Review: Sony HDR-FX1 HDV Camcorder


When first announced in late 2004, HDV was heralded as the cost-effective means by which video-makers could shoot high-definition video at affordable prices. What were our first impressions of the world's first HDV camcorder, the Sony HDR-FX1?


Image of Sony HDR-FX1 HDV Camcorder
Sony's unveiling of its HDR-FX1 HDV camcorder in August 2004 was the first announcement by any of the main camcorder makers of a camcorder that conforms to the HDV 1080i High Definition TV standard. As increasing numbers of consumers invest in large Plasma and LCD TV sets, it is inevitable that we'd see a range of camcorders that enable recording of digital video pictures that match the requirements of screens of up to 50 inches.

What's interesting about Sony's new prosumer model is that it facilitates video recording of both the HDV and DV formats to a standard MiniDV videocasette in addition to converting from HDV to DV. As well as having this dual-format recording capability, the HDR-FX1E makes it possible for users to output recorded footage either as HDV or DV in either 16:9 widescreen or 4:3 aspect ratios via the same FireWire connection.

The FX1E's ability to record and replay as either HD (High Definition) or SD (Standard Definition) inevitably poses a serious challenge not just to the Canon XL2 (launched Autumn 2004) or Panasonic's AG-DV100 DV camcorders, but also to Sony's own DSR-PD170 DVCAM unit (launched at the beginning of 2004), especially now that HDV is set to be the preferred medium for many serious video-makers.

If, as Sony is now claiming, High Definition (HD) is set to become the Japanese consumer's first choice in digital video within 5 years, it will be necessary to make it easy and economical for people to start shooting HD, and in 16:9 widescreen too. The FX1E is particularly attractive in that it enables mixed HD and SD recording to MiniDV tapes. HDV uses two resolutions – a 720 horizontal line progressive scan with 1,280 vertical pixels or a 1,080-line interlaced scan image sequence consisting of 1,440 vertical pixels. According to Sony, the use of 1,080 horizontal interlaced lines means the camcorder is compatible with the highest resolution HD digital TV screens. In order to pack such a high density of data onto a standard DV tape, a variant of MPEG2 compression is applied to the signal which is equivalent to 4 times more than that used for DV (which itself is 5:1). Running times are, however, the same for recordings made in each format.

Design and Layout


Apart from the sheer bulkiness of the camcorder, its two most notable physical characteristics are the built-in lens and the 16:9 format 3.5" colour LCD screen, which folds into a near-horizontal position on the front of the carry handle mounting and in doing so covers the various VCR controls and settings buttons. The lens has large rubber focus and zoom rings which are switchable between manual and remote controlled operation. Like Sony's PD170, the FX1E comes with a lens hood that has a built-in lens shutter for protection when not in use. The stereo electret microphone is mounted in front of the hinged LCD and uses a supplied accessory shoe adaptor (pictured above).

At the rear of the camcorder is situated a colour viewfinder whose position can be varied from horizontal to vertical, with a choice of two rubber eyepieces being provided. The larger of the two is pictured in the above group, with the pre-fitted one picture in the main image. Controls and switches cater for virtually function imaginable, the most important ones being Iris (Exposure) for which a steel knurled knob is featured just forward of the camcorder's main body on the left (see close-up image, below). In the same area is placed two-step ND filter switches, Gain Up (9dB, 18dB) and three Assign presets that enable the operator to store setup preferences. As you'd expect, DV tape is top-loaded into a compartment that sits to the rear left of the camcorder.

SimplyDv Image: 4 views of the Sony HDR-FX1E HDV Camcorder

The FX1E has the full range of input and output connections, with S-Video in/out, AV in/out breakout jack and microphone/line in jack being located behind a flap on the outside front of the body. It also has a Component connector designed to carry a 1080i signal to a suitably equipped TV display. The i.Link (FireWire) socket is positioned near the offside rear of the camcorder (see bottom right image in the 4-image set above), and is designed to carry input or output at either DV or HDV specification, with a light indicating the selected mode.

There's a choice of two zoom rockers – the main one on the outside of the body above the hand-grip with a smaller upward-facing control on the front of the carry handle. This control, which is accompanied by an independent Record and Hold (Lock) button, enables zooming speeds to be user-definable. It's right at the back of the body where a number of additional switches are found as well as Menu Thumbwheel and Status Check switch. Iris, Gain, Shutter Speed and White Balance buttons can be found on the lower left body where they can be easily accessed when recording.

Features


The FX1E does appear to be two camcorders in one – one which processes HDV signals and another handling SD (DV). The camcorder uses three 1/3 inch CCDs, each producing an effective 1.07 million pixels from a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* f1.6-2.8 zoom lens with an optical range of 12:1 (4.5 – 54 mm). The choice of whether to shoot in HDV or DV modes is set within the Rec Format sub-menu set. A bright blue mode indicator with show whether HDV or DV has been selected, and this is situated on the upper main body.

Recordings made in either Camera or Line In mode will be made in the chosen format (depending on the source signal, of course). It's here that other output options can be set, including AV or Component output, i.Link conversion (HDV 1080i to DV 576i on output) and TV display type (16:9, 4:3, etc). In addition to many basic features found on all Sony Handycams, the FX1E also offers the more serious user a range of manual controls such as 3 user-definable Gain settings, with default settings ranging from 0dB (L) to 9dB (M) and 18dB (H) as would be found on professional cameras and camcorders. Shutter speeds range from 1/3 sec to 1/10,000 sec, with a two-step ND switch providing Neutral Density filters designed to drop incoming levels to 1/6 and 1/32 respectively. Two other welcome professional features are Colour Bar and Zebra Pattern generators – the first of which is easily accessible by a switch in the LCD screen recess on the top of the cam, with the Zebra settings accessible via a switch at the cam's rear. The latter will provide a peak exposure guide at settings ranging in 5% steps from 70% to 100%.

There's also a Peak exposure meter designed to emphasise image outlines and aid focussing where required. All the camcorder's Auto / Manual settings are easily accessed – particularly Iris (Exposure). The Status Check mode button gives an instant indication of current settings, including audio levels. A utility called Focus Enhancement magnifies the centre of the screen by a factor of 4x as a means of checking detail and setting focus. This automatically switches off after 5 secs or when recording commences.

The FX1E has been given a similar lens hood to the PD170P, which contains a built-in lens shutter. The lens barrel is very fat, and offers excellent control of manual focus and switchable Powered / Manual zoom. Both rubber rings are perfectly damped to give accurate control, and require quite a lot of pressure when focussing and zooming. They also make smooth ramping-up and down of shot changes possible. Unlike most other comparable cams (including Sony's PD170 and Canon's XL2 camcorders), the focus ring is near perfect in that it enables very fast no-nonsense focussing quickly and efficiently. Another welcome feature is the zoom lever – something that's only found on professional cameras.

Other features offered on the FX1E that users will find useful are the ability to assign user preferences to 6 Picture Profile buttons; these can be used to store a user's optimum settings relating to time of day, climate, lighting conditions, skin tones, and so on, and are stored in memory for instant recall when setting up shots. In addition to a Record Review utility (useful for quickly checking the previously-recorded shots), the camcorder also provides Status Check monitoring in the LCD or viewfinder. This can be used to provide monitoring of input audio levels in addition to a range of other camcorder settings such as Iris, White Balance, Timecode, Recording Mode and so on. In addition to the Picture Profiles utility, this cam also enables users to add frequently used menu items to their own Personal Menu (P-Menu), something that's very useful in reducing the time taken to rummage through endless menu settings when in a hurry.

The FX1E not only has the ability to output in either 16:9 widescreen mode (HDV will show as widescreen, DV as 4:3) or 4:3 mode (HDV showing as letterbox, DV playing as 4:3), but the cam will provide a real-time HDV to DV (1080i to 576i) conversion via i.Link (FireWire) to appropriate devices, including TV screens. For TVs capable of accepting HD component inputs, the FX1E provides a dedicated Component output (and connecting cables) for this purpose.

Performance


There's no escaping the fact that the FX1E is a stunning camcorder. As the first proper HDV 1080i format camcorder on the market, there's no doubt that many people will find this model hard to resist when contemplating a new purchase for professional or even semi-pro applications. The quality of its images in both HDV and DV modes is way ahead of those produced by either the DCR-VX2100 or even the DSR-PD170, and the design of the cam is such that it works well in both hand-held mode (depending upon your preferences for holding it) and on a professional-quality tripod. Depending on how it's manually supported, it could be considered to be front-heavy, though a higher capacity battery would go some way to overcome this.

Perhaps most welcome is the manual control of lens functions – particularly focus and zoom. Though many functions are still accessed only by the menu thumbwheel, there's no doubt that users will generally be happy with such functionality at this price point. That said, the FX1E isn't without its negative points. For a start, the built-in Electret Condenser microphone senses all physical handling noise on the camcorder, especially in very quiet conditions. It's impossible to even touch a part of the body or change a setting without this being picked up on audio. Only when mounting a Sennheiser MKE300D mic onto the accessory shoe adaptor was this problem eliminated during our review. In order to perform this test, a pair of Sony MDR-V300 headphones were used, and the position of the headphone socket itself caused problems in the way it protrudes out of the camcorder's right side and therefore prone to damage.

Equally disturbing as the handling noise problem is the fact that the mic picks up the operation of the zoom servo when using the main rocker control. It's only really noticeable in very quiet conditions, but it's there all the same. Moreover, the end of a zoom in or out produces a feint thud on the audio track – not something you expect from a cam aimed at a discerning market.

Conclusion


Despite the above limitations, the HDR-FX1E functions extraordinarily well in virtually all situations. At a minimum 3 Lux, it doesn't produce low-light images as well as either the VX2100 or PD170, but in every other respect the cam produces images with an outstanding level of clarity and resolution in both modes. It would be nice to see a tighter zoom at full magnification - 12:1 is okay and the wide setting is good, but in general use it feels as if there should be more on the bottom end of the zoom. We're not convinced that its built-in HD to SD conversion via FireWire is as good as it should be due to some noticeable artefacts on transfer via FireWire, but in most other respects this really is a ground-breaking camcorder that is bound to attract a user-base that ranges from serious enthusiast to professional user and even the broadcast TV professional. Well done Sony.

Reviewed by CB (September 2004).