I've do a bit of aerial photography, and recently I decided to take the plunge and try it in 3D. Although I tend to use Canon video gear, it looks like Sony has made a significant investment in 3D. Sony seems to have the greatest range of products on the market so far, and the NX3D1 seemed like the right product for my needs.There's a lot to like about this camera, from the overall construction and "feel" to the quality of the videos you can produce. Although I haven't used Sony camcorders in a long time, everything felt comfortable to me, from the placement of the controls to the overall balance. In my aerial photography ventures, the camera rides attached to a small radio-controlled helicopter in a custom housing that gives me remote monitoring, as well as pan, tilt and zoom capabilities. Adapting the camera and remote to my (admittedly unusual) needs has been pretty simple, so I give Sony high marks in this regard. Sony customer service went above and beyond to get me wiring diagrams and information about the remote control protocol so that I could adapt the NX3D1 to my needs very impressed with their service.
Originally, I was somewhat torn between this unit and its big brother, the PMW-TD300. While much more expensive, the TD300 gives you up to 35Mb/s bitrates substantially more than the 28 Mb/s on the NX3D1. My Canon 2D video equipment produces 50Mb/s, and I was worried that the NX3D1 would reveal compression artifacts or have other quality issues related to the lower bitrate. Unfortunately, the TD300 is heavier than my equipment can lift, so in the end, the NX3D1 was my only choice. In the end, I suppose for 2D video, I'll keep using my Canon but the stunning 3D videos you get from the NX3D1 make it easy to overlook issues like bitrates.
When used in still image or 2D mode, image quality is good, but not terrific. Exposure is spot-on, the lenses are sharp and contrasty, and the autofocus system keeps up with whatever you point the camera at. Still, the relatively small sensors used in camcorders don't have the dynamic range, low-light performance or noise qualities of larger cameras (say, your DSLR in movie capture mode). Of course, you probably buy this sort of camera for 3D, and so 2D or still picture performance is no doubt of secondary importance.
Sony does an excellent job with image stabilization on the NX3D1. Even in my aerial photography setup (which tortures most image stabilization solutions!), videos are generally smooth and fluid probably the best I've seen on any brand of camcorder. Sound quality is likewise quite good, whether you use the built-in microphone or the XLR inputs. The 96GB storage capacity is plenty for me, and Sony makes it fairly painless to offload to an external drive or simply carry lots of SD memory cards. Battery life is reasonable I get about 2-3 hours depending on whether I have the microphone attached or not, and there's a larger capacity battery if run-time is important to you.
While I'm new to 3D, I didn't find it especially difficult to adjust and configure the 3D settings to get topnotch video. The 3.5" LCD is clear and bright, even in daylight, and the "no-glasses" 3D mode gives you a good idea of what the final product will look like. The one challenge I had with 3D was in editing and post processing. My 2D equipment and Adobe-based software just doesn't cut it for 3D, and to be honest, I still don't feel as though I have a great solution here. Of course, this isn't Sony's fault I need to upgrade to 3D capable monitors, software, etc.
Overall, I like the Sony NX3D1 a lot and I'm glad I gave it a try. Although I feel like 3D is a big step and there are still some missing pieces, the Sony NX3D1 is a big part of the equation, and I don't think you'd regret going with one.
Buck McNeely
Outdoorsman InternationalTry and Search for " HXR-NX3D1U " online.
Search for a PDF Manual and let me know if you can find one good luck.
I own one of this and I have searched everywhere, by the way Sony's online support is terrible.
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