear. I sent a Sony email, looked for solutions on line (their maintenance database was down), and finally got to a chat representative--who was pretty much less than no help at all, although he was careful to tell me many times how much he was trying to help me. Realizing that I'm writing this while still in a crummy mood about it given the money I paid (so please forgive me), I was basically told I could send it back from Europe to the US or pay to have it repaired in Europe. I said that at this point, after all my purchases add up to close to $2,000, I'd be willing to pay for repairs to a camera otherwise under warranty, he was unable to give me any information whatsoever on where I might be able to take it. Of course, after I asked for repairs in Amsterdam or Venice or Rome, he asked again whether I was in the US, so I'm not sure he ever grasped my problem. In any case, this is the only time I've ever had a problem with a Sony HandyCam, and I think this is my fourth, so it was probably bad karma....

So, forgetting the fact that I'm going video-less and photo-less on my vacation AND yet still need to cart the equipment around, lock it up, etc., it is a nice enough camera. However, since this is a new model (I think it just came out Q1 this year), I'm a little nervous about whether I was too eager to be an early adopter. Did I just get a bad camera, or is it a problem in general? Only time and other reviews will tell.

So, if you don't have a big trip planned, go for it. If you do, bring a backup unless you can say yes to the Dirty Harry line: "Do you feel lucky?"

Bought this camcorder to replace HDR-SR11. Had to have viewfinder. Camcorder excellent overall but viewfinder is borderline useless. It has a micro wheel for diopter adjustment (viewfinder focus). This wheel moves anytime you open the viewfinder or move the camera. Result is you must use your shooting hand to manually refocus viewfinder EVERY time you use it. I spoke to Sony and they said I had to mail in camcorder for their techs to look at it. I opted to return first camcorder to Amazon (great, quick replacement). Replacement, brand new, is exactly the same. I keep thinking I can wedge the wheel somehow or tape it. For $1300, Sony should be figuring it out, not me. I may just send this one back and get the 64GB without the viewfinder; or go to a different brand. An interesting note is that last year's top Sony model HDR-CX550V has shot up in price since the intro of this model??

This is not a comprehensive review, but rather some first impressions. I have edited this review a couple times, since editing and playback support has been improved since my initial review. I am not an expert with video; I'm just a geeky dad that wants to get the best possible video of my kid being cute.

I was upgrading from a 4 year old Sony HDR-SR1. The HDR-CX700V is a really nice upgrade, but it didn't blow me away. Perhaps my expectations were too high. But, one good thing is the size. Like the first reviewer, it is smaller than I was expecting. The wide angle lens allows me to get much more in the picture than my old cam, and that is a huge benefit for my typical video of a preschooler running around the house. The low light performance is also much better than my SR1, but I was still hoping for better. I guess that I shouldn't have expected it to be perfect without perfect lighting, though.

One of the big selling points for me to upgrade was being able to shoot in 1920x1080x60p. Well, this cam does in fact do that. However, I did not realize that it is not possible to shoot still photos while recording in this mode (or the highest quality 60i mode). Also, I didn't realize that I wouldn't be able burn a Blu-ray disc in that format. The Blu-ray standard doesn't support that format. I have to downconvert to 1920x1080x60i (or 1920x1080x24p or 1280x720x60p) to burn my videos to a Blu-ray disc. Luckily, my PS3 will play the 60p files from the camcorder. I just had to update my PS3 to support that.

For editing, Sony Vegas Pro 10 has no problem importing the 1920x1080x60p files. My initial review complained that there was no way to render an edited 1920x1080x60p file with Sony Vegas Pro 10, but the latest update (10.0d) now supports doing this. It appears that the video is slightly more compressed than the original, but I can't see a difference when watching the video. The 60p render template also reduced the quality of my audio, but I'm not worried about that, since I can render a higher quality audio stream separately and use tsMuxer to extract my edited video stream. Here is a link to the MediaInfo report for the source and Vegas Pro 10.0d edited files, for those who are interested:

[...]

Overall, this cam is much better than my 4 year old one that was at about the same price point when I bought it. The more I have compared the old to the new, the more impressed I have been. I am happy with this purchase. If Sony would provide a Vegas Pro template that rendered to the exact same (or higher) quality as the camcorder 60p files, I would say that I am completely satisfied and raise my rating to 5 stars.

I have been using the Sony HDR-CX700V with a tripod mounted on the deck of two flat-bottomed boats (16' and 24' Carolina Skiffs). For initial tests the camcorder was positioned so as to include the bow of the boats in the frame for reference and both boats were run in varying wave and wake conditions in the St. Johns River, Florida.

On replaying the videos it appears that the camcorder will maintain an almost level horizon with the boat pitching up to about 6 inches and rolling up to approximately 5 degrees (before you try this, make sure you secure the tripod/camcorder to prevent losing them both over the side!). It also provided excellent compensation for the vibration inherent in flat-bottomed boats.

In summary, the image stabilization properties of the camcorder are exemplary, and make it a superb tool for filming from your boat or other moving platform.

In short, this camcorder is one of the best purchases.
Only qualm is with Sony's customer service. They are very rude when you talk to them just to even know about the product.
I have been a very regular consumer for Sony products for ages now. For such a costly camcorder, they should throw in NP-FV70 battery as a standard or at least give the camcorder bag free.

Image quality is very good. It has a very good feature of smile recognition technology that seamlessly takes pictures while recording a video without interrupting the video. The only down-side to that is every time somebody as have a twinkle in their eyes, this camcorder starts capturing pictures which may proliferate the usage of memory.

Another very useful feature is that Full HD quality videos can be uploaded onto computers and shared with the in-built USB cord provided.

Have not used the sophisticated manual wheel or the viewfinder that I thought would be very useful. Perhaps there was not a situation yet that presented for me to use these. I am pretty sure I would come across such occasions when I am trying to capture a beautiful landscape or scenery. Otherwise, the auto controls are just great. It recognizes if there is a baby when capturing a video or photo,and so on.

Very light weight.
Vivid colors and 5.1 channel audio recording for the video.
Multiple connectivity options.
Just be extra careful with the camcorder and especially gentle with the LCD screen as it is fragile. Don't let the LCD screen go shut. Just make sure to close it all the way supported with a hand. The menus are decently laid.
Sony Bag LCS-VX21 that comes in the accessory kit ACC-HDV7 is sufficient and necessary. This accessory kit also contains NP-FV70 which gives 4 hrs high quality HD video. Have not used it that long though. Sony Gold-plated mini to regular (C-to-A) HDMI cable included in this kit is handy to watch the exact quality of the video on HDTV.

I love this camera and the video quality. I just received this camera last week -- upgrading from a Sony SD camera that recorded SD/stereo to this one which I can now record in 1080/60p with 5.1 dolby digital sound!

I just wanted people to be aware that if they purchase the 37mm lens protector Sony VF37CPKB Polarizing Filter Kit the included lens hood that came with the camera will no longer attach (there are not many pictures of this camcorder showing the included lens hood, but it does come with one).

Also, when the lens protector is attached, it partly blocks the flash above the lens, causing an arched shadow to appear on the lower half of ones photograph. Note: this lens protector does not hinder/block the IR transmitter for nightshot.

Always buy your camcorder from trust sites.

Don't buy from those sites linked buy NexTag such as AJRichies, buyherephoto, certifieddigital etc...

The cheap price was bet for your personal and your credit card information only, they don't even have the product. I ordered from three different sites but the same customer service spoke me and told me the same thing. If I want, they can order the overseas' model for me which will take 3-4 weeks. That's phony...

Other than the few cons that have already been talked about, I think this is a great camera. What some people have defined as a draw back don't seem like a big deal to me. I bought this camera to video some hunting adventures and it has excelled at that. The manual adjustments are more than enough for me as I usually don't bother with much else other than the auto focus. I do not use a external mic, so the plugs have not got in my way either, but I could see that being a problem. The camera feels good in my hand and has an overall quality feel. Sony can't please everyone i guess and product reviews will also reflect the unsatisfied more than the satisfied, so you have to look at that aspect too.