Product Reviews

Having had camera's since the eighties. I always try and choose the best camera i can afford. This camera's specification was outstanding and met all my desires. And I love this camera which sits beside me next to my computer. Now older I am video filming all my old papers and can cover a lever arch file in around 15 minutes, putting the papers in front of the camera one by one. I copy the film to the computer and capture each paper as a still for filing. The quality of the picture is as good as a scanned picture and saves me hours of scanning time. Only possible due to the quality of the pictures taken. At the back of the garden outside my window I film birds and squirrels in the trees as if they were sitting beside me. I only wish I'd had such a brilliant camera for the last 50 years of filming. I have attached a snap taken from a video I took of the moon to show the zoom and picture quality

It has everything you need on it to make and edit a high standard video ! easy to use and has excellent pciture quality !

Image quality excellent but beware there is no option for live telecast of recording directly to computer. unfit for the modern age.

As a recently retired broadcast cameraman with a restricted budget, I spent 6 months trying every camera available within a £1500 price range, and came to realise that the Sony AX100 far outstrips its competitors. The 4k quality is amazing and the camera's lightweight body makes it possible to carry it anywhere so that its instantly ready to shoot the action without needing to carry a tripod. Mostly I set the camera in auto mode with SteadyShot and its amazing how good the camera works everything out and enables really steady professional shots. The camera gives you full control over every kind of setting to adjust the iris, gain, shutter speed, focus etc, and after 10 hours of filming resulting in 4 hours of edited footage, I can say that I'm truly thrilled with the results. I am amazed at the quality of the night shots which didn't require gain and look amazing and the sound quality is also good. Having had the camera for 4 months now, I found the camera easy to use, lightweight to carry, and the auto settings were reliable and hardly needed any adjustments in post production. I can't praise this camera more highly, because its always ready to capture the action in superb quality.

It is small and easy to use, but also has a large sensor, If you are looking for 4K camcorder that is versatile enough to be used in both a casual and professional capacity with excellent build quality, manageable size.

I’ve had this camera for about two weeks, it has amazed me with the picture quality, and gives me the ability to zoom in and pan without drastic picture quality losses, obviously at post production on the timeline of Adobe Premier. The only draw back, which is very sad, is the lack of lens control whithin the remote control App (Play memories) whilst under Wifi control. Other than stop and start recording you can ONLY zoom in and out, if this had aperture control, and maybe focus it would get my full marks. So limited in my opinion, but a stunning camera.

I bought it 6 weeks ago and I am getting great results.

Even though the AX100 has just been overshadowed by the up and coming AX700, this product still delivers great quality footage. It is no A6300 in terms of 4K picture, but it does sing along all day without over heating of faltering. Touch screen is sensitive, menus just the same as all the others in the line up, I like the feature of restricting the gain setting to a maximum value to avoid noise. I find the picture is very acceptable up to 18db and some beyond if you're prepared to use noise reduction in your edit. CDAF performs very well, even better than my VG30. Whilst I wouldn't use it for 4K authoring, it makes stunning HD footage when scaled down in an edit and cropping in 50% gives no issues. Soft-High-Key provides great flat footage that can be graded, similar to Cine1 I'd say but you have to crack up the exposure compensation to the maximum of +2 to get a properly exposed image but this is great buried feature that is rarely discussed. I love it, a 128GB card and huge battery gives me all the life I need for weddings along with all the other Sony kit. A+++

This camera is a little gem. Full of professional features like manual override and it feels solid. I have only had it for a month, but have found the images to superb. One small negative is it overexposes in certain conditions and what may look perfectly exposed in the viewfinder is over exposed when seen on editing suit. Having said that...that is a small price to pay for a great video camera.

Easy to use, some funny button position lit the focus magifiier but an amazing picture and in low light as well. better that the AX33 I have although the AX33 has a better stabilisation system. Took a bit of menus could be better i.e. have user designed shortcuts to make navigation easier. Manual could give some advice as to how to get the best picture from your camera. Sound controls are limited and could do with a manual gain control button rather than the menu. Menus are similar between different models whioch make it easier to work with.

I bought the AX100 as a replacement for my very trustworthy Sony HDR-XR550 which is still going strong. I have only used my new AX100 a couple of times so far and tested all the recording modes and the results are great and processing is good in both Adobe Premier Pro and Elements my PC handles everything OK so I'm Happy, The camera is a little heavier and bigger than my XR550 but very stable and easy to handle and I love the bigger Zoom button which points the way you want to zoom and the zoom is very smooth and quiet. The sound from the built in mike is very good although as a rule I use a stereo videomic off camera for a more even sound when shooting in the studio. I have a 64GB memory card which I'm hoping will be sufficient for starters but will look to get a second card and spare battery real soon as don't want to get caught short when shooting all day. I'm looking forward to a good many years use with this camera and I know Sony's build quality will stand the test of time and of course Sony support is there to help if necessary. Not much more I can add at this stage but would recommend this camera 100% and of course the price is right and what a lot of camera for your money.

I bought this camera as I wanted to take my hobby to a higher level

i have a good handy cam 4k for record seconds of my life so happy.

All every think I'm OK but 1 comment I would like to show vdo online real time to projector for all person see in.It have option WiFi but i can't to do every thing, In the future if have option real time to show by WiFi I promise to buy again.

the sony fdr-ax100 is superb for interviews with clips, the picture is realistic and the manual controls very useful.

I have now used my Sony 4K on two trips abroad. Riga - weather cloudy and overcast, however the quality of the images were superb on he setting. St Anton, Austria, January, snow. Again quality of images excellent, and the 4K was easy to use.

SO FAR SO GOOD. HAVE ONLY HAD ITEM FOR 8 WEEKS AND USED FOR A TOTAL OF ABOUT 4 HOURS

Sold all my old slr gear and bought this as it does excelent video and stills and is compact enough.

Point and shoot mode is very good however, it's a shame that controls are only possible on the touchscreen, not in eyepiece mode. I have yet to experiment in manual mode but this will come. That said, there are many good features that are tweekable for personal use.in auto mode such as setting db gain and zebra but, the focus magnifier is impossible to access unless the cam is held loosely in two hands. Overall, it's a very capable tool but be vary wary of offers of cash back!

My earlier Sony camcorder developed a blue screen andI needed a camera which would produce recordings compatible with a Mac. Research produced the AX100. I also discovered 4K which is the picture quality of the future. The camera is excellent with smooth focusing and is really quiet in operation. It's billed as semi professional and there are many features that I have yet to be discovered . I recently took it to Zambia and using it hand held is very satisfying. An excellent product.

As an owner of Sony FDR-AX100 camcorder I soon realised the decision to upgrade was worth every penny. I produce animations, short movies to broadcast quality, i moved from Sony HDR HC1e and FX 1 to Sony AX100. i wanted near uncompressed quality, and with few options on the table i fell in love with Sony FX100 due to the ergonomic design, button layouts, large 62mm wide lens, manual controls including manual focus at the lens. i am yet to see the full potential of 4k, for this i'll need a TV that supports the output, what i can say to any potential buyer is that this camcorder can record in 4k and HD quality at the same time, ensuring that you have the original, master copy available for detailed frame by frame edits. Do not review HDR FX100 against an SLR with similar capability, this is designed for video and is best at doing that, the 20.0 Mega pixels photo is good - not as good as an SLR, and this is not an all-rounder, a multifunction it lives and loves videos it handles photos better than most bridge, cheap SLR cameras, if photo is something that you need look for a photo camera not a video camcorder. sound quality with built in microphone is good, but not broadcast, you need a professional microphone for this, it’s a bit heavy and this gives it the stability, holding it is best done with two hands or using a tripod, its not your holiday camera for that go with a cheaper HD camera. supporting NFC and Wi-Fi has given me extra control over the camera without the use of a supplied remote control, you can position the camera at a particular location and view on a smartphone what the camera sees, with ability to remote operate and record. night vision is as good as the FX1 the button to activate is under the LCD screen, not the smartest place to locate it. Remote operation does not have the ability to enable night vision, something worth recommending to Sony to develop. the built-in filters can be manually enabled with a selection of three noise reductions, photos are clear and quick, image stabilised lens helps with the distant objects. One feature I find useful is also the built-in USB charger, takes twice as long to charge up a battery than using the supplied power cable, it is useful when you need power without access or the need to carry extra cables.

I'm a long term semi professional stills photographer making a move to video for the first time. This is a great mid-sized pro-sumer camera with a wide range of manual control available for those with the desire to take full control. While it is perfect for those more experienced videographers, a little more forethought would make it easier to use by those familiar with photography but still relatively new to video. Picture quality is top notch at this price range, though the wind noise picked up by the built in mic makes the mic useless in all but the stillest of conditions. A simpler exposure compensation method in auto mode would be appreciated, perhaps via the manual dial. It could be something I missed however you seem to have Full Auto, Full Manual, a fixed exposure compensation via the touch screen menu or exposure spot meter again using the touchscreen but which permanently fixes the exposure for that one area. There does not appear to be a method of adjusting the exposure "on the fly" without resorting to touching the screen continually which pretty much makes the eyepiece viewfinder redundant, a bugbear in bright light situations! Beside the exposure the only other criticisms are:- 1) The sensitivity of the touch screen itself, which on my model is not very sensitive to not at all, requiring multiple attempts to invoke a command. 2) An over sensitive zoom rocker which while being variable seems to go from very slow to extremely fast over a millimeter or so of movement. A low/high sensitivity button to select a preferred option would prove useful here. And finally, 3) The user guide could be rethought as it is pretty useless as an instruction manual and I found myself having to resort to the internet for user instruction videos. These somewhat minor issues aside this is a great camera and well worth the investment for those wishing something above an all automatic camera.

The first of these that I bought developed a fault within the first week that necessitated returning the camcorder. The supplier did not have any more and instead refunded my money. I liked the features on the camera, so I looked around until I found a second supplier selling for the same price. That camera has performed flawlessly in the two weeks that I have had it.

Used this week and it has a excellent picture and video quality ease of use and very flexable

I great camera - high quality results and easy to use

A problem that I have is that I cannot find in the manual any instruction on how to change the audio system from two channels to five point one channels. At the moment I am stuck in two channels. Help.

I bought this mainly because of the ability to record in very high resolution and the provision of a viewfinder - so often missing nowadays and so necessary in sunlight. The controls for the right hand fall easily within reach and are easy to operate. The built-in USB connection is useful, especially as my current operating system (Yosemite) does not currently support the wireless transfer. The tripod connection is OK for my current tripod, enabling battery changes without removing - useful. The best - and extremely east-to-use feature - is the ability to adjust gain, exposure and shutter independently, yet with the same thumbwheel - excellent design. The addition of an operator's voice modulator is surprisingly useful, as is the vast amount of on-screen data available if needed. The operation of the viewfinder also turns on the camera - a nice touch. Inclusion of a focus magnifier is great for a camera in this price bracket and I expect to produce some excellent results with it.

Received the Sony product and used it for a day, checking out all the features. I went onto the Sony website and registered the AX100 E . I saw the firmware could be upgraded from Version 1 to V2. Followed the instructions, but the whole lot stopped halfway through the sequence. The camcorder would not switch back on. Contacted Sony and the camcorder is now with them.

Many different functions including a "Night Vision" function. Zooming can be done either using buttons on the right side or using a lense ring for slower zooming. Microphone input, headphone input and multi input for connecting external drives and controllers. The quality of a sound is perfect! Long battery life and many other good functions. The only thing I did not like in this camera is that it is not stabilizing properly: it only stabilizes small vibrations but when you walk, you can't see it working. I hope you'll enjoy having such a good camera!

I own a 4k AX100 Sony Camera. The Sony 4K AX100 camera Has : 1. Very bad Pop Up Display (The picture you see are far away from reality) 2. Rolling Shutter (When you pan the camera). 3. Disappointing Steady Cam (Active mode very poor quality of picture) 4. Very Slow auto Focus 5. The camera format the SDHC card only in FAT32, resulting no ability to capture 4k footage (the card must be exfat format to capture 4k) 6. Few Small keys (you really need more keys to do the job). 7. Unacceptable and slow way to change between shooting styles 8. Unacceptable Voice cancelation which destroying the sound. 9. Picture Noise in High Gain setup. 10. 4k 25FPS Movie Mode The Sony 4K AX100 camera Has NOT: 1. Power on/off switch. 2. Speed Motor Zoom. 3. A way to take the SDHC card without turning on the camera 4. Enough keys to do the job. 5. A Universal Hot Shoe 6. Limit Storage to 64Gb SDHC. 7. Line in Audio. 8. Accurate manual zoom and focus control (The ring is Digital not Analog). 9. HDR Back Light Image Correction (Its Hard to film a face that is in front of a sun light) 10. Ergonomic position for the keys. With Sony 4K AX100 camera You Can Do: 1. Filmmaking 4k 25FPS Stereo Sound 2. Filmmaking dual file. Original size & 720p (720p very reduced quality reference only) 3. Filmmaking FHD 50FPS 5.1 Surround Sound 4. Filmmaking SLOW Motion 720p 100FPS (Reduced Picture Quality) 5. Filmmaking with Three Built in ND Filters (Really Helpful in bright scenes) 6. Manual Controls for Aperture Gain Shutter (individual keys). 7. Manual Focus. 8. Manual Zoom (The same ring as Focus - you can only play with one of two) 9. Take Pictures when you filming (not so good quality) 10. Acceptable quality of motion picture working in auto. With Sony 4K AX100 camera You Can NOT: 1. See what you 'll finally get in TV (Unacceptable camera monitor) 2. Get Sharp image at 720p High Speed Filming. 3. Work with standard hot shoe equipment. 4. Make studio quality motion or still pictures. 5. Film more than two hours 15 minutes with one SDHC card (4k) 6. Flip the Display and continues shoot with the View Finder. 7. Have easy Manual Zoom accurate (speed) 8. Have easy Manual Focus accurate (the wheel is electronic with digital steps) 9. Wide Screen Motion Shots at High Speed rates (720p 100FPS) 10. Count on very HQ as advertised. Lower than a DSLR Way Lower Than AX1. 11. Bright Lend (only 2.8F wide 4F Zoom) Finally Thoughts Think Twice Before Buy it. The Size of this camera in not for everyday shoots. The Picture and Sound results cannot fulfill your expectations for this price. K2

Very stable pictures even when hand held. The buttons could do with more spring in them as it easy to "touch" them accidentally and get something happening that you did not want. The quality of the videos are superb. Very good lens and works well even on digital telephoto. Needs a safety leash as it is easy to drop from the right hand hold, and it would be a good feature for filming "looking down off a bridge" for instance.

I purchased the AX100 camcorder and I am very pleased with the features and performance. The only minor criticism is the screen has to be opened (as opposed to the eye piece) to be able to plug in the head phones. The head phones are great for monitoring the sound quality.