I am looking to upgrade from my Sony XR520v

April 2010 thread showing saltwater damage http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/general-hd-720-1080-acquisition/477118-my-xr520v-broken-wait-next-model-2.html#post1517862

Yes i have still been using it all this time even though i can only get maybe 5 mins out of it before it shuts down on me :)

More often than not though i have just sufficed using my mobile phone video cam to get things done.

But time has come to actually upgrading as i miss the better quality depth video of a proper handycam.

On the surface of it the PJ760ve seems to be the latest top of the range in that category? (aside from 3d model)

the HDRXR260v seems to have a much better 30x opitcal zoom as opposed to a 10x optical zoom of the PJ model.

The PJ760 does have higher res image and wider lense though too.

THe PJ760 is also twice the price but thats ok by me if its twice the video camera.

I also see the absence of the XR550v on sony.com.au website also. so perhaps they are slowly dropping the HD models in favour of the flash models?

Has anyone have knowledge or experience on the XR260/550 zoom vs the PJ760?

When doing water shots of boats standing from shore line i tend to use zoom a lot.

this is an example of my zoom at maximum on my old xr520 at approx 1.2KM away (2008 so not 100% sure it was same handycam) boat tied to marker - YouTube

I probably shouldn't worry too much about zoom soon as i am selling up and moving bush soon so my shots will be more close ups i think. accept if i see any yetties then i might sit further away :)

otherwise if there is already a thread on these diferences if i can be pointed to it as i have done some searches but not found what i was looking for.

I did find this 17x zoom video on the PJ760 but the sony website says its only 10x optical?

Sony HDR PJ760VE super-steady shot demo - YouTube

russ

I have the PJ760E now and its a great little camera with a superb lens, res, and stabiliser. The best in its category by far.

Thanks Jalan, i am warming to the idea of this model and weening myself of the mindset of a having a harddrive based video cam.

I have a xr520 and a cx730

I did find this 17x zoom video on the PJ760 but the sony website says its only 10x optical?

It's 10x optical but it can go up to 17x which looks like a digital zoom, I have not tested it yet but there should be a loss in resolution.
The stabilisation on the 730 is better then the xr520
The low light sensitivity is the same but the 730 produces much less noise at 21 to 24db gain.
The wide angle is much wider on the 730
The dynamic range is a little bit better, the xr520 has some in camera sharpening going on which gives the image a bit forced look.

The zoom #'s quoted need to be taken with a little caution... there is OPTICAL zoom, which should remain fairly good in image quality, and then you have digital zoom.

As Noa stated, Sony has been advertising "clear zoom" which in effect is more or less digital "doubling" - if you're really picky, you'll see some image softening, but for 99% or so of observers, it'll still look fine... beyond that, the image will start to more noticeably degrade, so you have to use it sparingly...

Sony has pretty much abandoned hard drives in camcorders - the XR550 was likely "the last"... with 96GB of flash memory in the top end models, you've got a decent amount of room (even considering that shooting full HD 60p eats memory pretty quickly, it's still quite a few HOURS...).

While a current "lower end" cam (2xx series) might still look a bit better than your 520 due to improved tech, the 7xx cameras are the current "top end", and are where you'll get the "best" overall package of performance and features.

Supposedly the 760/710 OIS is pretty impressive, I have the 700, and it's pretty good, but doesn't have "the eyeball". Sony made a big leap in OIS tech right AFTER your 520 - they started to include ability to dampen ROLL as well as pitch and yaw axis, so you'll definitely notice the difference there.

It's near the model year end, so you might wait and see if there are any new "toys" worth considering... or you'll see price drops on "old" models... FWIW, I don't think you'll see massive jumps in image qualtiy or features in the "consumer" camcorder lines. I do think Sony may introduce some new sensors - they have some "4th pixel" Red/Green/Blue/White tech they've been playing with... and they have some slick new CELL PHONE video chips that do live HDR video... yeah, it's a CELL PHONE, with cool features that your $1K+ cam doesn't have... yee haw...

Part of what I'm hinting at is that the "consumer camera/camcorder" is a rapidly dying breed, thanks to the average consumer being perfectly happy with mediocre mobile phone "footage"... I expect the selection and production of dedicated cameras and camcorders to continue to drop, with those two becoming "niche" markets...

Yes even i am impressed with the new nokia Lumia 920 coming out that actually has mechanical optical stabilization.

The phone camera's do make it easy to snap that photo or take that quick video shot but i don't think they can do half the things i would normally do with a handy cam.

But they do both serve their purposes for sure.

But if i was sitting in my car as i was this day taking video shots in bad weather through my windscreen at about 30m away, I don't think the phone camera would have done even half the job i acheived with my handycam?

king tide victoria point - YouTube

I think this is where i find a good optical zoom is necessary for me.

I also like to take photos as i am filming at the same time as i could do with my old xr550. I am assuming this is the case with the 760 to?

and i see i woud still have the same optical/digital zoom as my 550. I was hoping for 30x optical (not that i have any experience with 30x)

If you are shooting near water, the you should check out the Sony HDR GW77 (GW55 in some places). It is waterproof, shockproof and dustproof and has optical steady shot+active mode, a 10x optical zoom (17X extended). Has the same LCD as the top camcorders, and about the same quality performance - superb. The ONLY advantages the very much larger and more FRAGILE CX760 has over the GW77 are: a viewfinder, more manual settings, and somewhat better stabilization. That's it.

Here is an example video:

Sony HDR GW77V HD Video: One Day in Stockholm on Vimeo


Btw, the 30X zoom camcorders have inferior lenses and smaller sensor sizes (less good dim light performace and dynamic range). That is why the top-quality consumer camcorders have smaller zoom ranges and the cheap ones big zooms.

You should be able to shoot photos in all but the 60p mode (the bigger data stream doesn't allow for photos like the less data intense modes). I think there may be a limit of how many pictures the camera can buffer while shooting video (I may have that mixed up with my still cams that shoot video... I use those a lot, so it's hard to remember "camera specific" features!).

If you want a "superzoom", you might take a look at the Sony DSC-HX200 (current model, the HX100 is similar last years model). Yep, it's a STILL camera, but it also shoots 60p full HD video, it's not a bad "balance" - it's a small "bridge" camera that's not quite the best of anything, but is "good" at everything.. Won't match an SLR or the bigger Sony SLT "brothers" in the Alpha series, but takes pretty good stills, and while video isn't going to be quite as good as a dedicated video camera, you'd have to be picky to be overly offended by the difference... and it has 30X OPTICAL. OIS is "OK", it's a different form factor so you have to adjust your shooting technique, and I add a folding flash bracket to help me get stable shots, but overall, it's a viable option depending on your needs.

Lots of options now for cameras!

yep options and confusion :)

as for the water i did buy a sony waterproof housing which was about $400 from memory. but that as after the fact when it got water damage :)

So if i got the 760 i should be able to use my waterproof housing for that model too. But i am moving to the bush soon so i will be away from water mostly this time around.

and not to put a too finer point on how stupid i am around water using a handycam without and waterproof housing. water flying averywhere while i steer the boat one handed lol. But even in the bush i guess i could get into trouble so might need the housing for shock/drop protection anyway.

dingy 6HP - YouTube

Yes, the sports pack should be re-usable - you may need to use a different "sled", or modify it a bit to get the camera in the "right" spot, but it should work fine. Maybe Mark's suggestion is not so bad an idea either <wink>!

The only other consideration is low light performance, another area where the 7xx series should outperform something with a smaller sensor.