2009 2010 Cars and Computer Reviews: SONY HD MiniDV (HDV) Handycam HDR FX-1000 review

2010 Car and Computer Review

SONY HD MiniDV (HDV) Handycam HDR FX-1000 review

Price $3199.99

I've had the camera running for a day and it is very impressive. I shot my last feature doc on a Panasonic DVX100 and on another Panasonic 3CCD. And I just finished a project using a Sony HC9 and a Sony HD1000U. The FX1000 will help me achieve a deeper more vibrant look than the lesser expensive Sony cameras I've used. The color reproduction (just the negative) of the HC9 and 1000U did not compare well to the DVX100. I had to process a great deal in post. This was a tradeoff for HD with native 16:9 which everyone expects these days. It appears just looking at the footage in my NLE, that this FX1000 will give me very good color (as in raw right out of the camera). I did some tests in low light and no light (with three 3 watt on camera lights) and was extremely impressed. The manual gain is comparable to what I've experienced with the DVX. The other Sonys I've used have the touch screen menus (fingerprints on your LCD are such a bother). This was hard to get used to, but once you do, it isn't so bad. The FX1000 uses a scroll button for menu options which is located on the lower part of the camera body. This disconnect is going to take some getting used to (sans the fingerprints). But the assign buttons and the picture option button (for dialing in cinegamma settings) is nice and worked fluidly. This is the first camera I've used that has the cold shoe right in front of the LCD screen. I know that other Sonys have this feature, but I've only used the ones above. The reason I mention this is because when you put a light or mic on the cold shoe, it prohibits you from closing (or in the other case opening) the LCD screen.

General Specs: