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What's in the Box
Sony NEX-VG30 Camcorder with 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Power Zoom Lens
- 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 PZ OSS Alpha E-mount Lens
- Lens Hood
- Front and Rear Lens Caps
- NP-FV70 Rechargeable Camcorder Battery Pack (2060mAh, 8.4V)
- Body Cap
- Large Eye Cup
- Component A/V Cable
- A/V Connecting Cable
- Operating Guide
- AC Adaptor
- Power Cord
- USB Cable
- Wind Screen
- Remote Commander (RMT-835) with Battery (CR2025)
- Software (Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 12 included via download to PC4)
- CD-ROM ("Handycam" Application Software)
- 1 Year Parts & 90 Day Labor Limited Warranty
Hands-On Review: Sony NEX-VG30 Interchangeable Lens HD Camcorder
The NEX-VG30 is Sony's latest iteration in a very popular series of large-sensor Handycams that feature interchangeable E-mount lenses. The main innovation of the VG30 is the zoom rocker, which executes the wide-to-telephoto action of the new 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Power Zoom lens that's available as part of a kit with this camcorder. In this video, Mia McCormick of Kelby Media finds that the VG30 is capable of capturing cinematic-style video with shallow depth of field and solid low-light performance.
The camcorder features a 16.1MP APS-C-sized CMOS sensor, a new multi-interface shoe for adding speedlights or XLR adapters (not included), and a Tru-Finder OLED viewfinder. The NEX-VG30 is compatible with the wide range of E-mount lenses, from Sony and other manufacturers, and records 1080p HD video as AVCHD to SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards.
| Sensor | Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor (23.5 x 15.6mm) |
| Resolution | 16.7MP |
| Color Filter | RGB |
| Crop Factor | 1.5x |
| Lens Mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Processor | BIONZ image processor |
| Drive System | Shutter: electronically controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type Auto Shutter Speeds: 1/48-1/10000 (movie: 24p), 1/60-1/10000 (movie: other), 30s-1/4000 (Still) Manual Shutter Speeds: 1/3-1/10000 (movie: 24p), 1/4-1/10000 (movie: other), 30s-1/4000 (Still) Continuous Shooting Speed: 6 fps Drive Mode (Photo Mode): Single-shot/Continuous/Bracket 0.3EV/Bracket 0.7EV Drive Mode (Self-timer): Approx. 10 sec. (Still Image) |
| Focus Control | Focus System: contrast AF Focus Area: 25 point AF Focus Features: tracking focus Focus Sensitivity: 0 - 20 EV (ISO 100 at f/2.8) Manual Focus Assist: magnified display, peaking display |
| Flash | Flash Type: multi-interface shoe (flash unit not included) Flash Metering System: Pre-flash TTL Flash Modes: Auto/Forced/Slow Sync./Rear Sync./Prohibited Flash Compensation: +/-2EV, 1/3EV step |
| Digital Zoom | x2 |
| Gain Control | Auto/manual (0 - 30 dB) |
| Metering | Still Mode Only: 63 segment metering from CMOS image sensor Metering Modes (still mode only): multi-segment and touch spot Metering Sensitivity (still mode only): 0 - 20EV (ISO 100 at f/2.8) |
| Minimum Illumination | 9 lux (1/60 shutter speed f/3.5) |
| White Balance Modes | Auto/Onepush/Outdoor/Indoor/WB Temp |
| Recording Media | 1 slot (Memory Stick Duo or SD/SDHC/SDXC) |
| File Formats | HD Video: AVCHD 2.0 (MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) SD Video: MPEG2-PS Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2ch Stills: JPEG, RAW, JPEG+RAW |
| Video Signal | HD: HDTV 1080/60p/24p/60i SD: NTSC color, EIA standards |
| Still Image | Resolution: 16MP (4912 x 3264), 7.1MP (3568 x 2000), 4MP (2448 x 1624), 2.1MP (1920 x 1080), 307K (640 x 480), 230K (640 x 360) |
| HD Video Output | HDMI (mini) |
| SD Outputs | Composite Video Out (A/V connecting cable supplied) Component Video Out (Component A/V cable supplied) S Video Out (A/V connecting cable with S Video sold separately) |
| USB | mini-AB/USB 2.0 Hi-speed (mass-storage/MTP) |
| Power | DC input |
| Audio | Headphone jack (stereo minijack) Microphone input (stereo minijack) |
| Shoe Mounts | Multi-interface hot shoe (x1) Cold shoe (x1) |
| LCD Monitor | Type: 3.0" Xtra Fine touch-screen LCD with 921K dots and TruBlack technology Max Opening Angle: 90° Max Turning Angle: 270° |
| EVF | High contrast XGA OLED Tru-Finder with 2359K dots and eye sensor |
| Other Features | Assignable Dial, Tracking Focus, Audio Level Display, CinemaTone Gamma/Color, x.v.Color, Face Detection, Priority Setting (for Face Detection), View & Index: Event, Anti-dust charge protection coating on filter, Power zoom control, Zoom lever, Variable zoom speed, DVDirect, Wind Noise Reduction, Mic Level Control, Picture Effects, Noise Reduction, Backlight Compensation, D-Range Optimizer, Exposure Compensation, Zebra Pattern Display, Histogram |
| Power Consumption | HD: 4.2W (with SELP18200 lens), 4.6W (with viewfinder and SELP18200 lens) SD: 4.0W (with SELP18200 lens), 4.4W (with viewfinder and SELP18200 lens) |
| Power Requirement | 7.2V (battery pack), 8.4V (AC Adapter) |
Comments
excellent review