Sony NX30U .. Anyone have one?

farss wrote on 8/17/2013, 7:04 AM

Yes,
I've used the NX30P and it's a great camera.
I found the projector to be useful, the gyro stabilization to be great or a pain, thankfully you can turn it off. Low light performance is quite good for a camera in this class although you need to work at it e.g. use the exposure offset to avoid it adding too much gain and noise. A couple of days ago I was reviewing footage shot in a local speakeasy with very difficult lighting on the stage. This little camera did quite well.
Only real issue is you cannot get the camera into full manual control and that to me is a serious limitation and for that reason I do prefer the NX70P.

Early in the year I shot a performance piece over several days with both the NX30 and my EX1. Even under good lighting I can see the difference but hey, that's a lot of dollars for a not vast improvement that most will not see unless doing a direct A/B comparison of subjects with almost out of gamut colours.

Bob.

xberk wrote on 8/17/2013, 11:05 AM

Thanks Bob.

THe NX70 is close in cost .. but I like the look of the Balanced Optical Steady shot. Just curious, under what conditions did you find it a "pain" ?

Paul

farss wrote on 8/17/2013, 4:13 PM

[I]" I like the look of the Balanced Optical Steady shot. Just curious, under what conditions did you find it a "pain" ? "[/I]

It can continue panning when the camera has stopped panning.

Bob.

xberk wrote on 8/17/2013, 6:48 PM

Wow. Never thought of that.

One other thing .. is there a way to do interval recording on the NX30 .. even by hooking up an external i intervalometer? I have a need for time lapse now and then.

farss wrote on 8/18/2013, 2:05 AM

[I]" One other thing .. is there a way to do interval recording on the NX30 .. even by hooking up an external i intervalometer?"[/I]

Not that I'm aware of. How long an interval do you need between frames?
If it's really long it's probably better to use a still camera and power it down between frames. If it's not that long an interval just leave the NX30 running recording to its internal 96GB memory and then speed it up in Vegas.

Bob.

xberk wrote on 8/18/2013, 10:34 AM

>>just leave the NX30 running recording to its internal 96GB memory and then >>speed it up in Vegas.

That's what I normally do now. Generally those recordings are 1-2 hours. That's about the longest run I can get on a battery currently. I'd like the option to go longer.

>>use a still camera and power it down between frames.

So maybe I get the NX30 but also a separate camera for Timelapse that has some weather proofing and will go for long periods. Recommendations?

OldSmoke wrote on 8/18/2013, 12:27 PM

I was recently in the market for a small camera with high quality image capabilities. I looked at many, NX30, NX70 as I am a Sony fan thru and thru but I ended up buying a Canon Vixia HF G30. My first brand different from Sony and what a marvel this camera is. I will do some test footage and let you guys decide. Coming from a Z5U that has excellent quality although it is only HDV, I was seriously surprised by the image quality of this small camera. I am still trying to get used to it but I am really happy I got this one as it has 20x optical zoom like my big camera. The only issue I have with it is the mechanical zoom ring that doesn't feel as "direct" as on the Z5U. It also takes almost 360deg to get from 0-100% zoom which is not practical when shooting sports like figure skating. Also the hand on the zoom ring interferes with the open OLED screen and you cant avoid making some additional noise with your hand as the two mics are on top next to the zoom ring. I guess I have to get used to using the rocker again as I always use the zoom ring on my Z5U.

farss wrote on 8/18/2013, 3:44 PM

xberk:

With the largest battery available the NX30 will fill the 96GB internal memory before the battery goes flat.

OldSmoke:
The HF G30 is a nice camera but it really isn't in the same class as the NX30 or NX70 as it doesn't have balanced audio inputs. A more valid comparison would be the Canon XF100 which we had a long look at. With that camera you're back to a 10:1 lens but you do get 4:2:2 recording and I suspect a faster lens. You still lose the gyro stabilized lens of the NX30.

Bob.

OldSmoke wrote on 8/18/2013, 7:48 PM

farss
The XA20 has the XLR and the XA25 has SDI too, otherwise all three are identical. For me it was the 20x zoom and Canon's optical IS is fabulous too, specially the Power IS is excellent.

xberk wrote on 8/19/2013, 5:56 PM

The search goes on... but leaning toward NX30u .. the Balanced Optical Steady shot has me fascinated .. the audio is very very appealing too ... I've lived a long long time without the x20 zoom ...

THanks guys for all the input.