Well, it is almost the same camera as the AX100 I own. It has the same sensor just doesn't shoot 4K so yes, that is a great HD camera. I sold my GH30 and I am glad I did.

OldSmoke-
Glad to have your "NOD" on this..
I feel I'm in good company.
As you know, that 4k needs a kicka@# computer to deal with the incredible footage.
Of course wouldn't you know it.. Sony dropped $200 off retail of the HDR CX900.. I wonder will the FDR AX100 will follow????
I may end up buying a second CX900 if it drops below $1000.
BTW, How are you coming along with rendering that 4K in Vegas Pro?

I really want the x70. But I'm a little unsure of the upgrade to 4k situation. If the AX100 had a histogram I would just buy that one. XLR is also high on the list.

Old Smoke, in HD how is the rolling shutter?. I shoot football games and if there is too much rs it would be a deal breaker.

Is the HDMI out live or is there a delay?

JM

@mountainman

I shoot mainly figure skating; here is a snippet: http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39278380/sample.MP4
If you need XLR try a Beachtek DXA-HDV but a bit bulky if you go handheld.

@FPP
4K rendering sure is longer but not a big deal. Playback performance is another story. I am waiting to see how Nick Hope's new 5960X system is dealing with his GH4 4K footage. Currently I use proxies which are easy to work with, especially if you have Vegasaur but it does take an extra step to render all the proxies.

I bought the HDR CX900 because of finance limitations. I am on SSI disability and cannot have more than $2000 in the bank. Also I have a credit limit of $1500 on a card with the most credit so the HDR CX900 is the best I can do.

I wish Amazon and/or others would allow multiple sources to pay for stuff. Credit card one in combination with credit card two and so on instead of just one credit card only. That would greatly increase buying power and increase sales. I would call it 'multi-source pay'.

I originally bought one used from Amazon warehouse deals and had a lot of focus problems with it. I did the firmware upgrade and that made it better but still not where it should be.

I sent it back on the last day that I was allowed to and got a new one on sale for just $30.00 more than the used one and now with warranty. The new one works great with the focus even without the firmware upgrade. So the first one was definitely defective.

I read where one can use the lower bitrate dual recorded mp4 video as a proxy. They are recorded at the same time so there should be no sync problems.

True to almost all Sony cameras I have had over the years this camera leans on the overexposure side making the video unnaturally bright in my opinion. So I use the AE Shift to lower it by -1.0EV and just leave it there.

I do not care if the exposure is a little bit on the lower side because I can easily compensate for it if I want to. The color quality is much better this way in my opinion.

It may not be a 4k camera but for my budget, it is the absolute best 2k camera I can possibly get for my needs.

I shoot mostly Church videos where the lighting is crazy all over the place and is far from ideal for videos!

I set the AGC limit to 24db and noise is never a real problem. There is a quiet noise in the worst tests that I have made but not enough to require anymore work with.

It is beginning to look like the sale price might become the new regular price on this camera as they will probably sell out the stock and then discontinue it to focus exclusively on the 4k version. It has been on sale for an unusually long time for a Sony camera. In chat mode with Sony, I asked how long it would be on sale and they told me that they did not know. I pushed them for an answer and finally they told me it depended on how many they have in stock. So that is what gives me the hint of this camera being around for a limited amount of time.

I will probably eventually get a second one when they start showing up on Ebay but then the 4k ones might go down enough in prices that I can then go that route.

Next years model will probably be garbage compared to the cx-900 in features and censor size. Just like the old HC-1 that had a ton of features and then the later years models were junk or the PJ-710 which was great and then replaced by the PJ-810 which was junk.

I wonder what Sony will do with next years model that replaces the ax-100?

Going by Sony's track record, one had best get one while they are still hot!

I totally agree on the over exposure and I have set mine too to -1 on the AE Shift. I also moved the white balance a bit in the red area, i found the factory setting to be a bit too cool.

I bought the 4K purely for experimenting and personal use. With 4k at 30p its unusable for shooting fast motion like figure skating. However, it is great for the outdoors and hicking trips. The recent trip to the Grand Canyon was the first outing with it and I came back with some great footage. I still amde some errors, one was to set the stabalization to Active instead of Standard. Thatsetting causes some kind of wobble, jellow effect even when the camera is on the tripod. You cant pan with that setting no matter how slow you go.
I frame serve the 4K to HB, thanks to Marco's work, and the results are stunning. Reduced to 1080 and even 720 the 4K footage beats HD clearly.

" Reduced to 1080 and even 720 the 4K footage beats HD clearly."

Wonder if this is because of the 4K or if it is because of the improved 1" sensor combined with the new (and totally stunning in other cameras too) Bionz version X processor ?

What I try to say is: does 4K input from an AX100 give better final HD than HD input from a CX900 or HD input from an AX100 ??

I have been doing some searching as of late and cannot find out if the CX900 is capable of doing Live HDMI out monitoring. Quality really isnt a concern I will be using mine in a studio setup with the teleprompter/monitoring PC about 15ft away from the camcorder.

Thanks for the help!

@altimax98

What do you understand as Live HDMI out monitoring? Maybe I can test it for you?

"Reduced to 1080 and even 720 the 4K footage beats HD clearly."

On the 900, the video reduced to 720 beats any other HD I have ever had as well. I can zoom in 25% on the timeline and still be great compared to what I have used in the past.

No doubt that it will not be like the 4k, but still a huge improvement!

Maybe the camera somehow down-converts 4k internally? Maybe I am wishing? I do not know but it sure is a whole lot better...

Allowing me to pass a signal through HDMI to a monitor/tv while recording to the internal disks. I do not use any outboard recorders or anything.

More background on my setup. I record in a studio for internal news reporting. My camcorder is attached to the Teleprompter in the recording area. I have an HDMI cable attached to my current camcorder that mirrors the side screen to a monitor stationed on the PC desk. I then can control the teleprompter remotely from 15ft away while being able to monitor my output for things like the talent moving out of frame, hands etc.

"I have been doing some searching as of late and cannot find out if the CX900 is capable of doing Live HDMI out monitoring."

If you mean monitoring the video using an HDMI cable and an external monitor/TV while recording, I do this all the time. I have a 19" HD television on a rigged stand in the balcony where I do the Church videos and it looks fantastic! This helps me actually see if it is indeed in focus with no guess work.

Also works great for framing and seeing what my video actually looks like so when I get home there are no bad surprises and my editing time is significantly reduced.

Note: This cannot be done while shooting in 4k on the AX100 according to the manual.

https://vimeo.com/channels/cocnwp

@VidMus

Awesome that is exactly what I was looking for!

@altimax98

I am sure it can do that; the AX100 does. Honestly I don't know of any newer camcorder that can't do it. Even my simple Sony CX110 can do it.

Some DSLR have difficulties with it but I would say "most" camcorders can do it.

@Vidmus
I have to try it but I think it shoots in 4K but outputs to HDMI in HD while shooting.
Edit: You are right! It doesn't do it in 4K. You can have either live view or record, not both. The moment I hit the record button my TV goes blank.

@OldSmoke

Yup, I hoped it would support it. I have been looking mostly at DSLR's for the interviews I do. However the 1" sensor on this thing peaked my interest improving giving me a more preferred DOF while still offering the benefits of the Camcorder. I just wanted to ensure it still had HDMI Live out as you mentioned a lot of DSLRs around this price point offer 4:2:2 Clean output in lieu of live monitoring

I'm actually looking for a small , 7 to 9 inch portable monitor with HDMI input to use with the CX900.
Anyone know of some good deals????

@ OldSmoke

One thing that always bugs me is those trade-offs. Maybe they can come up with a firmware upgrade that will at least allow an output to HDMI in HD while recording with 4k.

I am still hoping they will sell a firmware upgrade for the 900 to up it to 4k. At a reasonable price! Considering what is under the hood that should be easy to do and provide some extra profits for Sony.

In the future, sell the basic camera with multiple levels of optional firmware upgrades at various prices. One can start basic and move up later on or just stay at the basic level depending on their needs.

They can call the cameras 'Flexicams'.

@Vidmus

I think that feature is reserved for the X70. What bugs me that there is no timecode at all, the HF G30 had a full flesh timecode menu. The other thing is that you cant take out the SD card without switching on the camera; there is no setting that would allow to switch off the power being controlled by opening the screen. My old CX110 can do that.

I have two old cx-110's, a 500v, a PJ710 and now a CX-900.

At least you can push the power button to turn it off after it gets turned on. LOL!

I never really needed the time code so that is not a problem for me.

I guess if one wants a fully professional camera from Sony, one has to pay some serious money for it.

I have been using Sony cameras for so long that I am used to the way they work and I do not want to learn new ways of doing things.

To me, the 900 is sort of like having a HD VX-2000. The VX-2000 was my best ever SD camera!

It takes a large, QUALITY glass (lens) to get the light and resolution in as well as a good sensor to receive it.