First, please note this review covers the Sony NEX-VG30H camcorder. All NEX-VG30H camcorders come with a 200mm zoom lens included in the package. This review does NOT pertain to the Sony NEX-VG30 camcorder which does NOT come with an included 200mm zoom lens. Note the picture of the item being reviewed has a zoom lens on it.I have had this camera for a few weeks now and have had time to run it through it's paces. I'm going to do something different and list what I think the pros and cons are to this camera.
Pros:
Zoom control can be programmed to either do digital zoom or operate the power zoom on the lens.
The power zoom on the lens can be programmed for slow, medium or fast zoom using a switch on the side of the lens.
Has both mic and headphone jacks
The electronic viewfinder is crispy clear and allows you to focus it for YOUR vision, eliminating the need to wear glasses or contacts when using the viewfinder. Exposure, battery info, sound level info and more and unobtrusively displayed iin the viewfinder.
All essential controls are easily within reach and the camcorder itself is well balanced.
Picture quality is sharp and clean under most conditions that I have tried it in including motion at 40 mph while shooting out a car window, still scenes such as downtown buildings and people walking, walks in the park and so on. For faster motion than that, I would probably set the cam in 60p mode 28mp/s and downconvert later if needed. I shot mostly in 60i mode at 24mp/s. In brightly lighted conditions, depth of field is awesome with this cam and it does better than most camcorders I've tried in low light conditions as well.
The software isn't too bad but I've seen better video editing software out there than what this comes with.
Cons: a very slight moire effect was noted in a few scenes that had pine tree needles up close and on certain brick structures shot at zoomed out distances. This is fairly normal for most high-megapixel digital cameras and video and is not a `deal-breaker' as far as I'm concerned. Adding a $180 67mm moire filter would fix this if you're that picky. The auto-focus is sometimes (not always) a little slower than I'd like to see. Sony should have included more accessories for the price they're asking for this cam, at least an external battery charger. For those of you who want pro-audio inputs. guess what? Sony in it's infinite wisdom did not include them. Sony wants BIG BUCKS for their XLR adapter that's made for this camcorder so I ended up with the BeachTek DXA-HDV High-Performance Camcorder Adapter at 1/2 the cost.
I strongly suggest buying a 67mm UV filter mainly to protect the zoom lens, which, if broken, can be costly to replace or repair. I also suggest buying an sd memory card that is capable of at least 35mb/s. I would rate this camera a very good buy for the price.
UPDATE: Despite the reservations I made note of above, I have been using this camera for quite some time now and I have to say I have always gotten beautiful HD video out of it. Also, I found a need to add pro audio inputs and if you have that need then I suggest the BeachTek adapter listed below. It works perfect with this camcorder.
The one and only complaint I have about it now is that the camera body with lens attached does not fit well when attaching it to a professional video head (for a tripod) such as the Manfrotto 502 Video Head. The reason for this is that the body of the bottom of the zoom lens protrudes just enough to interfere with sliding the camera body and lens onto the mount. There is a nice workaround for this which unless someone wants me to I won't bother to post here. The camera will fit nicely on a basic consumer tripod that has a round head on it.
Accessories that go well with this are:
Sony LCS-VCD Carrying Case for NEX-VG10 Black
Sony ACVQV10 AC Adaptor/Charger -Black
67mm Ultraviolet UV(C) Haze Multicoated Filter
BeachTek DXA-HDV High-Performance Camcorder Adapter, 20 Hz 20 kHz
The nex-vg30 feels wonderful to hold. It's solid and well balanced in shooting position. It's a little front heavy when you hold it with one hand when not shooting. The materials seem nice and everything fits well with the exception of the lens hood which gets tangled up with the lens zoom controls when it's in the stored position. The lens will retract all the way with the lens hood in the stored position, but I'm a little concerned that it's rubbing the zoom control.
Speaking of zoom control, there is good news and bad news... The good news is that there is a zoom rocker on the body of the camera that will power zoom the selp18200 lens. The lack of power zoom has derailed all my attempts at using DSLRs as video cameras to date. This one seems very smooth and responsive. The bad news is that the body rocker can control the motorized zoom or the digital zoom, but not both at once. Ideally it would have controlled the optical zoom until it was maxed out and then kicked in the digital zoom. This makes the digital zoom almost useless. I know, digital zoom isn't a great thing, but I had hoped to get away with it on occasion since the camera has a large sensor, and I had high hopes that the video quality would hold up for non critical stuff. I do find the zoom mechanical noise to be rather high at this point. The onboard mic definitely picks up zoom noise in a moderately quiet environment. I'm hoping maybe I have a bad copy of the lens since the same lens is used on the even more expensive nex-ea50 and I'm sure many will find the noise unacceptable.
The optical zoom on the selp18200 is listed at 11x. The hdr-fx1000 has a 20x optical zoom and it does have a longer reach in a side by size comparison. I do wish the nex-vg30 + selp18200 had a little longer reach (or better integrated optical/digital zoom).
The nex-vg30 does allow some degree of manual control. You can control iris, gain and shutter speed. The main problem here is you control them through a very small roller wheel that isn't in a really good place if you're hand holding the camera and changing exposure on the fly. The lens does have a control ring on it, but as far as I can tell it's hard assigned to manual focus. The nex-vg30 does not include controls for picture sharpness/saturation. It does have a gain limit control.
I haven't tried any field video with this camera yet, so I'll reserve impressions on video quality until later. My main fear is that there are no built in ND filters like the hdr-fx1000 has and my main use is filming ski racing in pretty bright conditions. The real test will be to see how well the camera can hold focus on a rapidly moving target while managing changes in auto exposure through bright snow and then shadows.
If you buy the nex-vg30, be warned that it doesn't come with an SD card. This isn't a big deal, but be sure to buy one. It does come with the smallish NP-FV70 battery. The battery enclosure will easily hold a NP-FV100 without the battery sticking out the back. A bigger battery might improve the camera balance a little too. It also doesn't come with an external charger. You have to plug the camera in to charge the battery. For a $2700 camera, Sony is a little cheap on the accessories.
For now I'll give the nex-vg30 4 stars pending some time shooting video under real conditions and looking at the results.
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Nice upgrade from my Canon hv30. Beautiful image. Love the viewfinder and the high-res still photos. Getting used to shooting 60p. Love the ease of manual controls (that work while filming). Still appreciate the Canon for it's small size and powerful sensor.Read Best Reviews of Sony NEX-VG30H Handycam Here
finally, i got the NEX-VG30H and used and had no problem, it is so easy using it manually. i would recommend it for beginners and professional as well.Five stars from me .......
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I am really happy with this camera. Video quality is superb and the interchangeable lenses are a nice thing. I had previously the 20 model and there is a difference like from night to day. In all I think is a good buy and I hope I am going to enjoy it for the coming years.Save $1.99 Off
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