@@iancraig Yes horror, but I survived, I was lucky that day, but I just bought a Sony CX405 on Amazon and think about making an unboxing video . Gotta find a way to use it as action cam and think about holding it in my mouth, hope the 405 fits. Did you ever use a camcorder as action cam ?
Yes, but it won't fit easily in my mouth. I prefer a little camcorder for vlogging to the GoPro actually, because you can see what you're doing on the bigger screen more easily and the camcorders have apertures that can change. The GoPro is fixed so you have to be faffing with ND filters if you want to fix the shutter speed correctly. With camcorders, the aperture corrects exposure for you; and on these, even at 1/50th second shutter
They do a great Job Andre. I love rhe speed that I can be running them, which makes them ideal for fast grab shots. I’ve used that so many times when something randomnly happens. These ones are fantastic starter cameras since they do so well in ‘auto’, plus room for development when you want to begin playing with settings, where they still hold on to exposure for you, while you adjust what you want. Great for kids learning aperture/shutter control.
I had an email from a watcher who told me he wouldn’t want to be seen outside with a camcorder. Looks like image is more important than the video .....
@@iancraig very true, not many people use camcorders now ,maybe they will make a comeback. Have several cams old and new, Still use my Panasonic hdc-sd900 that are now becoming rare to find nowadays, its a great cam that produces very clean balanced colours and better skin tones unlike the modern action cams like dji and gopro that always tend to be too sharp and unbalanced colours although still use them myself. All depends what your trying to achieve and personal preferences but i prefer to use a camcorder
I love the ease of use with camcorders. With my ax53, I’m literally shooting in seconds withgood expose and white balance. With my M50 or ZV1, I’m very concious of having to set them up. The GoPro is always stressful because it might crash, freeze, whatever! The DJI Pockets have tiny screens so I have to make sure they’re preset before I go out with my glasses on. The Action, I use mostly in auto with a little preset at home. But even the cx405 is off in seconds.
Thank you, Ian, for giving me a basic understanding of how to set up my cx405 . This is my first video camera and all of the other demonstrations I have viewed assume I already know how to operate the camera. Now I need to find one that explains how to playback the recording I made.
Hi Phil. Do you mean playback on the camera? On the screen there's a playback button. Bottom left. Use the scroll button to get down there and push it in. Then scroll to the date of the videos you see there and then the individual videos will pop up and you can see them on the camera.
I love the ax series. I often use the ax53. I have a programme on my computer that switches it from PAL to NTSC and back again which is really useful too.
Hi Ian, I learn a lot from your vids, thnx. But I have still 1 question : what is the best way to keep the focus while zooming in and out? Best Regards, Jerry. 👍😁
Hi Jerry. You might not like this but it is better to not zoom in and out while videoing. You could try closing the aperture down so at least it stays at as closed as it can be while it zooms in. I don’t even think manually focusing works at different focal lengths either.
I think it’s in the menu system. ‘Smile sensitivity’. I’m not sure if it can be fully turned off, but the sensitivity can be changed so it might be there. BTW, I’m a retired oboist. I see you’re a flautist!
That’s what I use mine for. It’s hard to not get a reasonable picture with it in all honesty and if you want to in post, footage can be improved with some sharpening and tweaking. I often pick mine up on the way out and drop it in my pocket ready to use!
Thanks for clearing up the 'camcorder' terms that I am not used to! I'm using a Sony VG-20 as a small/budget cinema camera and am very happy with it so far. I traded in an Olympus OMD em-Mkii for (which I did really like!) and have not looked back. It has been a little bit of a struggle changing terms (Iris, etc.) and losing a little bit of control because of the auto settings. But, the fact that it runs for hours and can interchange lenses is awesome. The Sony18-200 does pretty much everything but I also hang it on the back of a Sony 200-600 lens for wildlife. That makes it extremely versatile. Augmented with a GoPro set on Linear for walk and talk, I've got everything I need. It would be great to have 120fps or more, but that can wait for now.
I like the Sony camcorders because they are so quick to set up. You just don't realise until you start using something else like the ZV1 or Canon M50. Where there are so many settings that can backfire on you. Not with camcorders. For instance, I went out with a Sony ZV1 and hadn't realised that I had accidentally shifted the ISO from auto to 6400, I think it was. The noise levels were awful. Reason being that auto is right next to the highest setting and I hadn't seen it on the small display! In that respect, camcorders just do the job well without all the fuss!
Great video…makes everything easy to understand. If I have a CX440 and shooting mostly clouds and storm formations from an outdoor tripod, how would you do the settings? I have noticed sometimes the clouds get blown out so I did the one-touch white balance as you suggested. As for the rest, I have no clue.
Thank you Calabamian. The clouds are like to be blown out if you include land or trees in the shot. The reason being that the camera ‘sees’ a dark area and so boosts the exposure. There are two things you could try. A) lower the exposure compensation by a stop or so. Personally, if I wanted cloud detail, I would expose purely for the sky. B) a more technical way is to use a semi nd filter or what is called a graduated nd filter. Top half is nd, bottom half is clear. If there is no thread on the lens, then you could hold it in place which is also nice because you can adjust up and down for where you want the nd effect to start. This method gives correctly exposed land as well as sky! Basically, the clouds get blown out due to the dynamic range being too wide for the sensor.
Thanks Len. I had a battle with exactly how much to show. I’m wondering about breaking it down into segments and making a mini series on them since there does seem to be interest in camcorders.
@@iancraig Ian, thanks, a mini series would be great, i would watch for sure, and many folkes like me who are seriously looking into YT video production, with zero experience, with camcorders, and video editing, on a computer.....
They’re handy little cameras. The only thing that I would like is the ability to use 24, 30 and 60fps in UK. Here, they’re sold as 25 and 50fps cameras only. In USA they sell as 30 and 60. I managed to find a hack for my ax53 so I can use either, but there doesn’t seem to be one for the CX range.
@@iancraig I'm not a professional filmmaker: i want only open cam and record. I ride in moto and I use a gopro6 and another cheap action cam during the journey. I bought a DJI pocket (fantastic) just to complicate my photographic live II have a little problem: the old age is coming up and i don't see clearly the display of these three device and overall I don't want to be going crazy in the menu ;). Thank you again for your explanations
Weird you can't plug a mic into the 405 because I can on my CX380 as long as I'm on battery power (because it uses the same port as the plug in power.)
The cx405 uses a usb connection vía a built in wire with a female plug. So unfortunately, no mic input. We can’t get the cx380 in the UK. I have no idea why!
Superb video, especially for somebody like myself who has only been filming with my Samsung Galaxy S7 phone. I have been thinking about getting a Sony HandyCam, but now I am definately gonna get one. Probably go for the CX 450. You have explained the features so well that I probably won't need the manual. It should really help with my amatuer channel. You get a like and I have sub'd you Ian. Great channel. 👍
Thank you. While they're not the ultimate in sharpness, they have a very healthy zoom. I often sharpen or actually, what is called ... Unsharpen mask'. Then the picture really crisps up. The option for audio input would be useful so you can capture ambience at the time in stereo. I'd suggest a stereo mic. Then you could add voiceover later. The Sony camcorders are great because of their simplicity tbh.
What do you think about the next level up, the FDR AX700? Looking to video music concerts, some indoor, some outdoor. Many times the stage is dark but the lights are bright. I'm open for ideas. :)
I’ve never tried the ax700 Gary. However, just looking at it, I think it would probably do a pretty good job. Although it goes to 4K, still no 50 or 60 fps which surprises me at that price level. I’m also not sure if it’s locked into PAL or NTCS, with no easy way to switch. I use the AX53 which is a UK version, locked into PAL but I am able to switch to NTSC via a software hack on my computer. I have a feeling that the ax700 might be the same.
I’ve never used a phone to make a video, but I’ve heard (and seen) that the IPhone works well. I’m guessing it would be 30fps on a phone as opposed to 50 or 60 on the cx450. (Depending where you are … pal or ntsc. Perhaps IPhones also do 60fps? There might be more chance for bokeh on the cx450. (Although it’s not brilliant for bokeh) For exposure, again, I’m guessing that a phone adjusts shutter and not aperture. For sound, I think the cx450 might be easier. And stabilisation. Better zoom too. Because I’ve never used a phone, I don’t really know the answer to that. My own personal preference would be the ease of use on the cx450 but my guess is that a phone could easily match or bypass in picture quality with some limitations on bokeh, zoom and stabilisation.
How can I lock Fader for the Sony CX550? I set it to white fader, but it will not lock it in. If I turn the camcorder off, then I have to reset the fader again. Thanks for the lessons.
What I do is turn the screen around and close it so that the screen faces outwards, not inwards. Then it works. If the screen faces inwards, the camera turns off.
Thank you. Unfortunately, Sony lock it to 50 or 60 hz, depending on which country you bought it in. Daft really. I have an AX53 and that was locked into 50 Hz but I managed to find a programme that allows me to switch it between 50 and 60. The PAL/NTSC is a relic now that should be left to history!
@@iancraig Thank you for you kind response! So buying a NTSC model would give me 24/60 instead of 25/50? If so, an adapter would be needed I guess for charging since the voltage is different. Would 50i give any problems later with programs since it is a outdated format?
your video is so thorough and simple and direct i've looked at some of the other videos and confusing or they just don't give the right information you give the right information
I’m not certain. Something is switched on that stops it. Try changing resolution to 1080 not 4k if that is an option. I’m not at home so I can’t check my camcorders to see, but I’m sure that it’s one of the settings. It can be a few things …… check this ….. www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00072736
And finally after doing a bunch of stuff I went back to the shooting mode and I noticed before if I set it on photos it stayed on photos and I could do both but now it seems like anytime I need to do a photo I have to go into the shooting mode and choose photos and then I can take the picture so I don't know what happened maybe my camcorder isn't working right@@iancraig
Thank you Ian for this wonderful explanation. You really helped us a lot. I have FDR AX43. One of my concerns is that if I record on XAVC S HD, I could not send the files to my phone via wifi. How can I retrieve the files? Should I use an SD card reader instead?
I bought a cheap Sony cx240e fb marketplace as an experiment as its so small and light ,managed to fit it to feiyutech g6 plus gimbal , was amazed how well the video came out in good daylight ,silky smooth playback. Sony cams are great ,bear in mind the cx240 will be awful as to be expected with the small sensor
@@iancraig Hello there. I have the same CX240E. I get nice results in daylight but when i want to record inside the house with not so bright lights at night (just the normal lights of the room, ) i get "noisy" , "blury" results. Any advice on settings for that pls so i can have a better result on medium lights inside the house? I have activated the low light setting but doesnt seem to help much. I was wondering if i need to buy a better camera. Thank you in advance. PS: I dont have much of expireance in camcorders settings.
Hi. These aren’t great low light cameras. For all cameras, low light is a challenge. You could try halving the frame rate to 25 or 30fps indoors which gives you an extra stop. If you are rendering at 50 or 60FPS, then your software will just double up frames. Also adjust shutter to 360 degrees so 1/25th at 25FPS or 1/30 at 30FPS. Or just raise lighting. I have brighter bulbs that I sometimes put in a couple of standard lamps in my front room. Sometimes just a little bit helps.
@@iancraig Thank you very much for your help Sir, i really appreciate it. I will try your suggestions since i think i have all in auto . Greetings from Greece.
@@iancraig resolve studio with optical flow at 60fps comes out very well, have now sold the camera, dji action cam 1 does a much better job, but good fun experimenting to get good footage out of these cheap cameras and surprisingly get good results
Hi, This is a great video. I just purchased a Sony FDR AX43 . What would be the recommended settings if I have to capture stars and milky way in full dark sky location.
Thank you Aravazhi. The AX43 is a nice camcorder, but capturing stars is an extreme low light situation. This means that camera will automatically go into a high iso setting, which isn’t ideal. Using just the camera, I would turn digital zoom off and use 4k. If you want a higher frame rate, the it has to be 1080p but that will half the light. It might be an idea to try a 360 degree shutter…. Set to 25fps and fix the shutter at 1/25th. Or even, try slower if the camera doesn’t move! It has to be on a tripod. I wouldn’t switch on the low light boost setting if the camera has one. That is just going to raise iso. If the image looks dark, I wouldn’t worry because the relative whiteness of the stars/planets will be a lot brighter, relatively speaking. I have a feeling that the camera will try to raise the black sky to grey, so you could try getting a white piece of paper, shine a light onto it and put it in picture, just into one corner. Move it further in and out and watch the screen. As you get more white showing, the screen will darken (which might well improve the picture quality) and in post, cut slightly into the picture to remove the white corner. If you video in 4k, you can then render into 1080p in order to make things a little better looking perhaps at the end. The biggest problem is that the camera will try to raise black to grey, or white down to grey. So having a black sky will mean that the camera will try to over expose. That’s where the white paper truck fools the camera to make the image darker. Another useful thing will be to turn the exposure compensation right down. This might lessen the ‘grey’ effect. I don’t know whether there is a telescope attachment available but that would help. If you have a telescope, try putting the lens up against the eyepiece …. In post, darken the image. Let the black sky drop into the pits and watch the stars. Get them to a good brightness if you can. Getting the black sky totally ‘blacked out’ will hide image noise. These camcorders aren’t designed for such extreme photography, but the things I mention might help. Cheers Ian
Hello! You seem to be a very knowledgeable chap. I'm looking for a Sony handycam to improve my youtube video quality. Can you recommend one that isn't too expensive? It's basically to film small reasonably quick RC cars in sometimes low light conditions (woods). A slomo feature would be nice, as would a wide angle lens. Sorry If this seems like a tall order, but I have very little knowledge in this area (as you can probably tell 😂). Thank you in advance!
Up to the cx625, the differences in quality are quite small really. It’s more to do with features. The ax53 is excellent but not cheap. The problem with camcorders is the small sensor. They don’t do that well in low light. To be honest, I do wonder whether the Osmo Action 4 might be better for you. It has a wide angle lens and is better in low light due to its larger sensor. Much easier to carry around as well. It also has slow mo. Or do it yourself by using a high frame rate and slowing it down in your computer.
@@iancraig do you know what, I've just been looking at the dji action cameras. Was also looking at the gopro's as well, but they seem to have some issues with the newer stuff. I think you have solidified my next direction. 👍🙏
I get fantastic results from mine. If you look at my recent videos from Sandbanks (Just vlogs) they were all done on the Action. I was taking test footage down there for a shop video in different lighting conditions, so there are a lot of examples there. Sound is a lavalier directly into the camera.
Hi nice review. I have de cx405. I want to record secuencial images for skateboarding but i dont know how to do it with the sony cx405 it supposed to have slow motion shots. Could you do a vido ezplaning how to do it or just leave a commemt ?
Hello! a question if possible, which of the Sony CX series cameras films better at night, in low light? I like the AX53 but it is a bit big for what I need..
In low light, I think they're all on a level with each other. Thing is that they do have tiny sensors so for good low light footage, something with a wide lens and larger sensor would be better. With the cx range, you'd be hard pushed to see any difference.
Filming a show with a camcorder is quite an ask, depending on lighting. If the show is brightly lit, the camcorder will be fine, but in low light they might struggle. If you are using 50 or 60 frames per second, consider using a 360 degree shutter. That means, use the same shutter speed as the frames per second in order to get as much light in as possible. 360 shutter is what I use most of the time! So at 60 fps, use 1/60th shutter. At 30fps, use 1/30th. 30fps will let more light in. Don’t go any lower than the frames per second. I would suggest auto white balance, unless you can see something white that’s lit on stage. Then take a white balance from that object. Zoom into it and use custom white blalance. Try daylight as well. Fixed white balance is better than auto in case they use coloured gels. For sound, stereo would be nice. A stereo mic. If you aren’t filming the overture, then take a level from the band when they start up and go slightly lower in case of explosions. I did some outdoor shows in Florida on a Sony camcorder and they were brilliant. Lots of light means good picture. For serious stuff, I use a mirrorless camera with a lens that opens up to F1.4 so let’s a lot of light in. Camcorders won’t give you this.
Hi. Just to let you know that I just clicked on your Amazon link to check the price of the Manfrotto Tripod and it sent me to the US Amazon site. I tried another link and it did the same.
OK, thanks Barrie. Mine went to the UK link, but the model is different. Maybe mine has now been taken off the market. This is where mine went ... www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-Lightweight-Element-Traveler-MKELES5BK-BH/dp/B01N079WTU/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Manfrotto+tripod+lightweight&qid=1618951059&sr=8-3
Thanks for the knowledge ! i have cx405 camcorder. when i open the recorded video on my computer there is date & time stamp on recorded video. how to get rid of that stamps. kindly request ! cheers !
I use the highest settings all of the time, David. In the UK, 50FPS. It helps to get smoother movement which you will want in order to capture a fast moving ball. Many videographers use 30FPS in US or 25 in UK in order to get a ‘film’ look. It’s also a little easier on your computer for editing, but I actually don’t enjoy watching pans ‘judder’ and prefer a smoother look tbh. Sports are very often filmed at a high frame rate in order to get smoother movement.
SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT! i have the cx405, i made the settings you said...all perfect, clear and hq video when shooting indoor but when i try to record thru the window, outside, i only see white. Do i have to set all the time when im recording? it's annoyng
Sounds like you’ve set the exposure for indoors where a slow shutter speed is fine, but it’s too bright outside for the shutter, so you need an ND filter, or switch it back to auto. Normally, the iris closes down enough to be able to video outdoors. Does the picture go white and slowly darken, or stays white? Perhaps it’s so bright that the aperture can’t close down enough which means when you’re outdoors without an nd filter, you’ll have to use auto exposure. Is it really bright and sunny?
@@iancraig i live in Romania. Sunny day today when i have tryed. I'll get an adaptor ring for filters and lenses next month. Yes, you right. Well, for now, when i'll shoot outside, i'll set the wb and exposure for outdoor, and when inside, i will set in for indoor. Image clarity is very important to me. Thanks for replyng and advice. U'll come back if i need info. Thx, good day
Danny, if you get an nd filter, don’t get one that’s too cheap. They colour the image and can degrade sharpness. It’s useful if you’re running around to have a variable nd. Then you can fine tune it. Because I use thread adapters on all my cameras, they all use the same filters and one that I think works well and doesn’t cost the earth is a Freewell filter. When walking around, it is better to raise the shutter to a minimum of 1/100 so that stabilisation has a better chance to work properly. If using fast frame rate, even more and it will look sharper.
@@iancraig i was searching for a "ring" adaptor for lenses to this camera. I finded a 28/37mm on amazon. Do you have an ideea what ring or if i could just find a lens to fit directly to my camera? i do't really understand how this works. Really thank you for your time
Which camcorder are you using? Oh … sorry, I see CX 405. Unfortunately that doesn’t have a filter thread. Some people glue a thread on to the front for filters. In this case, auto exposure will probably be the best setting for you outside on bright days. There may be an exposure compensation in the menu to turn down which might help. Probably on dull days, you’ll be ok. The CX405 is one of their lower tier camcorders and is more designed for point and shoot. As I said, some people glue an adapter on. The first one in this collection is flat on the back giving a good contact surface and then go up to whatever filter size you want. It also acts as a lens hood! amzn.to/3Bt3yCC
Hi Ian,I have just found your channel and so happy that I have. I have just purchased the cx405 and will be trying these tips out when it comes. Keep up the good work,you have just got yourself a new subscriber 👍.
Thank you Alan. They are nice little cameras. The cx405 is a mini bargain with its stabilised lens. Internal sound is ok and with a bit of post work, it scrubs up! One thing I sometimes find is that the auto exposure sometimes sets the level a bit high so I try to always go under. Thank you for subscribing!
@@iancraig if I get stuck and need more help,I will definitely get back to you😀. I hope it's good enough for what I want to use it for. I am a complete beginner so it will be a lot of trial and error for me. Thanks for the reply and keep up the good work.
Do any of these allow you to pause ⏸️ recording? I video my kids pitching and would rather pause between pitches and time outs as I do with a cell phone currently.
What is bluer? I think you mean blur? Bokeh? This is not so easy with camcorders. Set the exposure to aperture priority and open the aperture as far as it will go. This will speed up the shutter speed so an nd filter is useful on the lens to make sure movement looks smooth. Or else, just use it on static or slow moving subjects.
Great info Ian. I could use some feedback. I tried to make a few adjustments on my Sony AX53 and could not reduce blown out whites very well. With most of the setting on auto, I first turned on Zebra, it showed me the blown out bits, I then played with the shutter speed and tried turning on AE shift, neither seemed to do much, I still had lots of zebra striping. The odd thing is, I was getting zebra stripes on Black, gray and white parts. I am shooting indoors with two LED COB type bulbs with a diffuser, in 4K,100mbps, 30fps. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you. I always shoot indoors and keep camera on tripod so my hands are free to review, pick and tinker on locks..
Hi Albert. Are you using a slow shutter speed? Or is everything set at auto? I’d suggest fully auto exposure first to look at the zebras. Off the top of my head, I think there may be two levels of zebra: one at 70% (to monitor skin tone) and another at 100%. I use 100. Then you see the truly blow out areas. At 70%, anything above that will show zebras. I’m not at home to check mine to see whether the ax53 allows you to set the level where zebras show. I might be confusing it with the ZV-1 though. If blacks are showing zebras, then it is really overexposed. Are you sure that the camera is on auto? I think it might be better for you to reset everything back to default and stay fully auto. If the picture is correct, then there is something wrong in one of the settings for sure. Just had a thought ..... check spot meter is off. If that has been set previously for a dark area, then everything else will be overexposed.
@@iancraig Thanks so much Ian, I will run through all this when I get home. And yes, the AX53 does have zebra 70 and 100. I was using 70 to test settings.
Ok, Albert. 70% is used for skin tone. It will make anything over 70% will go into zebra. But if blacks are showing zebras, something is definitely wrong. Over exposure could be caused by the spot meter. It’s difficult to over expose to be honest because the ax53 doesn’t have a fully manual mode. Quite a lot of my settings are shown on this video so take a look. Where I am showing the viewing screen.
That sounds about right, Albert. If the blown out bits are big or important, then use the AE shift. If not, leave it at that. The contrast range is a bit wide in spite of using a diffuser. I generally slightly underexpose. If I see a lot of zebras, I lower the exposure, but then it is also quite important to check how deep anything black is. You don’t want to lose detail at the other end. If you keep getting zebras with indoor lighting, it might need more diffusion or it’s a bit too bright.
I would be interested to know what settings are recommended when filming rock bands? I’ve just bought the cx625, but previously when filming with a Canon SX60HS on auto, I had all sorts of focus / blur issues due to the light show - plus colour washouts for the brightest shots. Sounds like with the Sony I can pick auto aperture? Is this the best option?
You can either use aperture priority or shutter priority. If you use aperture, then the shutter adjusts and if you use shutter the aperture adjusts. Fix the white balance and don't use auto. Coloured lights will throw the white balance all over the place. Try setting exposure (if you can on the 625) half to one stop low, or if you have to, set everything except white balance to auto and under expose a little. Theatre shots are hard to deal with because you get sudden extremes and really, a fully manual camera would probably work better. However, I have managed some good theatre shots on yhe cx camcorders, but the quality really comes down to quality of lighting in the theatre in all honesty.
What Stylus do you use? I hate using my fingers it's so UN-intuitive. My camera is from 2011. I wanted one that was 3D capable. I wish the obe I had was more button/manual but I can learn to live with it with better control.
I don’t remember what that stylus was. I bought a big bag of them from Amazon at the time. Dead cheap. Oh …. Found them …… www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07F882S6V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I would say much the same as the others. I set shutter at 1/50th and let the aperture deal with brightness. Sometimes it pays to slightly underexpose to avoid burned out areas. When walking around, I move the shutter to 1/100th sec. 50fps. If there is little movement, don’t worry so much about shutter speed.
Menu. Image Quality/Size. Frame rate. 50p. Next. Then whatever bit rate you want/is offered. That’s it. I would suggest going to the Sony Site to see if there is a manual there for download.
Hey I've been trying to buy the Sony CX450 for a while now but everywhere I've looked its been out of stock. Do you know why? And is there anywhere I can buy a new Sony CX450? You convinced me to buy one aha. Thanks!
@@iancraig Yeah I live in the UK, I've tried everywhere. Amazon, Argos, Currys. The CX450 and all the other sony video cameras and video cameras made by other brands are all out of stock in those shops. I have no idea why. Argos won't deliver or allow me to collect the CX450 in my area for some reason. Not in stock in my local Argos and not available for delivery.
Oh yes .... you’re right. I had a look around. That’s a pity because the cx450 has an audio input and it’s not bad sounding with a lavalier. Looks like only the 240, 405 and 625 remain and only the 625 takes a mic in.
It looks like the 450 is no longer around. Great pity because it took sound. The only cheap way in is to use a 240 or 405 with a Zoom H1n or Tascam DR05 I guess. I often use a recorder but my software links the video and audio for me.
I was filming a concert at my granddaughters high school. all of the faces were very white. When I zoom in the faces they are normal. Why are they washed-out. My camcorder us a Sony cx675. Thanks!
Was the background dark? If it was, darken the footage. The camera will try to overexpose. Spotlights on their faces? Could be harsh light. Wrong white balance? Try bring exposure down in your editor so it’s not so bright and raising the saturation. Also, try to correct white balance if it’s off. Because faces are normal when you zoom in, the camera closes its aperture so there is less light going in, which suggests that it was over exposing because of the background.
Hi im facing a problem NO ONE has covered, on my Hausbell HD definition Camcorder when things are put up close, it gets unbearably blurry. How can I fix this?
It could be one of two things: a) the camera can’t focus that close or you are zoomed in. (Zooming in decreases focus at close distance) b) the focusing system is grabbing onto the background and not the subject. Try spot focus if it has it.
I’m not sure what LPS is but I took a look on your channel ... this ‘might’ help. Use brighter lighting to close the aperture down. Maybe try avoiding back light. Budget cameras can go a bit soft close up and it doesn’t take a lot to put it off kilter. Very bright lighting might fix it. Try as an experiment ... a Bulb just out of shot, dead close to the subject to see if it looks crisper.
Sounds like there’s a manufacturer fault. Sonys are normally pretty reliable tbh. Can you send it back. Try plugging it in. Remove the battery and see if the camera comes on then. If it does, it’s a dodgy battery.
What a pain. Test with power from usb/mains. Might be battery has failed. Sometimes you get batteries that are a nuisance, where they don’t charge so you assume that it’s finished charging. Or even something daft like a dirty contact?
Try watching the video. It might help. Here’s a clue for you .....1’49” Later on, I even do screen shots. So you watched less than 1’30” before making that statement.
hi i have the cx 625 , great cam, but im trying to get my vid quality right indoors as i do RU-vid vids, seems a bit dark in my room even with lights on can you help please.
Normally, the cx625 gains up massively in low light, causing a lot of grain. Because the sensor is so small, there is really only one answer. Turn on lights. When I was using mine for RU-vid, I bought photo bulbs and put them in my light sockets. They’re big, but extremely bright. Or have a window close by. Low light is a challenge for most cameras but for these it’s worse.
Camcorders aren’t good in low light. The one I use is an ax53 which might be letting more light in. I would use a mirrorless with a more open lens tbh. Way cleaner than any camcorder. Camcorders are quick and really easy to use, but they aren’t really designed for difficult situations. Probably cheaper to just buy a light. I use Canon m6 with a Sigma F1.4 lens. That can video virtually in the dark quite nicely. You pay a lot more though.
@@iancraig yeah i had g7x mark 2 but did not no how to use it, should of kept that one , oh well, will have to get something else then. thanks for your reply.
Oh …… that’s a little beauty!! Many people want a cheap camera but they need it to work in difficult situations. Better cameras cope better, but really for these cheap ones, the only solution that doesn’t cost a fortune is a cheap light. Then they work well. I use some Godox lights at home or sometimes, photography bulbs in the light sockets. Very bright. Out and about, I take a portable light in my pocket if I think it’s going to be difficult, or just a better camera. It’s a bit like using a GoPro for a portrait. They don’t look good and the GoPro isn’t designed for that. Same with camcorders … great in nice lighting!
I thought aperture was the other way around? ie the lower the number the smaller the aperture and the shallower depth of field (blurry backgrounds) and less light being let in? Or at least that's how it is on my SLR. The lower the f stop number means shallower depth of field and less light but sharper foreground focus. The higher f stop numbers give greater depth of field more light but the focus is not as sharp. For the sharpest focus use an f stop number somewhere in the middle. Is it different with video?
No different with video. F1.4 is a wider aperture and so let’s in more light. It gives less depth of field. F22 is a very small aperure so it lets in less light but gives a large depth of field. Some use around f5.6 or F8 because that’s where the lens is probably sharpest. The lower the number, the larger the aperture and a shallower depth of field. More light is let in. On your camera, set up a correct exposure at f16 and the move the aperture to f1.8. It becomes over exposed because the aperture is wider and lets more light in. I think you’re referring to 02:15 where I do mention apertures. Think of the F stop with a 1 above it and the f stop number below, as a fraction …. F4 = 1/4 F8 = 1/8 F16 = 1/16 That’s the relative width of the apertures, so you see, F4 is a larger hole/aperture than F16.
Thanks for this Ian. I have the cx405 camera and up until recently I was filming with the default settings. I followed your video and noticed that the quality was much clearer which I loved however when I went to the beach the camera made the blue skies look white whereas this didn’t happen when I was using the default settings. I really want to keep the quality from following your video but finding it difficult with this brightness issue. I have tried adjusting the exposure, etc but wished there was a way around this as sometimes I don’t have the time to adjust settings every time I’m out and about with friends. This issue only occurs when I’m outside, otherwise the quality is amazing indoors and I wish it could stay like this while outside so I don’t have to keep changing the settings if possible. Would really appreciate a video just about the cx405 and all the settings for it for a beginner like me. Thanks Ian
I’ll take a look. It sounds as though the dynamic range of the camera can’t capture both sky and scenery. Not so bright in UK. Can you under expose any more?
I will try. I currently live in the uk as well, Scotland, but the footage still turns out a bit hazy when I’m outside. It’s a shame because the quality is brilliant when I adjusted the settings as you did but only when I’m inside. I also tried changing the white balance but this didn’t work.
The only thing that I can think of that will change the exposure is the shutter. Generally, I have a manual shutter, but if that isn’t working on the beach, then set it to auto. Maybe your beaches look brighter than ours? You could set ev to -1. Other than that, all I can think of is that the contrast range between sky and land is too great. Since you have a cx405, you can’t fit a filter, but a polariser could help with the sky.
I will give these tips a try, much thanks Ian. I’m considering buying the Sony ax43 next year, do you think it would be better in dealing with this exposure/brightness issue in comparison to the cx405? I have been watching videos and the quality of the ax43 does look very good but I’m just not sure if it would be worth it since it is quite pricey for me. I would really appreciate your opinion.
I don’t know whether the exposure thing would be fix because I’m not exactly sure what is going on if I’m honest. I use the ax53 a lot and it’s excellent.
I have an AX53, but just bought a CX-405 for an extra viewing angle. I feel a little disappointed at the picture noise though, and wanted to ask if it's because it's a small cheap camera. I expected Full HD Sony camcorders to be top-notch in 2024, even the small ones. I admit the lens is a lot smaller than the AX53, so the extra noise from CX-405 is normal, is it? I couldn't afford to be greedy and get TWO AX53s!
The cx405 isn’t up to the standard of the ax53 and is just noisier I’m afraid. It’s cheap, so expecting a £200 camcorder to match one costing three times the price is a big ask. The only answer is pile in a load of light!
@@iancraig Thanks for that. I was shocked at how small and light it was, and also like the USB powering as it will be sitting on top of my computer - no need for another bulky AC mains transformer. Just seeing you hold the AX53 after the CX-405 really shows the size difference. The CX-405 is truly a pocket camera. Only had it one day, so hope to warm to it despite the picture noise. My camera before the AX53, was the XR500V, which again was a mid-range. The only other niggle I have is not being able to switch it off easily with the HDMI plugged in. The power-save 1 minute auto-off is also disabled when the HDMI is plugged in for some reason.
Hopefully, the settings will help. With cheap cameras like this though, remember that there will most likely be compromises with the lens. For a slightly sharper appearance, try adding just a touch more contrast and add a little sharpening in post if your software has it. Be careful with sharpening though because pictures might flicker with zooming or movement. Too much sharpening makes it worse.
It’ll work but it depends what you’re doing it for. I watch my footage on a 55 inch tv. For anything serious I use a Canon mirrorless camera with a decent lens. For films you really need a separate recorder because the sound on these probably won’t be good enough.
I prefer the 450 because it has a mic input. Basically the same as the 405. At the price levels of these, I can’t think offhand how others compare. For better quality I use an ax53 but you pay a lot more for that. These cheap cams aren’t ‘brilliant’ but they do sharpen up nicely in post. I shot a 12 part music series for kids using 3 Sonys at the same time. (So colours matched) i managed it on the 405 (b roll) 450 for side shots and the ax53 for main shots. They all performed really well and actually made setting up (during covid at home) very fast. No fiddling around with settings. Set up lights and mics, and all cameras on auto! The series sold well to our customers and kept us going right through covid!!
Thank you Ian for this concise guide to all the important settings. I just bought a used CX405 and I was wondering if there is a way to see or set the effective ISO setting on this camera, or some kind of workaround I can do to trick the camera into using a lower ISO setting. It has settings for white balance, exposure, focus, iris, shutter but not ISO. I'm shooting how-to video. The camera is steady on a tripod, and I have several lights on the subject. The video is looking good, but I'd like to get as clean an image as possible. Thanks!
There is no ISO control on the CX camcorders. It’s not until you get to the ax series that there is a minimal control where you can limit the ‘gain’. I found this a nuisance as well because you have to set the lights as bright as you can in order to get a low ISO. Also set the shutter so it forces it down.
@@iancraig Thank you - the tip on setting the shutter to indirectly force down the ISO is what I was looking for. And I'll throw as much light as I can at the subject.
Hi Ian hope you are well, I must say you seem to have rather a lot of camcorders 😁I have my AX53 settings very similar to yours but have always left the exposure on auto, somethingI'll have to try when the AX53 next has an outing. As always very well explained. Best wishes stay safe Jon
Thanks Jon. I use them all for different things. Sometimes even taking 3 angles at the same time to jump between! Our SingRainbows series was made using three cameras at once and syncing the audio separately with all of them. May make some mini vids on individual settings.
I don’t usually use filters, but when I do, it’s normally a polariser for better colour saturation in sunny conditions or a variable ND filter to keep the shutter speed down
I have a hdr-cx405 to film my daughters soccer matches. I film both night and day games. Can you suggest the best settings? I shoot numerous short clips every match zooming in and following action so lots of movement. I recently purchased a telegraphing pole for stability
I would use 50 or 60 fps on ‘auto’ because you’re probably moving the camera fast, and all over the place while tracking the ball. For night shooting with floods, you might need to change the white balance away from auto but if it stays consistent over the whole pitch, I’d leave it on auto. There’s not really that much you can alter on a cx405.
Hello, sorry for my English, it is not my native language. I am really interested in the HDR-CX450 because of the possibility of the external microphone, however I am also interested in using the internal microphone mainly, but I saw a video where they said that the sound quality of the internal microphone was horrible. I have not been able to find another reference on the internet that evaluated the quality of the internal microphone of the HDR-CX450, but I did find that of the HDR-CX405. Do you consider that there are differences in audio quality between these two models with respect to the internal microphone?
I just bought my second hand cx240 TODAY, and I only want to try it outdoors asap jahaj also to record bts with the digital texture this camcorders have. So happy rn even in 2024
My biggest question is... Can I continue filming in the same time if the camera is loading the battery? The battery goes emty but i want continue filming, can I use a powerbank? Is that bossible with sony camcorders?
It is possible, but honestly, a few batteries in your pocket are all you need. Camcorders go on for much longer than a DSLR. I think 90 minutes each so three batteries would give 4.5 hours.
Sir, Can you explain why my streaming vidio quality is very poor when using Sony CX 405 camera. What will be the reasons... Connect to OBS via normal vidio capture..
Sabroooosooooo! Nice video, very useful. I own two CX240's that I use for streaming, both look great but your video help me improve the quality of the videos for editing. Thanks!
Editing can really take your mind off the video! Sometimes, I think I can analyse the video quality too much and it becomes an obsession when editing. So much that it can be very difficult to make colour/contrast decisions!!
Thank you Trainman. Going through difficult time with my health at the moment, so taking it easy with videos at the moment. So you won’t get ‘bombed’ with notifications!!
Thanks Ian, a very helpful video. I bought the CX405 a couple of years back for a trip to Cambodia (back when Australians were still allowed to travel). Ah the memories. Anyway I picked it up because the price was right and because it took the same battery as the little Sony compact I was taking. I was a bit doubtful about it since my last experience with a camcorder was a standard definition model (make and model forgotten) and frankly the video quality on that camera was so bad it put me off camcorders full stop. But using the little CX405 on my trip I found things had changed a lot and thought if this is what a reasonably recent base model camcorder could do I was interested again. It was brilliant. And I have to admit I am attracted to the idea of using kit that most people these days find unfashionable. I think I am safe in saying that. Anyway, thanks again for making these videos. I look forward to the future editions. Cheers.
Thanks John. I don’t care about fashion at all! If the camera does the job, then that’s great. I love the portability and lightness of this camera. Internal mics are OK and it has an insane zoom. So if you want to go out lightweight, this is very nice. I would love to get to Australia. So far away though. I think the people are less mistrusting than Brits and a little more warm hearted.
Greetings from Liverpool. I would like to say thank you. Your content is just the ticket for me, I have recently invested in my first Handycam from Sony. I'm going to use it yet as it is a gift for my birthday in November. I'm pleased to of found your channel. Best wishes, Lee. 😊
I was videoing a vlog up in Liverpool not so long ago Lee. The Cathedral, Albert Docks, and a Curiosity Museum, not to mention the Cavern. Lovely place.
I kind of wish they would make retro style camcorders that look the old VHS video cameras, except without the tape. But comes with the manual zooms and focus rings on the lenses.
You do have a point, Mark. The manual zoom allows you to control the speed of it while filming and loses mechanical noise. You can do this on the ax53 I think. The ring on the front is assignable to different tasks. Including focusing. These are all really cheap cameras though.
Thank you so much!! By any chance could you recommend particular settings for shooting a dance video indoors at night (with moderate/medium amount of lighting)? I've had terrible time of it trying to get the video to focus and produce an actual HD image, even on HD settings. I'll try turning the stabilization off and go back through your video and try to guess at how to adjust my settings, but I just wondered if you had any quick pointers to save me more agony? Been trying to get good footage for days and spent countless hours editing to try to compensate to no avail. It seems like the only HD focus is on my very still shots, but I need this camera primarily for filming dancing.
Hi. In moderate lighting, it should be ok for focusing. If you are hand holding, you’ll need stabilisation switched on. The only reason I can think of as to why it doesn’t focus well is that you may be zooming in too close perhaps? If you zoom right in, the aperture will close up a bit making the video become darker, so it will automatically raise the iso which can affect clarity if the iso is too high. For starters, set everything to auto and see what the camera gets. If you are getting a good image, then maybe set up a custom white balance and try not to zoom. Better on a tripod as well since your subject is moving about a lot.
Nice one Hugh. I really love the ease of use with camcorders. Plus of course, massive battery life and the ability to shoot for long stretches and that zoom. Next, you’ll be into tripods with the zoom!
Hi Ian, your videos have been great on deciding what camcorder to get so thank you! Ive decided to get the 405, but wanted to know is there a setting to shoot in 4:3? Or does it have to be done in post. I saw at 3:42 there is an image size option.
Hi. The image size is for photos only. For video you can only use 16 x 9. I think that people really need to know that this is a low-end camcorder and so won’t offer the kinds of things you might see on big cameras, etc. It’s made for 16 x 9 videos in HD only. The photo option is there but isn’t really one I use.
@@iancraig thanks for your quick reply, appreciate it. Do you have a recommendation for a budget camcorder suitable for shooting 4:3? Looking to get something but price is an issue
I don’t know of any camcorders that shoot 4:3. The only thing I can think of is to cut the edges in post. Projects would need to be set up in 4:3 when you import footage and cut the footage so that it fits!
@@iancraig sorry one last question: if I set the photo mode to 4:3, does it show the limits on the screen? Thinking of taking tape or pen and marking the limits, so can keep the subject in the frame when filming 16:9. Then editing down to 4:3 afterwards
