Billed as a replacement to the milestone FX-1, the new camcorder is similar in many ways. It will be released later this year, with a Z-1 replacement slated for a month later.
Reviews are still scarce, but I found one here. Based on a quick read, I see four significant differences from the FX-1:
(1) the zoom lens is a 20:1 Sony rather than a 12:1 Zeiss.
(2) The imagers are now CMOS, not CCD.
(3) The zoom lens now has no fixed zoom points, a step backwards.
(4) 24p is now supported.
Sony says the new imagers are about one stop more sensitive. Whether they make this claim based on shooting at 24p (like Canon does) I can't say.
Anyway, my FX-1 is built like a tank and I am pleased with the performance, so the new model is not on my "must have" list for Christmas.
Reviews are still scarce, but I found one here. Based on a quick read, I see four significant differences from the FX-1:
(1) the zoom lens is a 20:1 Sony rather than a 12:1 Zeiss.
(2) The imagers are now CMOS, not CCD.
(3) The zoom lens now has no fixed zoom points, a step backwards.
(4) 24p is now supported.
Sony says the new imagers are about one stop more sensitive. Whether they make this claim based on shooting at 24p (like Canon does) I can't say.
Anyway, my FX-1 is built like a tank and I am pleased with the performance, so the new model is not on my "must have" list for Christmas.