Specifying 1080 50p rather than 1080 60p on SLT-A65

[rijukes63]

Is there any way of specifying 1080 50p/25p  rather than 1080 60p/24p video file format on an SLT-A65? Due to Amazon UK and a 3rd party trader's vagueness I find myself in possession of a US model which only offers the latter. I can of course return the camera but this will cost me £150 in carriage and a re-stocking charge or endless bureaucracy. This does everything I want otherwise and I can actually live with with the US formats if I have to since Blu-ray discs are 24p anyway. The results from the camera after editing with Magix and writing to Blu-ray are stunning. Nonetheless the situation is irritating and I would like to own what I paid for. I'm pretty sure the answer to my question is 'No' so wouldn't a 50p/25p AND 60p/24p feature be a nice candidate for the 1.06 firmware update?

[blaireau_photo]

Hello rijukes63 - Welcome to the Sony Forums

Unfortunately, changing the video format in this manner would be more of a hardware issue than just a software one which wouldn't be achieved with a firmware update. It is irritating though and I have been in this situation before with a camera that I purchased a while back!

Thanks,

Simon

[gimp69]

A firmware update could be coded to ignore the region, so no hardware involved.

[Blencogo]

I think most people would prefer to have the 24p option available!

[gimp69]

I think most people would prefer to be able to switch to whichever the prefer.

[rijukes63]

That was my thought, but after further experiments I really wonder if it matters. I have tried 60p and 24p on Blu-ray discs and on AVCHD discs produced by Magix Movie Edit Pro 17 Plus and played on a Sony BD player connected to a Bravia Pal TV. The subject matter included a lot of medium speed movement. I have also played the material back by connecting the camera directly to the TV. To my aging eyes the results were superb in all cases. The only limitation was that the AVCHD format would only work on the 24p input. I imagine conversion is happening somewhere but as long as it happens, I don't care where. In addition the Amazon 3rd party Trader has given me a commercially suicidal discount for the mistake so I am happy to keep the camera.

I still find it difficult to follow the marketing logic that dictates different A65 models for different regions and I would have thought that in an age of globilisation Sony would make more profit from a single model that was switchable.

Judging by their latest financial results, it is time they altered their approach.

Thanks to all for the replies