Camcorders: An unplanned change from Sony FDR-AX53 to Panasonic HC-VXF1

After using my Sony AX33 for several years in the wild, I was frustrated by the limited focal length compared with the later model, the AX53. After putting off a decision in the expectation that Sony would soon replace the AX53 (first on sale in 2016) I finally bought, from Amazon, the AX53 in May, a few weeks before a long trip. I was very pleased, as with the AX33, with the video quality. However, the longer maximum focal length came with what seemed to be more movement of the optical stabilisation system (BOSS) before settling down and a difference in the way the autofocus seemed to operate. Objects in the centre of the viewfinder only a little darker than the surroundings were sometimes ignored while higher contrast objects in the background were brought into focus; this was particularly evident in low light, but not exclusively so. The old annoyance of the electronic viewfinder in the AX33 was still there—no control over brightness. However, no camera is perfect for every job thrown at it and it did a very good job in terms of quality of output, on land, sea and air.

A fellow traveller had a new Panasonic camcorder (VXF1) and asked me to take some footage with her in it. The controls were virtually identical but I was impressed by the ergonomics of the viewfinder display, the speed and accuracy of autofocus and the stabilisation. Overall, I liked its handling a little more than my Sony.

After I had edited and stored the footage, I was clearing the cards when suddenly the Sony failed to start up. A camcorder logo appeared on the screen and I could hear the  sound of a motor near the front but then nothing. I did all the usual checks (battery out for half an hour, tried the mains adapter etc) but still nothing. The camcorder was dead—an ex-camcorder. Having struggled to find what to do with a broken-down Sony camcorder still within warranty, I decided to contact Amazon support. After a quick web-chat, the excellent assistant realised that it was a hardware failure and within minutes had sent me labels for it to be picked up by courier the next day for a full refund (it was outside the period for a normal return). The offending AX53 was soon back in its box and on its way.

Thinking back this was my second camcorder to die. The first was an early 1990s Sony Hi8. With that one I was lucky. I had just used it to play the last of my stored Hi8 video tapes onto a dvd, I think it was, via a PC, when it too refused to start. That was in the days when there were were magazines dedicated to camcorders and pages and pages dealing with the then common hardware failures.

How was I going to replace the Sony AX53; like-for-like or go for something different? Remembering the Panasonic VXF1, I started to look up reviews. However, I found surprisingly few. Camcorders are completely out of favour to capture video and new models do not get the coverage they once had. Nevertheless, the few reviews that have been written or shown on YouTube did prefer the newer VXF1 over the Sony AX53. I was also rather reluctant to trust another AX53; once bitten twice shy.

I should explain again that I prefer a camcorder with a small sensor. Unlike a film maker seeking narrow depth-of-field, I need a wider depth of field for wildlife that is often being filmed at maximum range and maximum aperture, and is often surrounded by vegetation. Much as I would like to carry a camera/camcorder with a larger sensor as well, for those other shots, there is only so much my back will carry. Better to get a small bird in focus, even if some of the background is also sharp, than get a fuzzy bird, is my motto. I should also explain that I prefer the ergonomics of a camcorder to that of a stills/video camera. I find I can hold a camcorder still for longer using one hand and arm locked into position than I can a conventional slr-style or ‘compact’ camera. I also do not have to think about using an external microphone since the for most of my purposes the built-in microphones for ambient sound are fine.

I decided to go with the 2018 Panasonic VXF1 rather than the 2016 Sony AX53 again, even though I had to re-equip with spare batteries and it was more expensive. I have done some trials. Video (4K) is excellent. The lens seems a little better especially the edge definition. I checked that the sharp video is not the result of oversharpening. Focus seems faster. The stabilisation system does not go wandering off all by itself. The viewfinder is better. The menu system is far superior to the Sony. There are programmable function buttons. The viewfinder is supplied with a rubber hood. The level indicator works well. It has infrared night vision (which I sometimes use and which once differentiated Sony from the competition). I was also surprised by the build quality. In my long line of camcorders starting with Hi8, I have had one previous Panasonic; the build quality of that was not impressive. My overall impression is that it is as if Pansonic looked at all the annoying features of the Sony and tried to come up with something better, even if a little more expensive.

Of course there are features I would like that aren’t there (a log profile video option, 50(60) fps 4K, GPS); but, my verdict on the Panasonic VXF1: so far so good.

Out goes the failed Sony AX53

In comes the Panasonic VXF1

Microphone Wind-Noise Muff for Sony Camcorder FDR-AX33

In May 2013 I wrote about using a Micromuff over the microphones of a Sony camcorder and what a great success it was. However, when I received my then new Sony FDR-AX33 I discovered that the grill covering the microphones was larger than the largest available from Micromuff. I decided to make my own using Velcro or Velcro lookalike and fake fur. The first one I made worked as expected but I had great difficulty in getting the fake Velcro to stick to the camcorder. Eventually I used double-sided tape but even that in the heat of the tropics gave up the ghost. So rather than repeat the exercise with the same material I looked for something stronger and seem to have found the answer.

This time I used Velcro Heavy Duty Stick On 50 mm wide and in a length of 1 metre (from Amazon). I then cut the hook part (to attach to the camcorder) using the template below, with the longer side parallel with the length of the roll (so that the natural curve of the material matched the curve of the camcorder). I then degreased the camcorder surface using an isopropanol contact cleaner (Maplin) and attached the Velcro. I left it undisturbed for 24 hours as instructed.

I then cut out the loop piece. Last time I made the hook and loop sides the same size but this meant I could not hold the hook side when removing the muff. Now I can apply a finger to hold the hook side down while I carefully pull off the muff in places I do not need to use it. I then stuck the loop piece to the back of a piece of fake wolf fur of the same size and left that to stand for 24 hours.

So far, so good. The adhesive on the Velcro really does seem to do what it says on the packet but the real test will come when I try this version in the tropics.

The only slight difficulty I faced was cutting out the two centres because the Velcro material is tough. Eventually I used an old craft knife with a short chisel-shaped blade (An X-Acto No 5 handle with No 18 blade is the modern equivalent). A wood chisel and a sharp tap with a mallet may have been an easier option.

The fake fur came from eBay. Search for ‘faux fur fabric material’. The piece I have is ‘blue beige wolf’.

Templates used for the Velcro
Not To Scale

The hook side stuck to the camcorder

The loop side with the fake fur added

Materials used

Infrared Video in Daylight using Sony Night Shot

Sony’s infrared NIGHT SHOT setting on their camcorders is useful for nocturnal wildlife forays, both for the wildlife itself when a visible light source cannot be used and for videoing cutaways of the watchers and drivers in the pitch dark. It is said to operate by moving the filter from the sensor thereby allowing near infrared and infrared wavelengths to be recorded. I wondered if it would be possible to use Night Shot in daylight to turn the camcorder (AX33) into an infrared camera by putting suitable cutoff filters over the lens.

Unfortunately, life is not that simple. Even with an 850 nm IR filter, there was massive overexposure on the Auto setting—the only setting permitted since in Night Shot mode manual exposure adjustment is blocked. So I started stacking neutral density filters over the 850 filter. Eventually with an ND8 plus ND4 (i.e. 5 stops) I could get a reasonably exposed image even in bright sunlight. I return to this set up below.

I also tried a 720 nm filter to see if I could generate faux colour infrared footage. Using the technique in Final Cut Pro X I have used with my 720 nm infrared-modified Nikon D7100, I could get a weak blue in the sky but nothing really worthwhile.

In trying to find out whether or not anybody had attempted to use Night Shot by day I came across a small Flickr group. Members of that have used a 2003 model Sony still camera (DSC-V1) which has Night Shot. Again an IR filter plus ND filters were the answer.

The original footage has the usual weak green hue. I did a simple black-and-white conversion. Noise, always a problem with infrared photography using cameras with small sensors, was evident. Therefore, I used Neat Video for noise reduction but there is a downside in that rendering times are increased markedly—very markedly.

To try the set-up out I tried a few hand-held shots in the village. You will see from the footage that at the shorter focal lengths there was peripheral unsharpness. I do not know the cause. At longer focal lengths, however, that fuzziness disappeared.

While not as convenient or versatile as a modern infrared-converted DSLR, the use of Night Shot does provide owners of Sony camcorders with the capability of taking infrared footage with the simple addition of cheap filters. 

Sony FDR-AX33 Camcorder: Zoom Range and Steady-Shot

I ended my last post by saying I was puzzled by the zoom range of the AX33 and the effect of using Active Steady-Shot (Balanced Optical SteadyShot, BOSS). This is a snippet from the manual:

And that is all it says. I wondered if this affected both ends of the zoom range. While you might expect zoom magnification to be noticeable at the long focal length end of the range, is there also an effect at the short (wide angle) end?

The additional apparent focal length is very welcome indeed for wildlife. Sony’s 10x zoom range has been extremely limiting in the past and I have carried a 1.7x extender for previous models.

I have extracted some stills to show the effect of the three Steady-Shot settings: Active, Standard and Off at both ends of the zoom range. I used a Full HD setting, rather than 4K since the effect is more pronounced.

Zoom at it longest focal length with
different SteadyShot settings

Zoom at its shortest focal length with
different SteadyShot settings. The angle
of view is slightly narrower with Active; the
window frame is included to show the effect
more clearly

As you can see there is a huge effect at full zoom between Active and Standard or Off. There is an effect at wide-angle but it is not so pronounced. However, it is worth noting that if you seek to gain the longest apparent focal length then set Steady-Shot to Active. On the other hand if you want the widest angle shot possible, set SteadyShot to Standard or Off, depending on how the camera is held.

What Sony does not mention is whether there is any effect on video quality of using Active Steady-Shot to get a longer effective focal length. I have seen it said that there is a very small effect which is hardly noticeable but that it the only information I have found.

Having had the camcorder since the summer, I find it has already been superseded - by the newly-announced AX53 with a true optical zoom range of 20x. Still the same viewfinder though.

Sony FDR-AX33 Camcorder: On location

It is one thing testing and using a camcorder around the house and on tame holidays; it is another using it in the wild, in extremes of weather and on land, air and sea to video wild life varying in size from a Blue Whale to a small insect. Neither is it useful to read most reviews and forum comments from ‘film makers’; they are looking for something entirely different.

I have now put this camcorder through the wild test for the first time and so I can add to the comments I made in my post of 12 June.

The video quality was excellent in medium to good light; less so, with noticeable apparent compensation for noise, in poor light. I made use of infrared Nightshot as I thought I would (and a good reason to buy Sony). Active Steady-Shot (BOSS) proved to be superb.

However, the electronic viewfinder (EVF) although improved from the last Sony I had is still a weak point: too dark (with no control over brightness) and with a seemingly low refresh rate. It is still an essential in a camcorder but all I can say is that it is better than nothing. By comparison with the EVF on a modern CSC, it can only be rated as poor.

I missed the GPS built into my last Sony. I carried a separate battery charger (essential when travelling but not supplied with the camcorder) and four batteries.

One annoyance was that after being outside in the sleet in the mountains of Tasmania, condensation misted the lens when back in the warmth. The condensation was not simply on the outside of the lens. I eventually got rid of it by leaving the camera on (i.e. taking video) for about 10 minutes; as it heated up the internal condensation cleared. I though condensation problems disappeared with the last tape drive but this was clearly not the case. Incidentally, when cleaning the lens, it is a case of first catch your lens; the lens assembly moves on it gimbal as you try to clean the surface.

The USB lead which emerges from the side and is tucked into the strap was a small worry; it seems too vulnerable to damage.

I am, overall, very pleased with this camcorder. I am also pleased that that is the case because there are not many options in the fairly light and useable (for my interests) camcorder category. However, I do feel Sony could have done better, as I said originally, by including features like GPS and charging more.

One aspect has been puzzling me, and others too judging from the comments on forums. That is the non-digital zoom range with different Steady-Shot settings. That will be the subject of my next post.

Decision made: A New Camcorder for Travel and Wildlife—the Sony FDR-AX33

I have been in a quandary over how to replace my five-year old model camcorder (Sony HDR-XR550) which has served me so well. It was, I recall, one of the last hard drive/memory card models and I began to worry that hard drives do not last forever.

In the meantime I have added a Nikon Coolpix P610 with its superzoom lens and this has provided with me with full HD at very long distances with its over 1400 mm equivalent maximum focal length. However, a dedicated camcorder does offer some advantages for general use. Last year I rejected the AX100 when it appeared. Its large sensor is better in terms of video quality, low noise in low light and the ability with its smaller depth of field to throw the background out of focus. However, for wildlife ‘on the fly’ I saw that its autofocus was relatively slow and its optical stabilisation nothing special. In short it was ideal for ‘film makers’ who have control of the carefully staged scene but not for me where wildlife does what it does and the camera has to meet the needs of the scene; rapid autofocus and good depth of field go with a smaller sensor.

This year I saw the appearance from Sony of the AX33 with a smaller (1/2.33) sensor (but somewhat larger sensor than the one in the old XR550 (1/2.88)). Well, that’s not true because all I saw was the AXP33 on the Sony UK website. The ‘P’ stands for built-in projector and who on earth wants to carry around such a gimmicky addition. Only a couple of weeks ago did I discover that Sony made a non-projector version, the AX33; not only was it considerably cheaper than the ‘P’ version but it just about met all the requirements I had in mind.

A major consideration was weight and size; a low-end professional camcorder is simply too big for me. The first essential was a viewfinder. A camcorder without a viewfinder and just a screen is useless in tropical sunlight. So that was a Panasonic model of similar video specifications but no viewfinder ruled out. Sony have a big plus point in Night Shot, retained in the AX33.

I am not going to repeat the many descriptions and reviews that are available online. The outstanding feature is Balanced Optical Steadyshot (BOSS) (not incorporated into the AX100).

By comparing this new model with my 5-year old camcorder I was pleasantly surprised that the battery type was unchanged, the Sony micro accessory shoe has been replaced by a standard shoe and that zebra and focus peaking are standard.

Negative points so far are:

• No GPS (a very useful standard feature of my old XR550)
• In-camera battery charging (useless for travel)
• No neutral density filtration
• Only 10x optical zoom (although the Clear Image Zoom may well compensate to some extent)
• The zoom lever is very close to the still photograph button
• Poor manual (even the downloadable version is poor, with almost no explanatory information)

The Sony UK website and the manual are really short of useful information. For example, the Sony USA website has the following:

Direct Pixel Read Out
The FDR-AX33 incorporates 'direct pixel readout' utilizing the entire width of the image sensor without line skipping or pixel binning. Therefore in both HD and 4K video acquisition it can read and process data from every one of the sensor's pixels, resulting in smooth edges and color gradation giving you the incredible video from a tiny camera.

I can find no mention of this attribute either in the manual or on the UK site.

The stills are said to be upscaled by interpolation. I have not yet had a look to see how good the stills are.

My impression is that Sony have gone for connectivity features (Wi-Fi, NFC) and made the camcorder down to a price for the consumer market (I have over the last ten years or so paid £200 less for each of three successive Sony camcorders). Better for me for had Sony charged more and included GPS, a separate charger and a proper manual. Sony also make a great fuss of playback into their 4k televisions etc when all the likes of me need is an ability to capture the video into Final Cut Pro X on a Mac.

Quick trials show the 4k and HD video to be very good. I will now test it using 4k and HD recording with typical subjects under all sorts of lighting conditions at different focal lengths and with optical and Clear Image Zoom before our next big trip.

The Sony FDR-AX33 together with the Nikon Coolpix P610 seem, at the moment, to be an ideal combination for travel and wildlife.