Sony FDR-AX33

An ultra-high-definition camcorder from Sony with wireless capability, an SD/MemoryStick Pro Duo memory-card slot, 10x optical zoom, an image stabilizer and manual controls.

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CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model is derived from our expert lab test results.

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Current Range of Tested HD camcorders

What goes into the Overall Score?

Picture quality

/ 5

Low-light picture quality

/ 5

Ease of use

/ 5

Auto focus

/ 5

Audio quality

/ 5

Image stabilizer

/ 5

Display quality

/ 5

Versatility

/ 5

Still camera

/ 5

Battery life (min.)

/ 5

Detailed Test Results

VIDEO. The Sony FDR-AX33 takes excellent video, higher quality than almost all High-definition camcorders. Pictures were very sharp, which means you can see even tiny details and very subtle patterns in the image. In low-light situations, the video was very good: fairly bright, only slightly soft and grainy. It captures "4K" ultra-HD video of 3840x2160/30p, in addition to.

AUDIO. It captures very good audio in stereo and surround, better quality than most models.

PHOTO QUALITY. In Photo mode it captures at best 20.6-megapixel stills with excellent quality, which is unusual for a camcorder.

LENS. This camcorder has a standard 10x optical zoom lens. The lens also has a wide-angle (29.8mm) capability that's useful for landscapes and group portraits, although you may notice a bit of distortion when you're shooting faces up close, for instance. The lens has a bright f/1.8 aperture (at its maximum), which gives you a shallower depth of field for producing more professional looking portraits and images.

IMAGE STABILIZER. This is an important feature with a long zoom lens; taking hand-held shots at the telephoto end of the zoom range can generally blur or soften images due to slight movement of your hands. Shooting in well-lit scenes, this model did a very good job of minimizing the effects of camcorder shake.

SPEED. Its readiness when switching to Video mode is moderate, typical of many models. It is moderate waking up from standby, typical of many models.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. It has a wireless communication feature. It has an eyepiece viewfinder, a rarity for camcorders, which we found to be excellent. It has a large 3.1-inch touchscreen LCD, which has excellent quality that lets you very easily compose your shots and has superb playback of photos and video. It has a hot shoe for attaching an external lamp, flash or directional microphone (generally sold separately). It's relatively big and it's much heavier than most camcorders. But even though it's a large camcorder, this model is easy to hold and includes a handstrap that helps you hold and balance the camcorder.

About

The FDR-AX33 is an 8.29-megapixel camcorder with 10x optical zoom and has a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 29.8mm-298mm. It has a live-view 3.1-inch touchscreen LCD. It also includes LCD viewfinder, which is helpful when composing in bright light. The camcorder has a maximum aperture of f/1.8. The camcorder allows manual setting of focus, aperture, shutter speed and white balance.

The FDR-AX33 stores video and photos on SD, SDHC, SDXC and MemoryStick Pro Duo memory cards but has no on-board storage. It captures video as AVCHD files at a top resolution of 3840x2160 at 30p frames per second and 20.6-megapixel resolution stills as JPG files.

Unlike most models, it can accept an external accessory which attaches to the hot shoe (located on top of the camcorder). The image stabilization system for this camcorder is optical.

The FDR-AX33 measures 3.4 inches wide by 3.2 inches high by 6.2 inches in length, and weighs 1.5 pounds.

Features & Specs

Features

Built-in light

Remote

Yes

3D models

Specs

Format

SD, SDHC, SDXC, MemoryStick Pro Duo

Weight (lbs.)

1.5

Optical zoom

10X

LCD size (in.)

3.1

Connections

Largeness

Large

HDMI output

Yes

AV Input

Microphone input

Yes

Headphone out

Yes

Price & Shop

Sony FDR-AX33

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

Detailed Test Results

About

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