Customer Reviews
great night shots 
2005-12-09
Camera is way better than the sony HC1. Night shooting is great and colors appear natural and there is not much noise or smudging of colors. Would recommend it in a heartbeat. My 37 inch 1980x1080 LCD becomes an window when I hook up this camera to it. Great buy!
Wow 2005-11-20
I just recently purchased this camera, and haven't had a chance to use it professionally yet. I did use it to shoot a school event for my daughter. I shot with two cameras and the picture quality of the fx1 was beautiful(actually too good to edit in with the other camera's shots). I will definitely be buying a second one soon!! Only for the serious videographer this camera would be overkill for someone looking to shoot home videos.
excellent! 2005-10-08
Indie Filmmaker here, always looking out for a better camera!
The Sony HDV series is an astonishing technology
Don't let people tell you that the footage is "too compressed" ---- technically, it is, but once it gets on screen, it looks stunning!
I haven't done much filming with this camera ---- but I have seen its footage and edited its footage
Both on television and the computer monitor, I was impressed with its 'look' ---- very detailed and extremely clear
Editing was a BREEEEEZE with this footage! I edited on Final Cut Pro and could composite 5 layers all above each other, each with a different opacity, and FCP's real time engine kept up without having to render! Thus, the compressed footage makes editing EASY - but Sony has managed to make a beautiful picture out of this stuff too
For the Indie Filmmakers out there ---- test one out before purchasing..... I find the Sony HDV to be the most clear look out there --- emulating a beautifully shot NFL game on HD..... but for cinematic looks, I still may stick with the Panasonic DVX100, as there is a more cinema feel to that one
hope that helps
HAPPY BUYING!!!!
Braodcast Quality 2005-07-08
The quality of the HD video is equal to that of HDTV cable and DBS channels.
Best camera out there 2005-05-13
Hello, I bought my Sony HDR-FX1 about a month ago from amazon.com and let me just say that this camera is amazing. The resolution, when on a computer is 1920x1080. That right there is enough to sell the camera! Its great for me because i work with CG and CMI, the higher the resolution, the more accurate you can be. This is also great for blue/greenscreening as the high resolution, and the amazing color. There are several different modes to shoot in (all are customizable) you will mostly want to make sure you shoot in Cinemaframe30 or Cinemaframe24 because it will look just like film. You can also adjust how much color is allowed in, standard it is at "0" but you can up the color so much that its more vibrant then most movies. The new willy wonka movie has broad, powerful colors and this camera can easily achieve that. I would talk more about this camera but im out of time (great DOF). So dont get stuck in the Canon Xl2 fad where you pay 3,000 more dollars for a crappier camera.
Super Camera!!! 2007-12-12
My wedding cinematography studio purchased this camera just about a year ago. We love it! The quality is outstanding - the 16:9 is so beautiful.
Easy to learn. Good weight and feel. The LCD is HUGH!!!! We are planning to purchase two more early next year!
Superb!! 2007-08-08
Sony HDR-FX1 3-CCD HDV High Definition Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom
Just one word of warning, the camera can get heavy, especially if you use the standard battery it makes the camera very front heavy, but oh well.
This camera is totally customizable in which it is either all auto, manual or some of both. It has 5 presets that are customizable. The cool features about these presets are that you can get a 24p, 30p (cineframe and cinetone), and 60i modes. The 24p and 30p refers to the "film" setting. You can record in true 16:9 widescreen or standard 4:3 letterbox. The high def mode will only do 16:9. I wouldn't listen to anyone who says the widescreen is a stretched 4:3, because its not. You can also hook in headphones, and an XLR adapter. This comes with a 2-hr battery. There are just 3 things I have beef with about this camera. One is the fact that it doesn't have XLR inputs - you'd think that after spending 3K on a camera you'd get some. 2nd: It records in 1080i. Not exactly terrible. 1080i is not true HD, but nor is 720p. True HD is 1920x1080p. But, recording at this high of resolution means spending more money. 3rd: This thing can't record in 24p.
I'm a video production major and I love this camera. It not really just a consumer camera, but a professional consumer camera. I highly recommend it, its well worth your money. Yeah it has come cons, but I think every camera will. This is by far one of the best on the market.
Sony's got a winner here! 2007-07-07
I have been using the DCRVX 1000 for over 10 years and it has done well. However, the FX1 is so far superior in every way. The only feature I miss is the "overlap". So far, the color, the detail, the feel (a bit heavier than the VX1000) are even better than I expected. HD is as close to reality as possible. I have 2 weddings that I will soon record, and I feel confident that the FX1 will perform without fail. I recommend this camcorder for the very serious videographer. It is priced $2 thousand less than the VX1000 sold for in "96 at $5 thousand. Technology has improved while costs have fallen. A good buy at 3 grand.
Great for short films! 
2007-02-19
Got my hands on one of these babies this weekend for a no-budget short film. Loved it. So easy to use, and the picture is great. It's true, the finished look is not "cinematic", which is a fair criticism, but for the price it is great if you're looking to upgrade to a high-def digital picture. Watched the playback on a 16:9 widescreen TV before editing and it was beautiful. However, you can't rely on the auto-functions. Tried using auto-focus and auto-iris at the start, but ended up doing both manually for the most part. A small complaint considering a real filmmaker shouldn't be using them anyway. Otherwise, a great camera.
fabulous!!! 2007-01-11
truly a dream come true. even received a phone call to tell me when they would be delivering it since it is a higher dollar item. very professional.
