Man awesome video, you've definitely reviewed the most important aspect of this camera. You've got straight to the point by showing of the stabilisation, wish I had this camera a year ago. I do lots of walking videos like you showed; it's so smooth with Inteligent Active!!!. Mate I can't wait to buy one soon, my videos are too rough now as I'm walking around a lot with just a GoPro and a simple point and shoot. I'm getting the AX53 next week.
I didn't notice much difference between normal Active vs Intelligent Active. Even though 4k does not have IA, it looks like normal Active would be just fine in 4k.
Great videos, and thanks for the replies. My AX53 turned up yesterday, I think this will be the camera for the airshows this year. I love the canon legria G40 but the problems with the dark edges make it unusable for aircraft. Thanks and great channel
Thanks for this - It clearly shows the difference between the modes. I have the FDR AX43 and I just can't seem to get a stable walking shot and also there seems to be a lot of motion blur for me, no matter how smoothly I try to glide the camera. I must surely be doing something wrong. I notice it tracks my face very well in selfie mode and seems a lot more stable that way, so I'm wondering if I need to literally focus on a specific point that in the centre of where I'm walking towards. Any thought on this?
You have switched it to "Active" stabilisation mode? It's certainly best to try to hold it as stable as you can to assist it. But walking with a camera is a big ask, which hadn't really been solved when the AX53 was developed and I don't know any camcorders that work well like that. I never use it for walking shots unless I'm bending my legs as I walk (sort of crouching) to help smooth it out - clearly not practical for talking to cam at the same time. If I was going to walk and talk to a camera, I'd use a GoPro Hero 8/9 or DJI Osmo Action (I have the latter) with a compact mic attached
Thanks for your walking tests. My AX53 has nothing like the stablisation that you demonstrate. The image ' jerks ' sporadically during stabliisation as though someone had tapped the camera. I assume that the stabilisation system on my camera is faulty, so I will return it to Amazon. The video was useful to me - perhaps not in the way that you intended !
It will jerk if the amount of movement it's trying to correct is too extreme so it has to "reset" where the middle of the image is. You're not zoomed in at all are you (this will exacerbate the effect since more telephoto means greater wobble in the image)?
Great videos! do you know if they have fixed the shaking issue when mounted on a tripod as of Sept 12, 2016. I would love to get this camera from all the info you have on your other videos but since I would primarily use this on a tripod, I would like to know that they have fixed the issue? Thanks
David, have you tested this camcorder on a tripod for video while zooming in and out? I have read several people now stating this was a deal breaker for them after they had purchased it and used on a TRIPOD. While zooming or even touching the camcorder apparetnly at all, they note a very noticeable shake in the video. I believe this is with either stabilization on or off and as I understand it is currently being discussed on Sony's help forum.
Can't say I have, mostly because a) I hate zooms in video and b) I wouldn't expect to get a smooth zoom by using a tiny rocker on a camcorder. That said it sounds curious so maybe I'll give it a try out of interest. Cheers
+Toy Hunting Gamers Just an update - gave it a quick tabletop test and it was fine, stabilisation off or on, 4K or HD. Will have to try some more, see if I can provoke it.
I just found and read through the forum complaint you mentioned. With apologies, the issue is not as I understood from your description. It's not so much the image wobbling while zooming but the image wobbling when the camcorder is touched while a long zoom is in use. I will have to go back and test again. That said, I think the description of the problem source by one of the respondents to the forum (of the steadyshot turning off when on a tripod) could well be accurate.
Quick update: I was doing some proper filming yesterday (as in real shots that I needed rather than mucking about doing tests) and the camcorder did indeed exhibit the behaviour complained of. It's a bit odd because I'd tried to make it do it before and it wouldn't but yesterday it definitely as. So something's amiss, and it does seemm to relate to the camcorder deciding that it's on a stable base (at which point it turns off the stabilisation)
Does the picture quality drop at all when using BOSS? Obviously it does when using the previous versions of SteadyShot (because it was digital). But, this is just a moving Lens, right? Also, and this is probably a silly question, as the BOSS is mechanical, does it look like something that could fail over time or get easily damaged if the camera was dropped for example?
No drop at all because, as you say, it's an optical system. I would imagine that like any mechanical system, you really don't want to be dropping it. That said, my prior AX33 (with BOSS) fell over on its tripod, twice, once onto stony rocks and the thing still works fine!!
Im for filming a relatives Wedding on Thursday i normally film in 4K but I've only two 64GB Cards is it best to Film in 4K and downgrade to 1080p or just film in 1080p is there a difference in Quality,in HD mode can you copy the Footage to a Standard DVD Disc.
I've not done direct tests and the quality of the downscaling from 4K to HD would depend on your software. Many people do suggest that downscaled HD from 4K is sharper than just HD though. But since you only have a small amount of cards, and 4K should really be shot at 100Mbps for best images (I don't recommend the 60Mbps setting), you're probably better off filming in XAVC-S 50Mbps HD (depending how much filming you intend to do, of course). That is unless someone has requested you to film in 4K in which case the answer is to go and buy some more, large capacity cards!! Standard DVDs are standard definition so if you want a conventional DVD that plays in an ordinary DVD player, you have to downscale HD to SD. That can sometimes look quite poor, again depending on the method and software you use.
hello! Nice video! i would like to ask you about the formats... i'm editing videos but i'm hesitating a lot about the system when you import videos... with the mts and mp4 formats and so on... mts is apparently better quality right? how do you manage this with the ax53? thanks a lot for your help!
No, it's not better. They're merely file wrappers. The underlying codec is (usually) h.264. The 4K and XAVC-S files from the AX53 are mp4. Don't worry about it, just import and edit.
great review. answerd my questions :-) btw: i just received a monopod with 3 small feet :-) which works beautifully with AX53 & BOSS stabil. system. the one i choosed its called DÖRR VP-166. light, very well crafted, approx. 95.- Euros. (german product). with this monopod in combination with the BOSS my clips are getting very very stable :-)
Very nice test, thanks. Honestly, I don't see too much difference between Intelligent Active and Active (maybe a little in the chest high walking mode). Which is good because I have the AX-33 that doesn't have Intelligent Active. I went with AX-33 because I like the ergonomics a little better (it's smaller for one thing) and it was less expensive, but it does only have 10x zoom (you can go in to 15x using the CIZ and it is acceptable, barely).
Yes, the "BOSS" (balanced lens/sensor) system works in 4K just as it does in HD. The only thing you don't get in 4K mode is the additional "Intelligent" stabilisation which is an electronic system. By and large I found this extra mode made very little difference except to walking shots where it was very useful but only in HD of course.
I have an FDR-AX100 and use it mostly for recording my local football team. I have ordered the X53 today and can't wait to try it out. Just wondering about the HMDI output; Have you tried recording into an external recorder/monitor via the HDMI, as the output shuts down on the AX100 in 4K mode, so an external viewer/monitor (Ninja) becomes useless as soon as you plug it in! Would you have any idea whether Sony have corrected this error on the AX53?
It's never going to be perfect when walking - consider what it's having to compensate for. You can try helping the camcorder by bending your legs slightly and walking as smoothly as you can. For totally smooth walking footage you'd either need a full gimbal or one of the modern action cameras (GoPro 9 or Osmo Action) which have incredible stabilisation, much more modern than this camcorder.
Ax53/ax43 gimbal-like in camera stabilization is by itself fantastically implemented. But, with its physical limitations, the results will not be as great as a real gimbal. Try to learn "ninja walk" and it will give you much greater results.
On my FDR AX100E which must have +/- the same menu structure, press MENU - CAMERA/MIC - and find 5 pages down: Steady Shot. On my camera, I can choose between Active, Standard and Off. I selected "Active" after seeing this video. Thank you..
There is no ND filter on the camcorder and I did not add one external to the lens. As I recall, I left the camcorder in auto in terms of exposure and focus etc since this was a stabilisation test.
Just between you and me, I film all my Vlogs (on ruclips.net/user/CruisingTheCutUK) in AVCHD mode albeit on the AX33 up to now but on the AX53 from now on. And I'm quite happy with it!
the noise you are seeing is digital smearing and pixel noise created when youtube compresses the video for posting online. It has nothing to do with the filmmaker and everything to do with how it's treated for online posting. No matter how good your video might look it will always look crappy because of how youtube's compression engine degrades and reduces file sizes of videos for posting. I prefer using vimeo because the quality of my uploads are always superior to here.
Man awesome video, you've definitely reviewed the most important aspect of this camera. You've got straight to the point by showing of the stabilisation, wish I had this camera a year ago. I do lots of walking videos like you showed; it's so smooth with Inteligent Active!!!. Mate I can't wait to buy one soon, my videos are too rough now as I'm walking around a lot with just a GoPro and a simple point and shoot. I'm getting the AX53 next week.
Hope you have fun with it! See also my full review, also on this channel.
Good demo of the stabilisation features of the Sony FDR AX53. Thanks for the upload.
Cheers
I didn't notice much difference between normal Active vs Intelligent Active. Even though 4k does not have IA, it looks like normal Active would be just fine in 4k.
It really only shows up on moving (eg walking) shots when iA is smoother. Otherwise, yes, exactly as you say.
Great videos, and thanks for the replies. My AX53 turned up yesterday, I think this will be the camera for the airshows this year. I love the canon legria G40 but the problems with the dark edges make it unusable for aircraft. Thanks and great channel
Thank you. I tried filming a plane & some birds handheld on the AX53; quick test but looked OK. Cheers.
Thanks. Just so that I am 100% crystal clear...it is possible to turn off 100% of ALL stabilization within the AX53, correct?
Yes.
Thanks for this - It clearly shows the difference between the modes. I have the FDR AX43 and I just can't seem to get a stable walking shot and also there seems to be a lot of motion blur for me, no matter how smoothly I try to glide the camera. I must surely be doing something wrong. I notice it tracks my face very well in selfie mode and seems a lot more stable that way, so I'm wondering if I need to literally focus on a specific point that in the centre of where I'm walking towards. Any thought on this?
You have switched it to "Active" stabilisation mode? It's certainly best to try to hold it as stable as you can to assist it. But walking with a camera is a big ask, which hadn't really been solved when the AX53 was developed and I don't know any camcorders that work well like that.
I never use it for walking shots unless I'm bending my legs as I walk (sort of crouching) to help smooth it out - clearly not practical for talking to cam at the same time.
If I was going to walk and talk to a camera, I'd use a GoPro Hero 8/9 or DJI Osmo Action (I have the latter) with a compact mic attached
Thanks for your walking tests. My AX53 has nothing like the stablisation that you demonstrate. The image ' jerks ' sporadically during stabliisation as though someone had tapped the camera. I assume that the stabilisation system on my camera is faulty, so I will return it to Amazon.
The video was useful to me - perhaps not in the way that you intended !
It will jerk if the amount of movement it's trying to correct is too extreme so it has to "reset" where the middle of the image is. You're not zoomed in at all are you (this will exacerbate the effect since more telephoto means greater wobble in the image)?
Great test of the units performance Thank You
Thank you for the test, very usefull!
Great videos! do you know if they have fixed the shaking issue when mounted on a tripod as of Sept 12, 2016. I would love to get this camera from all the info you have on your other videos but since I would primarily use this on a tripod, I would like to know that they have fixed the issue? Thanks
I don't know, sorry.
Extremely well-done and informative! Very impressive stabilisation! (we must both be Brits, spelling and scenery).
Thank you! Yes, I'm in Northampton area at present.
David, have you tested this camcorder on a tripod for video while zooming in and out? I have read several people now stating this was a deal breaker for them after they had purchased it and used on a TRIPOD. While zooming or even touching the camcorder apparetnly at all, they note a very noticeable shake in the video. I believe this is with either stabilization on or off and as I understand it is currently being discussed on Sony's help forum.
Can't say I have, mostly because a) I hate zooms in video and b) I wouldn't expect to get a smooth zoom by using a tiny rocker on a camcorder. That said it sounds curious so maybe I'll give it a try out of interest. Cheers
+Toy Hunting Gamers Just an update - gave it a quick tabletop test and it was fine, stabilisation off or on, 4K or HD. Will have to try some more, see if I can provoke it.
+UKAirscape Outstanding.
Subscribed.
I just found and read through the forum complaint you mentioned. With apologies, the issue is not as I understood from your description. It's not so much the image wobbling while zooming but the image wobbling when the camcorder is touched while a long zoom is in use. I will have to go back and test again.
That said, I think the description of the problem source by one of the respondents to the forum (of the steadyshot turning off when on a tripod) could well be accurate.
Quick update: I was doing some proper filming yesterday (as in real shots that I needed rather than mucking about doing tests) and the camcorder did indeed exhibit the behaviour complained of. It's a bit odd because I'd tried to make it do it before and it wouldn't but yesterday it definitely as. So something's amiss, and it does seemm to relate to the camcorder deciding that it's on a stable base (at which point it turns off the stabilisation)
Does the picture quality drop at all when using BOSS? Obviously it does when using the previous versions of SteadyShot (because it was digital). But, this is just a moving Lens, right? Also, and this is probably a silly question, as the BOSS is mechanical, does it look like something that could fail over time or get easily damaged if the camera was dropped for example?
No drop at all because, as you say, it's an optical system. I would imagine that like any mechanical system, you really don't want to be dropping it. That said, my prior AX33 (with BOSS) fell over on its tripod, twice, once onto stony rocks and the thing still works fine!!
Im for filming a relatives Wedding on Thursday i normally film in 4K but I've only two 64GB Cards is it best to Film in 4K and downgrade to 1080p or just film in 1080p is there a difference in Quality,in HD mode can you copy the Footage to a Standard DVD Disc.
I've not done direct tests and the quality of the downscaling from 4K to HD would depend on your software. Many people do suggest that downscaled HD from 4K is sharper than just HD though.
But since you only have a small amount of cards, and 4K should really be shot at 100Mbps for best images (I don't recommend the 60Mbps setting), you're probably better off filming in XAVC-S 50Mbps HD (depending how much filming you intend to do, of course). That is unless someone has requested you to film in 4K in which case the answer is to go and buy some more, large capacity cards!!
Standard DVDs are standard definition so if you want a conventional DVD that plays in an ordinary DVD player, you have to downscale HD to SD. That can sometimes look quite poor, again depending on the method and software you use.
+UKAirscape thanks for your help.
hello! Nice video!
i would like to ask you about the formats... i'm editing videos but i'm hesitating a lot about the system when you import videos... with the mts and mp4 formats and so on... mts is apparently better quality right? how do you manage this with the ax53? thanks a lot for your help!
No, it's not better. They're merely file wrappers. The underlying codec is (usually) h.264. The 4K and XAVC-S files from the AX53 are mp4. Don't worry about it, just import and edit.
great review. answerd my questions :-) btw: i just received a monopod with 3 small feet :-) which works beautifully with AX53 & BOSS stabil. system. the one i choosed its called DÖRR VP-166. light, very well crafted, approx. 95.- Euros. (german product). with this monopod in combination with the BOSS my clips are getting very very stable :-)
Glad you liked the video. Good tip about the monopod, cheers.
Very nice test, thanks. Honestly, I don't see too much difference between Intelligent Active and Active (maybe a little in the chest high walking mode). Which is good because I have the AX-33 that doesn't have Intelligent Active. I went with AX-33 because I like the ergonomics a little better (it's smaller for one thing) and it was less expensive, but it does only have 10x zoom (you can go in to 15x using the CIZ and it is acceptable, barely).
Yes, walking is really where the intelligent active is most useful.
It's a very nice cam ax33 ax43 ax53 have the same stabilisation system. when face cam you don't need 4k and use 4k for filmiming !
Excellent video. I am a bit confused with the stabilisation. Is there any form of stabilisation in 4K please?
Yes, the "BOSS" (balanced lens/sensor) system works in 4K just as it does in HD. The only thing you don't get in 4K mode is the additional "Intelligent" stabilisation which is an electronic system. By and large I found this extra mode made very little difference except to walking shots where it was very useful but only in HD of course.
You are a super thanks for replying!
Excellent review, thank you.
Thank you!
I have an FDR-AX100 and use it mostly for recording my local football team. I have ordered the X53 today and can't wait to try it out. Just wondering about the HMDI output; Have you tried recording into an external recorder/monitor via the HDMI, as the output shuts down on the AX100 in 4K mode, so an external viewer/monitor (Ninja) becomes useless as soon as you plug it in! Would you have any idea whether Sony have corrected this error on the AX53?
I have never tried it with an external recorder as I don't own one, sorry.
I just did a walk through and tested out the image stabilization but it's still shaking when I walk? Any tips?
It's never going to be perfect when walking - consider what it's having to compensate for. You can try helping the camcorder by bending your legs slightly and walking as smoothly as you can. For totally smooth walking footage you'd either need a full gimbal or one of the modern action cameras (GoPro 9 or Osmo Action) which have incredible stabilisation, much more modern than this camcorder.
Ax53/ax43 gimbal-like in camera stabilization is by itself fantastically implemented. But, with its physical limitations, the results will not be as great as a real gimbal. Try to learn "ninja walk" and it will give you much greater results.
@@UKAirscape ninja walk
hi. how do you open steadyshort, i dont know how to tủn on this. please help?
On my FDR AX100E which must have +/- the same menu structure, press MENU - CAMERA/MIC - and find 5 pages down: Steady Shot. On my camera, I can choose between Active, Standard and Off. I selected "Active" after seeing this video. Thank you..
Hi,
Did you use any ND filter, or did you let the camera handle the exposure?
Thank you..
There is no ND filter on the camcorder and I did not add one external to the lens. As I recall, I left the camcorder in auto in terms of exposure and focus etc since this was a stabilisation test.
Have you used the AVCHD Mode yet whats your opinion of it.
Just between you and me, I film all my Vlogs (on ruclips.net/user/CruisingTheCutUK) in AVCHD mode albeit on the AX33 up to now but on the AX53 from now on. And I'm quite happy with it!
Nice video, no bullshit.
quite useful, thanks
Is this regent's canal in London?! Looks familiar but not the same area it seems..
No. It was just outside Leamington Spa on the Grand Union, if I recall correctly
Excelente test,compre la camara ayudado por estas pruebas,gracias¡
Was the noise from the BOSS noticeable on the built in mic ? Was it an issue for you?
Not that I noticed
Is this the same stabilizer as sony fdr ax43?
Yes, same mechanism
I have the ax43 - I don't know if I'm missing something but I can't get a steady shot with it, no matter how hard I try.
very useful Thank You
You are welcome
very good video
Thanks
buen test
Thank you.
impressive
THX
good
Good review, but the video quality is awful. Lots of noise.
That's odd. It doesn't look anything like that on my laptop. Maybe you're seeing a poor quality RUclips feed for some reason?
the noise you are seeing is digital smearing and pixel noise created when youtube compresses the video for posting online. It has nothing to do with the filmmaker and everything to do with how it's treated for online posting. No matter how good your video might look it will always look crappy because of how youtube's compression engine degrades and reduces file sizes of videos for posting. I prefer using vimeo because the quality of my uploads are always superior to here.
I SEE NO DIFFERENCES ON HD MODE ACTIVE Vs INTELLIGENT!