I've been looking for a second camera for a while now. Initially I thought about getting a DSLR but really, my NEX-FS100 is already in that league as far as interchangeable lenses are concerned. Sony's ultra compact PXW-X70 fitted both the budget and the space available in my last empty Pelican 1500 case. What I wanted was something compact and cheap that I didn't mind throwing around in situations where I wanted to spare my pimped-out NEX-FS100. An old school zoom rocker would be nice and so too would something that could shoot AVCHD similar to my FS100.

The PXW-X70 fitted the bill perfectly so really it wasn't a hard purchasing decision to make in the end. 



Above: The PXW-X70 fits inside a Pelican 1500 case along with three batteries and SWIT camera light.

I love this little camera! As part of Sony's XDCAM family it is definitely not a consumer market toy, but rather a very specialized ultra compact tool made for folks who need to work in tight spaces. This will be perfect for use inside cars and aircraft cockpits, inside a cave or a jungle for a reality show, or in a foxhole in a combat zone for a documentary...a real run 'n gun knock-around shooter you can drop in a backpack along with a sleeping bag, a Kevlar helmet and a camping stove.

My favourite features:

1) Compact size (obviously)
2) Good low light thanks to a 1 inch image sensor.
3) Awesome battery life. Nearly 8 hours if you use large capacity NP-FV100 batteries.
4) Picture Profiles. So I can set it up to match my NEX-FS100.
5) You're not stuck with using your fat, greasy fingers on the flip-out touch screen as Sony has blessed us with a joystick. I know some folks hate them, but in this case I love it because I hate fingermarks on monitors and viewfinders.


Above: It uses the same menu structure as that in my NEX-FS100 that I'm already familiar with.

6) Two SD card slots. An option to use a solid state memory unit would have been nice, but I guess there's no space to fit it. It does come with an SDI and HDMI connector if you have the hardware.
7) My favourite feature by far - the mobile app! Yes, you can control zoom, iris, focus and recording functions remotely with a free Android or iPhone app. For guys who work alone like myself this is great - I can now control two cameras on a shoot.


Above: Sony's Content Browser Mobile app controls zoom, iris, focus and recording functions.

Stuff I didn't like? Only one issue really: it doesn't come with a separate battery charger. There's a rather expensive Sony dual charger sold separately. I have however tracked down an inexpensive universal charger that should work with the Sony batteries I have, so I'll give this a try.

https://pro.sony.com/bbsc/home.do