My A700 will leave home tomorrow forever :-(

[InTheSky]

Well ... This is the time. I'm finally selling the A700 tonight (on the web site that everybody knows ).

Looking forward for replacement next year. For the moment, I'm not using it too much to justify to stay with it (the the purchase of the Minolta 200mm APO F/4.0 MACRO need to be refunded).

I have tried the A550 in Sony Store last weekend and I have been really impressed, I was not expecting the camera to feel good like that.

But ... baby coming in April ... I will look forward for a Camera with Video ... or a simply a good video camera.

If it was not of the A900, I do not see any reason for a person at this moment to sell a A700.

Regards,

Frank

[David Kilpatrick]

I believe the A550 could be made to shoot video. It is already providing a signal which is good enough, has a fast enough refresh and high enough resolution to be encoded as 720p - there are only two things preventing this, the inclusion of a graphic panel saying MF FOCUS CHECK LV on the screen view when in this mode, and the lack of any device able to record video from HDMI input.

Sony could, with a minor firmware alteration, provide an accessory recorder which could capture video - even if they could not make it happen directly to the card in the camera. I don't give up entirely on the possibility of such a device appearing.

David

[Highlandsnapper]

[quote="
Sony could, with a minor firmware alteration, provide an accessory recorder which could capture video - even if they could not make it happen directly to the card in the camera. I don't give up entirely on the possibility of such a device appearing.

David[/quote]

I would assume that almost all the Dslr's out there today have only HDMI output with no hardware for an input signal?

[InTheSky]

[quote="
Sony could, with a minor firmware alteration, provide an accessory recorder which could capture video - even if they could not make it happen directly to the card in the camera. I don't give up entirely on the possibility of such a device appearing.

David

I would assume that almost all the Dslr's out there today have only HDMI output with no hardware for an input signal?[/quote]

I think The point of David was to say that if it was not of the information showed at the same time on the LCD screen of the camera (and at the same time on the HDMI connector), the camera can be use as a HD camera by recording the output on a second medium. The camera is supposed to push HD TV signal when it is time to see picture, but I don't know for the live view experience it it is only 640x480 ... and it is really at 24fps ... or 30fps...

Regards,

Frank

[David Kilpatrick]

I've checked the live view on a screen, and it's very good. It appears to have a fast refresh rate, I could pan the camera without problems. I have been trying to find a device which can record from HDMI feed, but the industry has ensured no such device exists in order to combat video piracy. I am still hopeful one may be around.

David

[InTheSky]

It is probably just a matter of time ... Every lock is there to be unlock ... Probably our China friends already have the solution and it is available on some website somewhere. (remembering when I worked in Telecommunication and we where sharing Design plan... long story ... ).

That will be interesting to find a kind of not that big battery back + USB drive and a HDMI to usb recorder . This will remember the old RCA grey camera pack that my father bought when I was young (having to bring the half size VHS-Video + Big Camera + Moto battery pack).

I got one big camera like that a school for myself for 50$ It was my first personal video camera.

Frank

[InTheSky]

Just found that ... : http://www.blackmagic-design.com/produc ... techspecs/

Need to check now if there is kind of unlocking software ...

Frank

[David Kilpatrick]

No unlocking software would be needed - but some kind of Mac or PC able to host the card would be! I don't think any computer I own (iMac, laptops) would work except maybe an older windows XP PC machine. I did see this I think (or something like it as a separate device) but of course what I am looking for really is an HD recorder with HDMI input.

Or, maybe, an HDMI to SVGA converter - I have an old Mac G3 with AV inputs. Rather heavy!

David

[Dusty]

Here's a portable device that record HDMI to SD cards: http://www.lektropacks.co.uk/view_produ ... 3&show=123

Not too cheap, and need a 5v power pack that does not seem to be included, but that would be easy enough to gin up.

Dusty