Preview: Sony HDR-UX7 - Camcorder Info
Camcorder Info previews the new Sony HDR-UX7 camcorder. 'The Sony HDR-UX7 ships with the same 1/2.9” ClearVID CMOS sensor (3.2 MP gross pixels) found on Sony’s upper-end HDV consumer camcorder for 2007, the HDR-HC7. This sensor is a major upgrade for the UX line. It is the most significant distinguishing factor between the HDR-UX7 and its step-down sibling the HDR-UX5 which has a 2.1 MP CMOS sensor. We expect to see good things from the 3.2 MP sensor that also appears in the HDV HDR-HC7. However, we also expect to see some performance differences between these top-end high definition camcorders.
When we tested the HDR-UX1 last fall, in both the camcorder’s High and Standard Definition recording modes we found good quality color and sharpness in bright light that nearly matched the stellar video of the HDR-HC3. However, sharpness and color reproduction proved to be only part of the story. Using a brand new compression algorithm, AVCHD, to squeeze a big HD picture down to 12Mbps at its max bit rate, the UX1 displayed a disappointing amount of noise. The noise issues were acute and grew worse at lower lighting levels. We believe these problems stem from the camcorder’s AVCHD versus HDV compression. For now, AVCHD just can’t match HDV for overall picture quality since HDV has a higher fixed bit rate of 25Mbps. The larger imager should improve performance, but the use of AVCHD will still affect picture quality.'
Read: Sony HDR-UX7 First Impressions Camcorder Review - Camcorder Info