Sony's FDR-AX100 4K Handycam ships in March for $2,000 (hands-on)

joe1946

joe1946

Veteran
If you're in the market for an affordable 4K camcorder, you probably won't do much better than Sony's FDR-AX100 Handycam. The AX100 is a reasonable alternative to Sony's recently announced AX1. This compact CES model is considerably more portable, with a 74 percent reduction in size and a 66 percent drop in weight. There's a 14.2-megapixel 1-inch Exmor R CMOS sensor and a BIONZ X processor, enabling full-resolution 4K shooting at 24p and 30p with XAVC S encoding. There's an optically stabilized Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 12x optical zoom and a seven-bladed aperture, which Sony claims should offer some significant bokeh. A new My Voice Canceling feature reduces vocals from behind the camera, serving to minimize capturing the videographer's own voice. There's a 3.5-inch (921k-dot) LCD and an OLED viewfinder for framing; 1/4, 1/16 and 1/64 ND filters; WiFi with smartphone control; and output to a 4K TV via a single HDMI cable. Sony's Handycam AX100 4K camcorder is set to ship in March for $2,000.
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http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/06/sony-ax100-4k-handycam/

sony4kcam.jpg
 
It looks like demand will be high for the first 4K camcorder under $2K.
Note on Availability: Due to high demand we anticipate being unable to fulfill all customer orders with our first allocation. Product supply from Sony is very limited. Your place in line will be maintained, and we will not charge your credit card until we ship the product.
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http://www.amazon.com/Sony-FDRAX100...=1389063652&sr=8-4&keywords=Sony+FDR-AX100+4K


Product Highlights
  • 4K Ultra HD Video at 30 fps
  • 1" Exmor R CMOS Sensor
  • 20MP Still Images
  • XAVC S, AVCHD, and MP4 Recording Options
  • Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* Lens

  • 12x Optical Zoom & 24x Clear Image Zoom
  • BIONZ X Processor / High Speed 120 fps
  • Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization
  • 0.39" OLED EVF / 3.5" XtraFine LCD
  • Wi-Fi / NFC Connectivity
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http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022653-REG/sony_fdrax100_b_hdr_ax100_full_hd_handycam.html
 
Just upgraded to a DMC-GH3 for 'only' 1080P - but it really does look like 2014 is the year for 4k. Wow talk about everyone pushing 4k!!!

Wasn't expecting a $2k 4k handycam!
 
I'm guessing that their new XLR adapter will go on that accessory shoe, so we should have XLR audio...?

The SD card is the limiting factor obviously -- I don't see them pushing bitrate much over 60 Mb/s on SD card, and since it's still H.264, that's going to look pretty poor next to an FS700 (say) at 24 Mb/s, with 4 times as many pixels.

So the question is does the HDMI port provide clean 4k output? And what could we record it on?
 
The first 2160p youtube sample video looks great on my Mac Pro and 30" 2560x1600 monitor. BTW I pre-ordered it yesterday from B&H.
 
Just watched that on my retina mac. Stunning.... just wow...

I did notice it was all stationary clips thou. Would be interested to see some panning.

But credit to them - looks great and at a great price.
 
Probably because it's using a very low bitrate for 4k. The AX100's big brother, the AX1, has two bitrates for 4k video, 60mbps and 100mbps using the XAVC-S codec. Sony will probably restrict the smaller and cheaper AX100 to just 60mbps to 'differentiate' it from its more expensive siblings. Considering 4k has 4x the pixels of HD, 60mbps is equivalent to a low 15mbps. Due to this low bitrate, detail will smear easily when there is lots of movement in the frame.

There is a similar problem with Sony's RX10 camera; at its maximum bitrate of 28mbps, stationary shots look simply increadible, but break down as soon as the camera is moved. Considering the RX10 and AX100 cameras share the sensor, internals and have very similar lenses, I wouldn't be surprised if the AX100 suffers from the same problem. On the other hand, the AX100 can record 1080p at 50mbps XAVC-S, compared to the RX10's 28mbps. Judging from sample videos shot with the RX10 connected to external recorders, with results rivalling high-end cameras such as the Canon C100, the AX100 should be a winner for 2K video. Just consider 4k as an added bonus.

Indeed, I was about to purchase the RX10 but will be pre-ordering the Sony CX900 instead, an AX100 lacking 4k but $500 cheaper while still offering 1080p at 50mbps.

TheTrickster said:
Just watched that on my retina mac. Stunning.... just wow...

I did notice it was all stationary clips thou. Would be interested to see some panning.

But credit to them - looks great and at a great price.
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tull_power said:
Probably because it's using a very low bitrate for 4k. The AX100's big brother, the A1, has two bitrates for 4k video, 60mbps and 100mbps using the XAVC-S codec.
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100Mb/s is still low-ish for 4k -- that's the same number of bits per pixel as the FS700, which is 8-bit 4:2:0. If the camera crams 10-bit and 4:2:2 in there, that needs even MORE bits.

Plus the AX1 records to XQD cards. The AX100 records to SD, so 100Mb/s is not happening - at least not with class 10 SD cards.
 
Agreed. If 100mb/s is low-ish, then 60mb/s will be even worse, hence the locked down shots for the promo video. Having said that, UHS-1 cards, which are now quite cheap and ubiquous would easily handle the 100mb/s XAVC-S. While I don't have much hope, the AX100 just might offer the higher bitrate. Considering the sensor size and capabilites of the AX100 are far better then the AX1's, it is a crying shame that Sony are saddling it with such low bitrates. Hopefully, someone soon will post more details including the recording modes offered for all resolutions.
 
Versatile Shooting with XAVC S, AVCHD, and MP4 Codecs The FDR-AX100 records Full HD movies in the XAVC S format, which uses MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec for compression while saving files in a MP4 wrapper. The highly compressed files allow for longer record times. The camcorder also records in AVCHD, providing high-quality video for HDTV playback and Blu-ray disc burning. Additionally, the camcorder can shoot MP4 HD video, which is ideal for sharing over the internet at up to 28Mbps. Having the ability to switch between all three of three formats makes this camcorder a versatile tool content creation. . For the greatest flexibility, you can even record AVCHD and MP4 formats simultaneously.
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http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022653-REG/sony_fdrax100_b_hdr_ax100_full_hd_handycam.html

BTW Toshiba has 240MB/s SDHC cards .
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/0..._source=news-list&utm_medium=text&ref=title_1
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOSHIBA-SDH...APAN-NEW-/291041464988?_trksid=p2054897.l4275
$_3.JPG
 
tull_power said:
Having said that, UHS-1 cards, which are now quite cheap and ubiquitous would easily handle the 100mb/s XAVC-S.
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According to Wikipedia, the UHS-I interface can go to 50 MB/s or more -- i.e. 400 Mb/s. However, UHS class 1 cards are still 10 MB/s actual read and write speed -- i.e. 80 Mb/s, maximum. What I don't know is how close to the limit you can push it when you can't tolerate any stutters at all, like when recording video -- so I don't know if the 80 Mb/s rate can actually be realized on UHS class 1 cards.

UHS class 3 cards go to 30 MB/s, but I can't see any on Amazon. Some cards listed there claim "Up to 40MB/s transfer speed", but does that mean a GUARANTEED sustained write speed? If it does, why aren't those cards listed as UHS class 3? My feeling is that they have a burst data transfer speed of 40, but a much slower write speed.
 
There's certainly a lot of variance for USH-1 as your rightly point out. But considering the Black Magic Pocket Camera records ProResHD at over 200mbps to these same sd-cards, including Sony's own UHS-1 models, 100mpbs XAVC-S 4k is very easily achievable. To me, the problem is Sony itself, which I see reluctant to implement this bitrate on its cheapest 4k camcorder. Again, I do hope I'm wrong but past experience (as with all major manufacturers keen on product segmentation) indicates otherwise.
 
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