![]() ![]() Switching between standard and high definition is done via a single menu option. Bright-blue HDV/DV status lights point up the HDR-FX1's most noteworthy capability: namely, its ability to record both 1080i (1,440x1,080-pixel), 60-field-per-second HDV and 480i DV on standard MiniDV cassettes. Playback controls occupy the newly created space that is revealed when you flip the monitor open. This frees up space on the camera's left side for the tape door, which has been moved from its traditional spot on the camera's right side. ![]() Its magnesium-alloy chassis feels solid and well balanced, and its dark silver-gray finish makes for a nice low-key, high-quality look.Ī closer inspection reveals one major variation on the classic Sony Handycam layout: the flip-out LCD screen that normally adorns the camera's left flank has been moved to the front of the handle, just behind the microphone. Weighing a bit more than four pounds, the HDR-FX1 is about as heavy and bulky as a handheld camera can be it's too large to operate with one hand, but is easily supported by both. ![]() At first glance, the Sony HDR-FX1 looks like a slightly enlarged version of its standard-definition cousin, the VX2100. In the case of HDR-FX1, the significantly more capable HVR-Z1 is available for an additional $1,250.ĭespite its limitations, the HDR-FX1 is a breakthrough camera, quite possibly the VX1000 of the decade. ![]() Another point of frustration is Sony's continuing tradition of dumbing down its consumer gear so that the company can continue to sell higher-priced pro variants. And just as it was initially difficult to do anything with the footage from the VX1000, there are few sophisticated HDV editing options currently available, and high-capacity HD DVDs are still on the drawing board. It also has some very well-thought-out features that make it an ideal vessel for riding out the transition to HD: it can shoot standard-definition DV, and it can downconvert HD footage to SD for viewing or editing with current standard-definition postproduction systems and distribution formats.Īs with the VX1000 before it, the Sony HDR-FX1 is a product of its time with a couple of significant limitations, most notably a lack of progressive-imaging capabilities and pro audio connections. The HDR-FX1, on the other hand, incorporates three CCDs and more-advanced controls. Unfortunately, with their single-chip imagers and limited controls, both the GR-HD1 and its slightly more professional sibling, the JY-HD10, did not do full justice to the new format. JVC introduced the first cameras to incorporate the HDV standard, a prosumer format that records high-definition video to MiniDV cassettes. Sony's first HDV camera, the HDR-FX1, may turn out to do for high-definition video what the company's VX1000 did for standard-definition video back in 1995-and with a list price of $3,700, it actually costs less! What made the VX1000 so significant was its realization of the awesome potential of DV, which, for the first time, enabled people of modest means to produce video of extremely high quality. Furthermore, its feature set now suffers inĬomparison to those of recent models, and we've adjusted its rating Editor's note: Though the HDR-FX1 remains an excellent prosumer HDĬamcorder, the changing competitive landscape has prompted us to retire itsĮditors' Choice designation. ![]()
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