Sony HDR-UX7 Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on Oct 10, 2007 5:06 PM
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Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (8.0)
The HDR-UX7 (Review, Specs, $762.19) has good automatic controls, typical for a Sony camcorder. The auto exposure adjustments are the swiftest, shifting in about two to three seconds. The auto focus is good, as long as the contrast is apparent. When it’s too dark or when the subject has a low contrast, like a light carpet, it can take a few seconds.
The weakest auto control was the white balance. When shooting a hallway with a single fluorescent light, the image took on a strong green cast. In mixed lighting, such as incandescent and fluorescent, it over-warmed the image. Only a manual white balance would fix both of these. Strangely, the HDR-UX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $729.95) did not have the same problems.
As with most Sonys, the HDR-UX7 has a number of “one-touch” controls that aid in image quality without requiring the shooter to have a great knowledge about image theory. Two of the most popular are Spot Focus and Spot Meter. Both controls, located in the Camera menu, create a frame around the image on the LCD. If you are unsatisfied with the focus or exposure in a certain part of the picture, simply touch the area you want corrected. The Spot controls are accurate as long as the subject you’re touching is large. Smaller areas will require the real exposure and focus controls.
The camcorder offers a number of Scene modes which can help in specific environments that are tricky to expose for. Settings include Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, and Snow.
The Scene modes menu
Overall Manual Control (6.5)
The manual control on the HDR-UX7 is, strangely, the best of any Sony high definition camcorder this year. We say strangely because the DVD recording medium has so clearly been marketed at the casual point-and-shoot user. Why then, did Sony outfit its top DVD camcorder with a large, grippable dial while the top HDV, hard disk drive, and flash memory camcorders all have a puny dial on the side of the lens barrel, if anything at all? We don’t know, but we lament it. The dial on the UX7 works very well. Every camcorder should be so lucky.
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The HDR-UX7's control dial |
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Like the HDR-SR7 (Specs, Recent News, $1399) and last year’s AVCHD models, the dial on the HDR-UX7 grants control over four features: focus, exposure, AE Shift, and WB Shift. To activate the controls, push in on the button in the center of the knob. A small menu appears in the lower right of the screen with each of these options, as well as a Reset tool to wipe away any adjustments you’ve made. The whole set of controls, in conjunction with the knob, work very well.
The rest of the controls are accessed via the Touch Screen menu. An external knob alleviates a lot of our complaints about touch screen operation, but you can’t use the knob for everything. The HDR-UX7 uses the “Home menu” structure, which has an intuitive layout. It has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it’s quite efficient.
As with most Sonys, the UX7 lacks shutter speed and aperture controls. These are the only things keeping this from being a truly powerful camcorder … well, that and the fact a DVD can only hold a few minutes of footage.
Zoom (5.0)
The zoom control is the same as found on the HDR-UX1, HDR-CX7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1399) (Review, Specs, Recent News, $685.00), and HDR-SR7 – a low-profile, rocking toggle located near the rear of the top. The toggle is well positioned for the forefinger, but we’ve seen a lot better this year. The Panasonic HDC-DX1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99) and HDC-SX5 have a higher profile toggle for better control. The Canon HR10 (Specs, Recent News, $0) does not, but the Canon HG10 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $549.95) has a full-on professional rocker control.
When zooming, a progress bar appears in the upper left corner, but there is no numerical value given for what the zoom power actually is.
Zoom Power Ratio (10.0)
The optical zoom extends to 10x, which is the average for an upper-tier consumer camcorder. Don’t be fooled by big zooms. Optical laws require that a larger imaging chip must have a smaller zoom and remain in a compact body. Inflated zooms usually accompany lower-end camcorders.
The digital zoom is kept to a refreshingly conservative 20x. This means the pixels are only being expanded to twice their actual size. Compare this with camcorders that extend to a 800x or 1000x. Good for Sony for keeping a level head.
Focus (6.0)
The focus controls are located on the first page of the Camera menu. Via the touch screen, the manual focus control clutters up the screen with graphics to such a degree that it’s hard to see the subject. In order to focus, you push buttons on either side of the screen. The 3.5-inch LCD makes it easier to focus than most camcorders, but is in need of an enhancement tool to aid accuracy. Most HD camcorders from other manufacturers include an instant digital zoom when focusing, or a peaking tool that adds color to areas of the shot that are in focus.
The better focusing control is controlled via the knob on the front. Push in on the button in the center to engage the Dial Setting menu and select focus. When engaged, a small hand appears in the lower right side. Turning the knob to make adjustments can be comfortable at some angles and awkward at others. If you plan on manually focusing during a shot, be sure you can reach the control comfortably. When spinning the knob, the numeric value of the focal distance actually appears on-screen – a novelty in consumer camcorders. The values are given in meters, so Americans will need to brush up on the metric system.
The focus control when in use with the dial
Exposure & Aperture (6.5)
The primary exposure control is virtually identical when accessed by either the touch screen or the control knob. Via the touch screen, the control is located on the second page of the Camera menu. When engaged, a large set of icons appears on-screen, including a plus and minus button and a scale. The scale indicates the exposure range, which includes 32 increments. If engaged via the control knob, the same scale appears much less obtrusively – about one-half the size and tucked down at the bottom of the screen.
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The exposure control as it appears when used in conjunction with the Touch Screen menu. |
The exposure control as it appears when used in conjunction with the dial. |
The AE Shift feature is located exclusively on the control knob. It ranges from +/-4. The effect is less dramatic than the primary exposure tool., and is more useful for making small shifts. Each increment has roughly half the effect of a full increment in the primary exposure scale.
The AE Shift control in action
Shutter Speed (0.0)
The Sony HDR-UX7 does not include shutter speed control.
White Balance (7.0)
The primary white balance control is located on the third page of the Camera menu. There are four options: Auto, Indoor, Outdoor, and One Push (manual). Most manufacturers include more presets than this. The UX7 certainly could have used some, as the Auto white balance proved to be lacking.
Making a manual white balance is easy. Simply point the camcorder at a white or neutral gray surface and press One Push, then the internationally-recognized “white balance symbol” button. It takes about four seconds for the camcorder to makes its adjustment.
The WB Shift, like AE Shift, is a subtle tool useful for correcting small adjustments in white balance. A good example would be outdoor shooting on a cloudy day where the temperature shifts constantly.
The WB Shift control in action
Gain (0.0)
The Sony HDR-UX7 does not include any options for gain.
Other Manual Controls (4.0)
Zebra patterns - Zebra patterns is a useful tool that allows you to monitor exposure as you shoot. When activated, the camcorder creates black and white stripes in areas that are overexposed. There are two settings, 70 and 100. These numbers refer to IRE levels, a measurement of exposure. Seventy is a conservative setting, and you may still be able to make out detail in these areas. Anything in the shot peaking at 100 IRE is totally blown out. The stripes will not appear on exported video.
Guideframes- When activated, a grid appears on-screen, breaking the shot up into nine segments – the classic “rule of thirds” for cinematographers. The lines do not appear on the outputted footage.
Auto Slow Shutter- The Auto Slow Shutter feature allows the camcorder’s shutter speed to drop down as low as 1/30 of a second, rather than the default 1/60. This can help in low light.
Color Slow Shutter- Much more drastic than Auto Slow Shutter, the Color Slow feature allows the auto shutter to drop very low, seemingly 1/2 to 1/4 of a second.
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