Sony HDR-FX7 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Dec 27, 2006 7:00 AM 
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The Front (9.0)
The barrel-shaped body of the HDR-FX7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $2599) is instantly recognizable as a Sony, and it takes design cues from its still-popular cousin, the DCR-VX2100 (Review, Specs, $1980) 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.
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The lens hood closes with two barn doors (left) or can be removed entirely (right). |
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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 (Specs, Recent News, $7947.89), but its worth mentioning that slots can be more unwieldy than this one. The Canon XH A1 (Specs, Recent News, $3279.99)/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 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $729.95) and HDR-SR1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99). 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.