SonyFDR-AX53 Ultra HD 4K Compact Camcorder (HD 5-Axis Balanced Optical SteadyShot, 20x Optical Zoom, Wi-Fi and NFC), Black

This camera replaces my nine year old Sony HDR-SR1E which was one of the first 1080i camcorders available, I only changed because the LCD monitor touch screen failed. I sincerely hope this camera can last as long. Firstly, as ever in my experience with Sony it has a great feel of quality and build. Secondly, the functionality is way beyond where I was with my older camera, WOW ! I deliberately waited for Sony to launch further generations of 4K camcorders as I have been stung before as an "early adopter". This I believe is the third generation 4K model and I have no doubt will be soon be superseded, but for now it is almost full proof for my purposes. Sony have addressed several issues over the last model.I largely agree with the jgw89 review, and it is a good review so I don't need to repeat any of it. The microphone I am not yet sure about. I am used to AVCHD recording mode and 5.1ch surround sound setting, this is certainly available on this model but not so if you select 4K or HD XAVC S mode. In these modes only 2ch stereo is available which is a shame for those who own home theatre systems. I used to find my voice quite loud from behind the camera but now I struggle to hear myself during playback in 2ch stereo. There is a 'my voice cancelling' feature on this camera but I have not activated it, I have activated the built in zoom microphone function though which may have something to do with it ?I recorded in 4K 60Mbps mode at 25fps and plugged the camera straight into my 4K television using the supplied HDMI cable, WOW again ! The first actual raw 4K I have seen on my television set and not one pixel showed anything but sharp, clear definition and I had my nose pressed to the screen. Brilliant.I was impressed with the BOSS system also, I had mine set to 'Active' which is the greatest stabilisation mode available when in XAVC S format, it was weird whilst recording as the lens position appears to have a mind of it's own when compensating for any untoward movement by the user. Initially one would think the camera was broken inside as the lens can move when you shake the camera around - gently !It is still early days for recording and storing 4K for the consumer, I use the Sony PlayMemories Home software which is great in my opinion. This comes available free with the camera via a download from the Sony UK website. It is extensive enough unless you are a pro editor. It can store 4K and HD XAVC S and allow some editing. I have bought a 4TB external hard drive to store 4K, 2hrs worth can eat 64GB memory ! I do not know when it will be possible to burn 4K to disc to watch on the recently available Ultra HD Blu-ray players so we are left waiting for now. The HD XAVC S mode will allow up to 50Mbps at 1080p which is great definition and can be burned to Blu-ray disc using PlayMemories Home, I will try this out as my old camera could only achieve 15Mbps at 1080i.I recorded in my living room in fairly low light and the result was better than my old camera which would have needed a light fitted in the same conditions. Speaking of which I bought the Sony ADPMAC Shoe Adapter which fits directly to the multi interface shoe and adapts to the Active interface shoe to allow the fitting of older Sony accessories. However, my light was "device not supported" on this camera - shame.Intelligent Auto appears to be a good feature which can easily be selected from the LCD monitor screen by touching the icon. This can switch several functions on automatically if required such as face detection, scene detection, camera shake detection and sound detection (for auto wind NR). The touch screen works well, my old one was the (push) resistive type whereas this one is capacitive, it is like a mobile phone screen which is certainly easier to clean. The menu systems are intuitive and become very user friendly.I also like the fact that the camera is on and ready upon opening the LCD monitor or pulling out the view finder, great for those quick shot moments.A great camera, thoroughly recommended until the next model is released...........

I have been using the ax53 for sometme now, I find it simple to use and with the best quality video I have seen, it is well made and has the feel of a professional camera, I strongly advise using nd filters with the camera for perfect video, the steady shot is fantastic and the zoom gives good quality even at full zoom, you can set your own settings and use this in full manual with Manual focus or exposure, but in full auto mode the results are pretty much faultless, I use manual shutter speed with nd filter or polariser, pop it into sunny on w/b and that’s about it, the results are amazing, the microphone is very good but you can always use a shotgun mic or other with the mic input on the camcorder, it’s an all round perfect camcorder that can be used by anyone, also by the professional.

I have just used this camera to record my 170 mile journey on a canal boat. I just used the basic functions as a point and shoot. The camera was amazing. The steady shot function worked perfectly and the zoom very impressive when I needed to get in close on wildlife.The camera was so easy to hold and able to get some great camera angles.The touch screen is easy to navigate when you get to know where most of the functions are. It was simple to review a shot and return to camera mode quickly.There are cheaper camera's that could have done the job but this is a well made and sturdy unit that gives you the options to achieve much more. Highly recommended.

I bought this Camcorder to use on my youtube channel, the first one had a stabilisation defect in that the slightest movement around the Camcorder (when mounted on a tripod) would cause tremor on the video, so returned it to Amazon. Looking around the internet this seems to be a common issue. I was impressed with the 4K footage however and decided to buy another one. The second one does not have the same defect and I am now happy with the performance. The actual performance seems to be a step up from my old VX 870 which in itself was pretty good, but this gives better low light due to bigger pixels and the BOSS stabiliser is awesome (when its working), its like being on a gimble all the time. The sensor is not as big as the AX-100 which I would have liked to see however. The only reason I have knocked a star off is the annoying manual restrictions which I did not have on the VX-870. On the VX-870 you could control exposure, iris, shutterspeed, white balance all independently, but not the AX53. Sony must be doing this to upsell you to the AX-100 which allows this. Also given the chunky size of the cam I would think the sensor could have been bigger. Other than that I am pretty pleased with the camcorder and it should do well until we see a true BOSS enhanced AX-100 successor.