Product ReviewsSony Handycam HDR-FX7 DV Camcorder

a lot of options on this camcorder

sony hdr-fx7 in my opinion is one of the better video camcorders out on market. Very good hd quality, so many features, compact, very professional & sleek looking. Taking pictures are not excellent but good enough. Not enough megapixels, so pictures come out pretty grainy in most conditions... only better outside up close to subjects. Very good zoom lens. The only thing I dislike about camcorder is the poor sound quality & using dv cassette tapes, would be nice if it had digital sd cards or a hard drive for recording video. Needs a better way of transferring video... the only way is to use firewall. I guess you have to have sacrifices somewhere. I'm happy with it... I use a seperate hd digital camera for taking stills & I use sennheiser shot gun mic & xlr audio adaptor for shoe on fx7 camcorder, so I can at least record descent stereo sounds. You can purchase camcorders that include some of the extras I'm adding to my fx7, but I still think I made a good choice. I love the many other options on this camcorder. When zooming in on subjects, this takes great depth of field recording. There are many ways to personalize color & contrast, & many other manual controls on this camcorder. The LCD screen on this camcorder gives off excellent screen viewing. I believe this camera has been around for about 4-5yrs. I purchased this for a real steal. I'm still learning & messing around with this camcorder, but I'm very happy with the video it takes.Read full review...

Sony camcorder very good features

You have to have a working knowledge of camcorders to say it's easy to use.
This camera is definitely a good camera to own if you're doing semi professional jobs and family stuff.
The problem though is finding mini DV tapes (fortunately i have quite a few already).
The image quality is OK but not crystal clear. It's a little fuzzy though not enough to notice with the untrained eye.
I had the impression the camera used BOTH tape AND media cards for recording but my BIG disappointment was you could ONLY use tapes to record.
The weight is good and makes it easy to handle by hand or setting up on a tripod.
A very good buy for the price i paid.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: surplusnerds

Pro-like cam, light on audio features, avg low-light

I shoot pro video as my career, and have shot with Sony TRV900, PD150, PD170, HD1000, FX7, Canon GL2, one or two low-grade JVCs, a Panasonic and a JVC GY-HD110U (and a few consumer camcorders too).>
I purchased the FX7 because of decent price, and the fact that it's handling features are right up there with the pro cameras in terms of accessibility of the white balance, iris, exposure and gain.. and having the separate Zoom and Focus rings was critical for me.

The fact that it's missing XLR connections is a minor nuisance.. just get a BeachTec and you're all set there...

I recommend this camera, but have to add that it is *not* as good as the PD170 (standard-def) for low-light shooting... if you really need rich color saturation in low light, you'll need a 1/3" chip on any camera (this is only 1/4").Read full review...

Great camera, especially for the price!

When I purchased the camera, I simply needed a decent camera with a 4:2:2 color space that also shot at 1080i or better. This camera delivers in a spectacular way! Even the most mundane video has the colors popping in a realistic manner, leaving for less overall color correction in post. The audio system that is built in is a little less than desirable, as it uses the headphone style 1/8" phono plug instead of the much better XLR style. It will have to do until I can get a full on seperate audio setup. It is worth every penny paid for it, and highly recommended!Read full review...

Sony Handycam HDR-FX7

The Sony Handycam HDR-FX7 is a budget film maker's delight. The three C-MOS chips provides stunningly rich color reproduction in most lighting conditions. Film makers love manual control of camera functions, and the HDR-FX7 lets you dial in exactly what you need. You can store your favorite combination of settings in a menu so you can recall all those special settings with the touch of a button.

Cinema Gamma, combined with the manual 1/30 shutter setting provides an image which closely emulates the look of a 35mm film. External audio in and output connectors let you attach consumer audio accessories, and you can manually control the audio levels. There is no support for XLR audio inputs, so film makers will be forced to use an external audio recorder for professional audio, or they can use the camera's unbalanced 1/8 inch stereo input for decent, but not professional, audio quality.

Of course, there are those users who like everything set to automatic, and the HDR-FX7 accommodates that well. All manual, all automatic, or any combination can be easily made and stored for frequent use by the camera operator.

With the optional long life battery, you can shoot an entire eight hour day on a single battery pack without recharging, and still have power left to review what you shot. The FX7 shoots HDV video onto mini-DV tapes which some movie makers love, because it provides a tangible backup storage medium in case your computer ever looses it's hard drive.

The low light capability is amazing. You can shoot in lighting conditions where it's almost hard to see with your eyes. Of course, this by no means indicates you'd want to shoot without light, but you don't need much. You can get studio quality images by properly positioning a few standard household lighting fixtures. Out doors, you'll get images matching camcorders worth many times what this one costs. All in a device which weighs well under five pounds.

UPDATE 2011: This camcorder was purchased at a time when no other three CCD camcorder in this price range was able to record directly to SD memory cards. Now that 3 chip cameras in the 2000 dollar price range can record AVCHD onto memory cards, the tape based recording process is somewhat obsolete. Of course, there will always be some users who prefer tape over memory, and for those users, this is still an excellent camcorder.Read full review...

Would replace if need be.

I pick up this to see if it was better than my Sony 1000u cam which was bigger in size. I do like the smaller size and the body compare to 1000u. I do notice that this camcorder works better in lower light condition with the gain control that not on the 1000u.

Using the function buttons and menu take a little time to master but once you learn them they become second hand. Mike is ok but get a better 1/8 phono mike if you want better sound when recording music videos.

Over all the camcorder shines went you play back the tapes and yes you record HD on DV tapes which save money. It's light and can be held longer when need be. Great for wedding or church services.Read full review...

A great "prosumer" type camcorder for the non-professional user. A- features.

This is an excellent digital camcorder for the novice videographer who is beginning to explore High Definition video recording. It is lightweight and easy to carry, or travel with. The Sony or Kastar batteries are of the lithium-ion type and are easily rechargeable for long life. The best use of this device would be for home video or novice documentary production, and especially for travel. The Sony quality is excellent. The recording heads can block-up and it is useful to carry a head cleaning tape. The camera lacks the professional features of RCA or XLR connectors for use with external microphones. The camcorder is designed for down-loading video, via "i-link, to a computer program for editing.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: jamlink

A pretty nice Sony camcorder with beautiful HD picture

I've owned this camera for over a year now. I haven't used it much but when I have it's a great camcorder with a beautiful HD picture for a decent price. I bought a longer life battery as a back-up since the one that comes with it tends to run out of juice rather quickly. I also bought a fisheye lense and shotgun mic after buying it (I shoot bands and the mic that comes with camera doesn't do well when recording live music).

The picture is pretty outstanding (1080i) and it does shoot much better in low light than most reviews I've read on line stated it did, but I did buy a light to attach to the shoe on top of the handle and at 5/10 watts it is all I need for external lighting. Overall I think the camera is pretty good deal for the price and while not quite as good it does stand up well to some of the 3k + dollar cameras Sony has on market that I've played around with.Read full review...

easy to learn, lots of manual options

pro features and great manual options. one of the best hdv cams ever. beautiful crisp video and audio.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: tekdeals

i love my new sony hdr fx7!!!!!!!!

lt is a proffesional camera,very easy to use,
great hd 1080 quality image. i'm very happy with it
and recomended it for good quality video.