I've only had this for about a week, but so far I am very impressed. This is the first major purchase for me without reading a review. I waited several weeks but couldn't find one review, so I bought based on its features and on the consistently high Sony camcorder reviews. I'm actually not a fan of Sony, but they seem to make the best camcorder in this price rage. As you can see by the specs, this camera has just about every feature you could want and more so I won't go into the feature set. Yes, I wish it had a viewfinder but those are pretty rare these days. The touch screen isn't very responsive but it gets the job done. The video quality is outstanding. Initially I was disappointed until I realized the default factory setting was LP mode. Once you set is at the highest resolution you will be amazed. The stated recording time of 11 hours is based on the LP mode; the highest resolution recording time with the internal memory is about 2:45.The USB cable built into the strap is nice, but I have concerns that over time it may become frayed or loose. It's the only means of getting data off the camcorder so if it breaks, you're in trouble. There is a hot-shoe accessory that has wi-fi but I don't know much about that yet. The biggest drawback is the USB cord in only about two inches. You'll want to buy an extender immediately because otherwise you need to hold the camera up next to your computer. The camera is light but still too heavy to dangle from the USB cord while it's connected to your computer.
You can add your own SD card and use that instead of or in addition to Sony's internal memory. Thank you Sony for not using a proprietary memory card (for once). The display also has a cool 5:1 Dolby graphic which shows were the recorded sound is coming from.
The projector works well. You need to position it really far back to get a large picture. I don't have a real screen to project on to, just my beige textured wall, but the picture is sharp. It needs to be used in a dark room because the lamp doesn't put out too much light.
The optical stabilization is achieved due to the lens being in some kind liquid housing. When you look at the lens and move the camcorder up and down, it bobbles around, which is very different but it seems to work well. When use an extended zoom, the image doesn't shake like most camcorders but it does gently wander up and down, left and right.
** UPDATE **
After using this more extensively for a few weeks, I am amazed at the image stabilization; it is truly innovative. I've never seen anything like it. Now the bad news, the navigation screen is difficult. Partly because of the small screen size (comes with the territory of having a small camcorder, I guess). I wish there was a 'home' button because getting back to the main screen takes time; I usually end up just shutting it down and turning it back on again. By the way, this thing does turn on very quickly. Just open the hinged viewer and one second later it's going.
Transferring video: When I connect this to my computer and cut/paste, the images and movies don't get deleted from the camcorder. You have to go back in a delete them manually.
The built-in mic and sound processing is excellent. I actually think it's better than my after-market mic (although it's hardly a high end after-market mic).
The ONLY problem I'm having is getting the data off the camera onto my computer. There is a software download that Sony offers on their website called "Play Memories Home". This is supposed to allow you to export and even import material from the camera to the computer (and back), and it also does other things as well. After installing said software, I found that my camera and computer doesn't "see" each other properly and it doesn't work. I'll figure it out...
I was tempted to deduct a point in my rating due to my frustration but it wouldn't be fair. This camera IS great and that's the bottom line.
UPDATE:
The camera can't download from it's memory card to the computer. You must FIRST send the card's content to the hard drive of the camera THEN from there you send it to the computer. All this is simple and quick with the click of a button within the menu.
Buy Sony HDR-PJ430V High Definition Handycam Camcorder with 3.0-Inch LCD (Black) Now
Purchased this camera on the basis of the Balanced Optical SteadyShot feature. This feature GREATLY improved the ability to handhold the camera and use zoom. I was able to use it to great effect to capture some soccer video of my daughter from across the field. This was the intended purpose of the camera, and it works great for that.Here are the pros:
Balanced Optical SteadyShot. This feature counts for probably 3x as much as any other feature.
Nice build quality.
Good zoom length (sometimes 10x is not enough).
Built in USB cable
The touch screen GUI is pretty easy to use. I like it better than the others that I tried.
Nice having some built in memory and an SDXC slot.
Here are the cons:
The camera's indoor quality is not great. I would say it's quite marginal and the noise makes it seem less than HD. I think it's hardly better than my old Sony MiniDV, which had 3CCD in a small package.
1080p60 video looks great, but is hard to work with.
Bundled video editing software is useless.
Very hard to work with 1080p60 video in Mac environment. I am still learning this, and it's obviously not the camera's fault that its 1080p60 video is so large, but for those looking for a simple solution, the 1080p60 format complicates your life.
Compared this to the Canon HF G20. Canon costs more money. Canon takes better indoor videos, hands down. The outdoor video was much worse, however, due to it not being capable of 1080p60 and some strange interlace effect. Interlace effect could be eliminated by doing a transcode but that is another step in an already tedious process. Canon cannot take video in the MP4 format either, though the Sony's MP4 output is not terribly impressive either being only 720p.
I am considering returning this camera and waiting for something better ad for 1080p60 software support to shake out, but I don't know. You can't wait forever. A lower end camera wouldn't have Balanced Optical SteadyShot, which seems a must have now. Hands down, this is an excellent camera and has all the features that any person will use... and more! I'll keep this review short and to the point giving you everything you need to know to decide if this camcorder is for you. Everything short of watching video samples online. Now onto the top 7 features that make this camera the top consumer model on the market.
1) The biggest improvement over last year's Sony models is the addition of MP4 recording format. Finally Sony decided to release MP4 video format in the camera. This is a huge benefit and essential for the needs of most home video makers. MP4 is the file format used by websites like YouTube and Vimeo. MP4 files can be immediately opened by any computer or smartphone and do not require additional computer software to view. In the past recording in AVCHD or other proprietary formats was a nightmare for non-professionals. Most people want to record and then watch their videos, without purchasing expensive software and waiting hours for video rendering.
2) This camera has Sony's new anti-shake hardware. Other anti-shake methods will move only the lens or the sensor, but this camera moves the entire lens block. Sony claims 13 times less shake and I am amazed at the difference. My Canon VIXIA HF M500 has a very water-like anti-shake feel, where the image floats when the camera moves. But this Sony is much more precise and keeps the image centered inside the picture window much better. Less movement of picture as the camcorder tracks the scene better. With standard handheld shooting, it's tough to get blurry or broken up video. Very impressive.
3) The number 3 awesome feature is Sony's built-in projectors that display the recorded videos onto walls for immediate viewing. This feature is just plain fun! Sure the projector's video quality can't hold a flame to an HDTV, but the hassle of hooking up AV cables to the rear of a wall-mounted HDTV makes the projector great. Plus, everyone who watches these projection videos is always impressed and has lots of questions. Which is perfect for a techie like myself.
Last year Sony released it's first line of camcorders with built-in projectors and still is the only brand to offer this. This alone makes an Sony camera worth considering as your top choice.
4) 5.1 Surround sound! Again, most camcorder brands will give 2.0 sound, but Sony gives 5.1 and you can hear the difference. Initially I didn't think much of the 5.1 surround sound feature. But when these videos are played on an HDTV with a 5.1 surround sound stereo system the difference really comes out. 2.0 sound will play only from the speakers to the right and left of the TV. But 5.1 plays in the front speakers, center speaker, rear speakers and sub-woofer.
Most internet uploads will only need a camera with 2.0 sound for laptops, tablets, desktops and headphones. But for home video viewing 5.1 is really great to have.
5) Wi-Fi features like remote control from your smart phone and uploading through your smart phone add another dimension of awesome. Usually remote controls run $100 and can be easily lost, broken or forgotten so having the smart phone act as one is perfect. Remote controls are excellent when shooting on a tripod and you don't want camera shake or you have to be in the video and there is no one to run it. And for still photo taking, using a remote and tripod gives the clearest photo possible. With unlimited cellular data plans, video can be uploaded onsite which is becoming more popular due to facebook and twitter. This is a great feature that may not be needed by every person, but can make using this camera a lot easier. No need to pop the memory card out of the camera to put into the computer to upload. Now it's all done in the camera!
6) My number 6 item may not be loved by everyone, but I think it's unique enough to be considered a selling feature. This Sony can shot 22 still image photos over 3 seconds. They call it "Golf Shot" because it can be used to analyze a golfer's swing. But this feature can be used by any action photography like skateboarding, bird watching, blowing out birthday candles, or just trying to take a group photo without people blinking. This feature essentially bridges the gap of still photo cameras and video camcorders. Sure the resolution is not anywhere close to a DSLR, but if you are looking for one device to do photos and video, this Sony surely beats point-and-shoot cameras for videos and smartphones that do both. For the last year, my Canon camcorder became my take along video and photo camera. The photos were good enough for internet sharing and the video quality exceptional. I know that my new Sony will do a better job.
7) And the final #7 reason why this Sony camcorder is at the top of the list, is the use of SD / SDHC / SDXC memory cards. If you come from a history of using Sony products and have many Sony Memory Sticks lying around, then you may not think this is all that great. However for people moving from other brands of digital equipment, this is very important. Nearly every other brand of camcorder, camera, mp3 player, tablet, etc uses SD/SDHC/SDXC cards for expanded storage. After years, Sony finally joins the crowd. I am grateful that Sony is making themselves more user friendly. Now we don't need to buy Sony-specific memory cards, but can use the stack of SD cards we already own.
VIDEO QUALITY...
Comparing the 1080p & 60 FPS video quality (recorded with AVCHD) to the 720p & 30 FPS video quality (recorded with MP4) it is possible to notice a difference. There are approximately 2 million pixels in 1080p versus 1 million pixels in 720p. With 2x as much data, already the video quality should be different... and with this camera it is. But it's not so much the resolution that stands out, it's the fuzziness the motion causes due to the slower frame rate (60 FPS vs. 30 FPS). Since this Sony camera gives you both true HD AVCHD and internet-ready MP4, I don't see this as a problem. When I want to shoot videos that I'll watch on my HDTV or save for family memories, then I'll use the highest quality AVCHD. But for 90% of my videos, I shoot in MP4 because I'm putting them online.
For those worried about loss in quality on MP4, it really isn't that great. Mostlikley only someone who watches a lot of videos will notice the difference. Think of it like DVD vs Blu-ray. DVDs are still very watchable and for short clips large video files are not wanted. Hard drive space alone can be expensive.
COMPARISON TO CANON VIXIA HF M500...
It is common knowledge that two brands dominate the camcorder market in performance and sales Sony and Canon. Last year I bought Canon's top range consumer camcorder, minus the bells and whistles. I'll compare the video quality of this new Sony to last year's Canon.
Comparing this Sony to my previous camcorder Canon VIXIA HF M500 Full HD 10x Image Stabilized Camcorder with One SDXC Card Slot and 3.0 Touch LCD4 I notice a subtle difference in video quality with Sony producing crisper images and more color saturation. You may want to watch some YouTube video comparisons to see the difference. Both cameras have MP4 recording format, which is very important in my mind and what I bought my Canon for last year. The sound on the Sony really is over the top compared to the Canon. Here it's like night and day. Toss in the projector screen, wi-fi abilities and slow motion, rapid fire photographs and this Sony is impossible to beat for a consumer level camcorder.
Highly recommended. I consider it the best consumer camcorder on the market.
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Want Sony HDR-PJ430V High Definition Handycam Camcorder with 3.0-Inch LCD (Black) Discount?
Pros: Excellent Video, Balanced OIS is awesome, 30x ZoomCons: Still pictures are useless... mic could have a little more gain...
I am very happy with this camera so far... It does everything I need it to do and more... The HD video is very good and the 30x zoom is great... The auto settings do pretty good in all conditions... I don't care that the still images are grainy and awful because I got it for video...
IT DOES NOT HAVE A BUILT IN FLASH like the AMAZON description states and also Sony site says (This will probably get corrected on both places so just ignore if they did) or at least I don't see one... The manual mentions nothing about a built in flash... There is a place in the cameras menu but it does nothing... I believe it is for an external flash... I will be calling Sony... You can see my unboxing and test video on youtube... Just search for XMSMLL and you will see it on my channel... there are 2 parts... I first bought the CX290/B and it just didn't cut it... then I got the CX380/B and returned that before even opening because I just had to have the BALANCED Optical Steady Shot... well worth it...
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