Sony HDR-CX7 First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on May 21, 2007 3:30 PM
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Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control
The Sony HDR-CX7 (Specs, Recent News, $1199) is an amazingly easy to use device, and it defies pigeonholing in the same way as the Panasonic HDC-SD1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99). That camcorder was also relatively stripped-down in terms of features but appealing because of its combination of simplicity and power. The same is true of this Sony – only more so. In other words, the CX7 is even smaller, and even user-friendlier than the SD1, by virtue of its Easy Button, touch screen, and very smooth automatic controls. In most ways, this camcorder seems to display Sony’s typical smooth ride in auto mode, with focus, exposure, and white balance adjustments that transition subtly and quickly.
The Easy Button in the LCD cavity: press...sit back...relax
In more difficult lighting situations, the usual caveats to Auto or Easy modes apply: The camcorder may not deliver a good picture when its processor does not know which of competing light sources to favor, or it may underexpose the subject on a mid-day beach… The list of “difficult” environments for automatic controls is long, but Sony has supplied users with a generous helping of Scene Selection Modes, or AE presets to assist. Scene Selection modes modify the camcorder’s automatic settings to better suit common lighting situations that auto mode is known to handle badly, and they include Beach, Candle, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Sports Lesson, Spotlight, and Sunrise & Sunset. The Beach setting, for example, is calibrated to overexpose the entire frame, on the assumption that the surrounding sand, sea, and sky will be brighter than the subject of the shot. Overexposing for the surroundings will generally bring the subject into better exposure than when using Auto or Easy modes alone.
Some other convenient options on the CX7 include Dual Record, which allows you to take still photos at 4.6 MP during active video recording, and Super SteadyShot, an optical image stabilization system. While this camcorder lacks the Cam Control multifunction dials found on this year’s other top-end AVCHD camcorders, like the HDR-SR7 (Specs, Recent News, $1399), users who generally leave the driving to their camcorder won’t miss it. The touch screen interface features the new tabbed design introduced with the HDR-SR1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99) in 2006 (also seen on the recently reviewed DCR-SR300), and with a little practice, it offers quick access to Scene Modes and generally camcorder settings. For those who prefer to keep things even simpler, the Easy Button is always available in the LCD cavity. One push puts the camcorder into a cruise control so well cushioned, you would have to go out of your way to take a terrible shot. Unless you simply can’t stand the prospect of getting your greasy fingerprints all over your camcorder’s touch screen, you won’t find a camcorder that delivers solid automatic performance that is as approachable as the CX7.
Overall Manual Control
The manual control suite on the HDR-CX7 is as good as you’ll find on any Sony other than this year’s HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56), UX7, and SR7, which add a Cam Control dial and a broadened set of adjustable parameters. The HC7 includes White Balance and Exposure Compensation, and manual shutter speed control via the dial, all features lacking on the CX7. That leaves exposure (in EV steps), white balance, and focus as the major manual controls that you can control readily on the CX7. In addition, this camcorder adds some useful assists, including Zebras (70 and 100 IRE) and markers.
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The Mode Dial is vintage Sony
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This move is not a surprise, however. When Panasonic released their HDC-SD1, it also brought terrific image gathering abilities to the table – but it lacked what we consider to be important features on a $1000-plus camcorder, like a headphone jack and accessory shoe. Both companies, it would seem, are targeting their flash-based camcorders for users who want ease, compactness, and speed. In these respects, the HDR-CX7 delivers superb handling and an amazingly small package – as long as you are willing to forego a higher level of manual control over your image.
Zoom
This camcorder is equipped with Sony’s typically very good rocking zoom lever as its primary zoom control and secondary control buttons on the outside edge of the LCD frame. The primary lever offers the same ergonomic appeal as most Sonys, allowing for precise, variable zoom speeds, and a very comfortable feel. While we found the placement of the zoom lever on the recently reviewed DCR-SR300 to be a bit awkward, the CX7’s control is positioned very well for hand-held shooting without modifying your grip. The secondary buttons on the outside edge of the LCD are labeled W and T – think “wide” and “tight” if you’re wondering what direction they move the zoom. These buttons provide a convenient alternative when the primary lever is difficult to operate, as when holding the camcorder overhead, but only move the zoom at a fixed, medium speed.
Zoom Power Ratio
The optical zoom on the HDR-CX7 achieves a modest 10x magnification, while digital ranges up to 20x. While this zoom power may strike you as rather unimpressive, it’s actually a good thing. Consumer camcorders are very compact relative to prosumer models, and their lens elements are correspondingly compact whether they sport large 1/2.9” sensors as on the CX7, or much the much smaller 1/6” sensors common on entry-level models. A smaller sensor captures a much lower-resolution image than a larger one – but it requires less space to achieve a high zoom power. For this reason, it’s not uncommon to see zooms as high as 40x on entry-level consumer camcorders.
The CX7, with its larger imager, will produce a much better picture, and you can usually move closer to your subject if the 10x zoom isn’t doing the trick. This camcorder also features a 20x digital zoom option that can be enabled or turned off. The digital zoom magnifies pixels available at the camcorder’s top optical zoom power, and as a result, the image resolution drops in digital territory. Luckily, doubling the size of this HD camcorder’s pixels will not result in the absurdly pixilated footage that higher digital zooms (over 1000x on some consumer cams!) produce.
Focus
Manually focusing a shot using Sony’s touch screen interface is something we wouldn’t wish on anyone in a mission-critical situation. Just leave the CX7’s focus set to auto and hope for the best…
That advice is not given entirely in jest. While the touch screen interface offer a perfectly functional method for navigating the menu, it’s fraught with problems when it comes adjusting manual controls. No manual adjustment is more compromised by the touch screen interface than focus. You can engage manual focus easily enough, via the Option Menu button at the lower right corner of the LCD screen under Camera tab 1. Pressing the Focus button on that screen offers Auto and Manual options. When the Manual option is selected, an onscreen interface appears with an icon at left representing a person (for nearby subjects) and an icon at left representing a mountain (distant subjects). Pressing either icon moves the focal plane either closer (left) or further away (right) from the lens.
The problem with this manual focus method is not simply that the buttons get in the way of the image you are focusing on, though that is a serious issue. They are also very difficult to control with any accuracy. Unlike a physical rotary controller, like a ring or dial, the buttons cause the focus move at a fixed speed that makes it tough to stop with precision. In addition, the buttons respond only with a certain amount of finger pressure that is again, difficult to gauge. If you find manually focusing an image with the CX7 as frustrating as we do, you may well just choose to forget the option exists. That would simplify your life, and be in keeping with the streamlined implementation of this camcorder. It just won’t produce the best possible results.
Exposure & Aperture
Zebras are the saving grace of manual exposure adjustment on the HDR-CX7. Without that assist engaged you’ll find exposure adjustments to be as awkward as focus. Engaging manual exposure is done by selecting Exposure from tab 2 of the Option Menu. After choosing the Exposure > Manual option, an interface appears onscreen that looks like the focus interface, but with minus (lower exposure) and plus (higher exposure) icons at left and right.
Even though the buttons obscure the image, zebras provide a method to check exposure against a definite reference of either 70 or 100 IRE. It’s an important addition on this camcorder – as well as the DCR-SR300 – that makes this a much more capable control than focus. As on other Sonys, exposure is changed in EV steps rather than independent f-stops.
Shutter Speed
The CX7 offers no manual control over shutter speed while, the HDR-HC7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1128.56) does offer this feature via the Cam Control dial. The Auto Slow Shutter allows the shutter speed to automatically drop as low as 1/4 when enabled in the Option Menu tab 3, in accordance with available light. Once again, we would have liked to see a manual shutter speed control on this camcorder – but the absence will keep your life simple.
White Balance
The CX7 includes white balance presets, for Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, and One Push (manual). These presets can be found on Option Menu > tab 3. Upon selecting the One Push button, the white balance set button becomes active. To manually set white balance, you simply press the white balance set button, and when the icon stops flashing you are good to go. Unfortunately, to assess the quality of a given setting, you’ll be forced to exit the menu because the five buttons occupy most of the screen. This setting works well and produced better color than auto white balance.
Gain
The HDR-CX7 offers no manual gain control options, though this is not a surprise given that only Panasonics allow this across their camcorder line.
Other Manual Controls
Zebra Pattern – Zebras can be enabled from the Home > Movie Settings submenu with options for Off, 70 IRE, and 100 IRE. If you plan on making manual exposure adjustments with this camcorder, we strongly urge you to become acquainted with this feature. It is an invaluable assist that allows you to make accurate exposure assessments despite the drawbacks of the touch screen by rendering parts of the frame that surpass the selected setting in diagonal zebra stripes.
Guide Frame – The Guide Frame option can be enabled from the Home > Movie Settings submenu. Guide Frame overlays a nine-box wire frame over the image and is a useful shot-framing aid.
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