Excellent review! I bought the FDR AX53 three weeks ago and so far the 4k results are wonderful. Your review highlighted many features that are in the nearly 300 page operations manual, but typically the manual does not explain why and when those many features should be used. (Yes, I printed the manual back-to-back so that notes could be added).Thank you!Bill
Thanks for this excellent review! Your arguments conviced me to buy this AX53 although I was keen to go for the AX700. It is not a 1” sensor camera but it costs much less and seems to have impressive image quality. Also, it has a number of extra features that I need (e.g. extra gimbal stability!) and also weighs half as much :) It’s time to turn in my HDR-CX550 for this new technical wonder.
Just got this for Christmas and dying to use it! Loved the video and would love an introductory video of you actually using the camera on a project taking us step by step through the process as you take us on an informational journey.
I'm in the market for a camera that does at LEAST 1080, 60p. Excellent continuous AF and shallow depth of field are absolute MUSTS. 4K and 120 fps are a good bonuses. The Sony A6300 and the AX53 both do all of the above. I imagine the A6300 is better in low light (though the AX53 does well too). Both cameras are the same price (body only on the a6300), but I wouldn't be too upset over spending another $300 for a lens. Video quality is king. Can someone PLEASE point me in one direction or the other?
I still have the camera. I just got the Sony A7S3 but this camcorder has things that DSLRs don't like the BOS and super long fast zoom. I keep it around for travel because it just works and also everything is always in focus. For product videos sometimes you want everything in focus and big sensor cameras are hard to do that with sometimes.
Ken, you'll love the image stabilization. Here are my review thoughts: This camera really excels in one department, and that’s the wonderfully effective Balanced Optical SteadyShot. There are four choices: intelligent, active, standard or off. When you turn the camera on (opening the side-screen or pulling the viewfinder rearwards will do) the camera shakes in your hand as the whole lens assembly jumps from rest and centres itself on the chip’s optical axis. This very powerful five-axis image stabilisation mechanism floats the whole lens block unnervingly, the block comprising (probably) 18 elements, two ND filters, the iris diaphragm, the zoom and autofocus operating solenoids. It’s quite remarkable to watch in operation as the complete lens assembly wafts about with a 7mm maximum excursion, as if it’s all floating on some invisible oil. This happens in real time; as fast as you can shake the camera the lens block counteracts you, painting the stationary chip with the stabilised image. The on-screen results are truly remarkable, and when combined with just a touch of Mercalli in-post stabilisation, make walks across a field look like tracks have been laid. I knew how I could catch it out. Powerful OIS systems all show the dreaded and inevitable ‘overshoot and bounce back’, effectively ruining tripod shots. Of course such negative artefacts are there in your hand-held footage too, it’s just that the pros of OIS visually outweigh the cons. Anyway, I put the camera onto a nice fluid-headed tripod and did some quick pans and tilts. And you know what? The camera needs but one pan to ‘learn’ that its on a tripod, and how clever is this - it immediately switches the OIS off. Result: no overshoot whatsoever. Flicking the tripod’s quick release immediately and automatically re-engages the powerful OIS for hand-held use. It’s undocumented and I’m impressed. It’s a pity that shooting in 4k disables this magic OIS, but more of this later.
Thanks, Tom, for the additional excerpt from your review. I almost missed it because it is in a new comment! The camera definitely has some impressive stabilization technology. I’m puzzled as to why Sony doesn’t advertise the built-in ND filters. They would definitely be a selling point. A number of reviews note the lack of ND filters since they are common on competing cameras, especially camcorders. I’m not familiar with Mercalli; I’ve mostly used Premiere Pro’s built-in stabilization. I’ll have to take a look at it.
Actually Ken I don't think highlighting the built-in and undocumented ND filters WOULD be a good selling point. The reason they're there of course is because camcorders of this ilk use tiny sensors (the 53 uses a chip slightly larger than ⅓'') and diffraction losses are horrendous, especially at short focal lengths (wideangle end of the zoom) and small apertures. Manufacturers have been doing this for years. The Canon 310XL Super-8 camera had built-in undocumented ND way back in 1973. So if your camcorder doesn't have an ND filter switch on the outside then sure as hell they're built in. Panasonic, Canon, you name it. Problem is of course that you're denied access to the lens apertures, so you can't control the DoF. I found out in my review though you CAN shoot in manual mode at smaller apertures than f/4, but the picture softness is horrible. You can see why Sony 'pretends' you can choose any aperture to control exposure, but in reality you're shuffling NDs in and out. But making decent looking movies means keeping the shutter speed at 1/50th or so, any faster and the 'frozen frame' gives footage a very stataco look. So there's reason for adding yet more ND to the front of the 53 to stop the camera upping the shutter speed in bright conditions. Except that I'd NEVER recommend it. Adding filters to any lens with such very short focal length is a real no-no. Ah - compromises, huh?
@@tomrhardwick Yes, definitely a lot of compromises and complexity. I think I follow some of what you are saying, but not all. Are you saying that Sony wouldn’t want to advertise the ND filters because it would bring more attention to the camera’s limitations (e.g., poor small aperture performance, lack of full manual controls)? I am not understanding the last paragraph, particularly the last sentence: “Adding filters to any lens with such very short focal length is a real no-no.” It seems like adding an ND filter would cause the camera to adjust by opening the aperture, thus compensating, at least partially, for the diffraction induced softness associated with the short focal length.
That's exactly right Ken, if 'filmmakers' thought they weren't able to operate the camera in full manual control they'd feel cheated somehow. But Sony aren't alone, all manufacturers keep stum about the internally deployed auto ND. It's there of course to give you sharper footage, so it's there for all the best intentions. The NDs are very close to the iris diaphragm so they're completely out of focus, even if they're only obscuring part of the aperture as they slide into place. Placing filters on the front of the camera is a no-no because of the very short focal lengths give huge depth of field, even at wide apertures. Filters are ALWAYS dirty, however beautifully you clean them, and shooting into the light shows up the impurities as 'bits' on the footage. I'm afraid using such camcorders means accepting staccato footage in bright light.
@@tomrhardwick Thanks Tom. I appreciate your insights. I don’t have a pressing need for a new camera right now. The ax53 is over 4 years old, and I’m tempted to wait and see if Sony comes out with an updated version. The recently released ax43 suggests that Sony does see a future for the consumer camcorder market, but the fact that it is a downgrade from the ax53 is discouraging. They may see more potential in the low end of the consumer market rather than the high end, so I have no idea when or if Sony will release an upgraded version of the ax53.
I have this baby for a few weeks now, too. The touch screen sensitivity thing is just the other way around with me - my AX33's screen wanted a bit more attention to react while the AX53's is just right without having to break the glass. ;-) I guess it's just production tolerance, then...
After having used the camera longer I think the touch screen sensitivity is pretty good. The problem was some of the buttons are on the edge of the screen and I was hitting a little off the screen so it wasn't hitting the buttons every time..
Because of you, I bought the sony ax 53 .... and I'm sincerely very satisfied ... thank you very much for your videos .... mine got much better with this 53....bye bye...keep the good work....big hug from Terceira Island in Azores....thanks
Thank you so much for this video! The way you covered the functionality of the multipurpose ring was very comprehensive. I've looked at other camcorders and their rings are only dedicated to focusing. Also the hummingbird and flower footage was beautiful. The moon footage, spectacular!
Great! Used it yesterday for a shoot. I have a HCX1000 4 K from Panasonic that is use in the studio, and this little Sony is perfect for the field. Operating it from the app remotely is the bomb. Bought because I will be filming some surgeries for a physician client in Germany, and I wanted a light, 4k cam that I could mount on a pole and control remotely. Fits the bill perfectly. And basically I can travel with one suitcase less since dont have to take the large 4k with me. Thanks again!
Someone said the low light on this camera was grainy and they preferred the ax100 for such circumstances but your night footage looks pretty damn good on my iPhone screen. The overall capability of the image capture is phenomenal. 😱. If this is what they call alright and no usb attached inconvenience then I’ll take it! Thanks for the helpful clarifications. ✅🤓
Superb review it was clear precise simple to understand. And the video footage you attached really showed the performance of this camera I've subscribed cant wait to see more videos like this.
at 8:31 you present "BOS ...shot in fairly shaky conditions". But, or it is BOS shot 1080, or not BOS in 4k (as the ax53 does not support BOS for 4k). Which one?
Just turn off all Optical stabilization if you go to a tripod it remove any jitty if you a panning or tilting because I found that the BOSS is still trying to work but with it off there absolutely no jitty on a tripod. Like with any camera just ensure you set it up for the task required the AX 53 is such brilliant camera I purchased 2 and now intend adding the AX 700 for multicamera shoots use the 700 as A roll then the 53's as B & C Roll for a 3 camera shoot. They are excellent value for their price.
Thanks. Helpful to know zoom has been improved. Also like the zoom feature on-screen too. I bought an ax53b. Do you know if the b designation indicates it is the newer version you are talking about?
Great review of the AX53, the best yet. I have been considering getting one of these camcorders, do you still recommend as this several years later? Tk you
I've used several Panasonics in the past and they are amazing outdoors. Indoors the white balance was off sometimes. Sony nails it indoors and does a good job outdoors for me much more often.
This was the best review of the product... Good presentation and it answered some questions for me! Thank you! (And the music wasn't annoying... LOL) Well done!
Important to me is the optical viewfinder. It's always bright here in Arizona. But when I look at the camera, it seems that the battery would keep your eye from being able to use the viewfinder properly. Or am I wrong?
Thinking about getting this for my dad. Typing this from his PC so its his account that this is coming from, but we've been using an HDR-XR160 that was purchased in 2011 (think the camera is a '10 model). It's 1080p and had a built in 160gb hard drive. Kinda weird that these new ones don't have built in storage, but no biggie. He has a new 1440p 27 inch PC monitor and a nice 2015 60 inch 1080p TV... I've read that if you have the money you still want to go with a 4k camera because of super sampling it'll look better on 1440p and 1080p screens. Seems logical right? What kind of jump in quality are we looking at coming from a 6 year old Sony camera that blew us away back then but now we can tell we feel the need to upgrade. He has a band for the record and this is mainly used to record his concerts as well as the occasional family event. I'm thinking about getting that external mic too if it really does improve the audio noticeably. $230 is quite a bit for a MIC which is something we've never used on a camera before. Is it worth it? I'd say 85% of his concerts are indoors (mostly in churches) so they aren't outdoors or in windy conditions. What do you think? Thinking about going with the Panasonic HC-WXF991K due to stabilization issues on a tripod of the AX-53. We do A LOT of recording off a tripod. Thoughts? Great review and thanks. Is it safe to get this camera or is there a newer model about to come out that you know of?
I noticed the clip of the humming bird had a shallow depth of field. I use my mirrorless DSLR (Lumix GX8) and a wide aperture for that effect. Does this camera allow you to change the aperture, or were you simply using the longest zoom with the shallow depth as a accidental bonus?
I have not had very good luck with green screen on this camera. Basically you want to put it into spot metering mode to use a green screen. You can have someone tap the screen on you to lock metering on you in front of the green screen. On the Sony a6300 it does amazing on green screen. Just put it in center metering and center focus and shoot in front of the green screen. It looks amazing. The first part of this video was shot on the a6300 amzn.to/2fKkWZu with a green screen.
Hey, nice video! Thanks. I was hoping to hear something about the HDMI... Do you know if it'd stream so one could also use the camera as a broadcast device? Obviously given that the receiving end can handle incoming signal through HDMI.
there is no HDMI monitoring while recording in 4K yet works fine in 1080 formats will play back 4K fine via HDMI just not output while recording in 4K if you want that facility then look at the AX700 the only reason I found out was when out very bright sun the flip out screen can be a little hard to see but I got around that problem by 3D printing a slip on should for the flip out screen, that is proving to work fine .
+The Wooded Beardsman The screen says 2hr 40 min. I haven't actually run the camera for 1 hours starit recording but I have been out shooting for a few hours and I've never run all the way through the battery yet.
I have always liked the 'fade out' function on other videocameras. It helps we separate 'days' etc. I can't find a 'fade out' on this camera. Is there some reason, some alternate function to use? Also there is no 'backlight' function I can find.
To be honest, I was stunned by the daylight videos of the flowers and the desert. My only concern is that I'm 78. And learning how to use this camcorder intimidates me. Any suggestions for a slow learner?
Actually this camera is pretty simple. It pretty much full auto by default. I took the Sony a6300 and AX53 to yellowstone and I think the AX53 did the best. Having all the manual settings on the a6300 actually caused some problems on some of my footage. I'll have a video of the trip on my other channel Somecooltech soon.
There are two (undocumented) ND filters built into the camera. Because of the tiny chip and the way diffraction softens the image, the camera inserts ND rather than closing the iris as light levels increase. So DoF doesn't alter even though you think you're 'stopping down'.
@@kendufner9733 I tested the camera for Film and Video Maker magazine. You can use a bright led light to look down the lens, and as the light levels increase you can see the NDs slide gently into place. If there's more light than the NDs can happily absorb, the camera raises the shutter speed per frame rather than stopping down the lens.
Here are my words: To avoid the loss of resolution caused by diffraction, the camera uses undocumented automatic internal ND filtration. As light levels increase, the 6-bladed diaphragm closes by one stop and from then on two ND filters slide gently into place. The fact that the camera has such a wealth of manual controls has let me shoot footage and take stills at all apertures down to f/11 and I can tell you this: don’t allow the camera to shoot at anything smaller than f/4 at wide angle and f/5.6 at full tele, as the results are horrible. As light levels decrease the gain is pumped up to +24dB but even at this high amplification the results are acceptable. The only thing I’d say is I wish the displayed manual exposure bar would tell you when you were moving into the realms of gain-up and ND in.
@@tomrhardwick Thanks for the excellent detective work in discovering those undocumented ND filters! Those filters help to explain the versatility of this camera in full auto mode. I’ve seen a number of youtube comments from people considering adding external ND filters, but it looks like that may not be necessary unless working in very bright conditions or if you want even finer control over the aperture and/or shutter speed. Also, thanks for providing the excerpt from your article. I looked for an online version, but I guess it is only available to Film and Video Institute members.
I have to correct my earlier question - I have a trv350. FX430 was the camera I had before that. The FX430 had a lot of motor noise when zooming. the trv350 is better but still picks it up in the recording. How is the zoom feature in the ax53? Also the other question was about the viewfinder. I see that it extends but is that a problem with the larger battery? Thanks and excellent review - really helped.
Mahalo, Thanks for the review and info on the battery / where to get it!!! The pictures and video are fabulous!!! makes me realize I need to park the old HDR-CX7 (You think??)
nice review. I've seen some complaints regarding the autofocus not being able to locate faces, and it keeps focusing on the back ground. Have you noticed this problem?
Id say its possible but for me and what I shoot I have never had a problem with focus . In fact this has gotten some of the most consistently good shots for me. The camera does not have a shallow depth of field so it makes it easy to keep things in focus most of the time. I have the sony a6500 which is amazing but it gets out of focus much more often than the ax53.
Have you tried it on a Tripod i just learned that footage is very Shaky when Zooming while on the Tripod and you can't turn on Stabilisation and i was looking forward to getting a new Tripod also i Film Buzzards in the sky and find on really Bright days its difficult to see them through the viewfinder it would need a better Eye Cup.
Well i like my Sony FDR-AX53 and love it i had planned on the Panasonic VXF990 but glad i went for the Sony for one thing they are built like a Tank compared to Panasonic,my last camcorder was the Panasonic X920 1080P.
GREAT Review and I'd say that video has come a long way since the days of the full-size camcorders. I really like the test footage, it makes the most simple video come alive with the brilliant color. Tell me, I'm totally sold on this camera, but first I'd like to know if step-up and step-down rings can be threaded in to attach modifier filters for modification to photography? Thanks again for your great review.
can you post the settings you shoot on? I have this camera and the 4k seems to be really grainy even in good daylight shots in doors, Yet all youtube videos shows the footage as nice and sharp? I don't get it?
The battery seems to protrude a lot, does that affect the use of the viewfinder? It looks like I would bump my nose against the battery every time I'd try to look through the viewfinder :)
Hi can you please tell me I'm for filming a Wedding on Thursday with my Sony FDR-AX53 is it best to film in 1080P AVCHD Mode or Convert from 4K to 1080P i normally film in 4K but I've only 2 Cards and in 1080P i get about double the time on the cards.
+Pablo Vidaurre Thanks Pablo. Unfortunately I don't think there is any easy way to sync this with another camera for 3D. That is actually pretty hard to find these days. Maybe it will make a come back with VR becoming so popular now.
hi Rivers. did you ever post your calif trip you mentioned to show the fdr ax53 features/samples? I do videos for my club and my hd camcorder is 6 yrs old and i need to update it soon. thanks
+DarkDennis1961 You can use it for the worlds most high quality webcam if you have an elgato game capture amzn.to/1MLw1Ht . Just connect the HDMI to it and you can use it as a video input in some software. I haven't actually done it though.
Why is is that when I watch the Video on my TV (1080p Sharp Aqous Quattron), the picture is much, much darker than it appears in the Video camera's LCD screen???? Thank you. On the whole, loving this camera and its glorious 4K quality. Easy to use. I do experience "pan" blur when I pan about. Dont know why, but it does. Best, David
Fantastic quality. My Internet connection isn't fast enough to handle the 4K smoothly, though. The steady shot is almost good enough for professional work. I'm not into cameras, but thanks for the review, anyway.
I would like to know that with this camcorder you can shot videos and take pictures at the same time like some panasonic´s camcorders do. Thanks in advance.
Yes you can shoot video in 1080p and take pics at the same time. If you shoot in 4k you can capture frames from the video while reviewing the video and the pictures quality is very good.
Thanks for the review I appreciate it very much. Quick question. If I were doing continuous recording like recording a seminar for 5 hours. How long will the after market battery last? And how long will the memory card last? I guess what I'm asking is how many batteries and memory cards would I need?
+barbershop22 I don't know about the image quality but a big part of what you are paying for is the balanced optical steady shot. Also I've used a few different Panasonic camcorders and cameras over the years and they never nail the color and lighting indoors with low light quite like sony does. Outdoors Panasonic is amazing though.
Excellent review...just wanted to know whether AX40 available in India is same as AX53 or some upgrade?? I saw 64GB internal hard disk in the leaflet that I got from Sony store here.
Is this 4k camcorder really worth it? I saw this one (Sony) and Panasonic brand. Maybe if you could compare and contrast both of these brands? Thank you!
Great review. I have the ax33 and toggle from shooting 4K then drop it down to HD in order to shoot slow motion. Does the ax 53 switch between these easily? The ax33 you first have to switch from 4K to hd, then press ok 2 separate times, then select mode and then hd. Once in hd you can only shoot 3 secs of hd then wait 8sec to store before you can shoot 3 more secs. I hope the new one is swift between 4K and hd slowmo
I also have the AX33. The AX53 is pretty much the same as the ax33 EXCEPT that the menus are a lot faster. I think the processor that handles the menus is new. The 1080 120fps looks very good as long as the lighting is good. Good lighting is pretty much a must for almost all slow motion cameras though.
Do you know of an automatic metadata labeling system for video files? I just purchased a AX53 4K handycam, and I want to research the best system to save the hundreds of digital video files before I lock into it. Not on my computer, but to store all the files on an external hard drive that I can back up. I'm a Mac user, and I know the various video formats, but it would be great to find a system to: 1- auto name the files chronologically; 2- automatically import only the new shots; 3- easily highlight a bunch of shots for viewing (ie 'our trip'). Is there a perfect application that would be future proof? Thanks.
+Tech Connect Thanks for the answer. I'm trying to decide.So confused.Which one should I choose?cx 900 or this ax53? I'll use it for my youtube toy reviews.İmage quality and autofocus is important as I'm filming small detailed objects or dolls.Which one do you recommend?
Nice review, especially ur comments on the improved zoom control and airplane low light shots. Will the AX53 take standard hot shoe accessories in addition to Sony’s propriety stuff?
Excellent review! I bought the FDR AX53 three weeks ago and so far the 4k results are wonderful. Your review highlighted many features that are in the nearly 300 page operations manual, but typically the manual does not explain why and when those many features should be used. (Yes, I printed the manual back-to-back so that notes could be added).Thank you!Bill
Thanks for this excellent review!
Your arguments conviced me to buy this AX53 although I was keen to go for the AX700.
It is not a 1” sensor camera but it costs much less and seems to have impressive image quality. Also, it has a number of extra features that I need (e.g. extra gimbal stability!) and also weighs half as much :)
It’s time to turn in my HDR-CX550 for this new technical wonder.
You have explained really well. I have viewed several clips on this matter but I think you were most clear, honest and professional. Thanks.
Just got this for Christmas and dying to use it! Loved the video and would love an introductory video of you actually using the camera on a project taking us step by step through the process as you take us on an informational journey.
I'm in the market for a camera that does at LEAST 1080, 60p. Excellent continuous AF and shallow depth of field are absolute MUSTS. 4K and 120 fps are a good bonuses. The Sony A6300 and the AX53 both do all of the above. I imagine the A6300 is better in low light (though the AX53 does well too). Both cameras are the same price (body only on the a6300), but I wouldn't be too upset over spending another $300 for a lens. Video quality is king. Can someone PLEASE point me in one direction or the other?
Great video review, even 4 years later! What do you think of this camera now that it’s 4 years old... still worth it?
I still have the camera. I just got the Sony A7S3 but this camcorder has things that DSLRs don't like the BOS and super long fast zoom. I keep it around for travel because it just works and also everything is always in focus. For product videos sometimes you want everything in focus and big sensor cameras are hard to do that with sometimes.
best review i've seen out there.
Ken, you'll love the image stabilization. Here are my review thoughts:
This camera really excels in one department, and that’s the wonderfully effective Balanced Optical SteadyShot. There are four choices: intelligent, active, standard or off. When you turn the camera on (opening the side-screen or pulling the viewfinder rearwards will do) the camera shakes in your hand as the whole lens assembly jumps from rest and centres itself on the chip’s optical axis. This very powerful five-axis image stabilisation mechanism floats the whole lens block unnervingly, the block comprising (probably) 18 elements, two ND filters, the iris diaphragm, the zoom and autofocus operating solenoids. It’s quite remarkable to watch in operation as the complete lens assembly wafts about with a 7mm maximum excursion, as if it’s all floating on some invisible oil. This happens in real time; as fast as you can shake the camera the lens block counteracts you, painting the stationary chip with the stabilised image. The on-screen results are truly remarkable, and when combined with just a touch of Mercalli in-post stabilisation, make walks across a field look like tracks have been laid.
I knew how I could catch it out. Powerful OIS systems all show the dreaded and inevitable ‘overshoot and bounce back’, effectively ruining tripod shots. Of course such negative artefacts are there in your hand-held footage too, it’s just that the pros of OIS visually outweigh the cons. Anyway, I put the camera onto a nice fluid-headed tripod and did some quick pans and tilts. And you know what? The camera needs but one pan to ‘learn’ that its on a tripod, and how clever is this - it immediately switches the OIS off. Result: no overshoot whatsoever. Flicking the tripod’s quick release immediately and automatically re-engages the powerful OIS for hand-held use. It’s undocumented and I’m impressed. It’s a pity that shooting in 4k disables this magic OIS, but more of this later.
Thanks, Tom, for the additional excerpt from your review. I almost missed it because it is in a new comment!
The camera definitely has some impressive stabilization technology.
I’m puzzled as to why Sony doesn’t advertise the built-in ND filters. They would definitely be a selling point. A number of reviews note the lack of ND filters since they are common on competing cameras, especially camcorders.
I’m not familiar with Mercalli; I’ve mostly used Premiere Pro’s built-in stabilization. I’ll have to take a look at it.
Actually Ken I don't think highlighting the built-in and undocumented ND filters WOULD be a good selling point. The reason they're there of course is because camcorders of this ilk use tiny sensors (the 53 uses a chip slightly larger than ⅓'') and diffraction losses are horrendous, especially at short focal lengths (wideangle end of the zoom) and small apertures.
Manufacturers have been doing this for years. The Canon 310XL Super-8 camera had built-in undocumented ND way back in 1973. So if your camcorder doesn't have an ND filter switch on the outside then sure as hell they're built in. Panasonic, Canon, you name it.
Problem is of course that you're denied access to the lens apertures, so you can't control the DoF. I found out in my review though you CAN shoot in manual mode at smaller apertures than f/4, but the picture softness is horrible. You can see why Sony 'pretends' you can choose any aperture to control exposure, but in reality you're shuffling NDs in and out.
But making decent looking movies means keeping the shutter speed at 1/50th or so, any faster and the 'frozen frame' gives footage a very stataco look.
So there's reason for adding yet more ND to the front of the 53 to stop the camera upping the shutter speed in bright conditions. Except that I'd NEVER recommend it. Adding filters to any lens with such very short focal length is a real no-no.
Ah - compromises, huh?
@@tomrhardwick Yes, definitely a lot of compromises and complexity. I think I follow some of what you are saying, but not all.
Are you saying that Sony wouldn’t want to advertise the ND filters because it would bring more attention to the camera’s limitations (e.g., poor small aperture performance, lack of full manual controls)?
I am not understanding the last paragraph, particularly the last sentence: “Adding filters to any lens with such very short focal length is a real no-no.” It seems like adding an ND filter would cause the camera to adjust by opening the aperture, thus compensating, at least partially, for the diffraction induced softness associated with the short focal length.
That's exactly right Ken, if 'filmmakers' thought they weren't able to operate the camera in full manual control they'd feel cheated somehow. But Sony aren't alone, all manufacturers keep stum about the internally deployed auto ND. It's there of course to give you sharper footage, so it's there for all the best intentions.
The NDs are very close to the iris diaphragm so they're completely out of focus, even if they're only obscuring part of the aperture as they slide into place.
Placing filters on the front of the camera is a no-no because of the very short focal lengths give huge depth of field, even at wide apertures. Filters are ALWAYS dirty, however beautifully you clean them, and shooting into the light shows up the impurities as 'bits' on the footage. I'm afraid using such camcorders means accepting staccato footage in bright light.
@@tomrhardwick Thanks Tom. I appreciate your insights.
I don’t have a pressing need for a new camera right now. The ax53 is over 4 years old, and I’m tempted to wait and see if Sony comes out with an updated version. The recently released ax43 suggests that Sony does see a future for the consumer camcorder market, but the fact that it is a downgrade from the ax53 is discouraging. They may see more potential in the low end of the consumer market rather than the high end, so I have no idea when or if Sony will release an upgraded version of the ax53.
Wow, those night shots are gorgeous
Outstanding review on the AX53. best I have seen yet
Thanks so much Stewart!.
I have this baby for a few weeks now, too.
The touch screen sensitivity thing is just the other way around with me - my AX33's screen wanted a bit more attention to react while the AX53's is just right without having to break the glass. ;-)
I guess it's just production tolerance, then...
After having used the camera longer I think the touch screen sensitivity is pretty good. The problem was some of the buttons are on the edge of the screen and I was hitting a little off the screen so it wasn't hitting the buttons every time..
Because of you, I
bought the sony ax 53 .... and I'm sincerely very satisfied ... thank
you very much for your videos .... mine got much better with this 53....bye bye...keep the good work....big hug from Terceira Island in Azores....thanks
Glad to hear that Fernando. I love the AX53 as well and I'm still using it today along with the a6300.
Keep the good work, better reviews are yours...very well explained....thanks
Thank you so much for this video! The way you covered the functionality of the multipurpose ring was very comprehensive. I've looked at other camcorders and their rings are only dedicated to focusing. Also the hummingbird and flower footage was beautiful. The moon footage, spectacular!
THANK YOU for taking the time to do this. Really helped me make my decision. Gonna go get one!
No problem. How is the camera treating you?
Great! Used it yesterday for a shoot. I have a HCX1000 4 K from Panasonic that is use in the studio, and this little Sony is perfect for the field. Operating it from the app remotely is the bomb. Bought because I will be filming some surgeries for a physician client in Germany, and I wanted a light, 4k cam that I could mount on a pole and control remotely. Fits the bill perfectly. And basically I can travel with one suitcase less since dont have to take the large 4k with me. Thanks again!
Someone said the low light on this camera was grainy and they preferred the ax100 for such circumstances but your night footage looks pretty damn good on my iPhone screen. The overall capability of the image capture is phenomenal. 😱. If this is what they call alright and no usb attached inconvenience then I’ll take it! Thanks for the helpful clarifications. ✅🤓
What difference you found between SteadyShot Active, intelligent active. In moving from shooting hand?
I just bought the ax33 not four months ago, love it to death, but you're really making me wanna upgrade now. Thanks for the review.
Superb review it was clear precise simple to understand. And the video footage you attached really showed the performance of this camera I've subscribed cant wait to see more videos like this.
Thanks for the nice presentation of the AX53. Tomorrow I will buy one for myself. It will make a real nice companion to my A6300.
+Ron Soderlund Nice Ron. I have the AX53 and a6300 as my main cameras as well. I think you are making a good choice.
+Tech Connect which one shoots best videos?
I've bought 2 of these AX-53 cameras, both developed the same fault; touch-screen stopped responding to touch, making camera useless.
at 8:31 you present "BOS ...shot in fairly shaky conditions". But, or it is BOS shot 1080, or not BOS in 4k (as the ax53 does not support BOS for 4k). Which one?
Best review I’ve seen so far, cheers dude!
Excellent review , nice camera , your videos are outstanding !!!
Awsome shots of California flowers and nice presentation. Thanks
Thanks Ahmed!
Have you put this camera on a tripod?
Give it a try see what results you get?
Just turn off all Optical stabilization if you go to a tripod it remove any jitty if you a panning or tilting because I found that the BOSS is still trying to work but with it off there absolutely no jitty on a tripod. Like with any camera just ensure you set it up for the task required the AX 53 is such brilliant camera I purchased 2 and now intend adding the AX 700 for multicamera shoots use the 700 as A roll then the 53's as B & C Roll for a 3 camera shoot. They are excellent value for their price.
There is grain in the video of AX53, and even on the AX700 big brother. All 8bit YUV videos must have grainy footage.
Thanks. Helpful to know zoom has been improved. Also like the zoom feature on-screen too. I bought an ax53b. Do you know if the b designation indicates it is the newer version you are talking about?
Great review of the AX53, the best yet. I have been considering getting one of these camcorders, do you still recommend as this several years later?
Tk you
John Kaper great question. I’m looking to get one too
@@RobFuz me too
I just picked one up and also the ax700. To be honest I like the 53 better.
K.V. Surdas your welcome! I hope you enjoy it. Great little camcorder 👍🏻😊
Nice job. Thanks very much for taking the time to do the review.
you keep referring to 'last year's camera" versus "this year's'. Are you talking about 2 different models or just last year's ax53 versus this year's?
Very good presentation with useful information. Your video clips are sparkling good.
i am so getting this based on your straight up review.thank you.
I guess I’m 5 yrs late, but am thinking of getting one.
Gorgeous video shots.
OK this or the panasonic fz1000?
I've used several Panasonics in the past and they are amazing outdoors. Indoors the white balance was off sometimes. Sony nails it indoors and does a good job outdoors for me much more often.
How did you get the "bokeh effect" at 7:38 ? Suddenly passed by the second plan to the first plan... Thanks by advance.
the part where the plane takes off was sick! :D
This was the best review of the product... Good presentation and it answered some questions for me! Thank you! (And the music wasn't annoying... LOL) Well done!
Thanks so much Shewwler!
Important to me is the optical viewfinder. It's always bright here in Arizona. But when I look at the camera, it seems that the battery would keep your eye from being able to use the viewfinder properly. Or am I wrong?
Thinking about getting this for my dad. Typing this from his PC so its his account that this is coming from, but we've been using an HDR-XR160 that was purchased in 2011 (think the camera is a '10 model). It's 1080p and had a built in 160gb hard drive. Kinda weird that these new ones don't have built in storage, but no biggie. He has a new 1440p 27 inch PC monitor and a nice 2015 60 inch 1080p TV... I've read that if you have the money you still want to go with a 4k camera because of super sampling it'll look better on 1440p and 1080p screens. Seems logical right? What kind of jump in quality are we looking at coming from a 6 year old Sony camera that blew us away back then but now we can tell we feel the need to upgrade. He has a band for the record and this is mainly used to record his concerts as well as the occasional family event. I'm thinking about getting that external mic too if it really does improve the audio noticeably. $230 is quite a bit for a MIC which is something we've never used on a camera before. Is it worth it? I'd say 85% of his concerts are indoors (mostly in churches) so they aren't outdoors or in windy conditions. What do you think?
Thinking about going with the Panasonic HC-WXF991K due to stabilization issues on a tripod of the AX-53. We do A LOT of recording off a tripod. Thoughts?
Great review and thanks. Is it safe to get this camera or is there a newer model about to come out that you know of?
nothing?
Looks great... I don't know whether to get that one, the Canon HF G40, or the Canon XA30
I noticed the clip of the humming bird had a shallow depth of field. I use my mirrorless DSLR (Lumix GX8) and a wide aperture for that effect. Does this camera allow you to change the aperture, or were you simply using the longest zoom with the shallow depth as a accidental bonus?
Thanks for your recommendation on the Opteka higher capacity battery. It's great for the price.
Can you make a video of this camera explaining menus and also telling us how to put in best video mode for green screen
I have not had very good luck with green screen on this camera. Basically you want to put it into spot metering mode to use a green screen. You can have someone tap the screen on you to lock metering on you in front of the green screen. On the Sony a6300 it does amazing on green screen. Just put it in center metering and center focus and shoot in front of the green screen. It looks amazing. The first part of this video was shot on the a6300 amzn.to/2fKkWZu with a green screen.
Very helpful. Thanks
Very good presentation and a lot of helpful tips and techniques.
Thank you, very well done, unbelievable footage made by the FDR-AX53 :)
Great Review. Most likely going to buy this camera soon.
Good detailed review. The test shots looked great 😎👍
Hey, nice video! Thanks. I was hoping to hear something about the HDMI... Do you know if it'd stream so one could also use the camera as a broadcast device? Obviously given that the receiving end can handle incoming signal through HDMI.
there is no HDMI monitoring while recording in 4K yet works fine in 1080 formats will play back 4K fine via HDMI just not output while recording in 4K if you want that facility then look at the AX700 the only reason I found out was when out very bright sun the flip out screen can be a little hard to see but I got around that problem by 3D printing a slip on should for the flip out screen, that is proving to work fine .
You can really get over an hours of footage on one battery? I heard it was like 40 minutes.
+The Wooded Beardsman The screen says 2hr 40 min. I haven't actually run the camera for 1 hours starit recording but I have been out shooting for a few hours and I've never run all the way through the battery yet.
Tech Connect
Great, thanks for the reply!
No problem.
I like your green screen. Its noticable. I would recommend lighting your setup from the back a lil bit
I have always liked the 'fade out' function on other videocameras. It helps we separate 'days' etc. I can't find a 'fade out' on this camera. Is there some reason, some alternate function to use? Also there is no 'backlight' function I can find.
Good Job. I'm thinking of getting one. Pictures and video looked great at the end. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Russell. Its a very versatile camcorder.
that moment when you slowmotion a humming birds wings but still cant see them
To be honest, I was stunned by the daylight videos of the flowers and the desert. My only concern is that I'm 78. And learning how to use this camcorder intimidates me. Any suggestions for a slow learner?
Actually this camera is pretty simple. It pretty much full auto by default. I took the Sony a6300 and AX53 to yellowstone and I think the AX53 did the best. Having all the manual settings on the a6300 actually caused some problems on some of my footage. I'll have a video of the trip on my other channel Somecooltech soon.
Do you really need a ND filter and if so what do you recommend.
There are two (undocumented) ND filters built into the camera. Because of the tiny chip and the way diffraction softens the image, the camera inserts ND rather than closing the iris as light levels increase. So DoF doesn't alter even though you think you're 'stopping down'.
@@tomrhardwick Very interesting. I hadn't heard about this anywhere else. How did you discover this?
@@kendufner9733 I tested the camera for Film and Video Maker magazine. You can use a bright led light to look down the lens, and as the light levels increase you can see the NDs slide gently into place. If there's more light than the NDs can happily absorb, the camera raises the shutter speed per frame rather than stopping down the lens.
Here are my words:
To avoid the loss of resolution caused by diffraction, the camera uses undocumented automatic internal ND filtration. As light levels increase, the 6-bladed diaphragm closes by one stop and from then on two ND filters slide gently into place. The fact that the camera has such a wealth of manual controls has let me shoot footage and take stills at all apertures down to f/11 and I can tell you this: don’t allow the camera to shoot at anything smaller than f/4 at wide angle and f/5.6 at full tele, as the results are horrible. As light levels decrease the gain is pumped up to +24dB but even at this high amplification the results are acceptable. The only thing I’d say is I wish the displayed manual exposure bar would tell you when you were moving into the realms of gain-up and ND in.
@@tomrhardwick Thanks for the excellent detective work in discovering those undocumented ND filters! Those filters help to explain the versatility of this camera in full auto mode. I’ve seen a number of youtube comments from people considering adding external ND filters, but it looks like that may not be necessary unless working in very bright conditions or if you want even finer control over the aperture and/or shutter speed.
Also, thanks for providing the excerpt from your article. I looked for an online version, but I guess it is only available to Film and Video Institute members.
I have to correct my earlier question - I have a trv350. FX430 was the camera I had before that. The FX430 had a lot of motor noise when zooming. the trv350 is better but still picks it up in the recording. How is the zoom feature in the ax53? Also the other question was about the viewfinder. I see that it extends but is that a problem with the larger battery? Thanks and excellent review - really helped.
Mahalo, Thanks for the review and info on the battery / where to get it!!! The pictures and video are fabulous!!! makes me realize I need to park the old HDR-CX7 (You think??)
nice review. I've seen some complaints regarding the autofocus not being able to locate faces, and it keeps focusing on the back ground. Have you noticed this problem?
Id say its possible but for me and what I shoot I have never had a problem with focus . In fact this has gotten some of the most consistently good shots for me. The camera does not have a shallow depth of field so it makes it easy to keep things in focus most of the time. I have the sony a6500 which is amazing but it gets out of focus much more often than the ax53.
Have you tried it on a Tripod i just learned that footage is very Shaky when Zooming while on the Tripod and you can't turn on Stabilisation and i was looking forward to getting a new Tripod also i Film Buzzards in the sky and find on really Bright days its difficult to see them through the viewfinder it would need a better Eye Cup.
***** Thanks for comment I'm really only into Birds Of Prey though.
Well i like my Sony FDR-AX53 and love it i had planned on the Panasonic VXF990 but glad i went for the Sony for one thing they are built like a Tank compared to Panasonic,my last camcorder was the Panasonic X920 1080P.
thanks, your review was last drop and now I decided to buy it :-). Good review!
great video, thanks for sharing!
GREAT Review and I'd say that video has come a long way since the days of the full-size camcorders. I really like the test footage, it makes the most simple video come alive with the brilliant color. Tell me, I'm totally sold on this camera, but first I'd like to know if step-up and step-down rings can be threaded in to attach modifier filters for modification to photography? Thanks again for your great review.
can you post the settings you shoot on? I have this camera and the 4k seems to be really grainy even in good daylight shots in doors, Yet all youtube videos shows the footage as nice and sharp? I don't get it?
Yeah I would like to know the settings you are shooting in. I'm not able to achieve such sharp images.
A naive but sincere question: when, say, recording a stage play at night, would you adjust the ISO or would you use AUTO?
Thanks for the info - looks like a nice camera. I'm leaning more towards this camera because of your review. Thanks.
Thank you!
Just curious.. i dont have a 4k TV nor new HD graphic card on my PC. would it be a problem to view the result later ?
How is the Rolling Shutter on this Camcorder??
You better post the video samples for download. UA-cam downgrades the video quality, it actually looks so much better on 4k tv.
Is there actually any point recording in 4k if all I want to do with my videos is upload to youtube??
most people watch youtube on TV these days, so if your video quality isn't top-notch it'll look quite ugly on big screen.
bulbadox 👍
The battery seems to protrude a lot, does that affect the use of the viewfinder? It looks like I would bump my nose against the battery every time I'd try to look through the viewfinder :)
I read a user review that the zoom isn't really 20x - more like 8 x, when compared to another camera. Anyone seen this?
Hi can you please tell me I'm for filming a Wedding on Thursday with my Sony FDR-AX53 is it best to film in 1080P AVCHD Mode or Convert from 4K to 1080P i normally film in 4K but I've only 2 Cards and in 1080P i get about double the time on the cards.
Good job on the video. Does it shoot s-log 2 or 3?
Fantastic revue sir...when I get this cam...I would use it only in HD-mode...1080p..because of the stabilization..what do you think?thanx
Nice presentation. Does it have an audio in?
fv3video watch the video!
Images look ultrasharp. Very nice. Any way to sync with other camera and record 3d?
+Pablo Vidaurre Thanks Pablo. Unfortunately I don't think there is any easy way to sync this with another camera for 3D. That is actually pretty hard to find these days. Maybe it will make a come back with VR becoming so popular now.
hi Rivers. did you ever post your calif trip you mentioned to show the fdr ax53 features/samples? I do videos for my club and my hd camcorder is 6 yrs old and i need to update it soon. thanks
All these great features. but I still need an external mic and I would love it if I could use it for a web cam for communication.
+DarkDennis1961 You can use it for the worlds most high quality webcam if you have an elgato game capture amzn.to/1MLw1Ht . Just connect the HDMI to it and you can use it as a video input in some software. I haven't actually done it though.
Tech Connect wow thanks. i will get one.
+Tech Connect how does this work exactly?
thanks for doing this vid. It was very helpful.
take care -Chris
Thanks Chris. Glad you liked it.
Why is is that when I watch the Video on my TV (1080p Sharp Aqous Quattron), the picture is much, much darker than it appears in the Video camera's LCD screen???? Thank you.
On the whole, loving this camera and its glorious 4K quality. Easy to use. I do experience "pan" blur when I pan about. Dont know why, but it does.
Best, David
Fantastic quality. My Internet connection isn't fast enough to handle the 4K smoothly, though. The steady shot is almost good enough for professional work. I'm not into cameras, but thanks for the review, anyway.
+Jim Hart Thanks Jim. I appreciate the kind words.
I would like to know that with this camcorder you can shot videos and take pictures at the same time like some panasonic´s camcorders do. Thanks in advance.
Yes you can shoot video in 1080p and take pics at the same time. If you shoot in 4k you can capture frames from the video while reviewing the video and the pictures quality is very good.
How do you keep your house so clean and picked up?
+barbershop22 Its really easy. That's a green screen. I wish I could keep my house that clean.
Thank you! For a real beginner in video, will one of the previous models also be OK?
Battery Replaces the following Sony models: NP-FV30, NP-FV40, NP-FV50, NP-FV70, NP-FV100
not the ax53
Thanks for the review I appreciate it very much. Quick question. If I were doing continuous recording like recording a seminar for 5 hours. How long will the after market battery last? And how long will the memory card last? I guess what I'm asking is how many batteries and memory cards would I need?
Looking for one that does the Inferred mode for Hog Hunting at night. Do you have any videos on that?
Awesome review. What camera are you actually using for shooting this review? Thanks
Love your decorum.. The mirror in the back is beautiful.. Is it custom? I came here just to watch your camera review and I got so much more.. Thanks
Thank you so much Tamesha. This was actually shot on green screen and that is a stock photo from pond5.com
can you just use the viewfinder to record or does the flap need to be out too so the camera comes on ?
With this camera, how do you import your video to a computer and then later youtube, without lowering the quality?
I just got the Panasonic 770 which has the 1/2" chip like the Sony Ax53. Have any idea if the Sony is $500 better than the 770?
+barbershop22 I don't know about the image quality but a big part of what you are paying for is the balanced optical steady shot. Also I've used a few different Panasonic camcorders and cameras over the years and they never nail the color and lighting indoors with low light quite like sony does. Outdoors Panasonic is amazing though.
Excellent review...just wanted to know whether AX40 available in India is same as AX53 or some upgrade?? I saw 64GB internal hard disk in the leaflet that I got from Sony store here.
I think they are similar but the AX40 has no viewfinder. Personally I rarely use the viewfinder anyway.
Is this 4k camcorder really worth it? I saw this one (Sony) and Panasonic brand. Maybe if you could compare and contrast both of these brands? Thank you!
Great review. I have the ax33 and toggle from shooting 4K then drop it down to HD in order to shoot slow motion. Does the ax 53 switch between these easily? The ax33 you first have to switch from 4K to hd, then press ok 2 separate times, then select mode and then hd. Once in hd you can only shoot 3 secs of hd then wait 8sec to store before you can shoot 3 more secs. I hope the new one is swift between 4K and hd slowmo
I also have the AX33. The AX53 is pretty much the same as the ax33 EXCEPT that the menus are a lot faster. I think the processor that handles the menus is new. The 1080 120fps looks very good as long as the lighting is good. Good lighting is pretty much a must for almost all slow motion cameras though.
+Tech Connect thank you
Do you know of an automatic metadata labeling system for video files? I just purchased a AX53 4K handycam, and I want to research the best system to save the hundreds of digital video files before I lock into it. Not on my computer, but to store all the files on an external hard drive that I can back up. I'm a Mac user, and I know the various video formats, but it would be great to find a system to:
1- auto name the files chronologically;
2- automatically import only the new shots;
3- easily highlight a bunch of shots for viewing (ie 'our trip').
Is there a perfect application that would be future proof? Thanks.
what are those black disks on your wall? to the left, behind you...
Its a blue/green screen its not really his house
Nice review. Is it better than CX900 except the 4K ???
+Buse ve Anne TV I think the cx900 is more lie the AX100 but without 4k. It doesn't have the balanced optical steady shot either.
+Tech Connect Thanks for the answer. I'm trying to decide.So confused.Which one should I choose?cx 900 or this ax53? I'll use it for my youtube toy reviews.İmage quality and autofocus is important as I'm filming small detailed objects or dolls.Which one do you recommend?
+Buse ve Anne TV AX53 is better. IT is 4k has STEADY SHOT which is excellent and it is cheaper that cx900
Nice review, especially ur comments on the improved zoom control and airplane low light shots. Will the AX53 take standard hot shoe accessories in addition to Sony’s propriety stuff?
+BailandoLee Thanks BailandoLee. Yes it has a standard shoe and its a hot shoe for Sony accessories.
Thank you!