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My Review of the Sony FDR X3000 BOSS Action Cam
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Bangers and Mash
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Those images are nothing short of excellent, especially coming from such a small cam. I can't wait till it comes out in a few weeks.Markr041 said:
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A smart person knows what to say, a wise person knows whether or not to say it.
No, no, no. The new Hero 5 has resolution-degrading and frame cropping digital stabilization that is *not* even available for 4K or frame rates over 60. The Sony has non-digital stabilization for all resolutions including 4K and even for 120 fps full HD. The Sony has the best stabilization of any camera, including big ones that does not rely on any significant cropping. Look up BOSS and digital stabilization.
There's no doubt that the stabilization in X3000 is better than the H5B, but the H5B has a number of inherent advantages (water proof to 33 feet, built-in LCD, cheaper price, voice control, larger sensor).
I look forward to a head-to-head comparison of these two cameras, because I'll be purchasing one of them.
I look forward to a head-to-head comparison of these two cameras, because I'll be purchasing one of them.
The Sony X3000 comes with a case (included,free) that makes it waterproof to 167 feet, not just 33 feet.
The Sony X3000 is exactly the same price; it is only more if you get the external liveview remote.
A larger sensor is meaningless for video unless either the pixels are bigger (they are not) or the video does not crop (it does). The Sony has a 16:9 sensor, so there are no wasted pixels for video, while the GoPro has a 4:3 sensor for video (video is 16:9), and so must crop (not use all the pixels). The difference in sensor "size" is misleading.
Voice control! Two years of development and the only new feature is voice control?! I own the hero 4 Black. I am amazed how little advance there is.
Cases tend to kill the audio quality. So you can use the H5B in situations like swinning, rafting, etc., and still have good audio. That would not be the case with the X3000 which would require the diving case, correct? The body is only "splash-proof", meaning it can deal with rain and what not. It can't be submerged without the case (correct me if I'm wrong).
So you're comparing a camera without an LCD (X3000) to a camera with an LCD (H5B). To get the LCD with the X3000, you have to pay an extra $150.
You're correct about the advantage coming from pixel size and not the size of the sensor itself. Do we know what the pixel pitch is for both of these cameras?
lol, it's not only development, but if that's how you feel then so be it. The voice control can be handy for situations when the camera is positioned in a location where it can not easily be reached, but you want to start and stop the recording. Now sure, you can do this with the X3000's external LCD, but that'll cost you an extra $150.
The H5B can also work with the Karma drone and stabilizer system, making it a more holistic system. With the X3000, you'd have to buy an external stabilizer, a drone, a tablet to view from the drone, etc.
I agree that the H5B is not a "revolution" like the H4B was, but for somebody looking to get their first action camera (like I am), it makes for a compelling option given the new features, even more so if you're considering getting a drone as well (which I am).
Yes although I am not an expert, I prefer the Sony for multiple reasons... I had a Drift Stealth HD I got some 5 years ago when it was released instead of the GoPro. Recently I gave it to my brother in law who wanted a cam for his off road adventures... And now again, I don`t think I will go for the GoPro no matter what... I will most probably buy the Sony 3000 when it will be available here in Canada... The only little down side with the Sony is the accessories, I found some useful kits on Amazon but I hope it will have a lot more in the future... Oh btw some were reporting over heating with the Sony?
Yes, there is overheating. This is true for GoPro in 4K as well as all little cameras shooting 4K (Sony RX100 IV, Sony A6300, Samsung 360 Gear, Kodak 360 4K, Panasonic LX100, etc.). It is mostly a problem with all of them when ambient temperatures are high.
There are two overheating problems with all of them: 1. The camera can shut down unexpectedly and 2. The resolution degrades before shut down. But, again, this is a problem I have personally experienced with all small cameras (I prefer small).
One big improvement of the X3000 over the X1000 is now you can shoot 4K time-lapses. In the X1000 the jpegs for time-lapse mode were at most 1920x1080. Now they can be 3840x2160 (UHD).
The surprise is, and this may be true for all time-lapse pics in all cameras, the time-lapse jpegs are 4:2:2. Now, all consumer cameras produce video that is 4:2:0 (as does the X3000). So we get better chroma subsampling for the time-lapse videos (yes, still 8-bit)!
To take advantage of this I rendered the 4K time-lapse video using a codec that was also 4:2:2 (almost all are 4:2:0) and uploaded the 4:2:2 video to Vimeo. In Sony Vegas Pro that is XAVC intra, which renders at 280 Mbps in 10 bit and 4:2:2. It has a suffix of mfx. Won't play in Windows Media Player (you have to download codec packs). But Vimeo will and did take it.
For time-lapse, there are also two useful features: you can lock WB and you can lock exposure (new in the X3000)! This is very useful to insure no flickering.
So, here is the X3000 test 4K time-lapse:
One original frame.
The surprise is, and this may be true for all time-lapse pics in all cameras, the time-lapse jpegs are 4:2:2. Now, all consumer cameras produce video that is 4:2:0 (as does the X3000). So we get better chroma subsampling for the time-lapse videos (yes, still 8-bit)!
To take advantage of this I rendered the 4K time-lapse video using a codec that was also 4:2:2 (almost all are 4:2:0) and uploaded the 4:2:2 video to Vimeo. In Sony Vegas Pro that is XAVC intra, which renders at 280 Mbps in 10 bit and 4:2:2. It has a suffix of mfx. Won't play in Windows Media Player (you have to download codec packs). But Vimeo will and did take it.
For time-lapse, there are also two useful features: you can lock WB and you can lock exposure (new in the X3000)! This is very useful to insure no flickering.
So, here is the X3000 test 4K time-lapse:
One original frame.
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The Squire
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Nice time lapse. Did you do the pan 'digitally' in post or have you got a slidey thing?
Thanks. Just basically an egg timer:
twitchyzero
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no raw for time-lapse right?
How is it compared to the Sony time-lapse app on your rx100? Can you adjust interval?
How is it compared to the Sony time-lapse app on your rx100? Can you adjust interval?
CaliforniaDave
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Once again, Mark, you are really tempting me to buy yet another camera. This is the first action type camera that I have been seriously interested in, especially because of both 4K and BOSS, and it uses the same batteries from the RX100IV and the HX90V. Now, if Sony could put a zoom on it with BOSS in a small waterproof vertical handicam type body, like the GW77, no longer sold, I would be really happy.
Can the battery be charged inside the X3000 using the USB cable?
Can the battery be charged inside the X3000 using the USB cable?
No raw (I do not think the Rx100 has raw for time-lapse).
You can choose the interval, from 1 second to one minute (in certain steps like 2, 5, 10...), you can choose the number of pictures at which shooting automatically stops up to 900 (and the cameras turns off too at that point if you want), or you can have no limit (with the technical limit being - 40,000 pictures!).
And you can fix exposure and WB (at their initial values), as noted, over the course of the shoot if you want.
I agree with you - the GW77 was the best video camera I ever had (and mine was blue!). This comes close.
And yes, the battery can be charged using a standard micro-usb cable attached to the camera, and you can even power the camera by usb power (external battery, for example) while shooting. And it even has an external mic port and you get uncompressed 4:2:2 (I would bet) 4K from the HDMI port (or lesser resolutions if you want).
Does it have the very same 1/2.5" sensor as the bigger AX-53? Perhaps it furnishes that same IQ for less money than that hefty brick, albeit without zoom.
Is the active-mode BOSS competitive with the 5-axis alternatives offered by Panasonic or Olympus? Is the BOSS only two-axis in 4k mode? In the case of the GX8, FZ2500, or LX-10, there is no 5-axis in 4k mode either. Unless mistaken, this is also a limitation of the AX-53.
Is back-lighting or blow-out of highlights a problem? The shot with the plant on one side and a blown out sky in the back, suggests a problem. While at GCS, a shot in the main room, with the bright windows in the back, might have furnished a severe dynamic range challenge.
My guess is that any 5-axis stabilization, whether in-camera or post, will feature banding in shots taken while walking or tracking things that move dynamically, unless the background is too dark or blurry to notice.
Is the active-mode BOSS competitive with the 5-axis alternatives offered by Panasonic or Olympus? Is the BOSS only two-axis in 4k mode? In the case of the GX8, FZ2500, or LX-10, there is no 5-axis in 4k mode either. Unless mistaken, this is also a limitation of the AX-53.
Is back-lighting or blow-out of highlights a problem? The shot with the plant on one side and a blown out sky in the back, suggests a problem. While at GCS, a shot in the main room, with the bright windows in the back, might have furnished a severe dynamic range challenge.
My guess is that any 5-axis stabilization, whether in-camera or post, will feature banding in shots taken while walking or tracking things that move dynamically, unless the background is too dark or blurry to notice.
Bangers and Mash
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In answer to your concern about 5-axis being competitive with BOSS. From my experience, there is really no comparison. Yes, the 5-axis IS system is very good. I have that in my Olympus EM-5. I also have BOSS in my Sony AX33 camcorder. BOSS beats it hands down. There is nothing like it, honestly.
Cheers
Wayne
The sensor and chip are exactly the same as in the AX53. There is no difference in any of the specs for stabilization between 4K and lesser resolutions. The X3000 fixed focal length lens is much smaller than that on the AX53, probably much easier to stabilize. Any way, BOSS is in another league than what is in the Panasonics.
I have posted scores of clips, hardly any have blown highlights. Yes, there are some situations where no camera has the dynamic range to cope with sunlit windows and a dark room. Blown highlights are a photographer problem not a camera problem, as one can control exposure and avoid them. Of course that may mean no info in the dark parts.
I am not really an expert with action cameras and with video in general, my experience and interest is more on still photography, so I may be wrong, but my understanding is the in order to really get the best on image quality you need to have no stabilization enabled in the camera and use a gimbal stabilizer (like for instance the Feiyu G4). Please correct me if I am wrong.
I have never had an action camera so far but I am looking in to this field since I will have a trip in about a month. I have not decided yet between the Sony X3000 and the GoPro H5, but my impression is that with a GoPro H5 + stabilized gimbal I can get the best combination on image quality and stabilization. Of course this combination is quite more expensive than the Sony with BOSS, this is why I have not decided yet. What are your opinions on that?
I have never had an action camera so far but I am looking in to this field since I will have a trip in about a month. I have not decided yet between the Sony X3000 and the GoPro H5, but my impression is that with a GoPro H5 + stabilized gimbal I can get the best combination on image quality and stabilization. Of course this combination is quite more expensive than the Sony with BOSS, this is why I have not decided yet. What are your opinions on that?
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