Video Cameras

Sony Shows Off Its Action Cam SteadyShot Capabilities, Something GoPro Lacks

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 12, 2016 | 2 comments

Sony has been investing a lot of money in their Action Cam series cameras in order to take on current industry leader, GoPro. Thanks to the rise of the “must record everything lifestyle” and more recently drones, small cameras like the Action Cam are becoming more and more popular. At CES 2016, Sony unveiled their entry model Action Cam AS50 and AS50R bundle with some unique features. Those include SteadyShot, something that its 2015 line carries as well.

Sony hopes that their built-in image stabilization system becomes a big differentiator as its something GoPro units lack.

CES 2016: 4K Sony AX53 Handycam Overview

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 8, 2016 | 6 comments

Earlier in the week, I went a bit more in depth with the newly announced 4K Sony AX53 Handycam. In short, the camera takes everything you’ve liked about the AX33 and improves upon it while keeping the same $999 price tag. Here is a quick glimpse.

Sony Talks Action Cam AS50 & Live View Monitor With Us

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 7, 2016 | 0 comments

Later this year, Sony will be releasing the Action Cam AS50 and the Action Cam AS50R bundle which includes their brand new Live Monitor among other things. While the latest entry from Sony isn’t meant to be a flagship product, there is quite a bit to like and several improvements upon its predecessor that are worth noting. Best yet, the new AS50 is priced at $199 and includes an all new underwater housing.

I had the opportunity to talk with Van Nguyen from Sony Electronics about their newest model.

Meet the $999 Sony FDR-AX53 4K Handycam

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 6, 2016 | 1 comment

Two years ago on stage, Sony announced their first 4K Handycam which they dubbed 4K for 2K (a play on its price) and a year ago, they revealed a newer generation, yet, this time 4K for 1K. Now Sony is back at it again with the FDR-AX53 which retains its predecessor’s $999 price tag.

With that move, the AX33 is receiving a $200 price drop but for the price difference, the Sony FDR-AX53 is gaining a whole lot of features. Those details after the jump.

New Sony Action Cam Models (AS50 & FDR-X2000) to Debut at CES?

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 29, 2015 | 2 comments

Like regular clock work, Sony has been using CES to debut new additions to their Action Cam lineup. Just last year, the company brought to market their 4K Action Cam (FDR-X1000V) while maintaining the same sleek design. If rumors and past history hold true, we’ll see a successor to their 4K model. According to sources,

It will be the best action cam on the market. The improvements are mainly a better sensor with improved frame rates and low light capabilities

None of this should be too surprising but perhaps even more juicy is what Sony plans to do with their AS50 Action Cam. Those details after the jump.

Sony 4K Action Cam Specs (FDR-X1000V)

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 16, 2015 | 0 comments

Just last week, we showed off Sony’s SteadyShot image stabilization technology in their Action Cam lineup from the CES 2015 show floor and earlier this week, we gave you an in depth look at the Sony 4K Action Cam FDR-X1000V. While our overview goes into detail about what you can expect the POV camera to over, it doesn’t include some of the finer details like dimensions, video formats, and more. Just as a recap, some features of the 4K Action Cam include:

Professional 4K (3840 x 2160) video recording with up to 240p HD / 120p Full HD
SteadyShot™ image stabilization works from bikes to aerial shot and more
Control up to 5 Action Cam via phone or LiveView™ Remote3
Splash proof body with universal tripod mount
Built-in stereo mic for quality sound with wind noise reduction
Automatically creates highlight video in MP4 from multiple clips
Loop recording prevents running out of memory card
Live stream your video via Ustream
Advanced manual control allows flexibility in movie expression
Ultra wide up to 170° pro quality f/2.8 bright ZEISS® lens

After the jump, you’ll find the Sony 4K Action Cam specs.

Meet the Sony 4K Action Cam (FDR-X1000V)

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 12, 2015 | 2 comments

At CES 2015, Sony continued to show their commitment to 4K by making the ultra high resolution format more affordable and available on a larger variety of devices. Ironically, in this article, we’ll be introducing to you one of the smallest ways to record 4K content. Enter the Sony 4K Action Cam FDR-X100V. As the name suggests, this small POV camera is capable of recording native 4K while still fitting in the palm of your hand. Best of all, the camera is jam packed with features that will help you get the best footage possible, no matter if it’s shot in 4K or 1080p.

Details after the jump.

Comparing the Sony Action Cam With SteadyShot Turned On and Off

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 8, 2015 | 0 comments

At CES 2015, Sony was showing off their SteadyShot technology which helps reduce shaky videos. Offered in their lineup of Action Cam MP4 cameras, Sony mounted two units side by side on a bike handle with a vibrating plate underneath them to simulate a bike ride. The video above shows SteadyShot on (monitor on the left) and SteadyShot off (monitor on the right) on the Sony Action Cam, which can be utilized even when recording at 1080p 120fps.

As you can see from the video above, the outcome is quite remarkable.

Sony Showcases Their Mobile Products Underwater

by Allegra Osati | Jan 7, 2015 | 0 comments

Though it’s a far cry from an underwater store in Dubai, Sony brought their full line of waterproof devices to CES 2015 and put them on display in a tank of water. Products shown include the Sony SmartWatch 3, SmartBand Talk, Xperia Z3, and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. Enjoy your trip to ~~Dubai~~ Las Vegas in the video above!

Meet the Sony FDR-AX33 Camcorder – “4K for 1K”

by Allegra Osati | Jan 6, 2015 | 8 comments

4K has become more affordable. You may remember the slogan from last year – “4K for 2K.” That saying received an update by Sony Electronics President and COO Mike Fasulo on the Sony press conference stage on Monday. Now boasting “4K for 1K,” Sony has brought 4K into an entirely new price point and demograph. The new Sony FDR-AX33 4k HandyCam camcorder brings with it a 30% smaller and 20% lighter design at half the price of the AX100.

We got hands on with the camcorder at the Sony booth at CES 2015 – check out the video above to get an inside look at the FDR-AX33.

Quick Footage From the Sony Action Cam Mini

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 20, 2014 | 0 comments

Shot on the @sony Action Cam Mini #NerfWar #POV #GunCam

A video posted by Sohrab O. (@sonyrumors) on Nov 11, 2014 at 6:11pm PST

Those of you who follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram already know that we purchased a Sony Action Mini late last week for reviewing purposes. For those unfamiliar, the Sony Action Cam line is Sony’s take on the MP4 camera which is heavily dominated by GoPro. The Action Cam Mini, as the name suggests, is a smaller version of MP4 which still manages to offer 1080p 60fps recording in a form factor that’s 30% smaller. Having had a chance to attend NerfWar, TurfWar here in LA, I figured the opportunity was too good to pass up to turn my Nerf gun into a FPS POV experience with the Action Cam Mini. The above footage is just a small sample I’d posted online which has been compressed. I’ll have more thoughts to share on the Action Cam Mini in the coming days. For the curious, a few more photos await you after the jump.

Meet the Sony Action Cam Mini, 1080p Recording in a 30% Smaller Body

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 3, 2014 | 0 comments

Taking a shot across the bow of GoPro, Sony has announced the Action Cam Mini. Taking everything you’ve known about their mountable MP4 cameras, the Sony Action Cam Mini packs all that in a smaller housing that’s two-thirds the size of previous models. To sweeten the pot further, the Action Cam Mini will be compatible with all previous accessories. After the jump, we have more details.

Sony FDR-AX100 4K Handycam Camcorder Specs

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 28, 2014 | 0 comments

Earlier this week, we revealed a new price point for the Sony AX100 4K Handycam that makes the powerful consumer camcorder more affordable than ever. With that post, we received a lot of feedback from the community, specifically on what helps power the AX100 and technical specs questions like the specific resolutions it’s capable of recording. Best part of it all is that according to Sony, a machine running with Windows XP SP3 is capable of interacting with the AX100 though I have a hard time believing a Windows XP machine can handle 1080p 60fps footage, let alone 4K. With that, after the jump, you can find the full Sony AX100 specs.

Sony Lowers Price On Their Already Well-Priced AX100 4K Camcorder

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 27, 2014 | 1 comment

One of the big reveals at CES 2014 was the Sony FDR-AX100 Handycam that empowered consumers to record in 4K. Sony famously dubbed it ‘4K for 2K,’ referring to its surprisingly low price tag of $2,000. As a recap, some specs for the AX100 include:

4K : 3840×2160/30P, 24P; XAVC-S HD : 1920×1080/60P, 30P, 24P
1″ Exmor R CMOS senso
14-Megapixel resolution video and 20-Megapixel still image capture
Versatile shooting w/ XAVC S2, AVCHD and MP4 codecs
Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar * lens w/ 12x optical zoom
Multi-interface Accessory Shoe for system accessories
BIONZ X Processor enables high Speed rec 120fps
Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization w/ Active Mode
Large 3.5″ XtraFine LCD (921K) and High contrast OLED EVF
Simple connectivity to smartphones via Wi-Fi/NFC
2ch LPCM for XAVC-S2 & 5.1ch AC3 for AVCHD

In short, for 4K enthusiasts, the camera offers a lot of bang for the buck. Now Sony is dropping the price of the camera and making it even more affordable.

6 Sony Products Win ‘Best’ at EISA 2014 Awards

by Jonathan Nolan | Aug 19, 2014 | 0 comments

The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) is the largest editorial multimedia organization in Europe, and this year they 6 Sony products were top of the class in their categories to win outright.

Last year Sony won 5 ‘best’ awards, including for the best tablet of the year award. This year the Xperia Z2 Tablet collected the same award, proving in a young category of product innovation, tablets, that Sony has got all the ideas right.

So slim, so classy, so slick – the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is undoubtedly an EISA winner.

Sony has given a secret to why their products succeed, read on to know what it is (and the other winners!)