Performance

The Sony HDR-FX7’s imaging system is composed of three 1/4" CMOS sensors. Each sensor offers a gross pixel count of 1.2 MP (1440 x 810). The effective pixel counts equal 1.037 MP in 16:9, and 778K in 4:3.   Much has been made of Sony’s 3-CMOS array, which at the time of announcement was the first to offer such a system. The HDR-FX1 offers three 1/3" CCDs. The larger chips promise better low light performance, but the higher resolution of the FX7 should make for better performance in bright light. Neither the FX1 nor the FX7 have native 16:9 chips, and therefore must stretch each pixel horizontally. Canon’s XH A1 does offer native 16:9 chips in a 3-CCD array.   Also of peaked interest was Sony’s abandonment of the CineFrame mode, which mimicked 24P. The mode was maligned by some filmmakers, who instead opted for the Panasonic AG-HVX200 for their 24P fix. Sony countered by stating that sales of the FX1 were strong despite not having 24P. While we know of no survey to indicate just how many indie producers use 24P, our anecdotal experience suggests that most shooters are firmly encamped in their manufacturer’s pocket. Panasonic users swear by their HVX200. Sony users sleep with their FX1 and Z1 tucked under the blanket. JVC owners swear repeatedly that their GY-HD100’s look better than anything on the market. So much of it comes down to personal aesthetics. We’ll try to come up with some conclusions later. For now, let’s look at the test chart.  

HDV

We started with a 3000 lux environment. The white balance was manually adjusted. Everything else was in the factory preset position, except a feature called Contrast Enhancer. This is set to default in the "on" position. We ran tests with the feature on and off, experimenting with different looks. It was difficult to find the difference between the images. The whites ran marginally higher with Contrast Enhancement on, but the blacks read more or less the same. In less well lit shooting environments, we found the Contrast Enhancement to press the blacks, curtailing the lower end of the dynamic range. 

Click here to view complete color charts in full resolution (new  window).

The first thing we noticed about the FX7’s was the saturation. Initially, we balked when Sony classified this as a consumer camcorder. At this price range and with this feature package, it’s clearly going to draw out the aspiring and low-budget professional crowd. Consumers can get everything they need for less than half the price of this little handful. We assumed that the "consumer" label was merely an attempt to save face for not including better audio options. But the image quality certainly has elements reminiscent of their consumer line.  

The saturation levels are distinctly higher in auto mode than the Canon XH A1. This is the trademark crowd-pleasing color performance. It has the deep blues that run through nearly every Sony consumer camcorder on the market. The FX7 was also able to produce a cleaner, more differentiated transition from green to yellow than the XH A1, though we liked the yellow tones better in the Canon. Of course, there are a number of ways to tweak the color, but this auto mode performance may dissuade some pros who will be turned off by the baseline saturation increase. It has clear consumer-leaning tendencies, where strong colors are equated with "good" colors, because they require no post-production color correction.

 

The second main element to the FX7 picture was sharpness. It looked notably sharper than the XH A1, even with the Contrast Enhancement turned off. This is partly due to the ClearVID CMOS chips, which boast increased resolution due to the 45 degree angle of the pixels. It also has to do with the higher contrast than the XH A1, which gives a greater apparent resolution. Again, even with the Contrast Enhancement feature turned off, edges were sharp as a tack.

 

These close-ups (100% size) show the sharpness and contrast differences between the two camcorders.

All this increased sharpness comes at the cost of noise, however. The XH A1 had very low noise. The HDR-FX7 produced a base of fine grain cross the entire image no matter what the light level. It’s a tough trade-off. Before you buy, we strongly recommend that you go down to your local electronics store and look at each of these on an HDTV. The bright lights and high contrasts inside most stores are going to give you a fair sense of what we’re talking about here. As for low light, that’s a whole difference ballgame (see Low Light Performance below for more details).   As stated previously, the HDR-FX7 has a lot of tweaks for color (see Other Manual Control for the complete run-down). We couldn’t show them all, but here are a few. 

Cinematone is an interesting feature, a gamma shift supposedly meant to emulate film tones. The HVR-V1U offers two gamma types. The FX7 offers one, which appears to emulate Gamma "Type 1" on the V1. With Cinematone on (and the Contrast Enhancement in the default on position), the color saturation increased a great deal. The contrast was also boosted, with the whites getting whiter and the blacks getting darker. These increases also boosted the noise, which became that much more apparent.   Thankfully, there’s an easy way to way to play with color saturation: the Color Levels tool in the Picture Profile menu. This lacks the fine level of the control that the Canon XH A1 offers, but it’s a good, rough way to make adjustments. The Color Level is defaulted to 0, on a scale of -7 to +7 (with an additional setting of -8 for straight black & white). At -3, the picture is actually pretty close to what we saw on the Canon XH A1 in automatic. This might act as a good counterbalance to the Cinematone colors if you want to shoot in that setting. At a +3 setting, the colors are still not as strong as they are in Cinematone, which puts the Cinematone saturation levels are at approximately +4 or +5 on the Color Level scale. See full resolution color charts of bright light and low light performance here.  

In conclusion, our testing showed that the HDR-FX7 has a tendency to saturate colors and increase sharpening more than the Canon XH A1. While the picture looked cleaner, it also had more noise. Given the sheer volume of image correction tools in the Canon XH A1, the slightly better out-of-the-box performance of the FX7 is ultimately beaten back.   **

Video Resolution***(38.7)* The Sony HDR-FX7 was tested for its video resolution by shooting a standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and running stills of that footage through Imatest imaging software. Shooting in HDV, the best resolution was produced by turning the Contrast Enhancer on. The camcorder produced 624.9 lines of horizontal resolution and 619.1 lines of vertical resolution, yielding an approximate total resolution of 386875.59. This score ranked slightly higher than the Canon XH A1 and XL H1, making good on the claims that the ClearVID CMOS sensors produce a higher resolution.  

**

Low Light Performance***(7.75)*

At the time of the HDR-FX7’s announcement, Sony stated that "under low light conditions the FX1 is better than the FX7, since the FX1 has a larger CCD sensor." Clearly, it’s better marketing for them to emphasize size as the chief factor in the performance gap, but the sensor type has just as much to do with it. CMOS sensors have long held the stigma of bad low light performance, due to an abundance of noise. Sony’s latest developments with the ClearVID CMOS chips seem to have overcome some of those problems, but the FX7’s performance makes it readily apparent that these CMOS chips are not up to par with comparatively priced CCD camcorders.

 

Click here to view complete color charts in full resolution (new  window).

Our testing focuses on two light levels, 60 lux and 15 lux. At 60 lux in full auto mode (with a manual white balance), the FX7’s performance was fairly impressive. Color loss was minor. They managed to remain strong without appearing any more saturated. The picture was, of course, duller looking overall than the 3000 lux image. The clearest loss was in black/white high contrast areas, which weakened fine detail retention. We were surprised that noise did not increase all that much compared to the bright light performance. Granted, noise was high already in bright light, but it did not ramp up dramatically (see the full resolution charts here).  

The 60 lux performance did not match that of the Canon XH A1. In evaluating the XH A1, we had a hard time telling the 3000 lux and 60 lux images apart. There was no such confusion with the HDR-FX7. The FX7 was still more contrasty than the XH A1, which helped give the impression of a sharper image in bright light. But due to the greater color loss and diminished brightness of the whites at 60 lux, the FX7 took the backseat to the XH A1. Still, it was a tighter race than we were expecting, given the superb performance of the XH A1.

 

At 15 lux, the performance gap increased immensely, and caused us to abandon any hope for the FX7 being a true low light champion. The color loss was significant, and the noise increased immensely, and not just the (barely) tolerable run-of-the-mill black flecks. This was the blue and purple noise that contaminates so many of Sony’s consumer camcorders. Yes, Sony classifies the HDR-FX7 a consumer camcorder, but if you’re getting low light performance like this, why would you pay 2x – 3x the price of the HDR-HC3? This is the perfect illustration of why people still have some misgivings about CMOS chips in low light.  

The Canon XH A1 simply blew Sony out of the water in the depths of low light. The FX7’s performance shows that engineers still have a long way to go before it can compete with the likes of the Canon XH A1. With the XH A1’s performance, the difference between the 60 lux and 15 lux performances was merely a matter of a little noise increase. There was virtually no color loss, and the noise was remarkably low for the level of light.  

See full resolution images of the 60 and 15 lux imagers, as well as complete results of 1/60th and 1/30th shutters speeds spanning the gain range here. Similar results for the Canon XH A1 are here.  

In short, the HDR-FX7 has a clear performance wall between 60 lux and 15 lux. When it hits that wall, it really hits that wall, and your footage is toast. The overwhelming dominance of the Canon XH A1 in this arena should be a powerful sway for shoppers torn between the two camcorders. 

**

Wide Angle***(11.8)*

The Sony HDR-FX7 was measured for the width of its field of vision in the HDV format, which is in a 16:9 aspect ratio. In total, we found that it produced a wide angle of 59 degrees.

 

Format

Compression*(7.0)*

The Sony HDR-FX7 records video to standard DV tape using HDV compression for HD and DV compression for standard definition DV. Both compression methods have a fixed bit rate of 25Mbps, and are well-supported due to their maturity and broad penetration throughout the consumer and prosumer marketplace. At present, no compression method poses a serious challenge to the video quality yielded by DV or HDV compression. 
Standard definition MPEG2 encoding with tops out at a peak variable bit rate of around 8.5Mbps, and despite its efficiency, DVD and HDD-based camcorders using MPEG2 compression do not perform at the level of the best DV models. In the high definition realm, AVCHD has emerged as a user-friendly format first seen in Sony’s DVD-based HDR-UX1 and HDD-based HDR-SR1 camcorders, released during the fall of 2006. In our testing, the AVCHD high definition video produced by these camcorders was sharp – but very noisy. AVCHD is also a new and sparsely supported format, giving HDV the edge in terms of both video quality and workflow. For the foreseeable future, DV and HDV compression still rule the roost in standard definition and high definition, respectively.

Media*(7.5)* The Sony HDR-FX7 records HDV and DV to standard video tapes bearing the MiniDV label. The total recording time available on most MiniDV tapes is 62 minutes. Still photos are captured to MemoryStick DUO Pro memory cards, a proprietary Sony card format.   **

Editing***(8.0)* The HDR-FX7 supports IEEE 1394, or in Sony’s parlance, i.Link data transfer, the most widely used method for transferring video between HDV/DV decks and NLEs (non-linear editors) like Apple Final Studio, Sony Vegas, or Adobe Premiere. Both HDV and DV are formats supported by every major professional grade NLE, and the FX7 records footage only in workflow-friendly 1080/60i. With an adequate system, a decent NLE, and enough drive space, editing footage shot with the Sony HDR-FX7 should be a very trouble-free process.

Tour

The Front *(9.0)*

The barrel-shaped body of the HDR-FX7 is instantly recognizable as a Sony, and it takes design cues from its still-popular cousin, the DCR-VX2100 as well as its sibling, the HDR-FX1. Viewed straight-on from the front, the camcorder is not easy to immediately distinguish from its relatives, with the large detachable lens hood/matte box occupying most of the frame. This hood has is designed for 16:9 shooting, and the aspect ratio gives the front end of the camcorder a wide-mouthed appearance relative to the 4:3 hood on previous-generation units like the VX2100. 

An integrated mechanical lens cover takes the form of two horizontal barn doors. A lever on the left side of the hood opens and closes the barn doors. This particular lens cover design is great in terms of convenience, but I see one potential drawback. Unlike a traditional circular lens cover that covers the entire front surface of the lens, the barn doors seem to be a bit less airtight. This is a potential issue in dusty or windy field environments, and is something ENGs and documentary DPs to keep in mind. Other than the potential for more dust infiltration, I like the integrated barn doors as they cut out the risk of losing a lens cover during a shoot and seem durable enough to stand up to the rigors of field production.

A release knob on right side of the hood provides access to the surface of the 20x optical zoom Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens. The filter diameter measures 62mm, in-between the VX2100 at 58mm and the FX1 at 72mm. The lens has an aperture of f1.6-f2.8 and a focal length of 37.4mm - 748mm in 16:9 mode, and 45.7mm - 914 mm in 4:3 mode.   The business end of the handle-mounted onboard microphone is visible directly above the lens.  

The Right Side*(10.0)* The right side of the HDR-FX7 is a relatively simple affair with the grip area and tape compartment occupying the mid-section. The full-sized grip is differentiated from the rest of the camcorder body by a slightly darker grey plastic. It is generously sized and looks relatively large in comparison to many other prosumer camcorder grips, in part due to the fact that the FX7 is slightly smaller than many others on the market, including the HDR-FX1 which is about 1/6 larger. Most importantly, the grip is comfortable and places the camcorder in a good position during hand-held shooting. A well-padded hand strap and excellent balance make the HDR-FX7 an easier camcorder than most prosumer models to hold without the assistance of a shoulder brace.

 

The grip area bulges out from the body, and the classic Sony Power/Mode switch is on its back face. The control resembles the miniaturized versions found throughout the company’s consumer Handycam line, and works in essentially the same way: pressing the tiny green release button on the switch allows it to be rotated between its three modes, with Camera at left, Off in the center, and VCR at right. The Record Start/Stop button is seated in the center of the Power Mode switch. The switch is positioned for easy operation with your thumb while gripping the camcorder and is large enough to permit easy operation. A LANC port is just above the Power/Mode switch, protected by a plastic port cover.  

In keeping with a common design, the tape compartment is inside the grip area, and the release switch is on the top surface of the grip area. The tape compartment door is opened manually by releasing the switch, and then pulling door until it clicks into its fully open position on hinges along its base. The tape is then mechanically ejected by drive motors.  

The primary zoom rocker sits just behind the tape compartment release switch. The rocker is similar to those found on most other prosumer camcorders, and designed for two-fingered operation. Because it’s much larger than the zoom levers found on consumer camcorders, it allows for fine zoom control.  

To the rear of the grip area is vertically aligned port cluster that faces the back of the camcorder. A rigid plastic hatch opening on a hinge at left covers three terminals, with Component Out on top, A/V Out at center and i.Link (a.k.a. IEEE 1394) at bottom. The port cover rests flush against the camcorder body when opened, providing ample room for protruding wires without getting in the way. The terminal positions are labeled on both the exterior of the cover, and in tiny embossed print inside the port compartment. The DC-in terminal is directly below the three clustered terminals above, and is protected by a small plastic port cover.  

A metal loop above the port cluster can be optionally used to affix a shoulder strap.

The Back *(8.25)* Viewed from the back, the HDR-FX7’s extendable electronic color viewfinder (EVF) is the most prominent feature of the camcorder. The EVF pivots up and down to allow viewing from nearly vertical to straight back. The default eyecup is made of soft rubber, and is comfortable enough for occasional use. A larger eyecup is included with the camcorder, and it does a slightly better job of preventing light leakage from the sides than the small eyecup. Unfortunately, the large eyecup is flimsy and we found that it did not succeed in blocking light leakage from the sides as successfully as other large eyecups.  

The EVF’s dioptric adjustment lever can be found on the underside of the eyepiece, and is big enough to allow for easy adjustment. Unlike the HDR-FX1, the EVF can be used simultaneously with the LCD. It’s a smart upgrade on Sony’s part since many DP’s switch back and forth between LCD and EVF many times during the course of a shoot. Dual operation of the EVF and LCD is engaged in the menu.  

A cavernous open battery slot sits below the EVF, and occupies most of the FX7’s back-end real estate. The large battery release button is on the top surface of the camcorder, and positioned to allow quick and easy operation. The slot design is fairly standard, similar to the ones found on other Sonys as well as the Canon XL H1, but its worth mentioning that slots can be more unwieldy than this one. The Canon XH A1/G1 both sport an enclosed battery compartment accessed by a hatch that is a bit trickier when it comes to making slit-second battery changes.  

A number of key controls are arranged vertically to the left of the battery slot.  At the top is the three-position Auto/Manual/Hold toggle switch, used to select your shooting mode. The center position for the switch selects manual control mode, and a line drawn from this setting to the manual controls below indicates that manual mode must be selected to operate them. The manual control buttons are stacked just below the Auto/Manual/Hold toggle switch, and access control over gain, shutter speed, and white balance.   

Pressing any of these buttons while in manual mode displays options for the control on screen, and a jog dial below these buttons is used to make toggle through options and make selections. The jog dial interface carries through in terms of functionality from the VX1000 and is as effective now as it was back in 1995 when that camcorder was released. Applying upward or downward pressure on the jog dial moves through on-screen options, while pressing directly in on the dial engages a selection.   

Users who are unfamiliar with jog dials like this may find that navigating menus and options takes some time to warm up to, and I find it undersized for such an important control. I prefer joystick-based menu navigation because it permits four-way movement and a more efficient menu layout – or better still, fully external control over manual image settings. But this is a Sony camcorder, and more than any other prosumer camcorder manufacturer, Sony places makes heavy use of menu-based control interfaces. The Menu button is positioned just above the jog dial, and as with manual controls, the dial is used to cycle through and select menu options.   **

The Left Side** *(12.0)* The left side of the HDR-FX7 is where you’ll find most of the camcorder’s external buttons and controls, both on the body and inside the LCD cavity. The two manual control rings can be found behind the lens, and both rings are integrated into the lens barrel. The wider focus ring is closest to the front of the lens, and even though it’s a servo-driven control, offers excellent sensitivity. The Focus Assist feature is an option that temporarily enlarges the center of the frame while focusing, and is a much appreciated addition. There FX7 also offers an on-screen focal distance indicator, which appears at the lower left of the screen during manual focus adjustment.  

The servo zoom ring is behind the focus ring, and it also performs very well. I found it easy to move through from one end of the 20x optical zoom to the other in one smooth motion with a little practice. The zoom movement is electronic, and won’t offer the kind of control found in a mechanical lens, but no camcorder with an integrated lens offers mechanical controls. As with focus, an on-screen display indicates your approximate location in the zoom range providing a handy reference.  

The Exposure/Iris control dial is situated behind the zoom ring, and it resembles the Cam Control dial found on its consumer-oriented Handycam cousins, the HDR-UX1 and HDR-SR1. While the dials on those camcorders are multi-function controls, this dial is used strictly for iris and exposure control, and can be programmed for exposure (in EV steps), iris, or AE Shift. A small button above the dial toggles between Exposure/Iris control dial options, but the default setting is exposure.   

Some shooters may not like the idea of an exposure dial, preferring a full-sized ring, but this dial seems well-implemented, and appropriate for this camcorder. With practice, it’s as easy to use as an exposure ring, and on a prosumer camcorder as small as this one, a dial makes efficient use of space. The dial controls either iris, exposure, or AE shift. Unfortunately, as you can read below in the Exposure section, the manual exposure system is rather confusing. The Push Auto Focus button is below the Exposure/Iris dial, and is used to temporarily override manual focus.  

Moving from the dial are three of the six Assign buttons found on the HDR-FX7. All of these buttons can be programmed in the menu for quick access to any camcorder function. The HDR-FX1 features only three assign buttons, and for shooters who like to customize camcorder functions to match their working style, this is a significant upgrade. The additional Assign buttons also highlight one of the key differences between the FX7 and FX1. While the HDR-FX1 offers more access to manual controls outside the menu, the additional Assign buttons the FX7 more customizable. For buyers weighing the relative merits of these camcorders, customizability versus fast manual control access should be a primary consideration. 

 

The 3-position ND filter switch is below the three Assign buttons, with settings for off, 1 (1/4) and 2 (1/16). The switch is reminiscent of ND filter controls on other Sony prosumer camcorders, including the FX1 and VX2100.   

The LCD screen hinge is behind the ND filter switch on the main body of the camcorder. When the LCD screen is open, the LCD cavity and its extensive array of buttons and controls are exposed. The controls in the LCD cavity are grouped into four horizontal rows that correspond loosely to function. The top two rows contain VCR controls, with buttons for stop, rewind, play, fast-forward and slow in the top row, and buttons for pause, video, and still photo record in the second row. To the left of the buttons in the second row is a tiny Reset button that returns the FX7 to factory settings

the third row are two controls, with the Volume/Memory buttons at left, and a zebra striping toggle switch at right. The Volume/Memory button is used to adjust playback volume in VCR mode, and to select still pictures for display in memory mode. The three-position zebra button features settings for off, 70 IRE and 100 IRE. Although Sony has relegated many image controls and tools to the menu, we applaud the fact that they elected to place the zebra selection switch externally.   

The bottom row begins at left with the Display/Battery Info button. When the camcorder is in recording mode, pressing the Display/Battery Info button briefly turns screen indicators on or off, while holding the button for a few seconds causes the LCD screen to toggle on and off. When the power switch is set to Off, pressing the button displays the approximate remaining recording time in terms of format and battery life. The three buttons to the right of the Display/Batt Info button are Assign buttons 4, 5, and 6. In camcorder mode, these buttons are assignable to any camcorder function like buttons 1, 2, and 3 along the lens barrel. In memory mode, these buttons also serve as the play, index, and delete buttons.   

The FX7’s onboard playback speaker is at the left edge of the LCD cavity, visible as a vertical row of pinholes.  

Another group of controls and ports occupy the strip of horizontal real estate below the LCD cavity. At far left is the Expanded Focus on/off button. Expanded Focus facilitates manual focus by magnifying the image displayed on the LCD/EVF. To the right of the Expanded Focus button is a Focus button that selects manual or auto focus modes.  

A plastic port cover extends right from the Focus buttons, and protects the Memory Stick Duo PRO slot, USB, and HDMI out terminals. The cover hinges from the bottom, and opens widely enough to allow for easy port access. The rigid hinged cover is an improvement over the dangling plastic covers that are common on consumer and even prosumer camcorders. They're more durable and less likely to be accidentally snapped off.   

The mini headphone jack is just left of the port cover, protected by its own rubber cover, followed by the Picture Profile and Status Check buttons. The HDR-FX7 provides the option to program two "Picture Profiles," user profiles that can be programmed and saved on-board the camcorder. Unlike Sony’s HVR-series camcorders, Picture Profiles on the FX7 cannot be saved to MemoryStick or shared between camcorders. 

The last button in the row is labeled Status Check, and is used to display the camcorder’s currently active settings for a variety of recording options including Audio, Output, Assign, and Picture Profile.   **

The Top***(7.5)* The handle runs along the top of the HDR-FX7, with the onboard microphone attached to its front, and the EVF attached to its back. Secondary controls for zoom and Record Start/Stop are positioned towards the front of the handle, and easily operated when gripping the camcorder from above. A cold accessory shoe sits just forward of the secondary camera controls.

   

Auto/Manual Controls

• Color Level – This controls the color strength. It can be set from -7 to +7, with an additional -8 setting for black and white shooting.
• Color Phase – This controls the color tone, shifting from a greenish (-7) to a reddish (+7).
• Sharpness – This setting adds or decreases sharpness along edges. The scale on the FX7 ranges from 0 to 15, with a default position of 7. For a "film" look, it may be recommended that you decrease the sharpness.
• Skin Tone  Detail – Skin correction techniques function by seeking out certain colors that resemble flesh tones and either softening focus or decreasing contrast is those areas. On the HDR-FX7, you can choose Type 1, which narrows the detection range, Type 2, somewhere in the middle, and Type 3, which widens the detection range to its fullest.
• White Balance Shift – Similar to the color phase, but less drastic, the -7 to +7 white balance shift can be used to correct for various lighting temperatures. _7 moves it to a blue tone, and +7 to a red tone.
• Cinematone Gamma – This is an on/off control shifts the color space from standard video into more film-like tones which the manual describes as "the natural gradation sequence." We found this to mean that saturation was boosted and blacks were a little pressed. You can even out the saturation boosts by playing with the Color Levels. The next model up, the HVR-V1, offers 2 Cinematone gamma curves, as does the XH A1.

There are four presets that come standard on the FX7: Portrait, Cinema, Sunset, and Monotone, as well as two assignable settings. Any of the sex settings can be adjusted along the parameters listed above, even the presets. You can also name your custom settings with up to 12-character names. Activating a Picture Profile is done by hitting the Picture Profile button in the LCD cavity, then scrolling through with the jog dial to choose the profile number. 

The Picture Profile Menu

While these are definitely great controls, they simply pale in comparison to the Canon XH A1’s Color Preset Menu, which allows you a much finer level of control for color balance, tone, dynamic range, and noise reduction. So much so, in fact, that beginners may appreciate the relative simplicity of the FX7. CamcorderInfo.com’s credo, however, is that more control is better. You can always ignore options until you learn how to use them, but you can never add manual controls to a camcorder that doesn’t have them.   *

Assignable Buttons* - There are six assignable buttons on the HDR-FX7, three located on the left side of the lens barrel and three located in the LCD cavity. That second trio or buttons double as VCR controls when in playback mode, therefore the functions you assigned them will not work in that mode. All the buttons can be assigned a great many tasks, but notevery task. Their functions are limited to guide markers, digital zoom extender, focus infinity, record review, end search, index mark, peaking, SteadyShot, color bars, spotlight, back light, fader, LCD/EVF display, Picture Profile, and Shot Transition.   *

Shot Transition* – This allows you to save focus, zoom, iris, gain, shutter speed, and/or white balance, then save them to a single setting. You’ll need to requisition two assignable buttons as Shot A and Shot B.   One the best things about the Shot Transition tool is that you can adjust the transition time from 3.5 seconds to 15 seconds, as well as the transition curve, which can be set to linear, soft stop (standard ramp up and a gradual ending), and soft transition (gradual start and gradual end, with a standard ramp up in the middle). While this is a very cool tool for some applications, there are a number of things to be aware of. If you turn the camcorder’s power off, the saved shot settings are lost.   *

Spotlight* – A simple on/off feature, this is to be used to as a quick correction tool if a subject is over-exposed. If two or more of the iris, gain, and shutter speed controls are manually adjusted, the Spotlight feature cannot be used.  

The histogram function, with a solid line to denote IRE value

Histogram – A histogram can appear onscreen to help you gauge exposure levels. If you have the zebra patterns turned on, a thin vertical line will appear on thex axis at the corresponding IRE level.   Contrast Enhancer – This setting, defaulted on, seems to press or "crush" the shadows, decreasing the dynamic range in the lower end. While this may be useful for some shooting, we generally kept it off in order to see the full range of performance.

 

Still Features

Still Features*(7.0)
* The still photo features on the HDR-FX7 are fairly simple, but appropriate to the tasks of the average FX7 user. Though Sony, if not all manufacturers, have loaded up on still features in their camcorders in the last few years, no one would consider this a substitute for a still camera. Rather, the still functions on a prosumer model like this should serve the needs of a filmmaker, that is to say the stills are primarily used as references for shot set-ups. Most importantly, they should be easy to shoot and easy to access.
On the HDR-FX7, stills are saved to MemoryStick Duo and MemoryStick PRO Duo cards, which load on the left side in the hatch beneath the LCD cavity. There are four still sizes – 640 x 480, 640 x 360 (16:9), 1080 x 810, and 1440 x 810 (16:9) – and two qualities for each, Fine and Standard.   There is no clear video mode / still mode separation, as there is on the Canon XH A1. Rather, stills can be taken at any time when you are in recording, or "Camera," mode. This means that any manual settings you have in video mode (i.e., shutter speed, white balance, etc.) will be transferred over to the still photo. In this way, the still functionality fully lives up to the "easy to shoot, easy to access" requirement.   To play back stills, first switch the mode dial to VCR mode. Now, the camcorder clearly cannot play back stills and video at the same time, so you do have to toggle back and forth between modes. The approach could have been clearer. As it stands, we just kept pushing buttons until we managed to figure out how – Assignable Button #4 (also labeled "Play"), which is found in the LCD cavity. The photos will take up the entire LCD screen, and can be shuffled forward and backward with the Volume/Memory + and – buttons. Why they couldn’t have simplified things by assigning that function to the Rewind and Fast Forward buttons is a mystery. Pressing Assignable button #4 (the Index button) shrinks the photos to thumbnails, six to a page.  

Still Resolution*(3.06)* The Sony HDR-FX7 was tested for the resolution of its still photos by shooting an ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. In total, the camcorder produced a best resolution of 305864.3.   **

Still Performance***(4.5)* The still performance of the HDR-FX7 was, predictably, mediocre. That’s okay, though. As mentioned above, the most important thing you want in the way of photo shooting on this camcorder is speed and ease of use. No one would tote around this 3 lbs.+, 1.2MP-shooting device and call it a substitute it for their digital still camera. Forgive us, however, as we do our jobs here and give it the once-over…

Shooting at 3000 lux, the stills of the FX7 were wholly lifeless. Despite having very strong colors in the video performance, the stills were flat and dull. The whites ran a little bright, though they did not quite blow out. Like the video performance, the stills were contrasty, which helped draw out some fine detail. The stills were also noisy – fine grain patterns that we saw in the bright light video performance.  

The Canon XH A1 was not significantly better, which slightly skewed rather than dull colors. The Sony HDR-HC3, which costs less than half as much as the HDR-FX7, actually produced larger (2304 x 1725) and better looking stills. This is to be expected, as video/still hybrid features are a bigger draw in the consumer market. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t have cost Sony much, if anything, to transfer the larger resolution capabilities over to the FX7.

   

Handling and Use

Ease of Use*(9.0)
* Typically, Sony excels at ease of use. In an effort to quantify ease of use, the potential range of users that may operate this camcorder must be taken into account. Sony classifies the HDR-FX7 as a consumer camcorder. In that sense, the menu-driven operation should be familiar and welcoming. Navigating your choices in the menu is straightforward, with menus being all centrally located rather than spread out across the camcorder’s body.

This also proves to be one of the camcorder’s great weaknesses for another potential market, the budget pro. The FX7’s dependence on the menu can slow down operation. While many of the manual controls are simple enough to use, the exposure/iris/AE shift controls are needlessly complicated and unbecoming of a camcorder in its price range.   Overall, Sony still managed to create a device that is readily comprehensible to nearly anyone who wants to use it. The question left for you to decide is whether or not it’stoo simple.  

**

Handling***(8.0)*

Handling the HDR-FX7 will be a heavenly experience for some, and a hellish one for others. At the most basic level, it’s a very easy camcorder to hold, weighing a good deal less than most of its competitors including the Canon XH A1 and Sony’s FX1. We happen to have an XH A1 in the office, and while it weighs less than the Canon, the Sony also feels better balanced for out-of-the-box hand-held shooting. The main grip area offers a secure and comfortable hold, and affords access to the zoom lever, photo button, and Record Start/Stop button.  

The ring controls are all servo-driven, and there’s no escaping their motor-driven feel, but you won’t find mechanical lens controls on any camcorder in this price range or without an interchangeable lens. I find that the focus and zoom rings work very well, and I found it relatively easy to dial in a sharp focus manually with the aid of Enhanced Focus and peaking. The Exposure/Iris dial is also responsive and easy to use when holding the camcorder by either the main grip, or when its tripod mounted. Problems arise when you’re gripping the FX7 using the handle grip. While the two ring controls remain easy to manipulate, using the much smaller Exposure/Iris dial becomes more awkward.  

The other primary manual image controls for gain, white balance, and shutter speed are easy to operate. In manual mode, making an adjustment requires simply pressing the corresponding button on the FX7’s back end and moving the dial to the desired setting. While this can be done quite efficiently, the buttons and dial are very small. Given the degree to which this camcorder’s interface is reliant on the tiny jog dial, I wish Sony’s engineers had sized them up. It would have made setting manual image controls a faster and more efficient exercise in sub-optimal production environments: with cold hands, at the end of a sixteen-hour day, etc.  

The Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization system (OIS) deserves some accolades because it’s very effective and makes telephoto-held work with the HDR-FX7 possible. Stabilization on this camcorder is very good, and its leaps and bounds better than the stabilization systems found on camcorders several years old such as the Panasonic AG-DVX100 and Canon XL1S. Manufacturers including Sony and Canon have made great strides in improving OIS technology to fit the unforgiving nature of HD, and the R&D seems to have paid off. While there is some inevitable phantom drift associated with Super SteadyShot, especially noticeable in telephoto range, it does enable you to keep a shot of a distant subject steady enough to be usable.  

As with other prosumer camcorders that boast a broad array of image adjustment tools, the HDR-FX7 has a menu that can be daunting in terms of length. It’s also organized in a way that I found confusing given that some image controls are found in the main Camera Set menu, such as Contrast Enhancer and SteadyShot, while others like Sharpness and White Balance Shift are only in the Picture Profile menu. With so many options, separating image controls arbitrarily into two menus accessed by different buttons increases the risk that an important setting could be passed over inadvertently. If you are the type of shooter who relishes the prospect of diving into the FX7’s menu, this may be the camcorder for you. Getting to know the ins and outs of Sharpness, Color Phase, and Skin Detail Types 1-3 will take some time, but should be rewarding.   

The Canon XH A1 and Sony HDR-FX7 side-by-side

Portability*(9.0)* The Sony HDR-FX7 is small for a prosumer camcorder – but hulking for a "consumer camcorder," as Sony classifies it. It measures 145mm x 156mm x 322mm (5 ¾" x 6 ¼" x 12 ¾") and weighs in at 1.6 kg (3 lb. 10 oz) including the NP-F570 battery pack. Its sibling, the Sony HDR-FX1 weighs considerably more at 2.3 kg, as does the Canon XH A1 (2.26 kg) and Panasonic’s AG-HVX200 (2.7 kg). The dimensions of those camcorders also make them slightly bulkier than the HDR-FX7, but raw size and weight are only half of the story. As a hand-held camcorder, the FX7 is a pleasure to hold right out of the box while the others mentioned in this article feel a good deal less svelte. If you place a high premium on portability, there are few camcorders that offer such high-level image control in such a small package. Yet Sony’s own HVR-A1U is even smaller and adds XLR inputs, and in the power-per-pound category gives the FX7 a serious run for its money. Likewise, the Canon XH A1 adds XLR inputs and an even grander array of image controls in body that’s not too much bigger than the FX7’s.   

**

LCD/Viewfinder***(8.0)*

Sony has implemented 3.5" screens on many of its newer camcorders, including higher-end HandyCams like the HDR-SR1 and prosumer models including the HDR-FX7. That’s a larger diagonal measurement than you’ll find on Canon’s XH A1 with its 2.8" LCD, and it is on par with the JVC GY-HD110U, Panasonic AG-HVX200, and Sony HDR-FX1. The LCD is located conventionally, folding straight out from the body unlike the screens on the FX1 and XH A1 that are positioned several inches higher. The higher placement on those camcorders puts the screen more in-line with the subject if you are using the LCD to monitor, and this is a welcome design enhancement that the FX7 lacks. The 3.5-inch LCD screen on the FX7 matches the resolution of Sony’s other prosumer cams with 250K pixels. 

We found the screen to be sharp with good color reproduction, and its brightness can be adjusted in the menu. Because no on-camera LCD is large enough or sharp enough to trust when it comes to focusing HD resolution video, Sony includes Expanded Focus and peaking assists to facilitate manual focus adjustments. Both of these assists can be tweaked in the menu to match your own display preferences.

The EVF (electronic color viewfinder) resolution comes in at 252K pixels, and it tilts through about 90 degrees, from parallel to the body to nearly vertical. The EVF image is sharp with color reproduction that matches the LCD, and it’s a better bet for adjusting focus manually. The standard eyecup is made of soft rubber, and a larger eyecup is included for use when light leakage is an issue. While the large eyecup works well enough, it's flimsy and to block ambient successfully you’ll need to hold it tightly against your eye socket. The dioptric adjustment lever can be found on the underside of the EVF. 

Battery Life*(14.1)* The Sony HDR-FX7 ships with an NP-570 battery that's small enough to nest in the battery slot without protruding. It is very easy to attach, lock-and-load style, and the open slot will accommodate longer-life batteries easily.   We tested the included NP-570 battery for continuous shooting duration. The FX7 was set to HDV format in Auto mode with the LCD open, and no manual controls were engaged during the test. When a tape reached capacity, we plugged in the DC power, removed the battery, changed or rewound the tape, then reinserted the battery, removed the DC power, and started it running again. In total, the battery lasted 141 minutes and 7 seconds (2 hours, 21 minutes, and 7 seconds). This performance is good for a stock battery, but not stellar. The Canon XH A1 managed to outlast the FX7 by around 40 minutes, giving its included battery more stamina than most in the prosumer category. 

   

Audio/Playback/Connectivity

Audio*(7.5)*

The HDR-FX7 is one of the more expensive camcorders on the market without XLR audio terminals or any support to speak of for professional audio equipment. This places the camcorder in an unusual niche that includes the FX1 and VX2100. All of these Sony camcorders are prosumer camcorders that are aimed at shooters who either don’t have any use for XLR inputs, or have chosen to opt for third-party solutions like Beachtek’s XLR-mini plug adaptors that provide an interface for professional mics.

The mini mic input is located on the left side of the built-in mic.

 

Whether or not you see the lack of onboard XLR terminals will have everything to do with what kind of producer you are, what your delivery medium is, and what kind of clients you serve. Countless indie films, corporate, and event videos have been shot on Sony and other camcorders like the Canon XL1S that lack onboard XLR terminals, often augmented by Beachtek or other third party products and professional audio equipment. There are advantages in terms of audio fidelity to a direct XLR interface, as in the Sony HVR-Z1U, Canon XH A1, or JVC GY-HD110U.   

There is no getting around the fact that a stereo mini plug compromises audio signal quality, but like many other producers, you may decide to overlook this because: A) you like the other features of the FX7 enough to live with compromised audio; B) your sound gear is equipped with 1/8" mini connectors and you wouldn’t use XLR terminals if you had them; C) you know your clients/audience won’t notice the difference between audio brought in via a mini plug versus XLRs and you like to keep things cheap or simple; D) you can’t hear the difference or, E) all of the above. In the end, if you are considering this camcorder, make sure you have an understanding of what your audio needs are, and whether the onboard mic and single mini plug will do the job for you.  

In terms of audio controls, the HDR-XF7 offers only the basics. Whether you are using the onboard or an external mic, audio levels can be set to auto or manual. In Manual level control mode, sound can be raised or lowered, but the only on-screen indicator is a horizontal bar. At the right edge of the bar are two red dots that show when your audio is clipping. In HDV recording mode, audio can only be recorded in 12bit stereo, but DV mode allows you to select either 12bit stereo or 16bit mono recording. When an external audio source is plugged into the camcorder’s mini plug, the camcorder automatically monitors the external source, circumventing the onboard mic.  

There is no way to adjust audio track levels independently on the FX7. If this is important for your productions, you will need to mix sound externally via a Beachtek or mixer.  

  **

VCR Mode***(8.5)* The Sony HDR-FX7 keeps playback simple with a full complement of VCR and memory card playback controls in the LCD cavity. The top two rows of buttons are dedicated to tape playback, with stop, rewind, play, fast-forward and slow in the top row, and pause and record buttons in the second row. The VCR interface works for both playing footage in-camcorder and for recording footage from an external source to the camcorder by making the appropriate selections in the menu.   

Although the VCR controls are extremely easy to use, their location in the LCD cavity is ergonomically awkward because controls are placed at a 90 degree angle to the screen. Canon positions playback controls on the XH A1 on the handle, oriented towards the user, while the playback joystick on the Panasonic AG-DVX100B can be easily operated with one finger from multiple angles.  

When a given clip is played back, the zoom lever can be used to magnify the picture up to 5x. Rotating the jog dial will pan or tilt across the zoomed image, and pressing in on the dial toggles between the four cardinal directions. Playback Zoom also works in still photo review mode. The Status Check button also functions here in VCR mode, givng you a display of audio levels and the output port arrangement.  During normal playback, all the core manual control information (aperture, gain, shutter speed, and white balance settings) are all displayed at the bottom of the screen. This is a very powerful tool for trying to match up camera settings for continuity. 

Core information on camcorder settings appears during playback.

 

Still photos captured to Memory Stick can be played back in VCR mode using several dual-purpose controls in the LCD cavity. The Memory/Volume buttons serve as navigation controls for cycling through the six to a page thumbnail index view of still images. Assign buttons 4-6 serve as playback controls in still photo review mode with options for Play, Index (thumbnail view), and Delete.  Pressing Play while viewing the Index screen will display the selected image on the LCD.   

To delete an image in either Index or full screen view modes, the Delete button is pressed and the command is executed using the jog dial.     **

Ports***(9.0)* The HDR-FX7 includes a number of typical ports and terminals It also includes HDMI video out terminal, which is an emerging consumer HD television interface standard. Besides the HDMI terminal, you’ll find a LANC jack, Analog Audio/Video out, IEEE 1394 (aka i.Link), USB 2.0, Component Video out, headphone jack, stereo mini microphone input, and S-Video out with the addition of an optional adaptor cable. A MemoryStick card slot is located under the port cover on the FX7’s lower left side.

Left side ports include MemoryStick port, USB, and HDMI.

 

The distribution of ports on the HDR-FX7 could be better since some are located on the lower left side while others are at the back end. It’s generally preferable to keep ports out of the fray, and the left side of any camcorder is decidedly in the middle of the fray. The USB and HDMI terminals are unlikely to be in use when the camcorder is hand-held, but the headphone jack definitely will. A delicate 1/8" mic plug protruding from the left side is bound to be nudged from time to time. We would have preferred to see the headphone jack placed out of the way. Canon’s XH A1 keeps all terminals typical used during production on either the back end of the camcorder or at the right side. This works even though the XH A1's surface real estate is much more crowded than the FX7.

Rear ports include component, composite, DV, and DC power.

 

Notably, this camcorder lacks XLR audio terminals like the Sony HVR-FX1 and DCR-VX2100. The entire Sony HVR line, Canon’s XL and XH camcorders, and Panasonic’s DVX100B and HVX200 are all outfitted with dual XLR terminals. 

Other Features

Widescreen/16:9 Mode*(10.0)*

The HDR-FX7 shoots in HDV, which is natively 16:9, as well as 16:9 and 4:3 standard definition DV. When in 4:3, the camcorder simply produces pillar boxes to cut off part of the picture. The 3.5" LCD is also of a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Scan Rates/24p*(0.0)* The Sony HDR-FX7 records video in 1080/60i and480/60i, the broadcast standards for HDV and DV, respectively. Unlike Sony’s HVR-V1U, Panasonic’s AG-HVX200, JVC’s GY-HD110U (24p, 30p), and Canon’s XH A1 (24F, 30F), the FX7 does not support progressive frame rate recording modes. Video captured by CMOS sensors originates as full-frame progressive video, which is then converted to 60i (60fps interlaced video) by the camcorder’s processor. In practical terms, the fact that the FX7’s video originates on the ClearVID CMOS sensor as progressive video will have no bearing on workflow since you’ll only work with the interlaced output. However, CMOS sensors do enable manufacturers to beef up their feature set, adding to a camcorder’s onboard image enhancement suite in large part due to the speed of CMOS sensors, and their full-frame progressive nature.    **

Other Features***(9.0)* Smooth Slow Record – Heavily marketed but of dubious value, the Smooth Slow Record feature can capture up to 6 seconds of video, then stretch it out to play at about 4x slower. The video quality is actually pretty good, but with only six second bursts, this is not an on-the-fly feature. Your shots will have to be set up and timed just right.   *

SteadyShot* – The optical image stabilization (OIS) can be set to four levels of strength. The Hard setting provides the most stabilization; Standard is the default setting; Soft allows for a little bounce and jiggle in the image. Finally, the Wide Conversion setting should be chosen when a conversion lens is attached.   Color Bars – Up to three types of color bar patterns can be displayed.  

Guide Markers – A crosshair pattern, or a 9-field grid, or both can be displayed on the LCD and EVF.  
*

Index Mark* -  Index signals can be created to help you quickly find specific places on the tape.

 

Comparisons/Conclusion

Comparison
Sony HVR-V1U

The Sony HVR-V1U is the "professional" version of the "consumer" HDR-FX7. In essence, this means that these camcorders share their core imaging specs and are built around the same compact chassis. Both camcorders feature three ¼" ClearVID CMOS sensors and a 20x Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T*, F1.6 – 2.8, 62mm filter diameter lens. At first glance, the camcorders seem similar. However, the V1U adds XLR terminals and a black exterior that makes the medium grey color of the FX7 appear less "serious." Yet to fully grasp the myriad upgrades that differentiate the $4800 V1U from the $3600 FX7, you’ve got to lift up the hood.   The enhancements that will get potential buyers of the V1U in the door are probably the progressive scan (24p and 30p) and XLR terminals – features which are must-haves for many DPs and producers. Yet for the connoisseur, the V1U’s menu presents a host of delicacies that you won’t find on the FX7’s shorter "pub" menu. Many options are expanded in the V1U: white balance gains additional presets; Cinematone Gamma adds another option; Smooth Slow Record gains 3 and 12 second options – and the list goes on.   

More significantly, the V1U gains some desirable features that are not offered at all on the FX7. Camera profiles can be shared via MemoryStick and emailed to distant colleagues; multiple framing guides and view options are offered (4:3, 13:9, 14:9, and 16:9, 80% and 90% safety zones, and All Scan Mode). Along with two XLR terminals, the V1U adds independent level control over each channel, noise reduction, trim, and wind cut, while numerous Time Code settings allow both syncing with other V1Us (via i.Link) and various preset, user bit, and format options.   We like the HDR-FX7, but the HDR-V1U is a much more capable camcorder. Various microprocessor-based options available on the V1U are not available on the FX7 and in all likelihood, enabling them wouldn’t have cost Sony a penny. In other words, short of the addition of XLR inputs and onboard audio mixing, the truncated option list on the FX7 seems implemented to widen the chasm separating these camcorders and justify their price points. We’d rather shoot with the $4800 HDR-V1U, based primarily on its expanded audio options and progressive scan abilities, but neither camcorder is a match for the sub-$4000 Canon XH A1.  

Sony HDR-FX1

The Sony HDR-FX1 was released first, and it still tops Sony’s consumer line of camcorders in terms of price with an MSRP of $3699 versus the $3499 MSRP of the HDR-FX7. If you’re looking at these two camcorders, deciding which one is right for you will come down to examining the core strengths of each – and there are some fundamental differences between them beginning with sensor type. While the FX7 is equipped with three 1/4" ClearVID CMOS sensors, the FX1 brings three 1/3" Advanced HAD CCDs to the table. The gross and effective pixel counts are nearly identical, but CCDs perform better in low light. With disappointing low light performance, the HDR-FX7 1/4" CMOS sensors are no match for the larger 1/3" CCDs on the FX1.   

Another key difference is the optical zoom power of the HDR-FX1, which comes in at a considerably weaker 12x than the impressive 20x zoom on the HDR-FX7. With the 1.5x Digital Extender – a surprisingly good digital zoom option – the FX7’s zoom power reaches as high as 30x making it the go-to option for DPs who need to get up close and personal with their subjects. The FX1 also adds a 30F Cineframe Recording option not found on the FX7 and a handle-mounted LCD that offers a viewing angle that many shooters will prefer.  

The FX7 adds some features not found on the FX1, including three more Assign buttons on the camcorder’s exterior, MemoryStick Duo Pro compatibility, and Smooth Slow Record – a feature, along with Digital Extender, made possible by CMOS technology. The FX7 is also the smaller and more portable of the pair, with a smaller profile and about a half kg (1 lb.) less heft. The HDR-FX7 offers a live-view or iris, gain, and shutter value, even when in Auto mode. Both camcorders are strong performers, and the FX1 gets the edge in low light while the FX7’s additional features and Assign buttons make it the more programmable model. On balance, it’s a draw between these two low-end prosumer cams, and your choice should be based on how much importance you place on low light performance versus programmability.­      *

Sony HVR-A1U*

The Sony HVR-A1U offers one of the more interesting comparisons to the HDR-FX7 and speaks to the diversity of HDV camcorders in Sony’s consumer and professional lines. The A1U is essentially the professional incarnation of the short-lived HDR-HC1 Handycam camcorder. While the HC1 was replaced months after its debut with the "dumbed down" HC3, the A1U survives at the low end of Sony’s professional HVR line of HDV camcorders, with a MSRP of $3100, which is $400 less than the FX7.   The differences between these models can be summed up like this: The HDR-FX7 is superior in terms of raw video performance but short on some key professional features; the HVR-V1U is strong in terms of professional features, and considerably more portable – but falls a bit short of the V1U in terms of imaging. The performance gap stems from the fact that the A1U has a single 1/3" 2.97MP CMOS sensor. Despite its overall size advantage, the single sensor can’t compete with the three 1/4" ClearVID CMOS sensors on the FX7 that provide each color with its own dedicated imager.   

The video performance edge goes to the FX7, but when it comes to recording audio, the HVR-A1U qualifies as a true professional cam with dual XLR inputs, independent right and left channel level control, phantom power, attenuation, and padding options. In addition to balanced inputs, the A1U supports unbalanced external mics. In the audio realm, the FX7 can’t compete. It’s got an onboard stereo microphone and a single mini jack. The only audio control option available is linked level control in manual monitoring mode.  

A final major difference between these camcorders is size. The A1U is perhaps the smallest truly professional camcorder, weighing in at a scant 0.74kg (1 lb. 10 oz.) or slightly less than half that of the HDR-FX7. Without the detachable audio adaptor unit, the A1U looks very much like its HC1 sibling, and it looks like the kind of camcorder a Hawaiian shirt-clad tourist might carry at Disney World. The potential benefits of high-performance in such a small package makes the A1U a uniquely inconspicuous professional cam.   There are many shooters who are willing to trade balanced audio for the ease of use and performance of the FX7, but for professionals who need to deliver sound quality that matches their picture, the HVR-A1U comes out ahead.   *

Canon XH A1*

If the Sony HDR-FX7 personifies prosumer HDV, with its slim, unimposing profile and crowd-pleasing color rendition, the Canon XH A1 demands to be taken seriously. For $500 more than the FX7, it is a camcorder with a professional feature set so robust as to place it in another league. With two progressive modes, 24F and 30F, XLR inputs as well as unbalanced mic compatibility, many more external manual controls, and a staggering set of fine picture controls, the XH A1 is tough to beat.   Fundamentally, the two camcorders share a three-sensor imager arrangement, but they take very different routes to image production. Instead of three CMOS sensors, the Canon uses the same 3 x 1/3" CCD imaging system as its $10,000 sibling, XL H1 to produce 1560K effective pixels versus 1037K for the FX7.  

In bright light, the XH A1 and HDR-FX7 were fairly comparable in auto mode, with the Sony producing a more saturated image with greater apparent sharpness. In low light, the Canon proved to be a light gathering powerhouse putting the underperforming FX7 to shame. More importantly, the FX7 does not offer nearly the level of image control available on the XH A1, with relatively limited options for color, contrast, and gamma tweaks.   

The A1 ups the ante in just about every common control, including zebras (70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, and 100 IRE versus 70 and 100 on the FX7), Color Bars (SMPTE or ARIB plus adjustable 1 kHz tone, absent on the FX7), a sprawling Custom Function Menu that far outpaces Picture Profile, exportable camera profiles (trapped onboard the FX7), a nine-point Color Preset Menu, a wider range of control over sharpness, and a myriad of controls that aren’t offered at all on the FX7. A partial list of these features includes Sky Detail, Clear Scan, Gamma Curve, Knee Point Adjustment, Black Stretch/Press, Master Pedestal, Setup Level, and 2-Channel Matrices. As you might imagine, this comparison is already a rout, so I’ll mention some areas in which the FX7 comes out ahead.  

The 3.5" LCD on the Sony bests the 2.8" LCD screen on the Canon, and it’s lighter on its feet – much easier to hold by the main grip for prolonged periods. The Canon’s manual focus ring is good, but it is overly sensitive making the Sony an easier camcorder to focus manually out of the box. Another issue with the Canon is its enclosed battery compartment. Swapping out a battery on the A1 requires you to open the hatch, and then slide the new battery in like a sled along a horizontal track. The enclosed design is aesthetically pleasing, but it is not as efficient as the tried and true open slot on the FX7.  

Despite these minor criticisms, the Canon XH A1 is a more powerful, more sophisticated tool than the FX7 – and it’s priced very, very competitively. Canon’s HDV entry offers much more bang for the buck than nearly any camcorder we’ve tested. Unless you are a dyed-in-the-wool Sony devotee, do yourself a favor, shell out the extra $500, and step way up to the XH A1.      *

Panasonic AG-DVX100B*

The Panasonic AG-DVX100B is the only DV-only camcorder included for comparison with the HDR-FX7, but it is close to the FX7 in price with a MSRP of just under $4000. The features that set these camcorders apart other than video performance is the list of the professional options absent on the FX7: XLR terminals, independent audio channel controls, 24p and 30p progressive video recording, and camera syncing for multi-camera broadcast production. The DVX100B zoom is mechanically driven, a rare feature for a camcorder with a non-interchangeable lens, and the image control interface makes use of more external hard switches than highly menu-based FX7.  

Both camcorders feature programmable buttons – three on the DVX100B and six on the FX7, but the Panasonic’s can be set with a level of precision more akin to the HVR-V1U or Canon XH A1 than the FX7. The two camcorders are close in terms of weight and size; both feel well balanced during hand-held shooting, and both are capable of capturing broadcast-quality video. These camcorders also play to their strengths.

The HDR-FX7 excels in ease of use, with accessible core manual image controls (zoom, gain, shutter speed, etc.) that can be efficiently operated with the jog dial with more advanced controls being menu-based, and more limited in their range of adjustability. The AG-DVX100B also keeps core controls quickly accessible, but it offers an expanded range of menu-based adjustments as well as XLR inputs, multicamera syncing, advanced timecode settings, and progressive video. Calling the winner in this head-to-head is difficult, but with the Canon XH A1 retailing for the same price as the DVX100B and only $500 more than the FX7, it’s difficult to deem either camcorder the best value in today’s prosumer market.  

Who It’s For
*Point-and-Shooters (6.0) * If you are a point-and-shooter with a $3500 budget (if there are any of you out there, let us know…) this may be the camcorder for you. Automatic controls are very good, especially when presets like Cinematone, and auto-control tweaks like AGC limiting enter the equation. But the HDR-FX7 offers much more than mere point-and-shoot performance with six Assign buttons and easy to use manual controls, making a cheaper camcorder like the sub-$1000 Sony HDR-HC3 a more appropriate match.   *

Budget Consumers (4.0)* If you’re on a tight budget, this is definitely not the camcorder for you. In terms of value, both the Canon XH A1 and Sony HVR-A1U offer more camcorder for your dollar in the world of "budget prosumer camcorders." True budget buyers who want an HDV camcorder that offers the performance and features to pull off a professional shoot may want to consider picking up a used Sony HDR-HC1. It has a mic jack, ring controls, and the same imager as the A1U. In addition, mint-condition units can be found for well under $1000 used.   *Still

Photo / Video Camera Hybrid (2.0)* There are many consumer camcorders selling for a fraction of the cost of the HDR-FX7 on the market that combine HD video with still resolutions much higher than the 1.2MP max of the FX7. These hybrid dynamos include Sony’s HDR-HC3, Canon’s HV10, and Panasonic’s new HDC-SD1 and DX1. The FX7 is a prosumer camcorder, and if you’re a serious videographer, hybrid performance is most likely not your foremost purchase consideration.   *

Gadget Freaks (5.0)* The HDR-FX7 has some very cool features, including Smooth Slow Record, Digital Extender, and 6 Assign buttons that may appeal to video geeks who like to get under the hood and tinker. There are definitely cooler camcorders out there in the prosumer realm including the HVR-V1U and XH A1 that add a staggering array of advanced control options. And let’s face it – those camcorders, with their black exteriors clad in dozens of buttons and switches look way more hip than the understated grey body of the FX7.   *

Manual Control Freaks (7.0)* This camcorder serves up a requisite platter of manual controls, but again, the V1U and XH A1 offer more. If you are content to stick with the basics of zoom, focus, gain, iris, shutter speed, and white balance, the FX7 will satisfy. If you simply must have complete control over gamma curves and black stretch and would feel naked without an iris ring control, the FX7 will leave you wishing you’d spent a few hundred dollars for a camcorder with a more robust feature set.   *

Pros/ Serious Hobbyists (7.0)* The HDR-FX7 is capable of capturing stunning images with a minimum of hassle, and there are many professionals and serious hobbyists who will find this appealing. Wedding and event videographers, industrial shooters, and pros who don’t need to shoot progressive video or use balanced audio inputs may find the FX7 fits the bill. For these applications, it’s a user-friendly option that costs a bit less than the competition, and it just feels good to grip. DPs and producers who want more control, demand balanced audio inputs, and broadcast-oriented features like syncing and profile sharing should step up to the Sony HVR line, Canon’s XH A1, Panasonic’s AG-HVX200, or JVC’s GY-HD110U.   **

Conclusion**

It’s hard not to like Sony’s HDR-FX7, and only a few years ago we would have loved it. This is a camcorder that combines a solid suite of desirable features, accessible and well-tuned controls, and terrific bright-light video performance. The FX7’s distant ancestor, the DCR-VX1000 was popular in its heyday for the same reasons – and it had little in the way of real competition. The VX2000 and VX2100 managed to hold their own against upstarts like Canon’s GL and XL camcorders, and Panasonic’s AG-DVX100, despite the fact that they offered professional features like XLR terminals lacking on the Sonys. Sony’s VX camcorders remained popular because they cost slightly less, but still offered great video performance and key manual controls. Beachtek helped their cause by providing an economical way to add balanced audio making the VX cams credible professional tools.

 

Unfortunately for the FX7, the high-end "consumer" camcorder niche seems a threatened species. Based on price alone, Canon’s XH A1 and HDR-FX7 are competing for the same customer base – and the Canon matches or surpasses the Sony in nearly every category except weight. At $3999 (MSRP), the Canon XH A1 adds XLR terminals, better advanced color controls, an iris ring, longer battery life, sharable profiles, superior still performance, progressive recording modes, and an optional upgrade to PAL compatibility. The FX7’s professional version, the HVR-V1U stacks up more favorably to the Canon, but at $800 higher ($4800 MSRP). With the Canon XH A1 on the market, the HDR-FX7 just doesn’t seem a good buy. Categorizing this as a consumer camcorder strikes us as a strategy of getting off the hook for not including some professional-level features. The classifications may make sense in the boardroom with all of Sony’s numerous camcorders lined up end-to-end, but the market is the ultimate arbiter, and the market says that at over $3000, we expect more.  

Yet the presence of another more capable camcorder priced only a few hundred dollars higher does not mean the FX7 is doomed. The FX7 is a likeable camcorder. Its images  appear sharper and more colorful thanmost prosumer cams, including the XH A1. Its programmability also makes it a good option for low-budget studio shoots where camera syncing is not required. The FX7 is a good camcorder for applications like wedding and event videography, corporate production settings, and low-budget films where interlaced video is acceptable and strong low light performance is not required. For ENG and documentary field production, camcorders with better audio features, low light performance, and external manual controls like the Canon XH A1/G1 or Sony HVR-V1U are sounder choices. Those camcorders also offer more for high-end studio work, where multicamera syncing and advanced options are needed.  

Until Sony lowers the price of the HDR-FX7, we can’t give it a strong endorsement. The availability of the XH A1 makes the FX7’s $3500 MSRP seem a hefty price to pay for a "consumer" camcorder. Our advice is to hold off on buying an FX7 until Sony drops its price considerably – or to give the XH A1 some serious consideration.

Specs/Ratings

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