Sony Handycam PJ790V and PJ650V get brighter projectors with HDMI input, we go hands-on
Posted in: Today's Chili 
In the past, we may have considered a projector-equipped camcorder if the price was right, but with dim output (typically less than 20 lumens) and content options limited to footage you’ve shot, the available functionality often didn’t justify a premium of several hundred dollars. Sony, for its part, is working to make that secondary display massively more appealing — the company’s latest generation of high-end camcorders adds an HDMI input, with an option to display content from any compatible source (a full-size adapter ships in the box). Two such models, the Handycam PJ650V and PJ790V, will retail for $1,100 and $1,600, respectively. As their price tags imply, these are Sony’s top-of-the-line consumer offerings for 2013, and they’ve got the features to match.
Both include Balanced Optical SteadyShot, which moves the entire lens module (not just specific elements) for much more effective stabilization, especially when zoomed in. There are Exmor R sensors on board, with a 20.4-megapixel chip on the 650 and a 24.1-megapixel imager on the 790. The lower-end model includes a 26.8mm wide-angle 20/12x G lens, 32GB of flash storage and a 20-lumen projector. The 790 ships with a 26mm wide-angle 17/10x Carl Zeiss lens, a whopping 96 gigs of memory and a 30-lumen projector on the side. Both also include 921k-dot 3-inch LCDs and electronic viewfinders, along with 5.1-channel mics (the 790’s is raised to accommodate wind screens and isolate mechanical noises), an option for AVCHD or MP4 recording and a new Multi Interface Shoe that can be used with accessories like an external mic or the $75 ADP-WL1M WiFi module.
We had an opportunity to check out both camcorders, and were quite impressed, especially when it came to the Balanced Optical SteadyShot and (relatively) powerful built-in projectors. The HDMI input worked as advertised, accepting content from a laptop and an Android smartphone without issue. The 790’s projector was bright enough to see detail even in a sun-lit room, but we could even see using it to watch a movie (with an external speaker), assuming that we’re able to set up shop in a pitch-black environment with a suitable surface. Both Handycams felt like premium devices, and while they were significantly heavier than Sony’s entry-level offerings, they’re light enough to be comfortably used to capture handheld footage. This premium duo is set to hit stores in February, but you can take a look right now in the hands-on gallery below.
[CES 2013] The SL1000 Camera is the Fujifilm camera that has the longest zoom (50X) of the entire CES 2013 line-up of the brand. If you are into really mad numbers, you can add the digital zoom on top of that and you get to the magic number of 100X. Anyway, many people don’t really like using the digital zoom anyway, but still 50X in this case represents a 24-1200mm lens, which lets users snap a macro photo at 1″ or shoot a telephoto picture from far away.
[CES 2013] Fujifilm has announced its new flagship compact camera at CES: the Fujifilm FinePix HS50EXR ($549.95). As you may know, Fujifilm is big into the super long zoom, and this new camera has just that: a 42X optical zoom which can be supplemented by a digital zoom, with which Fujifilm can claim an astonishing 84X overall zoom. To be honest, I don’t really use digital zoom, but for someone who doesn’t want to crop the image on a computer, I can see why that could be handy. 
[CES 2013] The Fujifilm S8200 and S8300 are digital cameras that are priced to hit a mid-range price point of $299.95 and $309.95 which makes them affordable for users who are looking for a good picture quality, including in low-light, a long-zoom and a good feature-set. Of course, those cameras won’t be a champion in any of those categories, but “performance for the dollar” is the name of the game here.
