This weekend, I Got my hands on one of these babies for a no-budget short film. Loved it. So easy to use, and the picture is great. It’s true, the finished look is not “cinematic”, which is a
fair criticism, but for the price it is great if you’re looking to upgrade to a high-def digital picture. Watched the playback on a 16:9 widescreen TV before editing and it was beautiful. However, you can’t rely on the auto-functions. Tried using auto-focus and auto-iris at the start, but ended up doing both manually for the most part. A small complaint considering a  real filmmaker shouldn’t be using them anyway. Otherwise, a great camera.

This is my first “prosumer” camcorder I ever owned and I love it. The color reproduction is phenomenal and has great features. A few caveats may scare away people looking for something more, but this is more of a VERY HIGH END consumer item. Not for the novice, but someone with more shooting talent than the average person. If you want a TRUE HD professional camera, spend 15+ grand and stop knocking this one.

A bother to me was that regular mini-dv can record in true 16:9 mode. While the HD mode is anamorphic 4:3. (Stretched to fit 16:9) The wide-angle lens can fix that for about $500 more.
But if you are transferring to regular DVD’s, you can still shoot mini DV widescreen because DVD doesn’t record in HD.

So, unless you are transferring to HD DVD, like blu-ray, you have the BEST consumer/prosumer widescreen camcorder available.
Rated at about 3lux, low light doesn’t harm this baby much. I find the accessories can be pricey too, but that is the cost you pay when you go prosumer. Everything else is for beginners and amateurs.

I have been using the DCRVX 1000 for over 10 years and it has done well. However, the FX1 is so far superior in every way. The only feature I miss is the “overlap”. So far, the color, the detail, the feel (a bit heavier than the VX1000) are even better than I expected. HD is as close to reality as possible. I have 2 weddings that I will soon record, and I feel confident that the FX1 will perform without fail. I recommend this camcorder for the very serious videographer. It is priced $2 thousand less than the VX1000 sold for in “96 at $5 thousand. Technology has improved while costs have fallen. A good buy at 3 grand.

Camera is way better than the sony HC1. Night shooting is great and colors appear natural and there is not much noise or smudging of colors. Would recommend it in a heartbeat. My 37 inch 1980×1080 LCD becomes an window when I hook up this camera to it.