Sony HDR-FX7 First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Sep 22, 2006 2:00 PM
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The Front
Looking back at the DCR-VX1000 celebrating its 11th birthday this year is a potent reminder of the durability of the barrel-shaped form that has carried through to the HDR-FX7. Certain things have changed: the tape compartment shifted to the right side from the left; controls have moved, for example, the Select dial migrated to the back of the camcorder on the VX2100; and the HDR-FX7 has lost the soft, form-fitting eye-piece found on both the VX1000 and VX2100. Yet while handling the FX7, I am reminded of my first DV shoots back in film school when the VX1000 was still king of the hill.
The charcoal grey HDR-FX7 is fronted by a large lens hood that is essentially a scaled-down version of the hood found on the HDR-FX1, which has an integrated 16:9 aspect ratio matte box. The hood has an integrated lens cover in the form of two horizontal barn doors that are mechanically opened and closed by a lever on the left side of the hood. Removing the hood, using the release knob on the hood’s right side, reveals the front end of the 20x optical zoom Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens with a 62mm filter diameter. The lens has an aperture of f1.6-f2.8 and a focal distance of 37.4-748mm in 16:9 mode, and 45.7-914mm in 4:3 mode. Also visible from the camcorder’s front is the business end of the handle-mounted onboard mic, visible directly above and set back from the lens.
The hood is well-designed, and its rectangular opening helps to give the lens surface better glare protection than a hood with a broader opening. I also like the barn door-style lens cover which flips open in a split second, and is integrated so you’ll have one less item to lose. The as much as any other single feature, the hood gives the HDR-FX7 a professional appearance befitting a prosumer model.
The Right Side
The main feature of the right side of the HDR-FX7 is the tape compartment and grip area, which bulges out from the main body of the camcorder. Built of a darker plastic from the rest of the body, the grip feels sturdy and I found it nicely molded to the shape of my palm. A standard Sony hand strap – i.e. well-padded - contributes to the comfort of the grip. On the back-facing side of the grip area is the camcorder’s Power/Mode switch. This control is also classic Sony, and downsized and slightly modified versions can be found throughout the company’s consumer camcorder line. The main record button is in the center of the Power/Mode switch. Also on the back edge of the grip area, above the Power/Mode switch is the LANC port, protected by a tiny rubber cover. The tape compartment is located inside the grip area, and hinges at its base. The release switch for the tape compartment is on top of the grip area and employs partially manual design that’s very common. You hold the switch, pull the hatch fully open until it clicks, and the tape is then mechanically raised and ejected.
Also on top of the grip area is the main zoom lever, just behind the tape compartment latch, and the photo button to the rear of the zoom lever. The lever is big and sensitive, allowing for very smooth control over zoom speeds. It is comparable to the grip levers found on many prosumer camcorders, from the DCR-VX2100 to the Canon XH A1.
One of two main port clusters is also on the right side of the HDR-FX7, mounted on a back-facing bulge that extends out from the camcorder body by about a finger’s width. A rigid plastic hatch, hinged vertically protects three ports, with Component Out on top, A/V Out in the middle and HDV/DV (FireWire) at the bottom. This port cover is well implemented to rest flush against the camcorder body when open providing plenty of room for wires. Each port is labeled on the exterior of the cover. The DC-In terminal is below the three ports above, protected by its own rubber port cover.
Above these ports is a metal loop that can be optionally used to affix a strap to the camcorder.
The Back
The back of the HDR-FX7 is topped by an extendable EVF (electronic color viewfinder) that also swivels up and down to offer a number of viewing angles. The design of the eyepiece is very similar to those found on the HDR-FX1 and HVR-Z1U making it quite comfortable for long-term use, but not as large and form-fitting as the rubber eye cup on the VX2100 or Canon’s XL camcorders. The dioptric adjustment is on the underside of the eyepiece, and is large enough to allow for easy adjustment. An important upgrade over the HDR-FX1 on this model is the option to use both the LCD and EVF simultaneously, an option engaged in the menu. It’s the kind of control that is you’re likely to turn on and off during a shoot, so it’s a control we think should have been placed externally. Running both screens cuts down on battery life, but offers the flexibility to jump between screens without missing a beat.
Below the EVF is the cavernous battery slot, which occupies most of the camcorder’s back-end real estate. The battery release button is located on the top surface of the camcorder, just ahead of the battery compartment’s top right corner. It’s a convenient placement, and the button is big so high-speed battery changes should be easy. To the left of the battery slot are a number of controls arranged vertically. Beginning from the top is a toggle switch for Auto/Manual/Hold toggle switch. In its center position, the HDR-FX7 is in manual control mode and a line leading from this setting to the controls below indicates that they can only be operated in manual. The manual buttons are Gain, Shutter Speed, and White Balance.
In an interface that carries through from the VX1000, pressing each button brings up the relevant control on-screen and a Select/Push Execute dial below is used to cycle through options. Pressing directly in on the dial selects the highlighted option on the display If you are unfamiliar with Sony’s Select dial, it can take some getting used to, partly because I find it undersized for such an important control – it doubles as the menu navigation tool. I find joystick-based menu navigation more efficient, especially when time is of the essence, because they allow for quad-directional movement but the dial is certainly simple. The Menu button is just above the Select dial.
The Left Side
The long, barrel-like shape of the HDR-FX7 when viewed from the left side highlights the camcorder’s body shape similarities with the DCR-VX2100, but most of the controls, aside from the ND filter switch, have shifted or taken slightly different forms on the FX7. Moving back from the front of the camcorder are the two manual control rings with the wider rubber focus ring closest to the lens. The focus ring offers great sensitivity given its large size. The focus assist feature, which enlarges the image on the LCD, is a nice addition to this camcorder. There is also an excellent on-screen focal distance indicator, which appears at the lower left of the LCD screen when you are focusing manually.
The on-screen focal distance indicator is analogous to the feature found on other prosumer camcorders including Canon’s XH A1/G1, and well-suited to the sharpness of HDV. The servo zoom ring is just behind the focus ring, and it performs well. You can easily move through the camcorder’s entire 20x optical zoom range in one smooth motion. It’s not a mechanical zoom, and at this price point, that’s to be expected – so be prepared to work with a motorized zoom look. In its favor, the zoom has a nice on-screen display that indicates where you are in the zoom range.
Behind the zoom ring is one of this camcorder’s new controls – a manual control dial that’s a larger and improved version of the undersized dial found on the HDR-HC3. The dial’s primary function is exposure control, and a small button above the dial toggles between exposure and iris adjustments. While purists may not like the idea of a small dial as a camcorder’s exposure control, I think this one is well-suited to this camcorder, and I like the fact that it’s very easily accessed. On a camcorder this small, there’s little room for a separate iris ring – and the dial is a nice alternative that some users may find they prefer. Below the dial is a push auto focus button, used to override manual focus.
Moving back along the lens barrel are three of the camcorder’s six Assign buttons, which can be programmed in the menu for any camcorder function. The HDR-FX1 has only three assign buttons, which is a significant upgrade on this model. While the HDR-FX1 has more externally accessed manual controls, the extra buttons effectively make this camcorder more customizable to user preferences and shooting styles. Below the Assign buttons is the 3-position ND filter switch with settings for off, 1 (1/4) and 2 (1/16). The position and design of this control resembles the ND switch on other Sony prosumer camcorders including the HDR-FX1 and DCR-VX2100. The LCD screen hinge is just behind the ND filter switch.
Opening the LCD screen reveals an LCD cavity replete with controls, grouped into four horizontal rows. The top two rows are dedicated to the HDR-FX7’s standard VCR controls. On top from left to right are buttons for stop, rewind, play, fast-forward and slow. In the second row are the pause, record, and record pause buttons. Also in this row, to the left of the buttons, is an inset button used to return the camcorder to factory settings. In the third row are two controls. On the left is a Volume/Memory button, and on the left is the zebra striping toggle switch, a control that Sony has wisely placed on the camcorder’s exterior for quick access. The settings available are off, 70 IRE and 100 IRE.
In the fourth row are four round multi-function buttons, beginning from the left with Display/Battery Info. In camcorder mode, this button toggles the display of data on the LCD and EVF on and off, while pressing it in standby mode shows the battery’s remaining capacity on the screen. The next three buttons are grouped to function as the camcorder’s three remaining Assign buttons in camera mode, and as the play, index and delete buttons in memory card mode. To the left of the controls, in the LCD cavity, is the playback speaker, identifiable as a vertical row of five holes in the camcorder body.
Below the LCD cavity, along the base of the camcorder body, are several more controls and ports. At left is a button that turns the camcorder’s expanded focus feature on and off. Expanded focus is a feature becoming more common on prosumer camcorders, that magnifies the image shown on the LCD screen to enable more accurate manual focus. Just to the right is a button labeled Focus that toggles between manual and auto focus modes.
A rigid plastic port cover that hinges from below protects the camcorder’s Memory Stick Duo PRO slot, USB port and HDMI out terminal. This cover, like the one on the right side of the HDR-FX7, seems to be quite durable and opens wide enough to allow for easy access to the ports. To the left of the ports is the stereo mini headphone jack, protected by a small rubber port cover. The Picture Profile button is next, and brings up a screen that allows you to access this feature. Picture Profile allows you to create two user profiles which are stored on board the camcorder. Unlike Sony’s camcorder’s geared towards professional users, Picture Profile settings for the HDR-FX7 are stored on-camera only, and cannot be saved to MemoryStick. The last button in the row is a status check button.
The Top
The HDR-FX7’s top handle runs from the EVF forward to the onboard microphone in a nearly straight line. On top, right where you’d expect to find it, is a second zoom lever used to operate the servo zoom when the handle grip position is used. Just ahead of the zoom lever is a Record/Start/Stop button. Both controls are positioned for easy operation with your thumb while gripping the camcorder with the handle.
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