*Updated June 19th 2013*
To add the new PJ790 & PJ780 to the thread since no dedicated thread exists and the specs for these cameras are very similar.
After doing multiple searches I was disappointed that there was no dedicated message boards to these 2012 / 2013 Sony line of cameras- only messages and threads all over the web- no Central Location for actual owners or those interested in these specific models. (My apologies to other threads that already have this information- but again when others search for info from owners on these cameras there are too many pieces of info in too many places.) Of course in North America model #s CX710 / CX760 are the same cameras without the added Projection feature of the PJ line. As well as other international variants such as the PJ780 etc.
Original review:
It's been a while since I had a Camcorder and recently picked up a Sony PJ710 for the past couple of weeks and I am still learning the features.
An FYI- there is a pre-installed rechargeable battery in the camera to keep the clock and other features going for up to three months without a regular battery installed . Sony suggest leaving the camera plugged in with the screen closed for 24 hrs to charge this built in battery. (Yes I read the manual and was surprised to see this buried in the manual. This should also be true for the other cameras in this line- check your manual! I found this info on page 85 of the US manual of the PJ710. Download the pdf file for your specific camera from Sony's website and check it out.)
Also if not using the camera for a long time, the manual states you should fully discharge the regular battery before storage. (The regular battery being the rectangular NP-FV50 or NP-FV70 etc.)
My first thoughts:
1.) I really like the built in mini projector. In my opinion The Projector is not a toy or after thought- those of you with kids will definitely understand. When I go to film an event with a lot people and want to show the recording right away without having to hook up to an external Screen / TV. Just find a blank wall, turn down the lights and everyone can view themselves in all their glory. I was very surprised at how well this little built in projector worked. It's not the highest definition, but for what it is, it is pretty clear and the colors were really good especially in a darkened room. I felt like I was at the drive in when viewing this. Really cool feature.
2.) The GPS is a very handy feature that I wanted to have with this camera. The time it takes to lock onto the Satellites was very fast- sometimes only a few seconds from the time I opened the screen to start the caemra. I will be circumnavigating the planet shortly and stopping in too many countries to list and I look forward to sorting and tracking my travels via Map View in the Sony Play Memories software on my laptop. (Normally I eschew manufactures' software but this is one feature I don't mind using.)
3.) I would have liked a viewfinder included at this price point like the PJ760. But to tell the truth I am not missing it as much as I had thought. (I am an old school look through the viewfinder and shoot kinda guy.) I also like the built in male USB cord. It is full sized male USB, but the housing behind the male plug is slimmer than a regular male USB 2.0 plug.
Note: the supplied Sony USB extension cord has a plastic collar that fits the slim male USB coming from the camera. I tried to plug in my other USB peripherals into the Sony USB extension cord but the propriety plastic collar prevents the regular USB male plug from fitting.
For traveling I wanted to have one USB extension cord that is universal. So I just used a regular male to female USB 2.0 extension cord and that works perfectly fine with the Sony PJ camera. (I know this sounds confusing, but I don't have pics of the Sony USB extension plastic collar handy right now. Just ditch it and use a regular USB extension cord.) Damn this propriety nonsense. I can see that it is supposed to lock on and support the slim male USB coming from the Camera- but it is seriously not needed.
4.) Dedicated manual twist style button that can be used for manual focus / iris control / white balance etc.
5.) Night shot mode. I played around with this and chased the cats and it works just fine from a distance of up to 10-12 feet. Anything longer and you need a dedicated IR light that you can stick in the active interface hotshoe on the camera to extend the night shot distance to 23ft up to 65ft
6.) Auto smile detection picture- this feature I really really like. Even though post processing you can select such stills from the video, I like the spontaneous shots the camera takes. The "smile" sensitivity can be set from low to hi in the settings. (Not all shooting modes offer this though- see My list of Quirks below.) Also the highest megapixel is listed as 2.1mp for taking a still picture while recording. This is not that great- but again it serves as a cue for me when later I view the video in post processing and use my video editing software to pull that exact same scene / picture at a higher resolution.
7.) The 10X Optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens / Exmor R sensor is not much compared to the PJ260 which has 30X optical zoom. But I prefer the superior lens in the PJ710 / 760 which makes it harder to get a larger optical zoom according to Sony. The Sony accessories pamphlet that came in the box shows you can get a tele conversion lens. I might explore this option in the future. I really like the fact that you can control the zoom speed from a very slow zoom to a really fast one. Also the zoom and record on the touchscreen gives more choice depending on how you hold the camcorder.
8.) Balanced Optical Steady Shot- works. Moving up and down stairs, following my precocious little niece as she scampers around- if it can handle those two events- then I know this camera can handle whatever I throw at it. Short of me being stupid and hanging off the side of a 4X4 while off roading.
There are three settings for image stabilization aka Steadyshot:
Off
Standard - Digital image stabilization
Active - Balance Optical image stabilization- aka floating lens- the reason you bought this camera
Depending on what you are shooting- you can use Standard or Active for best effect.
In my experience when moving Active works great. When standing still or using a tripod Standard is good enough. There are some subtle differences, pros and cons when using either mode. The manual sucks at explaining them. I generally just leave the camera in Active mode and forget about it.
Note: A word about zooming out and trying to following a moving subject when using Active Image Stabilization. There are times, not always, where I found that the Floating Lens still wants to move very slightly until it auto corrects itself. A type of slow jerky movement that can be disconcerting when you first see it. I bought my Sony PJ710 from the Sony store and the sales guy showed this to me at the store and made me aware of it. So I was not surprised by it when it happened during my home shoots. Others won't even notice it if you don't mention it to them while viewing the videos on a big screen. They might just think you have a nervous twitch or something.
This is the inherent nature of this new type of floating lens. Just like any new technology- get used to it, adapt your shooting style to eliminate or else compensate for it. I expect this to get better as the technology matures and other manufacturers bring out their version of the floating lens.
I have not really experimented with the other Standard Steadyshot image stabilization mode to see if this still occurs.
Someone please chime in and let us know.
A few other quirks:
1.) Touch screen seems to be single point touch only. Not sure if this is because of the way Sony has the firmware / software setup on the camera, but when trying to zoom in on the GPS map you have to use the hardware zoom buttons located on the top of the camera itself. There is no + or - zoom icons on the touchscreen itself. In otherwords no pinch to zoom in or out on the touch screen, I find this rather annoying.
Also you have to press the arrows to scroll up and down- you can't flick up and down like I am used to on any touch screen interface. (Smart phone, tablet, convertible laptop etc.)
Hopefully this can be added in a firmware update. (Unless the touchscreen really is only a single point touch interface... argh!)
2.) Some of the shooting modes don't have all the features. For example- you can select 60i and get the auto smile detection picture as well as recording in AVCHD. But chose to shoot in 60p or 24p mode and you cannot get the auto smile detection picture or AVCHD recording. This might be because of the inherent nature of the compression / recording format but Sony has not really explained why this is the case. I am still looking for an answer to this.
Btw- what are you shooting modes? I have mine set to 60i / FH High Quality and 16:9 12.3mp still picture. This seems the best compromise since I really like the auto picture smile detection capability. Later on when I get more familiar with the camera I 'll bump it up to 24p or 60p and see what the differences are.
[EDIT: 2014-5-28] - I have now switched all my settings and now permanently use the following:
Frame Rate: 60p
HD / STD: Setting: HD Quality
Image Size: 16:9 L (24.1)
More thoughts later as I use this camera.
Feel free to add your own or if you have any questions I'll do the best I can to answer.
Rob
To add the new PJ790 & PJ780 to the thread since no dedicated thread exists and the specs for these cameras are very similar.
After doing multiple searches I was disappointed that there was no dedicated message boards to these 2012 / 2013 Sony line of cameras- only messages and threads all over the web- no Central Location for actual owners or those interested in these specific models. (My apologies to other threads that already have this information- but again when others search for info from owners on these cameras there are too many pieces of info in too many places.) Of course in North America model #s CX710 / CX760 are the same cameras without the added Projection feature of the PJ line. As well as other international variants such as the PJ780 etc.
Original review:
It's been a while since I had a Camcorder and recently picked up a Sony PJ710 for the past couple of weeks and I am still learning the features.
An FYI- there is a pre-installed rechargeable battery in the camera to keep the clock and other features going for up to three months without a regular battery installed . Sony suggest leaving the camera plugged in with the screen closed for 24 hrs to charge this built in battery. (Yes I read the manual and was surprised to see this buried in the manual. This should also be true for the other cameras in this line- check your manual! I found this info on page 85 of the US manual of the PJ710. Download the pdf file for your specific camera from Sony's website and check it out.)
Also if not using the camera for a long time, the manual states you should fully discharge the regular battery before storage. (The regular battery being the rectangular NP-FV50 or NP-FV70 etc.)
My first thoughts:
1.) I really like the built in mini projector. In my opinion The Projector is not a toy or after thought- those of you with kids will definitely understand. When I go to film an event with a lot people and want to show the recording right away without having to hook up to an external Screen / TV. Just find a blank wall, turn down the lights and everyone can view themselves in all their glory. I was very surprised at how well this little built in projector worked. It's not the highest definition, but for what it is, it is pretty clear and the colors were really good especially in a darkened room. I felt like I was at the drive in when viewing this. Really cool feature.
2.) The GPS is a very handy feature that I wanted to have with this camera. The time it takes to lock onto the Satellites was very fast- sometimes only a few seconds from the time I opened the screen to start the caemra. I will be circumnavigating the planet shortly and stopping in too many countries to list and I look forward to sorting and tracking my travels via Map View in the Sony Play Memories software on my laptop. (Normally I eschew manufactures' software but this is one feature I don't mind using.)
3.) I would have liked a viewfinder included at this price point like the PJ760. But to tell the truth I am not missing it as much as I had thought. (I am an old school look through the viewfinder and shoot kinda guy.) I also like the built in male USB cord. It is full sized male USB, but the housing behind the male plug is slimmer than a regular male USB 2.0 plug.
Note: the supplied Sony USB extension cord has a plastic collar that fits the slim male USB coming from the camera. I tried to plug in my other USB peripherals into the Sony USB extension cord but the propriety plastic collar prevents the regular USB male plug from fitting.
For traveling I wanted to have one USB extension cord that is universal. So I just used a regular male to female USB 2.0 extension cord and that works perfectly fine with the Sony PJ camera. (I know this sounds confusing, but I don't have pics of the Sony USB extension plastic collar handy right now. Just ditch it and use a regular USB extension cord.) Damn this propriety nonsense. I can see that it is supposed to lock on and support the slim male USB coming from the Camera- but it is seriously not needed.
4.) Dedicated manual twist style button that can be used for manual focus / iris control / white balance etc.
5.) Night shot mode. I played around with this and chased the cats and it works just fine from a distance of up to 10-12 feet. Anything longer and you need a dedicated IR light that you can stick in the active interface hotshoe on the camera to extend the night shot distance to 23ft up to 65ft
6.) Auto smile detection picture- this feature I really really like. Even though post processing you can select such stills from the video, I like the spontaneous shots the camera takes. The "smile" sensitivity can be set from low to hi in the settings. (Not all shooting modes offer this though- see My list of Quirks below.) Also the highest megapixel is listed as 2.1mp for taking a still picture while recording. This is not that great- but again it serves as a cue for me when later I view the video in post processing and use my video editing software to pull that exact same scene / picture at a higher resolution.
7.) The 10X Optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens / Exmor R sensor is not much compared to the PJ260 which has 30X optical zoom. But I prefer the superior lens in the PJ710 / 760 which makes it harder to get a larger optical zoom according to Sony. The Sony accessories pamphlet that came in the box shows you can get a tele conversion lens. I might explore this option in the future. I really like the fact that you can control the zoom speed from a very slow zoom to a really fast one. Also the zoom and record on the touchscreen gives more choice depending on how you hold the camcorder.
8.) Balanced Optical Steady Shot- works. Moving up and down stairs, following my precocious little niece as she scampers around- if it can handle those two events- then I know this camera can handle whatever I throw at it. Short of me being stupid and hanging off the side of a 4X4 while off roading.
There are three settings for image stabilization aka Steadyshot:
Off
Standard - Digital image stabilization
Active - Balance Optical image stabilization- aka floating lens- the reason you bought this camera
Depending on what you are shooting- you can use Standard or Active for best effect.
In my experience when moving Active works great. When standing still or using a tripod Standard is good enough. There are some subtle differences, pros and cons when using either mode. The manual sucks at explaining them. I generally just leave the camera in Active mode and forget about it.
Note: A word about zooming out and trying to following a moving subject when using Active Image Stabilization. There are times, not always, where I found that the Floating Lens still wants to move very slightly until it auto corrects itself. A type of slow jerky movement that can be disconcerting when you first see it. I bought my Sony PJ710 from the Sony store and the sales guy showed this to me at the store and made me aware of it. So I was not surprised by it when it happened during my home shoots. Others won't even notice it if you don't mention it to them while viewing the videos on a big screen. They might just think you have a nervous twitch or something.
This is the inherent nature of this new type of floating lens. Just like any new technology- get used to it, adapt your shooting style to eliminate or else compensate for it. I expect this to get better as the technology matures and other manufacturers bring out their version of the floating lens.
I have not really experimented with the other Standard Steadyshot image stabilization mode to see if this still occurs.
Someone please chime in and let us know.
A few other quirks:
1.) Touch screen seems to be single point touch only. Not sure if this is because of the way Sony has the firmware / software setup on the camera, but when trying to zoom in on the GPS map you have to use the hardware zoom buttons located on the top of the camera itself. There is no + or - zoom icons on the touchscreen itself. In otherwords no pinch to zoom in or out on the touch screen, I find this rather annoying.
Also you have to press the arrows to scroll up and down- you can't flick up and down like I am used to on any touch screen interface. (Smart phone, tablet, convertible laptop etc.)
Hopefully this can be added in a firmware update. (Unless the touchscreen really is only a single point touch interface... argh!)
2.) Some of the shooting modes don't have all the features. For example- you can select 60i and get the auto smile detection picture as well as recording in AVCHD. But chose to shoot in 60p or 24p mode and you cannot get the auto smile detection picture or AVCHD recording. This might be because of the inherent nature of the compression / recording format but Sony has not really explained why this is the case. I am still looking for an answer to this.
Btw- what are you shooting modes? I have mine set to 60i / FH High Quality and 16:9 12.3mp still picture. This seems the best compromise since I really like the auto picture smile detection capability. Later on when I get more familiar with the camera I 'll bump it up to 24p or 60p and see what the differences are.
[EDIT: 2014-5-28] - I have now switched all my settings and now permanently use the following:
Frame Rate: 60p
HD / STD: Setting: HD Quality
Image Size: 16:9 L (24.1)
More thoughts later as I use this camera.
Feel free to add your own or if you have any questions I'll do the best I can to answer.
Rob