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Sony Handycam FDR-AX53 4K Ultra HD Camcorder | Review

January 17, 2024 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder

Sony Handycam FDR-AX53 4K Ultra HD Camcorder

Sony Handycam FDR-AX53 4K Ultra HD Camcorder


Smart-Rating: 4.6/5
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The FDR-AX53 is Sony’s compact 4K consumer camcorder. SmartReview previewed this model at CES in Las Vegas (see video below). This model shoots at 4K Ultra HD (3840×2160) which is at 8 megapixels resolution verus only 2 megapixels for Full HD. In addition to shooting at 4 times the resolution of HD, this model has Sony’s best Balanced Optical Steadyshot (BOSS) image stabilization.

This camcorder, although a consumer model has many high end features, such as a premium Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar® T lens f2.0-3.8 (20x optical and 30x extended zoom). Shooting at this resolution will future proof your videos, as the industry moves toward 4K resolution in TVs. Footage in 4K can also be used for Full HD video production, as you can crop or zoom in on your footage and still maintain Full HD quality. Manual Control (Iris, Shutter, Exposure, and White Balance.


Sony AX53 Side View

Side view of Sony's FDR-AX53 4K Camcorder

Sony FDR-AX53 Features: The Sony Handycam FDR-AX53 can record Full 4K footage at 24p, and 30p. It can also record Full HD at 60p, 24p, and 30p. A new timelapse feature is onboard with shooting intervals of (1/2/5/10/30/60sec). The new high quality Carl Zeiss Wide Angle Lens has a 35mm equivalent of 29.8mm – 298mm. Face Detection. A new 1/2.5″ back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS Sensor has pixels that are 1.6x larger for better sensitivity for low light situations.

Zoom has been doubled to 20x optical zoom from the previous model. Lock-on AF and face detection will keep your subject in focus. The NightShot® Infrared System can shoot at night or complete darkness. Other features: up to 8.3 megapixel still images, Large 3.0 inch Xtra Fine LCD touch-screen (921K dots resolution), The new powerful Bionz X image processor allows you to record in 4K Ultra HD, as well as improving battery life. WiFi and NFC to control your camcorder remotely.


Sony 4K Camcorder with Balanced Optical Image Stabilization

Sony's FDR-AX53 has Sony's Best Balanced Optical Image Stabilization

Compression and Recording: The FDR-AX53 uses the new highly efficient XAVC-S 4K compression format (100Mbps bit rate) to record 4K @ 30p, or (50Mbps bit rate) to record 1080p video at 60p. Records 4K video right in the camera to an SDHC SDXC U3 memory card. Can also record to AVCHD and MP4 codecs for HD. The camcorder does have an internal Dolby 5.1 surround sound microphone (with enhanced audio control), and Linear PCM audio quality.

A standard accessory shoe is included for lights, and external microphones. The AX53 also includes an External Microphone Jack and Headphone Jack. Other Features: Tracking Focus follows selected subjects. Hookup to an HDTV or a 4K TV through the built-in HDMI port. USB 2.0 interface. High contrast 0.24″ EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) with 1.55 million dots is provided. Includes a lens hood.


Lens Specifications: 26.8mm – 536mm (20x optical zoom; 30x extended zoom) F2.0-F3.8 (55mm filter)
Manual Features: Assignable dial provides control of the focus, exposure, white balance, iris, and shutter speed. 31 step Mic level control.
FDR-AX53 Battery Life: Approximately 150 minutes recording using the included NP-FV70 battery.


BEST of 2024 Award Smart-Review Commentary: Sony’s FDR-AX53 is the latest entry in 4K compact camcorders. Sony has installed its best Balanced Optical SteadyShot™ (BOSS) into a consumer sized 4K Camcorder. BOSS claims to be 13x better than regular Steadyshot. In your hand, you essentially hold a camcorder that is capable of producing video with about the same resolution as a movie theater projector, since most theaters now have 4K Sony Projectors.

Shooting at 4K Ultra HD resolution will future proof your videos. 4K has 4 times the pixels of Full HD. Just as we had suggested 11 years ago to buy HD camcorders, we are doing the same with 4K. Eventually 4K TVs will be in most homes, and the video you take today will look great on those TVs, now or in 10 years. Another reason to shoot 4K is that it looks great, even if you convert it to Full HD 1080p. If you shoot in 1080p on this camcorder, it will also have higher quality because it is using the 4K capture to downsample to the 1080p video. And there are many options you have for cropping and zooming in on the 4K video, while still maintaining Full HD quality.

Sony FDR-AX53 4K Camcorder

SmartReview video coverage of the Sony FDR-AX53 at CES (Click to Start)

The Sony FDR-AX53 has a fast f2.0-3.8 Carl Zeiss lens, and a sensor with larger pixels to help in low situations. It also has an excellent 1.55 million dot OLED EVF Viewfinder for shooting outdoors. The camcorder has an extemely efficient recording codec XAVC-S 4K which records at the highest bitrate in 4K of any Sony consumer camcorder (100Mbps). This assures best quality free of digital artifacts. The camcorder has a nice manual focus ring that can also be used for other manual functions. We have previewed the footage taken by this camcorder and its very clean with no artifacts or imperfections that we could see. The FDR-AX53 has won our BEST of 2024 award for camcorders under $1000.


Sony FDR-AX53 4K Ultra HD Camcorder Sony FDR-AX53
4K Camcorder
Sony FDR-AX43
4K Camcorder
Sony FDR-AX700
4K Camcorder
    Camcorder Features

  • 4K Ultra HD Recording
  • Balanced Optical SteadyShot™
  • 20x Optical Zoom
  • NightShot® Infrared System
  • 100Mbps Recording
  • BIONZ® X image processor
  • EVF Viewfinder
  • TimeLapse Feature
  • Manual Controls
  • 60p HD Mode
  • 24p,30p in 4K Mode
  • 3.0 inch Touch-Screen
  • WiFi and NFC
  • HDMI Output
  • F2.0-F3.6 Zeiss Lens
  • 26.8mm Wide Angle Lens


Sony
FDR-AX53
4K Camcorder


*4K Model

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1/2.5-inch Imager
EVF Viewfinder
20x Optical Zoom
26.8mm Wide Angle
TimeLapse Feature



Sony
FDR-AX43
4K Camcorder


*4K Model

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1/2.5-inch Imager
– – –
20x Optical Zoom
26.8mm Wide Angle
TimeLapse Feature



Sony
FDR-AX700
4K Camcorder


*4K Model

Buy from Amazon.com

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1.0-inch Imager
EVF Viewfinder
12x Optical Zoom
29mm Wide Angle
TimeLapse Feature


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Related Article: Sony FDR-AX53 Vs. FDR-AX700 4K Camcorders | Differences


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Sony FDR-AX53 4k Ultra HD Camcorder | Review Summary

Summarized Review: The Sony FDR-AX53 is a compact 4K Camcorder. It has Sony’s best balanced optical image stabilization. The AX53 is capable of 4K Ultra HD up to 30fps and a high 100 Mbps recording bitrate. Other features include: Built-in Wifi, NightShot® Infrared System, EVF viewfinder, and 20x optical zoom. With clear and crisp video, this model has won SmartReview.com’s BEST of 2024 award for compact 4K camcorders.
Written By: Smart Review
Product Rating: 4.6 out of 5


Resources: Sony FDR-AX53 user manuals