16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Good camera for low-light and artificial conditions
I purchaized FX1000 form Amazon two months ago to videotape theatrical performances at home. I have chosen it because of good low light specification (1.5Lux) and made the right choice. With correct manual settings (most important - maximum gain <15dB) it produces excellent picture for poorly lit scenes as well as for scenes under artificial (pure red, blue, green)...
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Not good in low light
I previously purchased the Sony HDR-FX1 a couple of years ago and when it was time to purchase a second camera to add to my growing video company, I bought the HDR-FX1000 since it was advertised as a better version of the FX1. The very first thing I shot with this camera was an indoor awards ceremony where the lights in the auditorium were pretty dim. I shot this event...
This review is from: Sony HDR-FX1000 High Definition MiniDV Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
I purchaized FX1000 form Amazon two months ago to videotape theatrical performances at home. I have chosen it because of good low light specification (1.5Lux) and made the right choice. With correct manual settings (most important - maximum gain <15dB) it produces excellent picture for poorly lit scenes as well as for scenes under artificial (pure red, blue, green) lightling. Low-light noise is slightly worse than for VX2100 that is known champion for such conditions (1.0Lux). However, resolution is much better than for VX2100: I can hardly see pixelization or any artifacts on 6ft x 4ft screen (using Sony HD projector).
The only drawback is very small menu wheel that is difficult to use (much worse than in VX2100).
Otherwise, after 30h of videotaping in very demanding conditions it works wery well. Definitely this is not point-and-shoot camera. It has tons of knobs and switches (nicley described in the manual) and you have to invest some time and patience to get amazing results.
Although this is my first HD camera (I owned Sony VX2100 for 2.5 years) and I have nothing to compare it with, I give it 5 stars because I do not see any serious drawbacks.
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This review is from: Sony HDR-FX1000 High Definition MiniDV Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
This camera is fantastic, especially given its price range. The lowlight, with manual settings, is fantastic. The picture quality is awesome as well. The largest negative is the location of the hot-shoe in relation to the lcd screen. If you have a mic (a must) or light or whatever, it blocks your ability to close or open the LCD. Otherwise, this is a camera to surpass the Canon XH-A1, which has previously been top of the class at this price point in HDV 3-chip cameras.
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This review is from: Sony HDR-FX1000 High Definition MiniDV Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
I previously purchased the Sony HDR-FX1 a couple of years ago and when it was time to purchase a second camera to add to my growing video company, I bought the HDR-FX1000 since it was advertised as a better version of the FX1. The very first thing I shot with this camera was an indoor awards ceremony where the lights in the auditorium were pretty dim. I shot this event with both cameras. Because the FX1000 has a lower lux rating I expected this camera to be able to give better and brighter images in the low light conditions. In fact, the footage from the FX1 looked MUCH better. While the FX1000 image was brighter, this increase in brightness came with a tremendous increase in the amount of "grain" in the image. The FX1 image was a slight bit darker but the image was significantly cleaner. Given the trade off, I decided that the cleaner image in the long run was more important for me and returned the FX1000 for another FX1.
RLN
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This review is from: Sony HDR-FX1000 High Definition MiniDV Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
Having had this camera for only a few days, this review is somewhat preliminary but I have owned a couple of Sony cameras (TRV900 and FX2100)and my first impressions are generally good.
First of all, it feels good in your hand and the unit feels solid. The hi res lcd screen is good, I just wish they'd make it a 3.5" like the TRV900. It also is not as bright which makes shooting in bright conditions a bit more difficult. The lens is great with a nice wide angle of view, it does have a bit of barrel distortion but but to have a long zoom range lens in this price range, it's a worthwhile trade-off. The tele-extender does not go from optical zoom to digital like most zooms, it's more like putting a tele-extender on the lens, making it more of a telephoto zoom. I was surprised by this, it seems a digital zoom beyond the regular optical one would be better since it would give you a real 30x zooming range. The left side of the camera is cluttered, more so than it needs to be. I think Sony sometimes changes things that don't need changing, like moving the scrolling wheel to the side where it's lost in a maze of buttons. This may sound nit picky, but when you're in the field shooting you want simplicity, the less you have to think about the controls, the more you can concentrate on composing. I do like the iris ring on the lens barrel(one less reason to try to find that scroll wheel!). The auto focus seems a bit slower and less accurate than previous cameras but manual focus is always the best way anyway. The built in mike sounds pretty good but a Rode Video Mike would be a nice upgrade. I played with the "cinematone" stuff and the jury's still out for me. Video does not look like film. I've seen too many cameras with 24p, 30p, Progressive scan, etc that just looked like jerky video, not film. I think it's one of those marketing dept features that sells cameras but isn't all that useful. Anytime I've tried to make my footage look like film, I've had to do each scene in post, separately.
Anyway, the low light capability is almost up to the 2100, and the resolution is stunning if you're going to hi def for the first time. HDV is supposed to be more artifacty(my word), but I haven't noticed any and it's way better than broadcast stuff(which is very artifacty). Tape has it's limitations(1hr recording, dropouts) but I haven't had any and I'm using the regular Sony tapes not the fancy HD ones and they're cheap! Just don't recycle your old mini DV tapes(use new ones) and you'll probably be fine. That's all for now, if i have more thoughts as I go along I'll update this review. Hope this helps.
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This review is from: Sony HDR-FX1000 High Definition MiniDV Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
I purchased this camera about two months ago to replace my Sony VX2000. I have shot two events so far with the FX1000 and I am very pleased with its performance. The camera has tons of manual settings ( still learning all those ) which most people will never use. I did purchase the Rode VideoMic to use with the camera because we all know how well on board mics work ( FYI, very good stereo shotgun mic ), I do wish the FX1000 had XLR inputs. I will be shooting a short film next month with the camera and then a feature film in a few months, I am looking forward to really testing this camera out.
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This review is from: Sony HDR-FX1000 High Definition MiniDV Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
For the most part, this camera is easy to figure out coming from using a Sony VX 2100 to this. But, my problem with it so far is that it sounds faintly like a coffee maker in record mode, and gets louder the longer it is recording.
The first one that was sent to my house was so loud that I returned it in exchange for a new one. This one is not quite as loud, but still does sound somewhat like a coffee maker especially after 5 minutes of recording. At first, you can only hear it up to your ear. Then, after a few minutes, you can be 2 feet away from the camera and hear it.
So far, that is my only complaint. I have only shot one wedding with it so far and have not edited the footage to see the difference in picture quality yet.
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This review is from: Sony HDR-FX1000 High Definition MiniDV Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
It's a very good camcorder with some issues. With respect to video quality and low light conditions it outstanding although the camera mode selection and function button are poorly placed. I happened to know this prior to my purchase and with the price tag fitting my budget I didn't hesitate acquiring my camcorder.
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