Sony HDR-CX7 HD -> memory stick

[Trevor 0]

We may have a great camera here:

The new Sony CX7 ($1200 msrp) records about an hour of HD (best quality mode) onto an 8GB memory stick. That means no tape mechanism to get dirty, no dvd-r to skip, no hdd to crash at altitude.

It is in the AVCHD format, but that should be editable on a few platforms later this summer.

This cam is significantly smaller than the HC3 and I dare say it might work as a side mount. I have jumped the HC3 sidemount and it was just too big. This cam is 2.75 inches wide vs. 3.2 for the HC3 and 2.5 inches for my trusty PC100.
It weighs 15 ounces vs. 20 ounces for the HC3 and 19 ounces for the PC100.

It does not have a firewire, but uses USB for download to computer. It would be nice to be able to download a days worth of my buddy's footage in 5 minutes by plugging the memory stick into my laptop instead of sitting there with two camcorders dubbing at realtime speed.

Another nice feature of this cam is the film roll index on the touchscreen, which displays multiple scenes as thumbnails within a single movie file. Instead of ff/rewinding 30 minutes to find the first jump of the day, you just look at the thumbnails as if you were editing on your computer.

This is all well and good except for one question...is it jumpable. I bit the bullet and bought the Canon HV-10 right when it came out only to find it's image stabilizer made a stuttering mess in freefall. Any one else want to give this sony a whirl before the rest of us jump on the bandwagon?

[edited to add pix]

[The111 1]

Quote

It would be nice to be able to download a days worth of my buddy's footage in 5 minutes by plugging the memory stick into my laptop instead of sitting there with two camcorders dubbing at realtime speed.

Hell yeah!

Spot, where are you?

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[The111 1]

Quote

It does not have a firewire, but uses USB for download to computer. It would be nice to be able to download a days worth of my buddy's footage in 5 minutes by plugging the memory stick into my laptop instead of sitting there with two camcorders dubbing at realtime speed.

Also, any idea if it will still be possible to transfer cam-to-cam without a PC as an intermediary?

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[EricTheRed 0]

Sooner than I thought but I think this might be the upgrade I've been waiting for!

illegible usually

[Shoot 0]

Does anyone know something about the rate of compression on this new toy?

[monkycndo 0]

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Does anyone know something about the rate of compression on this new toy?

Calling DSE, are you out there?

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[damonsteele 0]

I don't know guys. Buying a camera (albeit a Sony) that uses proprietary memory cards (Pro Duo), is like buying a Beta machine when VHS has clearly won the battle. Sony just won't let go.
Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE Sony fan, but I think I'll wait to see what happens. Plus the fact that I'm already using the HC7, I don't think my wife will let have any more toys for a while.

[The111 1]

I would not buy this camera tomorrow either (if it was available that soon)... but I like the fact that it is coming out so fast. That means it will be clear sooner, whether or not this one is worth buying. Either way, it's a step in the right direction.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[USPA 0]

I've read 4 GB for almost 30 minutes of HQ, which works out to 18 mbit/s which would be perfect.

I also don't like the memorystick, but since I don't plan on archiving on flash for quite some time, it will probably be ok for now.

Great thing is also it can record SD, hopefully in great quility, great for those tandem DVD's.

Ashame it used H batteries, since I really like my f90 M battery.... :D Any1 know anything about lanc? (and support for cameye/ hypeye?)

Since my trusty old TRV6 needs replacing, this is the cam I was (almost) dreaming about...

EDIT:
According to this german site: http://www.camcorder-test.com/camcordercmd-i-view-u-what-i-detail-u-id-i-31-u-name-i-Sony-HDR-CX7.html

It won't have Lanc :(. Can't find a connection on any picture either... :(

The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

[DSE 5]

Now that it's official, I can comment to a limited degree.
First, it's in preproduction (this means beta-testing).
Second, bitrate is variable depending on content up to around 16Mbps.
Haven't jumped it yet, specifically forbidden from doing so based on previous uses of the camcorder.
Other than requiring a behemoth of a computer to decode, this is a sweet offering in the low end. Can't tweak the color in post much due to low frame content, but it's a nice cheep n' easy cam to work with.
You can put up to an hour on an 8GB card, and transfer it very fast to a computer via USB. No 1394 support. That stinks, because 1394 would be faster, but requires a higher cost. I don't believe you could transfer cam to cam, but perhaps you can find an adapter that will allow mini to mini, and find out. Cam to memstick would be quite easy/is quite easy.

[USPA 0]

Hi Douglas,

Would it be logical for a camcorder to be marketed between the cx-7 and the betacam EX, Or is such a gap logical? Not that you should tell what sony is doing, just curious about your expert opinion... ;)

The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

[Fast 0]

Do we know what format the data is stored in if it is recording in standard def?

For what it is worth, i was reading on another site that it may have optical image stabalization. Which may make this camera a flop for skydiving. I sure hope everyone doesn't go to optical. Hell we may run out of cameras that we can jump with.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[DSE 5]

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Hi Douglas,

Would it be logical for a camcorder to be marketed between the cx-7 and the betacam EX, Or is such a gap logical? Not that you should tell what sony is doing, just curious about your expert opinion... ;)

Of course there will be a huge variety of camcorders between the XDCAM EX (Sony Broadcast division, priced around 9K) and the CX7 (Sony Consumer Electronics division, priced around 1,2K) just as there currently are a lot of cams in the mid-price range.
HDV is still much a part of the pro-sumer line, and will be for a while. There is no point in anyone worrying the sky is falling on camcorders that use tape; there are pluses and minuses to all the formats and cams. I'm still using tape, and will for a while still. I'm also experimenting with a new RAM-based system that reads from USB2 on a cam, to see how that works out. Clunky/PITA in current form...but who knows where it might go.
Expect to see at _least_ 10 cams between the CX7 and XDCAM HD EX over the coming 12 months.

[USPA 0]

That sounds like a good prospect. I hope my TRV6 holds out a little while longer then. I'm planning for my next cam to be a solid state one. Such ashame the cx7 doesn't have lanc....

The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...