Sony HXR-NX70E: manual and instructions

Sony's NXCAM camcorder, shooting 1080/50p with XLR inputs. Its official manual as a PDF, then the essentials for using it.

The PDF opens directly, served by Sony. Source: its official support page.

Getting started

Battery Set the POWER switch to OFF (CHG), open the screen and then the battery cover, and slide in the NP-FV70 until it clicks. The NP-FV30 and NP-FV50 won't fit.
Charging It charges in the camcorder: plug the AC adaptor into DC IN. The CHG lamp lights up, then goes out once the battery is full, after about 195 min. Sony recommends charging between 10 and 30 °C.
Card or internal memory It has 96 GB of internal memory. To record to a card, use a Memory Stick PRO Duo Mark2 or an SD, SDHC or SDXC card, Class 4 or faster, then MENU, REC/MEDIA SET, Media Select, Memory Card.
Switching on for the first time Slide POWER to ON while holding down the green button. Choose the language, your area, summer time, the date format, then the date and time. Confirm each screen with [Next]. The clock starts.
First video Press MODE until the Movie lamp lights up, then press START/STOP: the recording lamp comes on. A second press stops it. Past 2 GB, a new file starts automatically.

Sony tested it as equivalent to IP54: a shower or a bit of dust won't bother it. It is not waterproof: never put it under water or under a jet.
Close the battery cover and the jack cover properly before heading out.
The XLR adaptor and the AC adaptor are not rain or dust resistant. With accessories attached, the protection is reduced.

Setting the AUTO/MANUAL switch to MAN gives you control of iris, gain, shutter speed and white balance. Switching back to AUTO cancels them.
The XLR adaptor fits on the shoe and the ECM-XM1 microphone plugs into INPUT1. Remove them to record with the built-in microphone.
While recording a video, pressing PHOTO all the way down also records a photo (Dual Rec).
NP-FV70 battery: about 215 min of continuous recording with the screen open, 120 min in typical use, with power on/off and zooming.

Sensor: 1/2.88-inch CMOS (6.2 mm)
Lens: Sony G lens, 10× optical zoom (14× extended), 26.3-263 mm in 35 mm equivalent, f/1.8-3.4, 37 mm filter
Stabilisation: SteadyShot, Standard by default
Screen: 8.8 cm (3.5-inch) 16:9 touchscreen, plus an electronic viewfinder
Video: AVCHD 1080/50i and 1080/50p, standard definition in MPEG2-PS
Audio: Linear PCM or Dolby Digital, two 3-pin XLR inputs (mic or line)
Battery: NP-FV70, about 215 min of continuous recording with the screen open
Media: 96 GB internal, Memory Stick PRO Duo, SD, SDHC, SDXC Class 4 or faster
Ruggedness: rain and dust, IP54 equivalent according to Sony's tests, not waterproof