Sony HDR-FX7 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Dec 27, 2006 7:00 AM
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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.
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The many forms of the EVF. |
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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.
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