Noa have you some experience yet of the AC-90?

No, was interested in one. Here's a store that sells it for 1880 euro which is the same price as a canon xa10 and even 400 euro cheaper then a sony nx30. Just the fact that is has 3 rings on the lens makes it a much better camera in terms of controll because that is what I mainly miss on my cx730. I often don't like it when I have to let the camera decide what to do.

The TM900 & TM700 have a lens that is 35mm at widest so the 29.5mm lens on the newer models is quite an improvement.

I have a Sony xr520 as well and that is a 35mm lens I think which is very restricting, don't like that narrow fov at all, 29,5mm hits the "sweet spot" in terms of usability.

Today I noticed one thing on my cx730 which made my heart skip a beat, last wedding they where blowing bubbles when the couple came out of church, one of these bubbles touched my lens and left some soap spots.

So today I noticed that and tried to clean the lens, The lens itself is very well protected when the camera is not in use as some kind of metal shutter instantly closes if the camera is powered down but it also makes it a bit more difficult to reach the lens because when the protection is open the lens sits a bit deeper.

I was not sure whether to leave the ois on or off, the lens is in a round ball that can move around in it's housing, if you disable to ois the lens stops moving so I figured that would be the safest way to carefully clean the lens. Then I noticed the lens ball is still loose in it's case which made it difficult to clean when I was rubbing the front of the lens with a soft piece of cloth as th elens kept moving the whole time and I was not able to block it from moving.

And then it happened, I hardly applied any force to the lens, was very carefull, but when I turned the camera back on I got a error message and saw that the lens ball was leaning towards one side and it didn't react to setting the ois on or off. I tried gently pushing the ball inside it's housing to different directions and turning the camera and ois on and off and it took a minute untill I heared that the ois mechanisme grabbed the lens and pulled it back into position. Now it does work again but it shows how fragile that new OIS thing is.

I think next time I will leave the OIS on, once the camera"s ois responded again I cleaned the lens a bit more with ois on and that seem to do the trick, that's not very reassuring as I need the camera tomorrow at a wedding. Good that I have 2 more of these small camera's.

One advantage of having such small handicams is that they are usually cheap enough so you can buy 2 or 3 to cover for one that might not work when you have to shoot, a disadvantage is that they are not as well build as the larger (semi-)pro camera that are designed to take a bit of a beating.

Please can anyone recommend me Sony vegas project and rendering settings? I was filming with Sony CX730 in 50p and I want to make DVD in high quality as possible. Not blu-ray.

I edit in Edius but maybe you can try it as well, after a lot of trial and error I finally settled for a 1080p 25p project setting to edit my 25p and 50p footage in (Use both formats in one project), I export to a 1080p 25p file and then import that into tmpgenc authoring works as a 1080p 25p file and then just export to dvd as interlaced and the endresult looks great on dvd.

Thanks for your reply Noa, but it will be better if someone could give instructions on Sony Vegas and later DVD Architect for making SD DVD's. I have created one DVD and I can see the loss of quality when objects are moving.

Edgar -
First off, set project settings to match the source files - you may have to tweak them to match depending on Vegas version.

I render an HD version - you can go up to approx 18Mbps and burn it to a DVD and it will be readable with some BR players. BR can handle higher bitrates. Watch the bitrates with SD output as well - the lower the bitrate, the less data, and the lower the quality.

That's a "general description" of what you're after, I'm not in "editing mode" right now, too much else to do with the holidays and year end, and I don't recall my tweaked/saved settings offhand, but it'll get you pointed in the right direction.

If you're still stumped, you might poke around the dedicated Vegas portion of DVi. There you should find intricate details of all those settings in Vegas and what they do (I'll admit Vegas leaves me feeling a tad lost within the complexity sometimes!).

Hope that helps get you better results. Unfortunately, it's hard to get "SD" output to keep up with the expectations that HD creates... AND stuff it onto a DVD. Quality and detail are at least in part a function of bitrate and compression considerations, and data rapidly expands to fill and exceed the space available...

apologies for digging up an old thread but i'm looking for info from anyone that has experience of small cams for weddings and events.
Until recently i was operating a Sony HXR-NX5 and HXR-MC2000 as a B cam, I've sold off the MC2000, i didn't like the tiny LCD screen and the camera wasn't really up to the level i was expecting. The form factor was ok and it looked good but it unfortunately it didn't perform to expectations.

So i was thinking of adding another cam something along the lines of one of the Sony prosumer cams, the CX730 or the new CX410V (this has great stability and good reach & very affordable)

I had considered the HXR-NX30 but this works out around €1000 dearer than the CX410V, all i'd get for that is XLR capability and a shotgun.
My partner works the B cam, apart from framing a shot, she knows little about cameras etc. so just points it in the right direction, so manual controls and all that would be extras that are not a great advantage.

What are people's opinions of either the Sony CX730E or the CX410V to meet my needs here?

I have posted below video before but just to show you what a Sony cx730 is capable of, only the steadicam shots are done with a dslr, all the rest (slider, tripod and handheld shots) with 2 sony cx730. (only in the church there was a 3rd sony xr520 on the balcony)
password: noa5
Private Video on Vimeo

thanks for that Noa the footage is excellent, i'm leaning towards the CX410V it's cheap enough that if it doesn't work out i can sell it on at a reasonable price, it's not available til next month.

Rob -
Before you jump, check the sensor specs - I'm pretty sure that ONLY the 7xx cameras have a 1/3" sensor, and any of the rest of the line has a 1/4" (roughly of course). This may or may not translate into performance issues (low light particulaly).

I picked up a GW77 cheap, and it performs OK, especially considering what I paid for it and the size... but it is not in the same league as one of the 7xx class top end "Handycams"... though most people probably wouldn't notice most of the time!

You may want to put hands on one of those CX4xx cameras before you decide, it may be "adequate", but I'd also suggest if it doesn't have the BOSS OIS, you might want to step up to a model that does, especially if the cam will be handheld a lot. The "magic eyeball" is pretty amazing...

I've only just found this thread and read it from the beginning. It interests me especially, as I have used small cams for my wedding filming for probably 10 years. Having been shooting weddings for over 27 years, from U-matic, S-VHS, Hi8 etc, I loved the freedom that the earlier 3chip minidv cams gave me and have stuck with them ever since my first ones. I have also stayed with Panasonic as I like the colour rendition and low light performance and currently have 3 SD700s which are very similar to the newer 900. I also prefer the SD card cameras rather than the HD models as I can save the card at the end of the day and put in a new one if I have a wedding the next day.

I find the manual controls easy to use and the ability to control basic parameters like focus, exposure etc from the lens ring if required is also very useful. As I shoot quite a lot of 3D work, I use the Pannys on a 12" slide rail as a twin rig with space to use my JVC GS-TD1 for closer 3d shots. For normal 2d wedding work, I can still use two Pannys on the rail for different framing of the same shots, or put one on a separate tripod if required for a locked off shot. I also sometimes reverse the screen on the locked off shot so that if it is reasonably close, I can vary the telephoto with a remote while watching the screen. The rail also gives me space to mount an LED light and mic if required.

Interestingly, with regards to taking video and stills as a solo operator, I take the opposite approach to others here. My main sell is the video, but those clients that book video can also book an optional photographic add on. I carry a DSLR which I can mount on the rail, but generally sling over my shoulder. As I consider that posed shots are the domain of the photographer and less important to the video, I will set up groups and poses from a photographic point of view, and let the video run while taking the stills. Also throughout the day I will take reportage style shots as I feel appopriate. What I have found is that the SD700s take excellent stills in good light, if you use the still shot facility. As I use an extension on my IR remote to mount it on the tripod handle, I can press the stills button at any time even while the camera is filming. It will take 12mp stills during filming and 14mp when paused.

I have made a number of photo albums just from the video camera stills, and the addition of the DSLR has expanded this considerably. I don't sell the service as replacing a dedicated high level wedding photographer, but as an unobtrusive alternative with posed shots available as required. As my video service is also extremely unobtrusive, I find that many couples feel that photographers can take over the day and that although family groups are still important, much of the work traditionally carried out by the photographer is becoming less popular.

Since starting offering the photography service early last year, about 20% of my new bookings are with photography. At wedding shows, I have found that couples looking at the photo side have also become interested in the video and vice versa. Rather than finding video a dirty word, I have found that both together in one package has been a real attraction and for me is definitely the way to go. This year I have also found couples seeking out the video specifically at shows for the first time and also far fewer video companies:-)

Roger

This may or may not translate into performance issues (low light particulaly).

Yes, without knowing that newer model that still has to come out, I"d be careful about how it performs because I know that existing lower end models handicams today don't have the same performance as Sony's flagship and when you plan to do weddings that will make a difference.

As near as I can tell Sony released exactly ONE "flagship" model (a SINGLE "PJ" model as opposed to 3 cams for the last few years, CX and PJ model mix) with this years' drastically cut back Handycam line ("the smart phone ate my camera/videocam"). It's got that "attractive" wart containing a supposedly better mic set up. I am pretty sure that the next model down uses BOSS, BUT it has a smaller sensor.

Both the Handycam and Cybershot releases this year indicate that the market has shifted, and (likely due to the aforementioned smart phones), there is a LOT less selection, at least from Sony, who is losing money in this area from what it seems. From my rough estimates, "selection" eliminated about 2/3 of the model offerings, with some Cybershot "lines" disappearing entirely (TX & HX)! Unless Sony makes some late cycle introductions, it's pretty slim pickin's...

Not sure what Canon and Panasonic are doing, but it is beginning to look like the "consumer" is NOT buying small cameras, of either the video or still variety, in favor of shooting with smart phones. Looked at a new smart phone myself, will be upgrading shortly, and it has 1080 HD video and 5Mp still that at first glance looked pretty good, has HDR and other advanced features... times and technology are changing!

yes, that seems to be the case, my cx730 has had some large price fluctuations over a very short period with prizes between 1020 euro and 820 euro in the same shop, in another large videostore you can't buy it anymore which could indicate they have a hard time selling it.
The cx730 might be the last of the mohicans, I better hold on to it tight, might be a collectors item soon :)

Some nice moves in that video Noa, but for just about all churches I know of I'd be kicked out for filming that close to the couple during the rings and wows! It's amazing how things differ from country to country.

That's actually the standard position at weddings here, did you see the photog during the rings, he was crawling just in front of the couple to get his shot :)
I do wish we did in the way I see in a lot of US videos where the couple just faces each other during the ceremony and the videoguy can position 2 camera's left and right and maybe one in the back and cover it all, here you would risk not getting any faces during the vows or even missing the rings exchange as the couple often is facing the priest and showing their backs to the guests in church. Usually I am standing on the left or right side of the altar and only go to the center when they do the vows and share rings and the same for the photog who is usually standing beside me.

That's actually the standard position at weddings here, did you see the photog during the rings, he was crawling just in front of the couple to get his shot :)

Yes I did. That's a major no-no here ;)

I do wish we did in the way I see in a lot of US videos where the couple just faces each other during the ceremony and the videoguy can position 2 camera's left and right and maybe one in the back and cover it all, here you would risk not getting any faces during the vows or even missing the rings exchange as the couple often is facing the priest and showing their backs to the guests in church.

Fortunately, they do generally do turn to face each other here. When ever I go to rehearsals and hear the vicar telling the couple that they should turn "just a little" towards each other I jump in and tell them to turn all the way to face each other so that the rear camera can see them.

In terms of how they do it in the US, we wouldn't generally have enough room to stand either side and get their faces. The churches are just too small, as are most civil venues. So it's usually a case of get them from the back, or an unattended camera from the front/side in the choir stalls, and maybe if we're lucky I can get a side position to see 'one' of their faces. Occasionally they don't turn all the way and we are relying on the unattended front camera (we're almost never allowed to stand there).

Usually I am standing on the left or right side of the altar and only go to the center when they do the vows and share rings and the same for the photog who is usually standing beside me.

Hmmm..... 'moving during the ceremony' - another big no-no here in churches. We'd get away with moving 'a little' in a civil venue, but no where near as close as you appeared to be ;)

thanks for the advice, yeah the CX410V has the smaller sensor, so it looks like it'll be the CX730 which isn't that readily available here in Ireland - in fact the majority of cams i see for sale are the really lower end - competing with the smart phones eh?
Anyway i think i'll end up getting a CX730 off ebay probably from Germany, There was a cam called Sony HDR PJ-650VE and a bigger one Sony HDR PJ-780VE but the disappearing CX 730 is the one I think.

I'm not as familiar with EU/PAL model nomenclature, but anything 7xx should be the larger Exmor sensor, IF you can find one. I don't remember if the 5xx series released in 2012 retained the larger sensor, but it is a significantly "less featured" model...

I noticed particularly with the Cybershot lines for 2013 (but also the Handycams), they are aimed at "cheap" consumer price points, with a few "upscale" features to try to attract the customer on the way to buy a shiny new smart phone... very little that would be "interesting" to a serious shooter looking for a crash cam or cheap b/c angle cam. Disappointing is a word that covers it...

As far as US "stock", the CX760 (think that's your 730 equivalent?) is hard to find, but the PJ760V version with the built in projector still seems to be in the retail channels, as are a very few PJ710 (less viewfinder, otherwise identical, OK if you don't need VF, and a bit cheaper). VERY few "resale/used" cameras showing up anymore, probably due to few first sales at retail... I did run into a couple 710's fairly reasonable, but prices have been rising.

I noticed Sony ran some specials to "clear the pipe" for the new 2013 models, with minimal discounts ($100 or so) on the CX/PJ models, but the prices are full retail for the most part now. The PJ790V looks like "it" for the high end handycam, and it likely will be retail, perhaps making the NX30 look attractive? Or pick up a "last years model"...

@Noa - yep, we probably will be holding on to our "small cameras" for a bit, as I do believe they are at the end of both their development and market niche... the cell phone has altered the landscape and the "dinosaurs" just don't have a place anymore! Not sure what all of the implications are, as much of the technological "push" was financed and enabled by quantity "consumer sales". The realistic prospect is that other than perhaps if we see 2k/4k cameras coming into the pipe, the "consumer" Handycam and Cybershots may soon be a fond memory...

Maybe it's time to do like DARPA and build multi arrayed cell phone sensor cams? Could be cool to have a 13Gpixel unit that you just set up and then zoom in to whatever part of the frame you want in "post"!?

I didn't know about the The PJ790V, even more expensive and just a update to the 760 and seems like double the price of what I can get a 730 for now which imagewise performs identically. Only "improvements" it has is the added microphone and a lower quality 720 mp4 recording option which is definitely aimed at people that edit on lower end laptop's. Also the projector has been improved but that is also a real consumerfunction.

I wonder if consumers are likely to pay that much for this camera, Sony has improved their handycam line up considerably over the years, I have a xr520 which once was top of their line as well and it has the same low light performance then the 730 but the 730 is much cleaner at high gains, it also retains color better when it gets dark. I also once had a cx115 and this one was clearly not as light sensitive and had harsh color and contrast, I got rid of it because it didn't match up that well with my other camera's.

If you plan to do any paid assignments with small handicams, your best of with picking the ones with the best specs as they can compete with larger semi-professional camera's imagewise but I wouldn't touch the midrange ones.

after doing a bit further research i've identified a US based PAL version of the Sony HDR-PJ760E this has a 96 Gig internal memory capacity the PJ refers to Projector, it doesn't include a GPS but at €955 incl taxes it looks like a pretty ok deal compared to €820 for the CX 730 from e bay.
The 5xx and 6xx series have the smaller sensor which of course my more expensive HXR-MC2000 had too.
The 'magic eye' and the slightly bigger sensor will be a good asset for a B cam, might still get the smaller CX410V as an emergency/holiday cam.

:-)

@ Noa -
I don't think Sony is selling a lot of the higher end "consumer" cameras, one of the reasons the line is being culled. You have to keep in mind that the 520 when new was around $13-1400 (probably more in euro?). The top of the line has always retailed significantly above the $1K mark, but usually you'd find them "gently used" at decent prices... not so much anymore. Sony improves a little with each generation of cameras, but it's getting harder and harder to "improve" in ways that justify upgrading, The difference between the "top of the line" 520 and the 7xx cameras is minor (and you've hit the two points that I noticed). The magic eyeball is pretty impressive if you have to do any handheld work, if you're on a tripod, you can probably do just fine with "last years" cams, with very similar performance.

@Rob -
Before you buy a "cheap holiday cam", you may want to consider how you'll use it - some of the Point & shoot cameras do pretty good video (usually at the price of less zoom range), and are quite adequate for video, plus decent stills. I've got a few (now "aging", as they were 2010/2011 model) TX100's, great little "pocket" cam, and actually intermixes with bigger cams nicely. The RX100 is another little beast of a camera worth consideration, with a LOT of manual control, even in video, I'm not quite sure about intermixing yet, have to fiddle with the settings some more! The now discontinued but still available HX series are well reviewed as well, currently on discount/closeout!

I have posted below video before but just to show you what a Sony cx730 is capable of, only the steadicam shots are done with a dslr, all the rest (slider, tripod and handheld shots) with 2 sony cx730. (only in the church there was a 3rd sony xr520 on the balcony)
password: noa5
Private Video on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/51005614)


Noa, did the password for this video change?

Yes it has changed, I pm'd you the changed one. I don't have approval from the couple to show the video but just here on this forum and only for those that would like to see what a cx730 can do at a wedding I don't see it as a problem, I only change the password again after a while. So for those that wish to see it just pm me and I"ll provide a temp password.

Didn't know where exactly to put this but since this older thread was about small handicams anyway I thought it might be good to revive this thread.

I just had to show this, I was at a wedding 2 days ago where an air-balloon was lifting up, I had my sony cx730 with me and shot it handheld while the balloon was airborn, held it with 2 hands a bit above waist-height. Just look at how ridiculously good the image stabilization is on that camera. If you don't believe it was handheld, just watch until the end of the film. Also see how smooth zoom you can perform.

I use this camera all the time during interviews to catch guest reaction where I can move around in stealth mode and being able to get near tripod like footage.

https://vimeo.com/69828042

I'm one of the guys in the market for a new handicam (to go with a new dslr and lens too!), and I've been looking closely at the Sony CX730 which I've sourced for £865.

I was also looking around and stumbled upon this panasonic. I can find very little info on it anywhere and on this site I expect its a grey import. I just don't get how something of this form factor can be this price?

Is it it really just an average consumer level camera stuck inside a professional style body?

ProCameraShop | Panasonic HDC-MDH1 Pro Camcorder - SD High Definition - Panasonic - Camcorders (http://www.procamerashop.co.uk/camcorders/panasonic/sd-high-definition/panasonic-hdc-mdh1-pro-camcorder.html)

It certainly looks the part. (Not that size matters).

I'm one of the guys in the market for a new handicam (to go with a new dslr and lens too!), and I've been looking closely at the Sony CX730 which I've sourced for £865.

I was also looking around and stumbled upon this panasonic. I can find very little info on it anywhere and on this site I expect its a grey import. I just don't get how something of this form factor can be this price?

Is it it really just an average consumer level camera stuck inside a professional style body?

ProCameraShop | Panasonic HDC-MDH1 Pro Camcorder - SD High Definition - Panasonic - Camcorders (http://www.procamerashop.co.uk/camcorders/panasonic/sd-high-definition/panasonic-hdc-mdh1-pro-camcorder.html)

It certainly looks the part. (Not that size matters).

I have owned this camera ... and you're right. Consumer level in a pro body. Good for the budget conscious people that need something that looks serious for what ever reason.

Here's my review on it.

Feel/look - Certainly looks heavy and looks the part. In reality it feels very cheap and plasticky (is that a word? lol) but again, looks the business.

Video quality - if your filming in adequate lighting, then it's fine! you can push the colours and make them pop in post production. However if your filming in low light scenarios i.e. Weddings ... forget about it ! awful awful awful for low light. And it has a really bad problem with white balance on auto ... it keeps changing on it's own! Also do not even think about moving the camera around ... it has SEVERE jello problems. It's only useable on a tripod, or if you remain still and let the subjects move around in the scene.

Verdict - certainly worth the money for looks and as a C cam ... may be have it on a tripod just to show you have a good pro looking camera in your arsenal but actually run around and get the work done with your DSLRs or other smaller professional handicams.

If you keep an eye out on ebay, they can be had for around £400 in next to new condition. Which technically speaking is peanuts considering I spend that much on a single lens.

Thanks for the info James! Low light is a must so I'll stay well clear! Strange thing though that google seems unable to give me any low light specific comparisons for handicams.

Its like its not even a thing to want good low light quality. Normally the web is overflowing with top ten lists and the like. I can find no definitive expert analysis on this requirement by anyone I would trust.

Noa, do you believe that your CX730s are the best low light handicaps available in that price range? What are the closest competitors?

low light test, the nex-ea50 and the 550d where with a 14mm f2.8 lens

https://vimeo.com/68919719

That's actually incredible.

two things I need I need to mention, at 24db gain the cx730 switches to 1/25th shutter, both the other camera's where at 1/50. I would say the cx730 is about equally sensitive as the other camera's at 3200 iso with a f2.8 lens. Second thing is, once you start zooming you will loose sensitivity quickly.

Thanks Noa, thats very interesting indeed!

Hi Noa, I've been following this post for a while. I have the chance to buy a second hand CX730 but have been looking at the Panasonic AC90 too.
I'm not worried about audio here, more concerned with moving around filming guests outside and the OIS on the 730 sounds great. My AC160 is just too heavy for that to keep smooth.
What would you go for in that situation?
What do you do for ND's on the 730?

For filming guests at a reception I use a large sensor camera, my cx730 are mainly for the ceremony, usually anything that requires a 2 or 3 camera set up when I am working alone. And no nd's, I just handle the exposure manually and let the camera ride the shutterspeed, that means very high shutterspeeds in bright sunlight (if it's a outdoor ceremony) but that I don't find an issue.

My general obeservation about using small handicams is that there is good and bad. The good is that technological improvements the last few years have resulted in handicams with amazing high def images. The bad is that the processing circuitry is not near as complex and good as that in more expensive professional or semi pro cameras.

For years I have used first a Canon HV20 and recently a Canon M301 as a fixed backup camera and alternate audio source along with my two Sony V1U cameras.

If the handicams are on a fixed, locked down shot adjusted for the lighting conditions,etc then they deliver a beautiful pic that cuts in great with footage from the more expensive cameras. The problem is if you are using them as a roving cam where they are exposed to a lot of different light levels and other rapidly changing conditions on automatic they tend to react too swiftly and make very obvious iris or gain changes. On manual their cumbersome menu driven controls mean you cannot adjust on the fly.

This is just my experience but my two cents is that for live, no second take events, I would want to have at least semi pro cameras for most applications.

no second take events, I would want to have at least semi pro cameras for most applications.

I have worked with a sony vx2100, dvx100b, sony fx1000, canon xh-a1 and now own a sony nex-ea50, canon 550d, sony xr520, sony cx730.

Which one would I choose in a situation where I had one shot to get it right with no set-up time? My sony cx730.

The only thing you need to handle manually with this camera is exposure and that is buttersmooth and easily adjustable with the small front knob, the cx730 has the best auto focus capabilities of any camera I worked with, even auto whitebalance is the best I ever used, very accurate. Exposure I find critical to get right and eventhough the camera get's it pretty right as well, pretty isn't good enough for me, it has to be dead on.

In a controlled environment I agree with you, I rather settle for a "real" videocamera and do it all manual but the small sony has been by far my best "get it now and don't mess up the shot" kind of camera, it's like a Swiss knife, it even has a build in videolight. For a solo shooter a handicam such as this, whether it's a panasonic, canon or sony is a must have in your toolbag when you do weddings.

I have worked with a sony vx2100, dvx100b, sony fx1000, canon xh-a1 and now own a sony nex-ea50, canon 550d, sony xr520, sony cx730.

Which one would I choose in a situation where I had one shot to get it right with no set-up time? My sony cx730.

The only thing you need to handle manually with this camera is exposure and that is buttersmooth and easily adjustable with the small front knob, the cx730 has the best auto focus capabilities of any camera I worked with, even auto whitebalance is the best I ever used, very accurate. Exposure I find critical to get right and eventhough the camera get's it pretty right as well, pretty isn't good enough for me, it has to be dead on.

In a controlled environment I agree with you, I rather settle for a "real" videocamera and do it all manual but the small sony has been by far my best "get it now and don't mess up the shot" kind of camera, it's like a Swiss knife, it even has a build in videolight. For a solo shooter a handicam such as this, whether it's a panasonic, canon or sony is a must have in your toolbag when you do weddings.

Noa, i'm convinced ...

Tempted to buy a CX730 now or an equivalent.

Me too, but I can't find one. Anyone know of a model available with similar ability?

It depends what you understand with similar ability, there are some features on this camera that no other brand has like the very wide angle lens and advanced stabilisation. The Sony is very good at some points but has several weak points as well that need to be considered.

Good:
-very wide angle lens (26,5mm)
-very good low light performance
-very low image noise at highest gains
-good picture profile, not too much contrast and saturation so easier to match with other camera's in post
-very good image stabilization
-very smooth zoom (but requires a delicate controll)
-very good autowhitebalance
-very good autofocus, even in very low light
-the small dial on front of the camera has very good response
-fast startup time
-hours of recording time with the largest sony battery
-has zebra's, peaking, screen magnifies when setting focus manually
-build in videolight
-3 assignable functions on the touch screen, work very well for quick changes (I have ois - to set on or off, whitebalance and focus assigned to it.

bad
-the image can get soft in one corner at several focal lengths, looks like out of focus, it doesn't always appear. I have seen reports about this for the nx70 as well.
-the image is sharp, but not pinsharp like a ex1
-you can only assign one function to the dial so you can't lock the shutter and controll exposure at the same time.
-no nd's results in very high shutterspeeds in sunlight
-eventhough if the autofous is very good, if it looses focus it can have a hard time to recover.
-manual controlling more then one function is limited, you do have to rely more on the autofunction then you"d like to, it does what it needs to do most of the time but don't expect wonders to happen.
-touch focus is unreliable when zoomed in
-it ramps quickly when zoomed in meaning it looses it low light capability once you start zooming.
-sound is ok for most situations and mainly for ambient sound but you are much better off using a dedicated sound recorder.
-Sony has this hotshoe that only fit's their stuff so you need to get a adapter to add non sony accessories

Oh my goodness Noa this thread has 24,450 views and 189 response, and it still going up. Congratulations on your never ending post.

A fellow shooter friend of mine was asking me if he could buy my buy CX550, I said thanks but no thanks,
this is the last of the very best piece I've ever had, a collectors item. I may not be using it, but I will pass this on to my kids.

This fellow already had (2) CX730 and still looking for another piece. We shoot a wedding last week and he placed the CX on a monopod, and went around the couple and raise the monopod up and down simulating the Glidecam while doing the first dance, I look at the result of his shot and indeed it was like shot from the Glidecam, with a little slowmo on the post. INCREDIBLE!

Noa, the cx730 sold for £750 on ebay tonight so I passed on it. However, the NX30 has also caught my interest and there are a few of those for sale. I don't know why the 730 is so difficult to find in the UK. If you ever want to sell one of your 730's I'd be interested...I'm not that far from you, I could get on the Ostend ferry from where I live.
Seriously though, I'm really impressed with that camera.

The 730 was I think not more then a year on sale before it got replaced, the current model (
Sony Handycam HDR-PJ780VE) is over 500 euro more expensive then what I paid for mine but it does have internal memory and a gimmicky projector. Biggest improvement on that one is the audio. That model was also rated as best camera in a known and established Belgian test magazine.

750 pounds for a used cx730 is more then what I paid for it new. I"m afraid mine won't be for sale any time soon :)

Oh my goodness Noa this thread has 24,450 views and 189 response, and it still going up. Congratulations on your never ending post.

A fellow shooter friend of mine was asking me if he could buy my buy CX550, I said thanks but no thanks,
this is the last of the very best piece I've ever had, a collectors item. I may not be using it, but I will pass this on to my kids.

This fellow already had (2) CX730 and still looking for another piece. We shoot a wedding last week and he placed the CX on a monopod, and went around the couple and raise the monopod up and down simulating the Glidecam while doing the first dance, I look at the result of his shot and indeed it was like shot from the Glidecam, with a little slowmo on the post. INCREDIBLE!

Not suprised you can mimmick glidecam shots with the stabilization on this thing!

@ Noa

How much did you pay in the equivalent of £££ pounds ... when you bought it new?

Noa, the cx730 sold for £750 on ebay tonight so I passed on it. However, the NX30 has also caught my interest and there are a few of those for sale. I don't know why the 730 is so difficult to find in the UK. If you ever want to sell one of your 730's I'd be interested...I'm not that far from you, I could get on the Ostend ferry from where I live.
Seriously though, I'm really impressed with that camera.

Littlewoods, have a refurbished one on sale on ebay at the moment with 12 months warranty ... im tempted.

How much did you pay in the equivalent of £££ pounds ... when you bought it new?

I paid 590 pound tax not included

Littlewoods, have a refurbished one on sale on ebay at the moment with 12 months warranty ... im tempted.

Felling a bit guilty James, I hope you weren't too tempted.

I kind of just bought that one...

Sorry! (but cheers for the heads up.)

It was reduced from £820 to 700, and then a further 15% off at checkout down to £600!

The only other place I saw it was tesco direct at £865!

I'm well happy!!

Clive don't worry ... I just bagged a pre-owned one for £500 through Gumtree after a little negotiation with the seller.

I was going to buy the Littlewoods one, but thought do you know what ... refurbished and used, whats the difference, not a lot other than the fact i've saved £100 more!

Both of us are owners of this handicam now ... can't wait for it to arrive :) mine should be here tomorrow.

Nice one James! Noa will be proud!

Don't forget folks that the Panasonic TM900 and successors easily compete with the Sony - just that Noa uses the Sony whereas many of us use the Panny's. Likewise they are well known performers and can command a lot of demand and high prices for pre-owned units.

One of my three TM900's is an ex-demo and it actually performs marginally better than the others that were purchased brand new.

Ebay prices can be strange, with people paying almost as much as the brand new price of some goods. One of my pre-owned Sennheiser G3 sets saved me around £100 on the then new price and now its more like £200 as Senny hiked up their prices recently. But other G3's have sold at only £30 - £40 short of the new price which was £415.

Pete