Sony FDR-AX43 | Ultra HD (UHD) 4K Compact Camcorder | 5-Axis Balanced Optical SteadyShot™ | 20x Optical Zoom | Flip screen

A super camera/camcorderAs good as newI purchased this as I was able to save a little and the benefit of return if unsatisfied.I was a little nervous but this proved not necessary with this company.I would like to thank them for their honesty prompt service and my new hobby.

There are not so many traditional camcorders available now and this one has been around for some time. However, it does produce very good quality videos. I have had several Sony camcorders and I needed a replacement as I lost several videos due to the last one failing badly in hot weather. I was unconcerned about the lack of a viewfinder on the FDR-AX43A, but with hindsight I regret that loss as there is considerable glare from the fold-out view screen in bright conditions. I have added a stick-on film to the screen to try to reduce the glare. Perhaps the FDR_AX53 would have been a better choice. As with most camcorders, the complexity needs some familiarisation and I recommend downloading the manual for reference as a number of the settings are not obvious. In addition I have added a daylight filter and lens cover to avoid damage to the exposed shutter.The video options are very good, including 4K and the ability to record also in .mp4 format which makes viewing and transfer to some TVs etc much easier. I have not been able to test the image stabilisation system properly yet, but it looks promising. Despite downloading the Sony software I have not been able to make the Bluetooth file transfer to a computer work and there appears to be no Sony advice on the problem. However, USB and direct Memory card transfers work ok. The supplied battery (NP-FV70A) does not provide a lot of recording time, especially at 4K. Additional batteries are available but I found that supplier's advice on their compatibility was confusing and sometimes wrong. The Sony service website chat line was most helpful and correct. The Amazon price and delivery service was very good.

Camcorders might be out of fashion but this one is amazing value, and the inbuilt gimbal does a fabulous job of stabilising the picture. Great image quality too. Recommended.

This is an incredible camera, and is definitely 4K. The problem is the auto focus sometimes takes too long to sharpen up and if you are extremely picky like me it is a little frustrating.

At present I cant find any faults regards using this. I use it for my family and outside interest

It's a pleasure to use this camera as it's always been the case with Sony cameras. My only complaint is the frame rate for 4K is set at 25fps. There's no 30p. The footage looks amazing regardless.

Picture quality was brilliant ,image stabilizer helped a lot was ,t very good filming in full sun I found on play back the volume was terrible that,s why I returned it my old Panasonic of 19 yrs old much better.

I purchased my Sony FDR-AX43A in December 2023, and within just a few months, the section of plastic covering the hinge on the screen broke off. This was not due to misuse on my part - it was simply by opening and closing the screen after a number of times. This would suggest to me the camcorder was either a faulty product or design flaw. A few weeks after that, the camcorder stopped powering up completely, which presumably was a result of the plastic braking off to reveal the workings underneath.In October 2024, I sent my camcorder directly back to Sony, not Amazon. A couple of weeks later, Sony telephoned to inform me they could not make repairs my Sony FDR-AX43A as the fault was "physical damage" as a result of “misuse”. Therefore, Sony would be sending the camcorder back to me unrepaired. However, I disputed Sony's conclusion of misuse and physical damage as mentioned above.Since then, there have been numerous emails back and forth between Sony and myself. Despite everything I described in each email I sent to Sony, I practically received the same message back from them: “we apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you, please be informed that your case has been handled by a higher team, and they stated that your device got inspected by the authorized service centre and they confirmed a physical damage, which is not considered as a design flaw. Therefore, we can only proceed with a chargeable service as offered by the authorized service centre not a subject to change. Please check the warranty terms and conditions in the link below…..”I do actually wonder if Sony READ the emails they receive as it’s clear they just have standard responses which they automatically send back to complainants, and they give no explanation as to how they conclude “physical damage” despite my requesting it several times in my emails.I paid £600 for my Sony FDR-AX43A which, for me, is a huge amount of money on a camcorder that breaks within just a few months of purchasing. I find it unacceptable that 1) a section of plastic breaks off the hinge when you simply open and close the screen, 2) Sony are unwilling to accept and acknowledge that this is a fault with the particular camcorder I purchased, and 3) Sony expect ME to pay to repair this issue when the device was purchased only a few months earlier.Unfortunately, this has now soured my feelings towards Sony. As a result, I will not be purchasing another Sony product ever again.