Sony NEXVG10 Full HD Interchangeable Lens Camcorder (Black)

When I 1st study about this camera, I couldn’t wait to get a single. Interchangeable lenses, massive sensor, tiny size, HD, 14MP stills and far more for two grand. It sounded to very good to be correct, and it was.

I will say that the shot footage looks fantastic, if there’s adequate light. But if you shoot a thing with a busy, repeated texture, moire patterns show up – extremely annoying. Other Sony camcorders in this price tag range show a extremely beneficial zebra pattern in places of blown-out whites, Sony made the decision to omit that in this camera – weird.

An additional unusual omission is in the nevertheless pictures – yes it requires fantastic stills BUT doesn’t save them in RAW format, just JPEGs. The lesser cameras in the NEX line save in RAW. Why would Sony do this? It makes no sense. If this issue shot in RAW, Sony would have the hottest camera on the planet.

Controls -you can control most of the functions manually, but you have to go by way of an array of odd menu functions to do it. I fully grasp that an upcoming firmware update will make this considerably less complicated, but for now it’s just a discomfort. Another pain – you have to leave the keep track of door open all the time to access the controls – you can turn the keep track of off and just look through the viewfinder (thankfully).

Glass – the included 18-200mm lens is really great – great excellent glass with just sufficient drag on the zoom to hold it smooth-I don’t miss a motor zoom at all. I purchased the wide-angle 16mm lens-which I also like – and it’s a bit better than in low light than the included lens. I most likely won’t get the 18-55mm lens (it seems kind of redundant). Sony has promised more lenses in the E-mount line. Lens changing is rapidly and straightforward.

Mac Users
Sony and Apple – what a sad story that is. You can import footage into Final Cut Pro with Log (Lag?) and Transfer, but you won’t like how it looks or performs. There are conversion and “wrapper” utilities out there that operate, sorta. You’re far better off employing Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 with files from this camera. I favor FCP, but files from this camera look and operate far better in Premiere Pro. If you only use FCP, this camera is not for you – till Apple and Sony can settle their variations and FCP is updated. Windows users have much more possibilities with Sony’s own Vegas system, Avid and other people.

Sound-The onboard mic is pretty great, and there is a mini jack for an external microphone (no XLR input) but Sony decided to omit manual level control – only automatic levels for sound. Once once more Sony omitted one thing that its other value-class camcorders have. If you have to use the onboard audio, every little thing sounds OK-till you hit a quiet spot – then the auto acquire pumps up and whatever space noise there is hits you at multi-decibels – which implies you’ll shell out a lot of time in post ducking room noise. If you are significant about sound, you will have to use an external sound recorder. (Zoom makes some great ones)

Camera Strap Holders – The designers at Sony did not consider this via. Actually really negative placement. If you have a ,000 camera in your hands, you have to put a neck strap on it. Sony put the strap holds in a spot exactly where your strap will cover the record button AND interfere with the open monitor door. It wouldn’t be as huge a deal if you didn’t have to hold the monitor door open to access the controls. I’ve tried placing each strap clips on just the front holder-which is a tiny better, but nevertheless a discomfort. Why didn’t Sony put the holders on the bottom of the camera, exactly where they would not interfere with the controls? A mystery.

No memory card is included with this camera. If you order it, you’ll need to purchase cards so you can truly use the camera. Buy the fastest biggest cards you can afford. Memory is rather cheap these days, and it is odd that Sony didn’t incorporate at least a 1 gig card. Not a massive deal, but odd.

This unit has the potential to be a fantastic camera for it’s price. The annoying menus, the lack of RAW file storage, the auto-only audio levels, the moire patterns, no zebra pattern and the strap holders keep it typical. Sony could fix a lot of of these difficulties with firmware updates – and maybe they will. I’ll add to this assessment after the upgrade comes out.

If you purchase this camera for planned shoots (like indy films or internet videos) and have an external audio recorder-you will like this camera a lot. You can get gorgeous perform completed on it. The glass and the huge sensor can give you some of the very best-hunting footage doable in a camera in this cost range.

If you’re a live event shooter – this almost certainly isn’t your camera, nevertheless.

Occasion shooters would love to have a wonderful hybrid video/nevertheless camera. No RAW files and the menu access to controls just won’t make it for those who dream of the excellent camera.

One of these days, Sony or Cannon or Nikon or Panasonic or somebody will place it all together the correct way – and…

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At very first I was quite excited about this camera. I function as an event blogger/videographer and figured this camera would be excellent for my desires. Even so, if I knew what I know now right after a weekend of shooting, I would have made another camera option. I shot over 300 video clips with this camera the weekend soon after I received it.

1. The menus are clumsy to negotiate especially given that there is no touch screen. A touch display would make life with this camera considerably quicker and easier in order to change settings quickly. Also, the “wheel” which is necessary to scroll through the menu is not friendly and way too sensitive. Even though scrolling, if you are not Really cautious and you apply to a lot pressure to the wheel, you activate a menu item that you did not intend. And despite the fact that you can look at the menus via the view finder (good for brilliant sunshine scenarios) with a touch of a button, you nevertheless have to have the keep track of door open to access the buttons. So you have to search away from the viewfinder all the time in order to locate all the buttons to transform the menu settings.

2. The “Record” button is not as responsive as it really should be. After pressing the Record button, there is at least a one particular second lag period prior to the camera actually begins recording. It is the same when you quit recording. A camera of this top quality really should commence recording quickly when the button is pushed. I was shocked at this due to the fact I’ve previously owned Sony cameras exactly where the recording started instantly after pushing the button. The identical factor occasionally occurs when switching from Video to the Photo mode. Though the button is convenient, there is at times a lag ahead of it really makes the switch. Lastly, both the Record button and the Mode buttons do not “beep” when pressed. This is a noticeably lacking function that is good to have to warn of unwanted activation.

three. The car-focus has difficulty retaining up with the zoom or won’t concentrate at all. This is the most frustrating of all. At instances, I could not get an object focused at all, specially at increased zooms. This was in full daylight circumstances. This didn’t take place all the time, but happened adequate to be worth mentioning.

four. I agree with the prior reviewer about the camera strap. Very first, no strap is included which is ridiculous for a 00.00 camera. And second, the strap attachment point is next to the record button so the strap gets in the way of the operation Every single time.


Overall, I’m kind of disappointed particularly soon after spending 00.00. I do not think the camera is user friendly whatsoever. The only good factors I can say is the reality that you can modify lenses and the video high quality is superb. The other good issue is all the distinct video settings for inventive style. Even so, the menu and controls are so unfriendly that changing the settings are not worth messing with, specially if you are in a hurry for a shot. The camera is not horrible, but it is not that fantastic either. I would look about at other cameras and evaluate prior to buying. Or at least wait till Sony fixes these problems in future versions of this particular unit.

I have employed this camera over the course of the final month and I would have to say that in common I am very disappointed with it. Even so to commence with I would have to say that there are a range of aspects that relate to this camera that are really pleasing. In comparatively low light it has made an exceptional image and the top quality of the microphone is quite very good. If you use the camera on a tripod it is very good but its use in other contexts is feeling considerably a lot more problematical.

I believe that in some ways I am surprised at Sony. I have had excellent pleasure from a good range of Sony merchandise and that makes me inclined to buy a lot more of the Sony range. At the same time I have a challenging drive high definition recorder that is a pleasure to use from Sony but does not generate the excellent of sound nor is it as versatile in low light.

With the camera you do get the Vegas premium computer software which is outstanding, although I did acquire the Vegas pro which is a excellent piece of software program.

There are a number of issues with the camera that I can not even vaguely fully grasp. The balance in holding the camera is very poor and it is quite heavy in the front. So that if you are filming and pointing forward and move towards the vertical the lens unwinds itself. Now I was trying to photograph some old photographs and had these on the ground and I had to physically hold the lens to stop it from zooming out.

My other Sony has the pleasure of a touchscreen and this has an unbelievably awkward method of manipulation to attempt and get to the display and activities you want.

The sound technique does not allow you to control acquire and this indicates that periodically you land up with other unpleasant noise that gets picked up when the microphone suddenly becomes quite sensitive. This merely adds to editing hassle or no conceivable value.

It does not come with a strap and I produced the mistake of acquiring one particular. It has to be the most awkward placement of any strap that you can picture. It is appropriate in front of the buttons and if you do have the camera on the strap it has to be the most awkward really feel that you can visualize.

As a still camera I would have to say that it is excellent, but I do feel that the designers that are very poor quality job in releasing this camera so prematurely. The battery housing in the back is so awkward, and there is a extremely tacky icky piece of plastic to cover the awkward back. My impression is that they want to make a video camera did not have the courage to make it the exact same shape as a still camera. They nonetheless really feel that people ought to have a video camera that looks like a video camera. Even so you now finish up with this awkward system that is neither fish nor fowl. It is awkward to hold and not pleasant to use.

I first Sony nonetheless camera SLR was a related premature release of a idea exactly where it was not finished off correctly.

Sony in a lot of methods produces a lot of outstanding goods. At the identical time it does do a amount of inscrutable factors with products that it does release. This camera has the really feel of possible excellence, but has a significant lack of resolve from the developers to generate a suitable completed product. My impression that they released a half baked idea that relies on the technology but fails on the industrial design and client test side.

For it to be a satisfactory camera it desires to have properly regulated sound, the stability desires to be sorted out and the lens can not behave as it does. The battery needs to be quickly accessible and the back wants to be sorted out. If it does will need to appear like a SLR, so be it! It ought to have touchscreen.