The cassette tape has had a long and storied life, with notable events such as the Beta and VHS wars, the miniaturization of the physical cassette and the advances in magnetic reading technology. Although tape media undoubtedly still have life in it as a recording format, the signs have been starting to appear in recent years, the biggest of which is the advent of alternative recording medias such as DVDs, Hard Drives, and the subject of today’s Preview, Flash memory recording.

                                              The CX7 doesn't seem so small in this shot.
 

Like the advances in desktop and notebook storage, Flash memory is making waves in the camcorder industry, and the best example for this type of camcorder is the Sony HDR-CX7, which takes utmost advantage of flash memory’s inherent characteristics. The most obvious is of course the size of the media, and concurrently the size of the camera itself. Just a bit shorter than my splayed hand, this device can comfortably be held on the palm of the hand, with no part of the device exposed.

                                             With a CD in the background for scale.

In this small size is packed all of the features of a typical compact camcorder, plus some additional features not often available with the competition. A 3.2MP ClearVid CMOS censor backs up the Carl Zeiss made Vario—Sonnar T Lens, giving a full 1080 lines of HD resolution through a lens system that handles glare and flare extremely well due to its special coatings and construction. SD resolution of 530 lines is also available. 10x optical zoom, coupled with a 20x digital zoom makes for close-up action that could have resulted in shaky, dizzying video – fortunately dampened by the units “Super SteadyShot” – which in my opinion is one of the best compensation systems on the market – giving perfectly weighted smoothing of video that rarely feels too artificial.

                                             Any additional buttons were placed behind the LCD.

What’s missing though is an excess of buttons – most of the more intricate functions can be controlled through the 2.7” touchscreen and swivel LCD. This is a direct cause of another missing feature in a typical camcorder – complex operation is not part of the deal. Operation involves turning on the camera through the integrated video/camera selector, folding open the LCD, and pressing the record or the capture button. Since the camera is so small, and the design is conducive for wrapping your hand around the whole unit, the most important functions are easily actuated – record, capture, zoom, and power. On the flip side, the controls found behind the LCD are somewhat difficult to press without disturbing your shooting. The backlight, battery level display button, file explorer, play, the “Easy” toggle switch and the Nightshot switch are all located here.

                                             Hotshoe for optional attachments.

Other features include a directional mic, a flash for still pictures, a hotshoe for adding peripherals, plus output jacks including a Mini HDMI and and AV-Out connector. While filming, it’s easy to forget that you actually have a camcorder in your hand because of its light weight (around 450 grams). Battery life using the included (standard) battery pack coincides nicely with a 4GB memory stick’s recording time – just over an hour when using standard definition. The claimed 6 hours of battery life is achieved using an optional battery pack and the LCD having its backlight off. Multiple battery options are available for the more long-winded of camcorder users. Direct sunlight is a weakness for the LCD screen, with icons and the picture appearing somewhat washed out. This poses a problem for outdoor types, since there’s no dedicated viewfinder.

                                             The CX7 on its all-in-one base.

The Sony HDR-CX7 heralds the arrival and practical utilization of flash memory in camcorders, and make no mistake about it, it does so in a most capable fashion. Flash memory still lags behind traditional options when it comes to capacity and cost, but it makes up for it through its compact size and ubiquity. With this camera, we can safely say that tape recording is on a countdown to obsolescence, not immediately, and not totally, but as surely as the CRT monitor’s demise.

                                             Base connectors include from left to right: DC power, AV out, Component out, and USB.

Watch out for the in-depth review in an upcoming issue of HWM!