Sony HXR-NX3D1 NXCAM 3D Compact Camcorder

Comments about Sony HXR-NX3D1 NXCAM 3D Compact Camcorder:

If you own a Macintosh computer, this camera is nearly useless. The only way you can watch a video on a 3D iTV is by hooking the camera up to the TV. Yes, you can back up the recorded files onto an external HDD which gives you plenty of storage. But to view the videos, you must first connect the hard drive to the camera! Send your hard drive to your sister to watch the videos you shot in 3D, but don't forget to send the camera. There is NO editing software for Mac. Don't be fooled by the Wondershares of the world. They do not work. If you plan to shoot outdoors, change your plans. It is impossible to see anything on the LCD screen either in 3D or 2D. If you cover the screen with one hand like an umbrella, and get real close, you still can't see. A three thousand dollar camera needs a traditional electronic viewfinder for outdoor shooting. This camera looks very cool and is bound to make you look like a pro. At least while you are holding it. If I recommended this camera to a friend, I wouldn't be much of a friend. By the way, I own this camera and it's for sale.

Comments about Sony HXR-NX3D1 NXCAM 3D Compact Camcorder:

I've owned this for less than a month now, but I can tell you that the HD and 3D quality of this camera is incredible. I doubt there's anything at this price break as good. The one and only complaint I have is that it's the exact same camera as the MUCH less expensive (half the price) Sony HDR-TD10. The only difference is the attachment that contains mic, the mic inputs and controls. Is Sony saying that a simple i/o port and microphone is worth as much as the camera? I didn't realize this when I bought it. Searched the internet for just the attachment. Had I found one, I would've bought it, sent this camera back, and purchased the TD10. Otherwise, this camera is more than I dreamed it would be in this price range.

Comments about Sony HXR-NX3D1 NXCAM 3D Compact Camcorder:

Seems like a wonderful camera but I need users' advice.Is it really true that using this camera and editing in Final Cut is complicated? I read the Mario bros experience and I wonder if there are other options to edit in Final cut in a quickly and direct way. Please, let me know Maria

Comments about Sony HXR-NX3D1 NXCAM 3D Compact Camcorder:

Dual lens 3D camcorders have come a long way since the Toshiba SK-3D7K. And the Sony NX3D1 is a significant camera. It offers the 3D videographer a simple tool for capturing stereoscopic video with very little set up time or fussing. The large "glasses free" stereoscopic display is the best i've scene. The ability to change the display from 3D to 2D with a left/right overlay allows for accurate setting of the stereo convergence. This camera has a better dynamic range than my twin Sony HC9 rig, and I'm happy to be leaving the world of tape based acquisition. Have the left and right movies compressed together is a double edged sword. It's great for storage but makes working with the files burdensome to anyone not editing in Vegas. Perhaps other editing platforms will support the MVC format in the future. Until then, transcoding of the files into separate L R movies is the only work around.

There is a lot to love about this camera, and at twice the cost of it's "Consumer" brother (Sony HDR-TD10) this camera has value. But there are some features and functions that will prevent this camera from becoming anything more than a nice point and shoot 3D camcorder with some fancy pro-like adornments.

Many of the important camera settings are unavailable in 3D mode. The first and most frustrating is the ability to set or adjust white balance in 3D mode. Shooting against a simple grey backdrop, i watched the colors shift as an actress moved in and out of the shot. The lack of Zebra display, or a Histogram forces you to rely on the LCD display to set exposure. And the display has different brightness in 2D and 3D mode giving me no confidence in eyeballing the exposure.

In 3D mode, the only image control you have is Convergence, Focus, and Exposure. I would like to be able to change the exposure meterin mode, change the white balance to suit the lighting conditions and perhaps have some kind of exposure and white balance shift available.

I understand that having a dual lens, dual sensor camera that records 1920 x 1080 @ 24p at a reasonable price point is a major achievement. I just wonder why white balance and some form of exposure display have been left off an otherwise handy semi-pro tool. I'm waiting to see what other manufacturer will offer in this price range.

Comments about Sony HXR-NX3D1 NXCAM 3D Compact Camcorder:

got a Sony TD10 for 3D shooting, but when it comes to make 3D bluray, i discovered it is not compatible. Too bad... But Sony fixed that by releasing the NX3D1 that shoot 24p. Ok it is twice expensive, but the camera looks really pro and it really woth the money. [...]

Comments about Sony HXR-NX3D1 NXCAM 3D Compact Camcorder:

The HXR-NX3D1 delivers solid stereoscopic footage from a very compact form-factor camera. Narrow IA turns out to be PERFECT for underwater work, which is my primary application for the camera. Lack of white balance control in 3D mode is a minor annoyance - but - proper underwater filters and lighting cure most of that problem. Video quality is surprisingly good from the modest 28 Mbps MVC codec. Color model is limiting (4:2:0) and there is not much latitude to correct any baked-in problems, but, Sony has done a remarkable job with the "out-of-the-camera" color quality.

Above water, the HXR-NX3D1 is a fantastic go-to camera for quick shots. The quality is good enough to intercut with our EX3 beamsplitter rigs. For the time being, the HXR-NX3D1 will probably be the 3D camera that gets the most use of all the rigs we have.

Comments about Sony HXR-NX3D1 NXCAM 3D Compact Camcorder:

I bought this to use as a third camera in my professional work and this is a dream come true. The video quality in 3D and 2D is as good as my PMW-EX3 and it's 1/3 the size. Light weight and great on a Steadicam Merlin or Glidecam 2000. It's not a back breaker.

Comments about Sony HXR-NX3D1 NXCAM 3D Compact Camcorder:

The form factor is nice, unobtrusive and doesn't call attention to itself (other than the gold "3D" letters on the viewfinder). The viewfinder is awesome and always carries the "wow" factor for whoever looks at it.2D HD resolution is ok, not great, but after going into 3D you might not want to go back to 2D anyway. 3D resolution looks very nice, maybe it's technically not very high because of the compression, but the added perception of depth takes it to another level and looks MUCH, MUCH better than the footage from the 3D bloggie ($250 vs. [$]). Image stabilization is great.The software included with the camera only works on a PC. Fortunately I had an old PC laptop lying around, so I'm able to extract the AVC files and then split them into a pair (L&R m2t's). Strange thing is: The MVC file is 25 Mb/s, not 28 Mb/s as stated. The split m2ts files are 16Mb/s each. 2 messages at Sony got me a callback 3 days later from a rude guy who really wasn't that well informed and ended up telling me someone would have to call me back. i just wanted to know why I was getting 25Mb/s and not the 28Mb/s printed in the specs. Maybe I'm doing something wrong (?)Once I have the m2t's on a hard drive, I bring them over to mac, use AUNSOFT Video converter to convert them to ProRes and then edit with FCP and Dashwood 3D. Hopefully in the not so distant future it will be easier to split the MVC files into something editable by a mac without much hassle.Another thing that I have noticed is that sometimes, one of the pairs (usually right) shows more compression or fuzziness than the other one. Not really sure if this is the result of the software in the cam, the Sony PC utility, or my transcoding to ProRes. I will be asking Sony if they ever call back...