Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, please don't listen to people who say you should wait until you have a 4K television before getting a 4K camera. I've thrown out (or given away) dozens of televisions over my lifetime, each time trading up to something better... but I've never thrown away a video of a cherished family memory. Have you? Our home videos tend to far outlast whatever technology was used to record them, consequently, capturing precious moments in great quality is something we will never regret later. Besides, external hard disks are cheap and reliable now… there really is no real downside to capturing your memories in 4K now, enjoying them in HD for the short term, and then enjoying them anew in 4K when it becomes commonplace. Okay, about the Sony FDR-AX33 specifically. I have to tell you that I *agonized• before buying this camera, and way over researched the matter. I read every review Google could find me, saw every YouTube I could find — some of them I watched over and over again. I even went to brick and mortar stores to check out my short listed cameras hands on before buying on Amazon (the power of having an Amazon gift card balance). On the one side, there are the 4K DSLRs -- particularly those made by Panasonic -- which are very well reviewed and forward thinking. On another side, there is the Sony AX100, the AX33’s big brother, which reviewers rave about as well. In the end, three factors tipped me toward the Sony AX33. (1) PORTABILITY. It doesn’t matter how great your camera is if you don’t have it with you. The Sony AX100 video camera takes great video, but it is just heavier and bulkier enough to worry me that I might be less inclined to pack it around with me as often for common use. As for the portability of DSLRs vs. the AX33, the form factor of the Sony AX33 is much better than the form factor of DSL cameras for video. With the AX33, you can shoot video with one hand — which really matters when the shot is long and your body parts start to tire. For example, my daughter’s high school graduation went longer than 2 hours. I was able to use my left hand and arm to prop up my right, and thus fought fatigue. If I would have tried it with a DSLR, I’d have had to give up. (2) VIDEO QUALITY. Don’t undervalue the impact image stabilization has on 4K and HD video. The crisper the video, the more affected it is by any shakiness of hand. The very high end image stabilization system of the AX33 (Sony calls it "BOSS”) is head and shoulders above anything on any DSLR camera right now, and better than the AX100’s as well. The very remarkable image stabilization system of the AX33 really saved the footage of my daughter’s graduation, as I was able to zoom to get details of her sitting on the stand, and zoom to get expressions of speakers and the kids as they walked to get their diplomas. One interesting side effect of shooting in 4K when discs and televisions aren’t 4K is you have the ability to zoom in quite a bit in your software on your Mac or PC, and still have crisp, HD quality video as an end product. (3) VIDEO LENGTH My mind was pretty much made up to get a mirrorless Panasonic DSLR camera that reviewers say shoots gorgeous 4K video… but I had to concede I frequently need clips that are 30 minutes or longer — something no DSLR camera can do shooting video. Apparently, in Europe there is a different tax rate for video cameras as opposed to still image cameras. Consequently, manufacturers limit DSLR cameras so that the longest single clip they can shoot is 29 minutes and 59 seconds, thus keeping the DSLR below the threshold which would make it be taxed at the higher rate of video cameras. Sure, more often than not the 30 minute limit would not be an issue, but sometimes it really is. If recording a basketball game, you can stop the camera at each quarter and be okay, but if recording a live musical or theatrical performance, that 30 minute shut off is going to force you to make choices — and ones I won’t always be happy about. Consequently, I chose the Sony FDR-AX33 over the very nice DSLR options that are out there. I realize others would choose differently, but given that my kids like to perform, the AX33, with its amazing image stabilization, long battery and video clip length and its portability made it the best fit for me. PHOTO QUALITY I didn’t expect much from the Sony FDR-AX33’s camera, which is probably why I’m so pleased. To get to know the camera better before something important needed to be recorded, I took it hiking and fiddled with manual settings. The results were very nice, and would probably be even nicer if I knew what I was doing. I was pleased, though, that I could easily get that neat photo effect where the primary object is in perfect focus while the background is not. Fun stuff. The video camera has a mode to do this as well by the way. AUDIO QUALITY Audio quality is another really good reason to get the Sony AX33 instead of a high end DSLR to shoot video. It is surprising (and disappointing) how the operation of many high end DSLR cameras can be heard in their own mics. Not so with the Sony. Built first for video, you cannot hear your camera in your footage, and that’s a plus. To help make my audio even more amazing in some situations, I bought Sony’s bluetooth lavalier mic (Sony ECMA4W4 Wireless Microphone). It was wonderful, but then when I went to use it again a month later, it was dead. Very frustrating. Couldn’t return it. DOWNSIDES This brings me to the AX33’s touch screen. It is a pain — annoying even — but eventually I got used to how hard you have to press on it and it stopped annoying me so much. The AX33 has some dumb limitations — like not being able to show 4K footage through the ports while shooting. Some of these limitations almost feel deliberate, as if Sony was trying to create space between the AX33 and the AX100. This is a little thing, but I have large hands, and so I have to keep reminding myself not to lay my fingers over the mic. HELPFUL EXTRAS Filter - Some of the reviewers were concerned that the BOSS stabilization system could degrade over time if dust got to the system, so I purchased a 52 mm filter — the B+W 52mm Clear with Multi-Resistant Coating (007M) here on Amazon to be exact — to protect the camera. This gives me the peace of mind that my expensive camera’s lens and stabilization system are protected, but my shots are not degraded in the process. Storage - I also purchased on Amazon a Transcend 128 GB SDXC USH-3 95/60 MB/s storage card for recording video at 60 MB per second, and I bought a SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB UHS-I/U3 SCXC card with 95 MB/s transfer speeds for capturing video at the camera’s 100 MB/s setting. So far both are recommended, but they haven’t really been put through their paces yet. Card reader - To read these cards I bought a Saicoo USB 3.0 4 in 1 digital memory card reader. It has a short pigtail like cord which is super useful. It makes the reader easy to use where ever it is plugged in. Batteries and charger - I got two Sony NP-FV70 spare batteries as well. There are off brand alternatives I researched, but in the end opted for Sony because I don’t want something dumb causing me to miss a treasured moment. I bought the Sony ACQV10 AC charger as well for them. With a battery on the camera, and two in the charger, I can charge everything overnight and have ample power in my camera bag as I go about catching memories. This camera was a great purchase, and I’m already very glad I’ve had it to capture some important family memories.