Along with the improvement of our smartphone’s cameras, it seems that the popularity of camcorder is quickly written off. However, compared to capable camcorders our smartphones still not as good. Two of those capable camcorders are Sony FDRAX53 B vs Panasonic HC WXF991K with their set of features to help you record video with amazing quality. If you are interested in them and are wondering which unit suit you the most, go check our article below.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
– What are Sony FDRAX53 B and Panasonic HC WXF991K
– What Sony FDRAX53 B and Panasonic HC WXF991K Look Like
– What Sony FDRAX53 B and Panasonic HC WXF991K can offer to you
– Sony FDRAX53 B vs Panasonic HC WXF991K
About Sony FDRAX53 B
The popularity of 4K video content has been a huge trend in the last several years promoted by the availability of 4K TV and contents. The camcorder market also not lacking behind because as you can see, now you can record your own high quality footage with many camcorders out there and one of them is Sony FDRAX53 B. The B in the model name is most likely to refer the color variant, so the original model is only the first.
Sony FDRAX53 B Design
This camcorder is released a few years back and initially launched to continue the former FDRAX33. This model is still having a similar look to the predecessor but due to some external improvements, the form factor is a bit bigger but it is not too noticeable. It is still very comfortable when held and depend on the user, it should fits in most people hand in similar way just like many other camcorders. It is equipped with 3.0-inch LCD display in 921 x 600 dots.
Sony FDRAX53 B Features
As it has been mentioned earlier, the FDRAX53 B is released as the improvement of its older model, so if you ever use the AX33, you will really notice the difference here. Even though the upgrade seem so little from the outside, the inside on this camcorder is upgraded with new ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T lens to allow you to shoot video at 26.8mm wide-angle.
What’s great from this upgrade is the optical zoom for both 4K and HD has been doubled to be 20x while the Clear Image Zoom will still sporting an artificial boost to 30x zoom for 4K and 40x zoom for HD. Read also: Panasonic HC X1000 vs Sony HXR NX100 here.
Another improvement here is the Exmor R CMOS sensor that also has been upgrade to a bigger pixels at 1.6x larger than the previous model to give you a better performance under low light condition while the Autofocus is now 40% faster too with Balanced Optical SteadyShot image stabilizer using its 5-axis Intelligent Active Mode to provide better support for unsteady recording. However, it is a bit unfortunate the mode is still not able to be used in 4K mode.
To keep in track with Sony’s newer releases, you will also find several new shooting modes added here such as the 4K time-lapse and record in 120/100 fps slow motion video at Full HD. Even though the microphone is still the same, the structural design has been dramatically improved to give better sound performance. As a consumer model, the FDRAX53 B provide plenty of advance shooting features with its multi-purpose ring, focus IRIS, shutter speed and exposure.
About Panasonic HC WXF991K
There are actually a lot of another option out there if you are only looking for camcorder with a capability to record video in 4K quality but only some are dependable just like Panasonic HC WXF991K. This is a great option if you want the features in FDRAX53 but want to spend a little bit less. It comes with almost everything you will need to capture high quality videos with a set of features to help you produce better footage.
Panasonic HC WXF991K Design
When you look at the Panasonic HC WXF991K for the first time, you will notice that it has another small camera in the LCD panel which is a bit unusual for a camcorder and raise a question what this one is used for actually. Well, the most possible answer is used when you want to capture home video where everyone are included even the operator. The second option is for self-recording just like video blogger or such who want to record themselves while talking.
Panasonic HC WXF991K Features
Just like many other releases, the Panasonic HC WXF991K is here to continue the older WX970, but if you also use the older camcorder, you will probably find that the new addition is not that interesting or at least not to the point you will find the need to sell your older unit and purchased this upgraded camcorder. The prominent upgrade here is on the electronic viewfinder because it now comes with one and this viewfinder can be adjusted to different angles.
As a consumer camcorder, it is packed with features to help you produce cinema-like effects that will required many efforts if used in professional camcorders and one of them is the dolly zoom that will give you that Vertigo effect you can find in movies and TV shows. For those who loved to capture fast moving objects, this camcorder has both Slow and Quick motion function to record both fast and slow motion video in one clip.
Optical zoom in Panasonic HC WXF991K is up to 20x, intelligent zoom for 4K is up to 25x while Full HD is up to 40x. There is also feature to help you do post-recording editing right in your camcorder. For example, there is “zooming crop” function that you can use to open a recorded footage and select a small scene where you want to zoom into and another area you want to pan.
Comparison
Now, let’s compare Sony FDRAX53 B with Panasonic HC WXF991K. FDRAX53 B is using 1 /2.5 Exmor CMOS sensor with 8.29 Megapixels while HC WXF991K is using 1 /2.3 BSI MOS sensor with similar effective pixels for 4K video. Optical zoom is still the same at 20x but FDRAX53 B intelligent zoom for 4K is up to 30 while HC WXF991K is only up to 25x. The prominent difference between them is the additional camera in HC WXF991K which is not exist in FDRAX53 B.
Sony FDRAX53 B vs. Panasonic HC WXF991K
Conclusion
All in all, the decision is all yours to make. In our opinion, both of them are similarly good options if what you are looking for is a 4K capable camcorder. However, if we are to choose, we will pick Panasonic HC WXF991K because it is more affordable and has additional camera just in case you will need them.
