Operational capability for the above purpose:
Very good. The weight is included mounting rail is significantly lower than that of a Hero 3+.
Camera battery and micro SD: 61g. Camera with mounting spar: 73g. Camera housing (mounting rail is not necessary): 109g.
The AZ1 is already splashproof without housing, can start so that man, for example on a wet meadow, without having to use the housing. The elongated shape is more streamlined than, say, a cubical Hero. There are even lighter cameras specially designed for model aircraft, but these usually have a significantly worse picture quality or limited features.
Service:
Very good. Easy with the remote control on the wrist, or smartphone app. Also right on the AZ1 the operation is much simpler than that of a Hero 2 or FlyCam One. However plugs directly into the camera just the bare necessities to adjust. Sony could give to help with the menu items of the remote control. The display space is enough.
Image Quality:
Good (1 star deduction). Sharpness and color fidelity are very good. Changing light conditions are compensated very well. The brightness measurement works but apparently over the entire image area and not per spot or selected image areas. This eg backlit scenes with objects in the near distance are meaningless.
The native angle of view of 170 ° is the same as a Hero 3+. This is clearly too much for my Zweche and barrel distortion is of course correspondingly high. Other resolutions reduce the field of view to 120 °, which is still high and has to be bought by low resolution. A fixed focal Weiste remains just a fixed focal length.
When fast movements of the camera in Full HD mode produces a "swirling" image effect. This could be due to the optical image stabilization, I have not tried this in other settings. There is also with fast movements and nearby objects clearly blocking artifacts and compression artifacts on diagonal lines.
Sound Quality: Good. Of course, no miracles are expected, but due to the splash protection allows the AZ1 regarding recordings use better, than, say, a Hero.
Connectivity: mediocre. Essentially a WiFi connection must be possible. Although there is a Micro USB socket on the camera, which carries the marking promising "Multi". But it can be transferred no HDMI signal via cable, no external microphone Connect etc. This is not a problem for my purposes, but I do not know if, for example, the use of AZ1 with FPZ stations will be possible for the model airplane.
Part 2: Performance tests and supplements to previous issues
WiFi coverage in live video streaming:
Was tested under optimum connection conditions, ie, in the outdoor area without interference in the 2.4 GHz band and no obstacles between the camera and receiver. The camera was not built into the housing.
Max. Range when using the Sony AZ1 Fernsteurung as display: 23 m
Max. Range when using a Samsung Galaxy S5 as display: 51 m
Attention: The transfer and a stable link goes further than the distance that is necessary to restore a lost connection.
Gradually, the question arises, why you should buy the version with remote control at all, because the PlayMemories Mobile app is clearly superior with a suitable smartphone in many ways. Currently, I can cite only one argument. The AZ1 remote control is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, the smartphone does not necessarily.
Recording time:
Two versions have been tested under the following conditions.
- VGA resolution =
- Camera is not mounted in the housing
Off SteadyShot -
Case 1, WLAN off: Recording time = 2:01 hours
Case 2, WLAN switched on, video streaming for remote control: recording time = 1:35 hours
The recording time depends on the resolution and frame rate, in case the results are only valid for the conditions.
The terms are in any case given the tiny batteries pretty good, but I strongly recommend the purchase of several reserve batteries and an external charger, eg, qid = 1413207065 & sr = 8-1 & keywords = Patona + universal + Charger% C3% 4t.
After all, the charging time is cruel long even when using a 2A charger. The battery charge level indicator is as usual not linear but parabolic, that is, when the first of four bar disappears, the battery is less than half full.
The duration of the remote control itself, I have not measured, because after about 4 hours the charger status indicator still showed 3 bars, so that I go out of a total duration of 7-8 hours. Note: The remote control battery can not replace (easily). That is, if it is empty, it needs to be recharged, which takes several hours.
Part 3: Supplements and Miscellaneous
- The "swirling" effect when HD recordings seem to be due to the image stabilization. If you turn image stabilization it does not occur.
- The printed manual leaves many questions unanswered and makes several references to the Sony website. There, the value is at least in the German version also unconvincing. Tried once to find out what the different recording PS, HQ, STD, HS100, Sslow and VGA actually mean.
- The latest version of all the information and the firmware is 1.0, meaning that Sony still has much potential to improve.
- The color setting you should on the preset value "lively / Vivid" setting, because the "normal" setting is a little pale
- Creative Applications: Dashboard cam. Reversing camera with monitor. "Search dog" = Camera Model tanks or -geländewagen (ideal for those looking for mushrooms in the undergrowth before you crawl there yourself). Surveillance camera; if the AZ1 is once connected to a wireless network, many applications are possible.
- Alternative Power: Good news, because the AZ1 can be operated while it is being charged to a USB charger. So function 12V cigarette lighter to USB adapter, USB Power Banks etc.
- Thermal Situation: outside the housing at room temperature the AZ1 ran a whole day and was doing about 45 ° C warm. This may look like when using the protective housing differently and Sony know multiple points to an automatic thermal shutdown. If I observe something special in the future, I will write an addendum.
- GPS: The GPS receiver is located in the remote control, not in the camera. Conveniently, a log file is created on the storage medium of the camera, which can be read into Tackingsoftware (.. \ PRIVATE \ SONY \ GPS).
Have fun with the AZ1
