Sony 4K HD Video Recording FDRAX33 Handycam Camcorder

Killer camera! So glad I made the purchase. As soon as you pick it up you will immediately recognize this is a quality built camera. It's heavier and more rugged than most tiny palm cameras but we're talking ounces and quality and performance is easily worth the extra weight to me. The flip out screen is clear and presents with a crisp beautiful image. A great and often times unavailable option that most cheaper cameras don't have is the eye piece / view finder from which to film. All camera used to have this feature but it was mostly phased out with the advent of the flip out screen. I like the eye piece and it uses less batter power than the flip out screen. Speaking of image, the digital stabilization is great, better than I expected and it's adjustable. The 20.6 mega pixel camera is fantastic as it takes sharp photos at a click of a button. The 4K film, well what can I say, if you want film that has 4X the number of pixels than HD, 4K is the way to go especially for special moments that appear true to life. You can also downgrade the film to HD to save SD card space so you have lots of options. The battery life is also good, I can't complain there either. I like the built in lens cover that opens and closes automatically as the camera turns on and off. That's actually a great feature that I've missed on many of my recent camera purchases. No worrying about smudges or even worse, scratches on the lens when you need to get that important shot. Bottom line, I'd buy this camera again without even the slightest hesitation.

First, please don't listen to people who say you should wait until you have a 4K television before getting a 4K camera. I've thrown out (or given away) dozens of televisions over my lifetime, each time trading up to something better... but I've never thrown away a video of a cherished family memory. Have you? Our home videos tend to far outlast whatever technology was used to record them, consequently, capturing precious moments in great quality is something we will never regret later. Besides, external hard disks are cheap and reliable now… there really is no real downside to capturing your memories in 4K now, enjoying them in HD for the short term, and then enjoying them anew in 4K when it becomes commonplace. Okay, about the Sony FDR-AX33 specifically. I have to tell you that I *agonized• before buying this camera, and way over researched the matter. I read every review Google could find me, saw every YouTube I could find — some of them I watched over and over again. I even went to brick and mortar stores to check out my short listed cameras hands on before buying on Amazon (the power of having an Amazon gift card balance). On the one side, there are the 4K DSLRs -- particularly those made by Panasonic -- which are very well reviewed and forward thinking. On another side, there is the Sony AX100, the AX33’s big brother, which reviewers rave about as well. In the end, three factors tipped me toward the Sony AX33. (1) PORTABILITY. It doesn’t matter how great your camera is if you don’t have it with you. The Sony AX100 video camera takes great video, but it is just heavier and bulkier enough to worry me that I might be less inclined to pack it around with me as often for common use. As for the portability of DSLRs vs. the AX33, the form factor of the Sony AX33 is much better than the form factor of DSL cameras for video. With the AX33, you can shoot video with one hand — which really matters when the shot is long and your body parts start to tire. For example, my daughter’s high school graduation went longer than 2 hours. I was able to use my left hand and arm to prop up my right, and thus fought fatigue. If I would have tried it with a DSLR, I’d have had to give up. (2) VIDEO QUALITY. Don’t undervalue the impact image stabilization has on 4K and HD video. The crisper the video, the more affected it is by any shakiness of hand. The very high end image stabilization system of the AX33 (Sony calls it "BOSS”) is head and shoulders above anything on any DSLR camera right now, and better than the AX100’s as well. The very remarkable image stabilization system of the AX33 really saved the footage of my daughter’s graduation, as I was able to zoom to get details of her sitting on the stand, and zoom to get expressions of speakers and the kids as they walked to get their diplomas. One interesting side effect of shooting in 4K when discs and televisions aren’t 4K is you have the ability to zoom in quite a bit in your software on your Mac or PC, and still have crisp, HD quality video as an end product. (3) VIDEO LENGTH My mind was pretty much made up to get a mirrorless Panasonic DSLR camera that reviewers say shoots gorgeous 4K video… but I had to concede I frequently need clips that are 30 minutes or longer — something no DSLR camera can do shooting video. Apparently, in Europe there is a different tax rate for video cameras as opposed to still image cameras. Consequently, manufacturers limit DSLR cameras so that the longest single clip they can shoot is 29 minutes and 59 seconds, thus keeping the DSLR below the threshold which would make it be taxed at the higher rate of video cameras. Sure, more often than not the 30 minute limit would not be an issue, but sometimes it really is. If recording a basketball game, you can stop the camera at each quarter and be okay, but if recording a live musical or theatrical performance, that 30 minute shut off is going to force you to make choices — and ones I won’t always be happy about. Consequently, I chose the Sony FDR-AX33 over the very nice DSLR options that are out there. I realize others would choose differently, but given that my kids like to perform, the AX33, with its amazing image stabilization, long battery and video clip length and its portability made it the best fit for me. PHOTO QUALITY I didn’t expect much from the Sony FDR-AX33’s camera, which is probably why I’m so pleased. To get to know the camera better before something important needed to be recorded, I took it hiking and fiddled with manual settings. The results were very nice, and would probably be even nicer if I knew what I was doing. I was pleased, though, that I could easily get that neat photo effect where the primary object is in perfect focus while the background is not. Fun stuff. The video camera has a mode to do this as well by the way. AUDIO QUALITY Audio quality is another really good reason to get the Sony AX33 instead of a high end DSLR to shoot video. It is surprising (and disappointing) how the operation of many high end DSLR cameras can be heard in their own mics. Not so with the Sony. Built first for video, you cannot hear your camera in your footage, and that’s a plus. To help make my audio even more amazing in some situations, I bought Sony’s bluetooth lavalier mic (Sony ECMA4W4 Wireless Microphone). It was wonderful, but then when I went to use it again a month later, it was dead. Very frustrating. Couldn’t return it. DOWNSIDES This brings me to the AX33’s touch screen. It is a pain — annoying even — but eventually I got used to how hard you have to press on it and it stopped annoying me so much. The AX33 has some dumb limitations — like not being able to show 4K footage through the ports while shooting. Some of these limitations almost feel deliberate, as if Sony was trying to create space between the AX33 and the AX100. This is a little thing, but I have large hands, and so I have to keep reminding myself not to lay my fingers over the mic. HELPFUL EXTRAS Filter - Some of the reviewers were concerned that the BOSS stabilization system could degrade over time if dust got to the system, so I purchased a 52 mm filter — the B+W 52mm Clear with Multi-Resistant Coating (007M) here on Amazon to be exact — to protect the camera. This gives me the peace of mind that my expensive camera’s lens and stabilization system are protected, but my shots are not degraded in the process. Storage - I also purchased on Amazon a Transcend 128 GB SDXC USH-3 95/60 MB/s storage card for recording video at 60 MB per second, and I bought a SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB UHS-I/U3 SCXC card with 95 MB/s transfer speeds for capturing video at the camera’s 100 MB/s setting. So far both are recommended, but they haven’t really been put through their paces yet. Card reader - To read these cards I bought a Saicoo USB 3.0 4 in 1 digital memory card reader. It has a short pigtail like cord which is super useful. It makes the reader easy to use where ever it is plugged in. Batteries and charger - I got two Sony NP-FV70 spare batteries as well. There are off brand alternatives I researched, but in the end opted for Sony because I don’t want something dumb causing me to miss a treasured moment. I bought the Sony ACQV10 AC charger as well for them. With a battery on the camera, and two in the charger, I can charge everything overnight and have ample power in my camera bag as I go about catching memories. This camera was a great purchase, and I’m already very glad I’ve had it to capture some important family memories.

This camcorder is medium size (smaller than my old HDPJ790) but heavier. The BOSS stabilization system is almost perfect, but not as good as if on a real tripod. The picture quality outside in good sunlight is just awesome! I took footage of a koi fish pond and played on a Samsung 55" 4k. The picture, standing at 2 feet from the tv, looked amazing. There were literally no pixelation whatsoever. Things get very bad when taping indoor. I taped my dad talking while at dinner in his dining room. The room is very brightly lit by a crystal chandelier with about 15 small 40 watts bulbs. It is bright enough that you do not need flash to take pictures. However, it's not bright enough for a this camcorder. I simultaneously took some video footage with my Nikon D810 camera using 35mm prime lens. The aperture was set at about 2.8. When I got home and put both the footage on this camcorder and my Nikon, I was astonished and very disappointed at how bad the picture is from this camcorder compared to my Nikon. Don't get me wrong, it's still very nice, but definitely not what I expect of 4k. Eventhough I had limited the gain on the camcorder to 9db, there were lots of visible noise and graininess when compared to my nikon, which looked 5 times brighter and zero noise. I thought this camcorder had an f1.8 aperture???? What I suspect the difference is the sensor size. Even with a bright f1.8 lens, the sensor on this camcorder is just too small compared to the full frame sensor of the Nikon. So with this small sensor (1.2:33), if the lighting is perfect, you cannot beat it. However, in less than perfect lighting, the footage look no better than my old sony HDRPJ790. I was able to use class 10 uhs-1 sd card, but only for 60mbps. You will need Uhs-3 card to get 100mbps. However, I wonder if the difference in image quality will be noticeable. I looked at some footage in youtube, and could not tell the difference, especially in static images. As to audio, even with wind noise cancellation on, I could still hear a LOT of wind noise. I am still figuring out how I can improve this. Overall, I think for the price and form factor, it's still the best out there, especially with the Boss stabilization. However, I am waiting for the Ax100 successor (hopefully with the Boss stabilization). The ultimate would be a full frame camera with 4k video capability. I know that Canon and/or other manufacturers may have this already, but I have too many Nikon lens to change sides. Update: 5/21/2015: After 3 weeks of having this camcorder and taking about 3 hour's worth of videos, I was just not happy with the indoor videos. I purchased the AX100, and although it is significantly bigger with worst steadyshot, I decided to keep that and return this AX33. However, I still think that for the majority of consumer, this is the ideal camcorder for them. Not many people are willing to lug a 10" long camcorder with them (the AX100).

I just got this video camera yesterday, but I have really put it through the ringer in the last 24 hours. I did TONS of research and read the manual (PDF) extensively before deciding on this model, so I'll explain why this particular camera ended up as my winner. Also, please watch the video review as well. I made it with the AX33 and uploaded it straight to Amazon, with no processing on my end other than trimming the clip. Amazon's compression process will degrade the quality quite a bit, but it seemed only right to make a video review about a video camera by using the actual camera. Just don't judge the image quality after Amazon's servers get a hold of it! WHY I CHOSE THIS MODEL: •STABILITY: First, the B.O.S.S. (what a great acronym) stabilization system is unmatched in other camcorders. More than just simple optical spinning lens elements like most other systems, this actually puts the entire lens/sensor block on a free-floating "gimbal" that gives you much greater stability when using a long zoom setting or just walking around. This makes it a perfect solution for self-recording / vlogging and really allows you a lot of creative freedom. This is an area where the small sensor (1/2.3") is actually an advantage over larger 1" sensors (in some camcorders) or APS-C or 35mm sensors (in most DSLRs). The sensor is small enough to mount on this floating block, making the stabilization possible. Moreover, the depth of field is so large that you don't have to worry about constantly pulling focus manually or watching an autofocus system struggle back and forth. You WON'T get that cinematic blurred background (shallow DOF) look that DSLR users love, but you WILL get crisp, stable, in-focus footage with both low cost and high portability. •PICTURE and SOUND: This camera gives beautiful 4K at a max 100Mb/s data rate, which is the highest you're going to find (as of 2017) in any solution under $1,000, probably under $2,000. You may need 4K because you have a 4K display or because you want to crop afterward (like I do), but regardless of your immediate need, this camera has got you covered for the future. The sound does really well for onboard audio and for most users it will suffice as the *only* audio source. If you want onboard audio with a better mic you can use either the 1/8" mic-in port for a separate mic or one of the top-mount accessory shoe options that Sony sells (it looks like the Sony ECMXYST1M Stereo Microphone has some good reviews). Of course, you can also buy a separate recorder for sound and sync them later, a process which is super easy now in Premiere Pro when you use the Sony's onboard audio as "scratch" audio for reference. •PORTABILITY and BATTERY LIFE: If you've been shooting with a phone or DSLR (two extremes), you're using a device that wasn't really intended to shoot "out and about" video. The phone is great because you always have it with you, and the DSLR allows studio-quality shooting, but outside of these two niches they weren't intended to be true "video" devices. For everyday use in scenarios you can plan (I'll take it this afternoon to film my son's indoor soccer, for example), the Sony "handycam" really is the best form factor and size. It has a huge 10X optical zoom (15X using the clear image technology) and super long battery life, neither of which can be touched by a phone or DSLR. For even longer zoom, try the 20X-zoom AX53 ( Sony FDRAX53 ) for about two hundred bucks more. Also, neither a phone nor a DSLR is going to get you as many hours of video capture on a single charge as an AX33 out of the box, especially if you choose to upgrade to an extended capacity battery. The external battery design means you can put in as big a battery as you want, which is really nice. •OTHER/MISCELLANEOUS: I like that the Sony camcorders come with an AC-adapter unit that powers the camcorder and charges the battery so that, like a laptop, you can stay plugged-in indoors and never worry about battery life inside. Wall power is available only as an expensive, inconvenient add-in for DSLRs. Finally, the AX33 feels well-balanced and secure while holding it and offers both a flip-out LCD touch-screen display AND an internal EVF viewfinder. I especially appreciate how the power turns on and off just by pulling out either the screen or EVF, which is really smart.

I had an older standard HD Sony Camera that was great when it came out 7 years ago. In low lighting, however, the video wasn't so great. This camera is smaller, lighter, and the image stabilization is amazing. My only criticism would be that at the highest bit rate setting of 100 Mbps , it does not allow you to take pictures while filming. The Camera is factory set at 60 which does allow you to take pictures. Further in the 4k mode, it allows 2 channel recording, not 5.1. These are okay trade offs in my opinion as you can always create a 5.1 mix later with proper video editing software. Which, again, I've found Sony to produce the best (assuming you have the computing power that won't crash your computer). Editing takes some serious computing power!! Here is a brief sampling of a video below I shot with it the camera in Costa Rica. It isn't full 4k, but if you have a 4k monitor it does display in 2160 P which is the highest resolution youtube allows currently. It at least gives you a taste. I bought the following HD monitor as well and is a great compliment to this camera: Dell Ultra HD 4k Monitor P2715Q 27-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor Good luck, and happy viewing! Ohhhh and it looks like the price has come WAY down from when I bought on first release. Less than $900? Wow, what a great price too! I don't know if Amazon allows full 4k playback, youtube does run my video at 2160p so it does give you a taste of what to expect. Happy shooting with the camera! https://youtu.be/8FoTgVYOJ3M

First Impression: 1. Low light performance is very good (I compare it with my Nikon D800 Video performance). 2. Auto White balance is giving me a very nice skin tone under low light 2700K 3. 4K + MP4 dual recording mode is very handy, like having RAW+JPG in my D800. 4. BOSS Image stabilization is amazing, beyond standard optical image stabilization. 5. Audio quality (built-in mic) is superb. 6. Digital zoom is very long range and usable. Especially with BOSS image stabilizer. 7. WIFI remote control with android is very good (fast image update), disadvantage is, the HDMI output cannot be use in this mode. The not so good: 1. LANC is no longer supported (Multi connector does not support A/V accessories). Didn't try yet, but it is said so in the manual 2. Touch screen LCD is not sensitve, difficult to access the menu. Hope to be like Iphone or Galaxy S5. But not quite. 3. As mentioned above, on remote WIFI operation, no output from HDMI. Meaning cannot use Smartphone remote control for LIVE HDMI output application (which I use a lot) 4. The EVF is a nice addition, but too tiny for my eyes. Probably because I get used to my D800 viewfinder.... Will update later when I get chance to use it! In summary, very happy with this purchase, and highly recommend it... Update #1: After using it indoor and outdoor, this is my impression: 1. 4K is really amazing. I can see the different between Full HD highest, and 4K 100Mbps. It is crystal clear, crisp and noticably better in video performance. I think I will never use the dual rec mode, as the MP4 is near to useless. The only downside is, rendering 4K (with Premiere CC 2014) is taking so long (with my core I7 Haswell, 512GB SSD, 16MB ram). 2. The Sony Zeiss optic is really good. The combination of 1/2.3 inc CMOS, 4K 100 MBps and the good optics is really delivers.... 3. The built-in Microphone is respectable and useful. It has good frequency response, good clarity and sensitive enough to be usable in normal environment. 4. For $1K 4K, it is absolutely worth it. Having shoot Video with DSLR (Nikon D800 with good glass), I think I will only use the Nikon on long static performance using Tripod (like Piano recital, etc). For active movement, I will use this Video, especially in a well lit environment. The low light is good, but for serious recording, the noise is still noticable, and using Neat Video in Premiere CC take forever (long rendering time). 5. The downside. The remote Android app is not usable. After taking 3 minutes clip, the video in Smartphone getting out of sync (lag) and becoming erratic, and end up crashing. For short shot it is ok, but really it is no practical use for me. Happy Easter! Update#2: I think this need SONY attention, to be updated in new Firmware: As I use (almost always) the 4K 100Mbps format, it consume SD space so fast. I use new Transcend 128GB UHS-1 (which can record without any problem) BUT, when it saving approx. 50GB (out of 128GB capacity), there is message pop-up saying no more space for XAVC-S. I cannot record 4K 100Mbps anymore, but when I switch to other format, it still keep going. So I suspect that, there is 'bug' in VTOC that assumes max SD capacity is 64GB (as said in the manual, the max SD capacity is 64GB). I am about to buy the 256GB card, so SONY.... please fix this with firmware upgrade!!! And there is already 512 GB SDXC card available, do not restrict the max size.... Update#3: 2 months later: * I still like this camcoder. In fact, I like it more and more as I get use to it. * After so many recording cycle (Record and Re-format), I can use the whole 128GB Transcend without any problem (I am now only use 4K 100Mbps exclusively) * Try the 64GB KomputerBay, amazingly it works for 4K 100Mbps without problem. BUT the 128 GB KomputerBay, does NOT work. It simply refused to Initialized the SD Card (for 4K). * I take a lot of low-light video with amazing result. As long as it is in the wide angle side, and not to dark (extremely dark is not recomended), My definition of low light is recording inside Church with standard lighting. On the telephoto side, it is still acceptable. * White Balance is AMAZING. I like it even better than my Nikon D800 (auto white balance). Skin tone is almost perfect. Happy shooting!

When you want to video sporting events or the like you really can't go wrong with Sony. Great zoom and I like the eyepiece viewer. The old-school works a lot better in full sunlight. Controls are as they always have been so it is easy to zoom, record, or whatnot without taking your eyes off of the action. Sound is also very good without even using an external mic.

I wanted so badly to love this camera.. I want 4K to work.. This camcorder's image quality is superb BUT this device may not be right for you unless you accept: - You are just standing there. I mean literally not moving (30fps is just 30fps short of what's necessary to take videos that don't look like straight out of your smartphone) - You already have the 4K setup you need (in my case, I had to go buy a GTX 970 video card and Samsung HD monitor, it now turns out unnecessarily) - You realize this is NOT h265 (the new compression starndard) but rather XAVC S which is an older standard. - When in 4K mode, this is 2 channel stereo, not 5.1 surround sound - You will need new 94Mb sdXc cards (Transcends are a good deal, 256 gb for around $200, will record a little over 5 hrs) - You accept that there is no video editing software out there, not Pinnacle, not Corel, not Sony, that will let you preview in acceptable format (there is no 4k video preview codec included with any of them, and the 4k content will be so choppy and blocky in every other mode that it makes it very unpleasant to work on, let alone find clip points.) - VERY poor low-light performance. I was out around dawn, colors visible in the distance, this corder could not see anything - You can't shoot in 4K and then downgrade to bluray output, because it's... 30fps short. - The quality of an HD disc cut from this 4K content will be worse than that from your standard hd camcorder I then figured I needed to get a 4K TV to see what the output looked like. I took a flash drive of a small movie in both h264 avhcd S and h265 format movie to bigbox to plug in and see quality. Lovely. but noticeable judder. Sony wouldn't even read the avhcd format, which is curious since it;s their native format. In my research, it appears that 4k is not as far along in development as I thought, still highly experimental, and that along with cost of tv's is another big hurdle. I hate to say this, but I'm waving the white flag. ax33 going back, I will live with cx560 a little longer (see the tear in my eye?) UPDATE 6/14/2015: Well I didn't send it back after all, but after about 20 hrs of recording (and about a half-terabyte later!!) some considerations: - Camcorder definitely needs a steadycam or other grip, you will be prone to taking tilted videos using just your hand. - Stereo audio recorder is definitely sub-par. My 560's 5.1 audio recorder is far superior. Bad from, Sony! Still love the image, dislike 30fps and now I need to buy a grip and mic.. rating stands.

Excelente cámara, los materiales se sienten de muy buena calidad, la imagen es súper clara, los colores muy naturales y el sonido es el mejor que he escuchado en una videocámara, pero sin duda lo mejor de todo es su estabilizador óptico el cual permite que las imágenes siempre salgan estables incluso si no tienes buen pulso como yo. Otro punto a destacar es su batería la cual tiene muy buena duración, llegando a durar más de 3 horas de uso continuo. El único punto donde siento que flojea un poco es en condiciones de baja iluminación, ya que en esos casos si mete algo de ruido, pero es normal en cámaras de sensor pequeño, además lo compensa con el hecho de que cuenta con visión nocturna.

I took a chance and bought this camcorder at a reduced price as it was noted as having a minor defect (scratch and or damage to the shipping box). To my surprise, the box was not damaged as bad as I had thought and there was no noticeable scratch to the camcorder. In saying that, this camcorder is very good as an addition to my livestreaming equipment. The camcorder only has a 10X zoom but works out just right for my intended use. The CMOS sensor has apparently been improved on the new edition AX43 and AX53 but this unit does just fine for indoor livestream shoots (additional lighting added). Actually, the first use of the camcorder was during an all lights out part of a church service (soft box accent lighting only used for scripture readings). This camcorder did better then what I had heard from YouTubers and Vloggers. Regarding easy of use and mobility, this camcorder is a treat to have. I am satisfied with the addition of this camcorder.

el tamaño reducido pero de gran calidad solo ay que tener cuidado al grabar ya que los archivos se vuelven enormes y si grabas mucho organizarlo es complicado pero la cámara es de estupenda calidad buen color y graba en 4k muy buen producto muy recomendable

This is an excellent video camera with high quality videos. View the overall qualities and uses on YouTube.

How far video cameras have come in the last decade! The BOSS image stabilization system is truly amazing.