Sony Handycam HDR-FX7 user reviews

Pros For under 5k this camcorder has about everything you need to get started

Cons The internal mic is very weak.. but who uses internal mics anyways?

Summary At first I was really studying the Cannon XL and GL series and although those where my first choices and awesome cameras I really needed a camera that would film beautifully in lowlight/indoor conditions. I'm a professional wedding Videographer so I needed a camera that would perform very well in those conditions and this hit the mark. Most cameras I like to use the Manuel options/focus, with the HDRFX7 I leave the focus on auto focuses dead on immediately, so I never have to worry about it becoming out of focus quickly during filming. With most camcorders I've used the option for backlight where just pity consumer stuff that never really worked well, again this is the first camera I've used where that setting works very well but if you’re a professional or serious Videographer who doesn’t have pro equipment right? Which brings us to the Mic, yes the Mic on this camera is very very poor and it can carry allot of background interference but then again if you’re a serious videographers or professional we already know not to pay attention to internal mics use pro-audio equipment, then problem solved. The headphone jack works very well too.

Overall this camera as of right now is my prized possession I LOVE IT! The pans and zooms are very smooth, the grab handle makes it easy although it makes for a much smoother ride if you use some kind of steadyrod with it, and it looks just beautiful on a tripod/dolly or just as a floating camera. The menu I never found to be hard to operate. The white bal function is very easy to work with so is the shutter speed and most of the other functions (just sit down and play with it for awhile) I also like the zebra effect it really helps when your using the white bal/shutter speed.

The playback: Sony has all the options for playback fire wire, composite, HDMI, etc. the colors are very rich and good contrast yet not loud or noisy. Also there is 6 different picture profiles 4 are preset and if you’re using this for a Wedding as I am today the portrait profile is a perfect choice for editing people sitting or walking and other 2 you can preset your own settings (just remember to have a flash card to save them)

To end with overall this camera is the best out there right now for under 5k actually you can find it easy for 2,500, I bought mine for 2465. If you’re just starting out in videography, if you’re an indie filmmaker or if you’re just a "pro-consumer" and want the best at an affordable price this is defiantly the camera for you! I love this thing.

Paul Gilmore - Chief Videographer/Creative Producer
Symetri Studios

Pros Brilliantly crisp images, easy handling, far reaching audio.

Cons A bit grainy in low light.

Summary I am not one to change with the times, until those times finally present exactly what I'm anticipating. Sony has finally brought out an HD camera that allowed me to toss aside my VHS camcorder, the HDR FX7.
Initially I was torn, on paper, between the HDR FX1 and the FX7. However, when buying directly from Sony, they offer the very nice feature of a 30 day trial on any of their products.
So, I ordered both cameras and literally did a side-by-side comparison for a month. The result was that the FX7 won hands down.
The only situation the FX1 outperformed was in extremely low ambient light, like you would find in a living room with a couple of incandescent bulbs burning; the CMOS of the FX7 produced a grainier image than the CCD of the FX1. The FX7 is much more comfortable to use as a handheld, being much shorter and 10 ounces lighter. When holding the FX1 for an hour, shooting the kids' hockey games or swim meets, resulted in a very fatigued and aching hand. The FX1 is just too heavy and bulky to comfortably use over an extended period of time. It's really better suited for tripod shooting. The FX7, however, is a very tight little package, relatively speaking, and is quite comfortable and maneuverable. In bright light and outdoors, both cameras recorded equally crisp pictures with excellent color reproduction. The 20X lens of the FX7 that was criticized in other reviews as a sales gimmick is actually quite useful, as in allowing me to shoot from the stands the wide shots required of team sports, yet allows me to zoom in to a full frame of my son's face in his hockey helmet...nice to clearly see the big grin after a goal! The 12X of the FX1 just didn't allow for that tight of a shot from the same distance. The battery life of the FX7 is not qute as advertised, but 4 hours of continuos shooting is plenty for me. Though the FX1 does allow for a lot of customization of settings, this feature was way more than I ever need. The FX7 keeps this to just enough to not be overbearing. Relative to audio, for me, the onboard mic is wonderful...gives excellent stereo response, yet can pickup conversation from images I'm zooming in on 60 feet away. As far as playback, both cameras demonstrate very clear action shots, with no blurring or bleeding. The firewire feature lets you control all of the playback features directly through your Sony HD TV.
So, for someone who definitely wants beautiful, true HD prosumer recording, the FX7 is the camera for you.

Pros this camera is an excellent choice for consumers wanting to get their toes wet in more professional style shooting wet

Cons having someone not knowing what they are talking about tell you what any of the cameras on the site are capable of

Summary I would really like to see someone who knows what they are talking about to review this camera. The review did nothing but just tell me how many bad things there are on this camera. Its a low cost prosumer camera of course there are going to be less features then on a more expensive ones. try telling people what is good on the camera its a lot more helpful.

Pros Shoots beautiful picture in the sunlight and is extremely easy to use

Cons Does extremely poorly in low light

Summary This camera can do some great day time shooting at a park or maybe of the kids but once the lights go down, the picture can just be way to dark. The control interface is not that wisely designed for manaul shooters. Overall I would not recommend buying this camera.