Sony FDR-AX100, 4K camcorder for the masses

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Note that you also need U3 cards, as AX100 do not check card speed and just reject all your old cards (for 100Mbit).

peternap

@DrDave gotta admit I don't like that being the only way to flash it and looking at complaints on Sony, it's not a problem only with the AX100. There doesn't seem to be a perfect anything out there.

I have a dozen gopros and they have a reputation for bricking using the USB to upgrade. ....but I always do it manually with the card and have never had any problems.

DrDave

@peternap I agree the panny customer service is bad, and the Sony ax100 is a great cam, but the fact the firmware upgrade bricked your cam, that's harsh.

I agree that I would think twice about buying another Panasonic cam.

peternap

I'll never own another panasonic Sam. (Never say never). Customer support is the very worst I've ever experienced which means a lot to me. Granted, the broadcast division for the AC160 is supposed to be better but the GH4 is still a consumer camera to them.

sam_rides_a_mtb

Sorry to here that @peternap, though if youre shooting with an AC160, GH3, and some GH2s, it would seem logical that you would shoot some 4k on a GH4 :) Really a bunmer that the Sony went down, though really believe if you use a GH4 you wont miss the Sony as much.

DrDave

@peternap wow, that is a serious bummer.

peternap

@markr041 Thanks Mark, but I've tried it a couple dozen times now. I disconnected the battery overnight and retried, verified the USB port good, offered sacrifices and danced forbidden dances....The things just dead.

I've read about this happening and it seems to happen a lot with Sonys.....but after flashing dozens of cameras, never lost one. Back to repair on Monday. Thankfully I have backup cameras but I really like this Sony. Kind of ticks me off too,

markr041

Hey, at least the camera comes with a usb cable permanently attached. That means it can only disconnect at one end!

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@DrDave

It's a Sony (c)

DrDave

Wow--USB disconnect? You should be able to flash it from the card.

markr041

@peternap ("Well...that was fun, not....I upgraded the firmware today, almost. All went well until the last part when the camera suddenly went black and shut down. Yes I had a fully charged battery. Anyway, camera's bricked. ")

Actually, do not give up. This seemed to have happened to me. The update stopped midway and my camera was off and would not turn on. It seemed dead. What actually was the case was it was still in upgrade mode. Try running the updater program again and then plugging the camera back into the computer by usb. That is what I did and it re-started the update, finished and now I have a fully-functional essentially new camera with better AF and a higher bitrate 4K. Btw, the reason for the shutdown is a usb disconnect, so make sure your cable is well connected. Keep trying until it complete (replug).

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@peternap

Shit happens.

I always wanted to look at the developers writing firmware upgrade related parts. As either they are dumb or just lazy. One and only way to write such thing is to have permanent part that is intact and allow reflash even if something happened (same as BIOS allows you to boot on computer even if your HDD went to heavens). Same also goes into logic of update process and amounts of checks along the way.

If you ask me - firmware for advanced and pro camcorders must reside in camera RAM, and load to it from separate microSD card (located in special slot). Absolute bulletproof solution.

peternap

Well...that was fun, not....I upgraded the firmware today, almost. All went well until the last part when the camera suddenly went black and shut down. Yes I had a fully charged battery. Anyway, camera's bricked. Glad I always buy the additional warranty but I'll have to make do with the AC160, Gh3, and gh2s for a couple of weeks.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Firmware 3.0 released

Digital 4K Video Camera Recorder FDR-AX100

XAVC S 4K 100Mbps addition
Capture still picture from video contents shot by XAVC S
Trimming playback improvement
Auto focus performance improvement
Focus tracking performance to the person

Digital 4K Video Camera Recorder FDR-AX100E

XAVC S 4K 100Mbps addition
Trimming playback improvement
Auto focus performance improvement
Focus tracking performance to the person

http://www.sony-asia.com/support/download/602612/product/fdr-ax100e

DrDave

I can't find much wrong with the AX100--except the MF assist button on the wrong side.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Interesting that the reviewer claims the 33 is better without testing it, I hope it is better even if the sensor is smaller.

New small chip cameras are not better. Small sensor, no NDs, much worse lens and controls.

One good thing is that new small cams are compatible with Sony XLR addons.

DrDave

Interesting that the reviewer claims the 33 is better without testing it, I hope it is better even if the sensor is smaller. The 10 is a very good camcorder, maybe there will be a "selloff".