Sony HDR-FX7 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Dec 27, 2006 7:00 AM
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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.
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