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Product Review: Sony HDR-PJ790: a camcorder-projector in the premium zone
Courtesy of SonyThe Sony Handycam HDR-PJ790 is at the premium end of the electronic giantâs line of camcorders sporting the addition of a built-in projector
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Courtesy of Sony
The Sony Handycam HDR-PJ790 is at the premium end of the electronic giant's line of camcorders sporting the addition of a built-in projector.
Being the top-end model, the PJ790's projector has the strongest light output of up to 35 lumens and can project a screen measuring up to 100 inches diagonally from a maximum distance of approximately 0.5 meters.
Although the power of the handycam's projector is less than professional home theatre projectors ' the certain basic models are able to cast images from at least 2 meters away ' the quality of the projections remain good.
Handycam users can adjust the crispness of the projections with the projector's focus button and expand projection size by placing the handycam further away from the screen.
Moreover, handycam users can project not only footage saved in the device's internal memory, but also those stored in tablets and personal computers by hooking these external devices onto the handycam's high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) terminal.
Besides having the strongest light output in its family, the PJ790 also boasts the highest internal memory. Sony says that this model, with its 96 gigabytes of flash memory, can store almost 38 hours of high definition video footage.
The handycam, with its Carl Zeiss lens, captures high definition videos of 1920 pixels x 1020 pixels and still images of 24.1 megapixels.
The handycam also features 17 times extended zoom, allowing fine close-ups. Sony adds that the device's top-mounted 5.1 surround sound microphone comes with wind noise reduction capabilities.
However, the crackle of white noise still leaks into a recording. In addition, the 3-inch LCD touch-screen requires some hard pressing
Tapping on the screen is even trickier because of the compact size and layout of the touch buttons. Thus, to prevent shake during a shoot, users have to grip onto the LCD flap when pressing on the screen.
The handycam is also equipped with a multi-interface dock on which users could attach optional accessories such as lights and a wireless module. The latter connects the handycam to mobile devices so that users could upload videos to the web or transfer footage wirelessly to computers.
These top-of-the-line features, however, do give the PJ790 a premium price tag of roughly eight times the cost of Sony's entry-level camcorders.
Overall, the charm of the PJ790, when compared to other models in the market, rests on its projector. The video recording capabilities also make the handycam suitable in shooting not only home videos, but also short movies for aspiring filmmakers.
The Good
Built-in projector to show footage in the handycam and external devices
High-definition recordings
96 gigabytes flash memory
The Bad
Not too sensitive touch screen
Cramped touch screen button size and layout
White noise still leaks through microphone
