Sony X70 looking very interesting

John Foundas

John Foundas

Well-known member
Outside of convincing a client that it's not a toy, this is a bad %#& little camera on spec. Its little brother has 4k internal and shoots 120fps so I don't see why this wont be included quickly.
I'd add this as a b cam to my fs700 in a second!
 
I am somewhat interested in this as well...on paper seems pretty nice. Early review said downsides were not great highlight handling, which may not mean much im the real world, and only one ring on the lens that can either be focus or zoom (i'm going from memory here).

Ive been looking at this or a used ex1r as an all purpose cam, and even new, and with media, batts and bag, this is probably still cheaper!
 
Yes, highlights are a bit touchy, but can trick it by setting zebra's accordingly. I have always dreamed of an ex1/3 with a 2/3inch sensor let alone 1'. I realize this is a bit smaller than the ex1 but on spec this looks like a little monster. 4k internal and 120fps @50mbs or higher? duh! I'm sure the models that eventually ship with 4k internal will be closer to $3k.

I love my fs700 and have had great success with it. The bits and pieces and form factor drive me nuts. Would be great to shoot all my sit downs w/ the FS and use this x70 for broll, green screen and events. No brainer for me.
 
Last edited:
John Foundas said:
Its little brother has 4k internal and shoots 120fps so I don't see why this wont be included quickly.
Click to expand...

By ''its little brother'' you mean the AX100?
I had my eyes on the FDR-AX100 to replace my CANON XF100 (I want 4k to be able to zoom/crop in post) but the lack of XLRs would be a problem for the way I want to use it. Now, that X70 solves the problem so Im thinking of waiting for this one! Specs are great...I wonder why they re not releasing it with 4k enabled from the start...???
 
Does it not have tweakable gammas/picture profiles etc.? I never mess with those on my EX1 gigs. . .in fact usually go PP off totally! This cam looks very promising, am really looking into seriously. I feel like I know the pros/features, so what are the drawbacks? Here are the ones (in my opinion) I know of:

-small size make some clients (not the kind of folks I normally deal with, thankfully) think it's a toy

-only one lens ring

-short native zoom range (though all info claims you can use the 24x mode with 0 image degradation)

-highlight handling issues (don't know if this is pixel peeping or a big deal in the real world)

-lack of cinegammas you just mentioned (if it's really the case)

Those are based on my needs/intended uses for the cam.
 
It does have cinegammas, picture profiles, etc. This is from the Alister Chapman xdcam-user blog:

"The HD images are crisp and sharp without any obvious sharpening, almost certainly a result of having a 4K ready sensor. The lack of obvious detail correction helps give the pictures a pleasing, more filmic look. The camera has picture profiles so if you want you can soften or sharpen the images if you choose. As well as detail and aperture controls there are also controls for gamma (standard, still, Cinematone1, Cinematone2, ITU709) and color. The color controls are similar to those on the FS700 where you can adjust the saturation as well as R, G, B, C, M, Y and K brightness. In addition there is a choice of 6 different preset color modes plus black and white."

He goes on to say that the sample videos available so far were all shot in Standard.

"Since shooting the demo video I have been playing with the picture profiles to help with the highlight exposure and I found that bringing up the black gamma really helps as it lifts the mid range allowing you to expose slightly lower."

About the size - I'm considering this as an upgrade for my Canon XF100 - the Sony is actually slightly larger and heavier, and I like that the XLR/handle is removable if you wish to go even smaller. In my world the XF100 is considered a serious looking camera, especially with wireless receivers, XLR input cords, etc. in play.

Like the X70, the XF100 also has only one (switchable) lens ring and has a 10x zoom (and no sensor zoom at all) as opposed to the 12x on the Sony.

I even like that this does not come with 4K. For only $2300 I can try this but there is the future-proofing of 4K available if I decide I need it. My biggest downside is that I really want the AX100's 120fps, even if it's at 720p. I don't think that's retained on the X70 but am hopeful it will be added back as part of the 4K upgrade. And, since the 4K that is eventually implemented in the X70 will allow for several months of further development, some have speculated (unrealistically or not) that it might offer some slight improvements over the AX100's 4K.

The AX100's touch screen focus and/or exposure is carried over in the X70. And going from the XF100's 1/3" chip to the 1" in the Sony is a big deal to me.
 
I expected a PMW from Sony to have about the same PP as the other PMW cameras. Cinematone is nothing like cinegammas how it is on the EX1/3, it's more like how the FS100 works. Never the less the X70 shows a lot of promise as a small camera with almost all features one could need.
 
I would guess that we can expect about the same IQ as the very similar Sony HDR-CX900. The sensor and lens (f2,8-4,5, 29-348mm) is as far as I can see the same and the only real difference is the included XLR unit, grip, 4k future option and 10-bit recording. I have the RX100 and like the F1.8 wide aperture but it's not so good when you start to zoom and loose light. I'd wish the X70 had a faster lens to differentiate it from the CX900.

I found this CX900 video which actually looks pretty sweet when it comes to IQ:
 
Last edited:
Another issue with the X70 is the future 4k upgrade. First no one except maybe Sony know how much it will cost. Secondly looking at the camera and what comes out of the CX900 and AX100, which by the look of it shares the same sensor, rolling shutter in 4k can be severe. As the X70 would make for a perfect little camera to run around during events and such rolling shutter artefacts can be very problematic. What I heard is that 1080 has little RS and 4k has much of it. Not a good indication of what 4k from the X70 might look like then.

Then is the question of what to be expected from the 4k recording. Is it still going to be 10-bit 4:2:2 long GOP or will it be just like the AX100? 50mb/s in 4k wont cut it and then there's the card slot and write speeds that will come into play. It's not good to purchase into something that promises a feature we know nothing of its implementation and if it's any good.

At the long end F4.5 is the fastest aperture on the X70. Knowing my RX100 with the F1.8 to F4.9 I hardly ever use it at anything but the widest angle and F1.8. It's just not that fun when it stops down and looks dull.

I would have liked to see Sony put a better lens on the X70 with a near constant F-stop but the lens is just a consumer item not really suited in a pro camera.
 
If this cam does not turn out overall to be "pro" (jurys still out), it is the universe telling me never to own a cam.
 
Josh Bass said:
If this cam does not turn out overall to be "pro" (jurys still out), it is the universe telling me never to own a cam.
Click to expand...

You definitely get what you pay for in the pro cam arena so you need to take that into consideration when evaluating this cam.

My early WAG is that at this price point this cam is probably 'pro-lite' at best.
 
It depends WHERE it falls down. . .image quality? features? Etc. Again, my "gold standard" is the EX1/EX1r. Not that that's the most amazing cam ever but a used one is what I would get right now, only issue of course being "when will 4K take over and be the acquisition standard everyone demands?" which makes me consider newer cams like this or the Panasonic Hwhatever. . .but only up to a certain price point.
 
Once again, members of DVXUSER dissing a camera they don't even own, or plan on owning. I can wait until it is in widespread use before passing judgement on it. Most of the early reviews by respected independent operators really like this camera. I'm more inclined to listen to them then people who have never touched it.
 
Well said. I own both the AX-100 and X70. Great quality. Outstanding DOF for a video camera. Good lowlight handling. Excellent colors.

Sometimes cameras are "dissed" by individuals who want the camera but for financial or other reasons write about a camera they never touched to justify a non-purchase.

zeke said:
Once again, members of DVXUSER dissing a camera they don't even own, or plan on owning. I can wait until it is in widespread use before passing judgement on it. Most of the early reviews by respected independent operators really like this camera. I'm more inclined to listen to them then people who have never touched it.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top