Welcome to the house of Sony
This isn't prêt-à-porter in a haute couture package. It's full-on top-of-the-line technology. So don't let the couture features at a dress-for-less price influence your purchasing power. That's right. You no longer need to spend 10K to get a studio-quality camera. Advancements in technology plus simple supply and demand economics equals precision equipment at an affordable price. But this isn't just about pinching pennies. It's about you and your creative vision. It's about perfection. So what kind of bang do you get from the HDRAX2000? For starters, film-quality 24p/30p progressive recording. In addition to 1080/60i recording, the HDRAX2000 offers a 1080/24p and 1080/30p progressive scan mode that enables shooting with film-like results. How does it work? Signals scanned at 24p/30p are converted to 60i (using 2-3 pulldown for 24p) and recorded on MemoryStick PRO Duo™ media. Add to this the fact that the HDRAX2000 can capture video at up to 24Mbps for amazing clarity and detail. (The AVCHD2 codec means it's got Blu-ray written all over it.)
Revolutionizing how filmmaking is perceived
Just like its studio-sized cousins, the HDRAX2000 features three 1/3" Exmor™ CMOS Sensors, each packing a 1,120K total-pixel wallop and each handling one of the color elements—red, green, blue (RGB)—improving the color reproduction of video recordings. As an added bonus, x.v.Color™ technology captures nearly twice as many (1.8x) viewable colors than the traditional RGB color standard. This provides a more accurate, vivid (i.e. lifelike) color range. In addition, dark scenes can be captured with very low noise thanks to Exmor™ technology that features a new column A/D converter and dual noise reduction that yields rich tonal reproduction with high signal-to-noise ratio. And, sensor resolution has been optimized and the photosensitive surface area has been maximized thanks to the unique grid arrangement of the photo diode sensors in which each sensor is rotated by 45 degrees.
Not ones to not out-do themselves
Uh, in other words, the quality of the HDRAX2000 doesn't stop with HD progressive scanning and CMOS sensors. Those clever folks at Sony developed and employed the Enhanced Imaging Processor (EIP) image-processing technology. EIP rapidly processes the vast amounts of pixel data read from the 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor™ and records blissfully brilliant HD video. The ClearVid CMOS Sensor™ has been developed using the most advanced technologies in the semiconductor industry. It handles video data in 1920 x 1080p and 4:2:2 color space for high-quality signal processing before recording it to the MemoryStick PRO Duo™ media. Combined use of the EIP and 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor™ imaging system allows the HDRAX2000 camcorder to provide extremely high image quality with a smooth gradation and detailed image reproduction.
Become one with nature without becoming nature's lunch
The HDRAX2000 is equipped with a 29.5mm wide-angle "G Lens" made from advanced 10-group, 15-element lens material, including "Extra-low Dispersion glass" which reduces chromatic aberration caused by light refraction and produces video with extremely low color fringing. The G Lens is designed for shooting situations that range from wide-open landscape shots to in-your-face close-ups. It also provides a 20x optical zoom (29.5mm-590mm) for those in-the-bear's-face close-ups. The optical zoom takes maximum advantage of the lens performance, so image quality does not suffer even at a zoom ratio of 20x, thus allowing you to faithfully reproduce the subject's impact. (Remember folks: the farther away you are from the bear, the farther the bear's six-inch claws are from your precious visage.) The digital extender increases zoom by 1.5 throughout the range up to 30x at full zoom.
Don't click Add To Cart just yet
We just want to make sure you really know what you're getting yourself into here. You know, we want to ensure you make an informed decision. Just because the HDRAX2000 hits all the high notes doesn't mean it's not worth reading on to see what else it has to offer. For example, the HDRAX2000's Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization with Active Mode improves on existing Optical SteadyShot image stabilization by allowing the camera lens to shift over a greater range of motion, which, in turn, allows the camera to compensate for greater degrees of camera shake and deliver a stunning level of image smoothness. For extra control over image expression, Cinematone Gamma™ technology is used to deepen the color and Cinematone Color to recreate film-quality tones. Cinematone Gamma™ also allows you to quickly set up and load a gamma curve with contrast characteristics similar to a film gamma curve. You can also gain more color control in extreme settings by utilizing the three built-in neutral density filters that adjust the amount of light entering the image sensor through the lens. In glaring sunlight these filters give you more flexibility in choosing the shutter speed and aperture settings for superior creative control. Depending on shooting conditions, the you can chose from Clear, 1/4, 1/16, or 1/64 filters.
Winter light at its best
The HDRAX2000 offers superior low-light recording ability with high sensitivity that enables clear shooting of subjects in light as low as 1.5 lux (at 1/30 fixed shutter speed with auto iris and auto gain). And the 3.2" Xtra Fine LCD™ with 921K pixel resoultion and widescreen ratio lets creative intuition be your guide by taking the guess-work out of scene composition. The HDRAX2000 is equipped with three independent manual rings (zoom, focus, and IRIS ) for superior control and flexibility while filming. The IRIS ring allows you to adjust the aperture to attain optimal brightness and express beautiful depth-of-field shots. Exposure can also be assigned to the IRIS ring enabling the camera to automatically select the optimal iris, gain, or shutter speed, seamlessly enabling adjustment of exposure. This means that desperately moody beach shot à la Bergman won't be a wash-out.
Professional quality video requires professional quality audio
With the HDRAX2000's dual XLR 3-pin audio jacks, you can provide +48V phantom power to external microphones. Additionally, the grounded connection allows insertion and removal of connectors in live equipment without picking up external signals. Plus, the Active Interface Shoe (AIS) gives you a wealth of audio and video accessory options.
Quality is in the details
Professional quality extras push functionality—and usability—to a whole new limit of easibility:
Zebra display : While you are shooting, you can add a striped pattern to bright areas of the video image and display it in the LCD and viewfinder. You can use this as a rough guide for adjusting brightness, which helps prevent blocked highlights.
Peaking : This feature emphasizes the screen's edge in the LCD and viewfinder, making it easier to adjust the focus. You can change the peaking colour to white, red, or yellow according to the color of the subject, and you can also set the peaking level to high, medium, or low. This feature is handy when shooting with manual focus, because it makes it easy to tell where the focus is currently.
Center marker/guide frame : The LCD and viewfinder feature a center marker that lets you identify the centre of the screen at a glance. You can also display a guide-frame grid on the screen that simplifies the vertical and horizontal alignment of shots.
Color bar : Four types of color bars are available for use. These are convenient for color adjustment when playing back images on a TV or monitor.
Fader : To enhance viewing enjoyment, you can create transitions between scenes by using the White fader or black fader to fade images in and out.
Supplied accessories:
Power adaptor/in-camera charger (AC-L100)
InfoLITHIUM® rechargeable battery (NP-F570)
Wireless Remote Commander® remote control (RMT-845)
Lens hood
Lens cap (built-in lens hood)
Composit A/V cable
Component video cable
Large eye cup
Optional accessories (purchased separately):
VCL-HG0872X high-grade wide conversion lens
VP-72CPK circular polarizing filter kit
SH-L32W LCD hood
NP-F970, NP-F770, NP-F570 InfoLITHIUM® L series batteries
AC-VQ1050D AC adaptor/dual slot quick charger
HVL-20DW2 10W/20W video light
LCS-VCC soft carrying case
VCT-80AV remote control tripod
DLC-HD10P/-HD20P/-HD30P/-HD50P high-speed HDMI cable
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX recording media
