Hey, nice review. Is this camera NTSC/PAL switchable? I ask this because on previous panasonic (and other brands) models you were stuck at 50p if you bought the PAL version. 50P/25P is in many cases a VERY unfortunate thing in this digital day and age where so much of the footage is to be uploaded on the web etc. Pretty much all pc screens run at around 60 Hz refreshrate which makes pal footage look jittery - not smooth like with 60p/30P footage. I am aware that you may still need to use pal when shooting under certain artificial light sources, because of the the 50 Hz mains frequency and all that. However, I do most of my filming outdoors and prefer 60p over 50p in all situations. Thanks.
Dear Bart Weber, can you tell how X920 is improved over X900? Thanks. It would be really great if you compared Sony PJ780 and Panasonic X920 in daylight. Thanks again.
Verdict: Sony better low light sensitivity, Panasonic better resolution and sharpness. As for colors, keep in mind that the white balance was probably in auto in both cases and is NOT reliable on most camcorders. My money is on the Panasonic. You can actually see Bayer color filter interference from extrapolation on the Sony with a single image sensor, in the red letters of the Room Seven Outlet store @1:20, versus flawless letters from the 3MOS Panasonic @1:32.(watch in HD 1080p to better see it) Low light performance isn't everything. When you'll be shooting in sunlight, you'll appreciate the higher detail level of the picture of the X920.
T Yoshisaur Munchakoopas You really need to watch this in 1080p full screen on a high definition monitor to clearly see the intensity of the red color of the letters fluctuating with the slight movement of the handheld camcorder due to interference with the Bayer color filter on the Sony, which is perfectly constant on the 3 image sensors of the Panasonic. That's the main reason why professional video cameras have three image sensors, to avoid this problem on brightly colored fine detail.
T Yoshisaur Munchakoopas Those letters are perfectly in focus, both on the Sony and the Panasonic. Anyway, even if that was the case, out of focus images don't create the kind of color level fluctuations in detailed areas we see here. Single image sensor color filter induced interference does. Believe me I know, I've been using video cameras for over 30 years, since this well known and explained artifact has been around from as far as the early days of one pick-up tube cameras. Just look-up "Bayer color filter" in Google and you'll see what I mean... A 3 image sensors camera doesn't have or need a Bayer mosaic color filter. It has got full resolution for each of the primary colors Red Green and Blue. That's why the Panasonic has superior image detail and sharpness than the Sony.
T Yoshisaur Munchakoopas I agree on that. Both camcorders offer a pretty decent image stabilization system. The Sony is optical, and the Panasonic is hybrid (part optical, part electronic). But let's be clear: these are not $4K Steadycam systems. lol
T Yoshisaur Munchakoopas Agreed that the Panasonic is certainly not perfect and has a few annoying things, like the really dreadful constantly hunting automatic white balance, for one. But any serious videographer will perform a manual white balance before shooting anyway...
You could say because of noise you'd have to take the Sony. But only for that reason. The picture of the Panasonic looks better most of the time. The colors are nicer. All things considered I'll take the Panasonic and have about $700.00 left in my pocket. I know those with a trained eye in video will say I'm wrong because they'll point out things most people didn't notice and don't even care about.
Hello Bart, I am very interested in your comparison of the Sony PJ 780 and the Panasonic X920 in terms of stabilization and low light. To be shure what you have done: Do you have made your films 1.) free hand, 2.) manually, but stabilized by a tree or wall, 3) a monopod ore 4) a tripod? I am using up to now a Panasonic TM 700. Do you believe the X920 is much better? Or more or less equivalent? Greetings HPN
difficult to see in this test which one is better. they are both different in colors,... I think is better to test them when zoomed in on a subject. Many thx for uploading this test.
Hi Bart I am learning with HC-X920 in low light and shooting 1080/60p. I found my shots at times a little grainy. It's been a bit frustrating when it is grainy. I was wondering what settings you had for the shots in the video. Did you do the shutter speed around 1/30 for the 1 st shot in the video and increase the speed of it in others where there was more light at say 1:50, 2:29, 2:40 with each shot? My camera goes can go to 1/30 for the shutter speed. What was the Iris around for the 1st shot in video (was it open to like 15-18 db?). Did you closed it down some at say 1:50, 2:29, 2:40 to say 12db or 15db? My camera can go to 18db. Did you use any filters? If anyone reading this that owns a HC-X920 can offer a few suggestions, I am open to that also. Some people I noticed are also using the camera with auto in other reviews for low light. I am not sure which auto setting on the camera is best to use. There are multiple auto settings for low light. I am open to using either manual or auto.
Good video, i have searching comparison with HC-X920 vs GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition or Canon HFG10 vs GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition but i can't found any video. If you have a GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition would be interesting to show a comparison
Panasonic ist etwas schärfer und viel natürlicher als SONY. Wer auf dieses viel zu aufgehellte und zu farbige Bild von Sony steht ist mir wirklich fraglich. Die Panasonic wirkt auf jeden Fall am natürlichsten.
To make a reliable comparison you would have to shoot the same footage, with both cameras at the same time, using the same tripod (or if you're testing image stability, then put them both on some kind of wood and and hold it in your hand). When you record with one unit, put it back and start recording with another you get different angles, different movement, different lights, different sound and so on. To sum up - good idea for test, bad execution.
LED text better readable with the Panasonic. Balanced Optical SteadyShot... and bicycles.... How does this Sony with the Balanced Optical SteadyShot behave on a bicycle? Steady? Very steady? Or shaky?
As you see in my channel me and my friends use affordable cameras with a high zoom quality. So when we went to a shop actually to buy a Sony. When i picked it up it was very fragile like a toy. And on the bottom "Made IN CHINA". Next to it was the Panasonic which felt more solid and reliable in my hand. And at the bottom "MADE IN MALAYSIA". The shop keeper told me after the japan earthquake all factories moved out of Japan. So Malaysia is better then China I believe.
thanks Bart for your response I will check the X920 also on other reviews, I already own a tm700 but want to upgrade to better low light and (3D recording). I think my decision is already made. thanks again.
The Sony has a warmer colour as compared to the Panasonic (they probably both render the wrong colour, but the Sony is more pleasant to watch for me). If you look at the water, you can see the Sony shows more detail: the reflections run all the way to the camera, whereas Panasonic stops about half way and renders the rest black.
Very nice comparison video. The Panasonic does look better overall, but have to agree with another user that the colors appear significantly colder than the Sony's, so there is some tradeoff.
sony is brighter but has a slight jellow/redish tone. panasonic has not such a high brightness BUT the picture is therefor sharper and more natural in colours. hard to decide.
hi when i am recording night shots i am getting streaking from the lights i am useing a panasonic camcorder hd what setting should i use when recording at night please thanks
Sony 1380,- Panasonic 840,- I'm sorry, the image quality difference is just too small for that big difference in price. I bougt the Panasonic and ever since I started shooting I can't keep my hands off of it :P ff tussen haakjes - is dat Utrecht? Was het eerste wat ik dacht, maar ik ben slecht in 't herkennen van plaatsen :P
The Sony seems to move smother (steady cam) But the projector..hmm it just makes the camera more expensive.So I guess saving 550 dollar if buying the Panasonic.. hard choice
Bij 2.20 minuten lijkt het bij de Sony wel alsof er vallende sterren uit de bomen komen, hier geeft de Panasonic toch een realistischer beeld, zo te zien. Hm... wordt de keuze nog moeilijker :-) Roeleke
De Sony lijkt lichtgevoeliger, toch vind ik de beelden van de Panasonic scherper en rustiger. Kijk maar naar het shot van de Waag. De Heineken lichtbalk is veel scherper.
Panasonic looked like it exposed a bit darker, sony's looked a bit more exagerated and had some washed out portions, panaonsic had a few distortions either way the colors on both were great. The big difference was the detail sony's detail was horrible compared to panasonic and sony had focusing issues half the time. Doesn't compare panasonic clear winner
unter dem Motto, nicht jeder wird gleicher Meinung sei, in den verschiedenen Scenen ist das eine oder andere mal die Sony besser als die Pana... aber eben schwierig..
Hey, nice review. Is this camera NTSC/PAL switchable? I ask this because on previous panasonic (and other brands) models you were stuck at 50p if you bought the PAL version. 50P/25P is in many cases a VERY unfortunate thing in this digital day and age where so much of the footage is to be uploaded on the web etc. Pretty much all pc screens run at around 60 Hz refreshrate which makes pal footage look jittery - not smooth like with 60p/30P footage. I am aware that you may still need to use pal when shooting under certain artificial light sources, because of the the 50 Hz mains frequency and all that. However, I do most of my filming outdoors and prefer 60p over 50p in all situations. Thanks.
Dear Bart Weber, can you tell how X920 is improved over X900? Thanks.
It would be really great if you compared Sony PJ780 and Panasonic X920 in daylight. Thanks again.
hi bart,very nice video,what settings did you use on the panasonic 920?
Verdict: Sony better low light sensitivity, Panasonic better resolution and sharpness. As for colors, keep in mind that the white balance was probably in auto in both cases and is NOT reliable on most camcorders. My money is on the Panasonic. You can actually see Bayer color filter interference from extrapolation on the Sony with a single image sensor, in the red letters of the Room Seven Outlet store @1:20, versus flawless letters from the 3MOS Panasonic @1:32.(watch in HD 1080p to better see it)
Low light performance isn't everything. When you'll be shooting in sunlight, you'll appreciate the higher detail level of the picture of the X920.
T Yoshisaur Munchakoopas
You really need to watch this in 1080p full screen on a high definition monitor to clearly see the intensity of the red color of the letters fluctuating with the slight movement of the handheld camcorder due to interference with the Bayer color filter on the Sony, which is perfectly constant on the 3 image sensors of the Panasonic. That's the main reason why professional video cameras have three image sensors, to avoid this problem on brightly colored fine detail.
T Yoshisaur Munchakoopas Those letters are perfectly in focus, both on the Sony and the Panasonic. Anyway, even if that was the case, out of focus images don't create the kind of color level fluctuations in detailed areas we see here. Single image sensor color filter induced interference does. Believe me I know, I've been using video cameras for over 30 years, since this well known and explained artifact has been around from as far as the early days of one pick-up tube cameras. Just look-up "Bayer color filter" in Google and you'll see what I mean... A 3 image sensors camera doesn't have or need a Bayer mosaic color filter. It has got full resolution for each of the primary colors Red Green and Blue. That's why the Panasonic has superior image detail and sharpness than the Sony.
T Yoshisaur Munchakoopas I agree on that. Both camcorders offer a pretty decent image stabilization system. The Sony is optical, and the Panasonic is hybrid (part optical, part electronic). But let's be clear: these are not $4K Steadycam systems. lol
T Yoshisaur Munchakoopas Agreed that the Panasonic is certainly not perfect and has a few annoying things, like the really dreadful constantly hunting automatic white balance, for one. But any serious videographer will perform a manual white balance before shooting anyway...
Top agreed!!! 3CMOS is completely superior to a single CMOS in terms of color and moire.
You could say because of noise you'd have to take the Sony. But only for that reason. The picture of the Panasonic looks better most of the time. The colors are nicer. All things considered I'll take the Panasonic and have about $700.00 left in my pocket. I know those with a trained eye in video will say I'm wrong because they'll point out things most people didn't notice and don't even care about.
Thank you. You are right. Same sensor, lens, pixels, aperture... with minor changes in some.
hi bart at 2:56 on the left hand side you will see a street sign; with the sony its white, with the panasonic its yellow?
what colur is it?
Hello Bart,
I am very interested in your comparison of the Sony PJ 780 and the Panasonic X920 in terms of stabilization and low light. To be shure what you have done:
Do you have made your films 1.) free hand, 2.) manually, but stabilized by a tree or wall, 3) a monopod ore 4) a tripod?
I am using up to now a Panasonic TM 700. Do you believe the X920 is much better? Or more or less equivalent?
Greetings HPN
difficult to see in this test which one is better. they are both different in colors,...
I think is better to test them when zoomed in on a subject. Many thx for uploading this test.
Hi Bart I am learning with HC-X920 in low light and shooting 1080/60p. I found my shots at times a little grainy. It's been a bit frustrating when it is grainy. I was wondering what settings you had for the shots in the video. Did you do the shutter speed around 1/30 for the 1 st shot in the video and increase the speed of it in others where there was more light at say 1:50, 2:29, 2:40 with each shot? My camera goes can go to 1/30 for the shutter speed. What was the Iris around for the 1st shot in video (was it open to like 15-18 db?). Did you closed it down some at say 1:50, 2:29, 2:40 to say 12db or 15db? My camera can go to 18db. Did you use any filters? If anyone reading this that owns a HC-X920 can offer a few suggestions, I am open to that also. Some people I noticed are also using the camera with auto in other reviews for low light. I am not sure which auto setting on the camera is best to use. There are multiple auto settings for low light. I am open to using either manual or auto.
Good video, i have searching comparison with HC-X920 vs GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition or Canon HFG10 vs GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition but i can't found any video. If you have a GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition would be interesting to show a comparison
Panasonic ist etwas schärfer und viel natürlicher als SONY. Wer auf dieses viel zu aufgehellte und zu farbige Bild von Sony steht ist mir wirklich fraglich. Die Panasonic wirkt auf jeden Fall am natürlichsten.
I'm Brazilian and cameraman, I have a Panasonic Agac8 great camera.
To make a reliable comparison you would have to shoot the same footage, with both cameras at the same time, using the same tripod (or if you're testing image stability, then put them both on some kind of wood and and hold it in your hand).
When you record with one unit, put it back and start recording with another you get different angles, different movement, different lights, different sound and so on.
To sum up - good idea for test, bad execution.
LED text better readable with the Panasonic. Balanced Optical SteadyShot... and bicycles.... How does this Sony with the Balanced Optical SteadyShot behave on a bicycle? Steady? Very steady? Or shaky?
does it have torch/microphone input ???? Is it good for recording some videos at concerts ???
Hi Bart help me please, I'm into best low light performance.
Which one is better in low light?
thanks in advance
I don't like the Bayer filter interference. 3CMOS performed much better in terms of color and details.
As you see in my channel me and my friends use affordable cameras with a high zoom quality. So when we went to a shop actually to buy a Sony. When i picked it up it was very fragile like a toy. And on the bottom "Made IN CHINA". Next to it was the Panasonic which felt more solid and reliable in my hand. And at the bottom "MADE IN MALAYSIA". The shop keeper told me after the japan earthquake all factories moved out of Japan. So Malaysia is better then China I believe.
thanks Bart for your response
I will check the X920 also on other reviews, I already own a tm700
but want to upgrade to better low light and (3D recording).
I think my decision is already made.
thanks again.
The Sony has a warmer colour as compared to the Panasonic (they probably both render the wrong colour, but the Sony is more pleasant to watch for me).
If you look at the water, you can see the Sony shows more detail: the reflections run all the way to the camera, whereas Panasonic stops about half way and renders the rest black.
Very nice comparison video. The Panasonic does look better overall, but have to agree with another user that the colors appear significantly colder than the Sony's, so there is some tradeoff.
Panasonic is better for details, features (ustream, etc.) but imho it has cold colours, I like Sony for hot colours.
It's not the same sign, the yellow one has a big free space in the middle.
I saw video you are using the PJ790.
Thank you,
Ask video AM
sony is brighter but has a slight jellow/redish tone. panasonic has not such a high brightness BUT the picture is therefor sharper and more natural in colours. hard to decide.
hi when i am recording night shots i am getting streaking from the lights i am useing a panasonic camcorder hd what setting should i use when recording at night please thanks
The stabilization system in the Sony is better than the Panasonic's. Apart from that, the Panasonic is the obvious winner.
less bleeding on the panasonic.
Sony 1380,-
Panasonic 840,-
I'm sorry, the image quality difference is just too small for that big difference in price. I bougt the Panasonic and ever since I started shooting I can't keep my hands off of it :P
ff tussen haakjes - is dat Utrecht? Was het eerste wat ik dacht, maar ik ben slecht in 't herkennen van plaatsen :P
I think Panasonic is better at low-light, but Sony has a better image stabilization
If price was similar maybe better Sony (it seems have a little better audio) But 1300 Vs 850 euro are a too big difference. So I will get Panasonic.
The Sony seems to move smother (steady cam) But the projector..hmm it just makes the camera more expensive.So I guess saving 550 dollar if buying the Panasonic.. hard choice
Sony has several PJ models much closer than this. Today, the panasonic is $900 compared to the Sonys $1500
Bij 2.20 minuten lijkt het bij de Sony wel alsof er vallende sterren uit de bomen komen, hier geeft de Panasonic toch een realistischer beeld, zo te zien.
Hm... wordt de keuze nog moeilijker :-)
Roeleke
Thanks nice test! Borrowed it on FB groups/PanasonicHcX920 ;-) Kunnen ook eens samen gaan spelen! Koffie staa klaar in Zandvoort aan Zee.
De Sony lijkt lichtgevoeliger, toch vind ik de beelden van de Panasonic scherper en rustiger. Kijk maar naar het shot van de Waag. De Heineken lichtbalk is veel scherper.
Panasonic looked like it exposed a bit darker, sony's looked a bit more exagerated and had some washed out portions, panaonsic had a few distortions either way the colors on both were great. The big difference was the detail sony's detail was horrible compared to panasonic and sony had focusing issues half the time. Doesn't compare panasonic clear winner
+NICKITOSIUS, сони всегда желтит, панас всегда зеленит. сони меньше шумит при большем iso(db), панас лучше ловит свет из за 3х матриц.
5:0 for panasonic !!!
Panasonic obviously.
panasonic WINS
unter dem Motto, nicht jeder wird gleicher Meinung sei, in den verschiedenen Scenen ist das eine oder andere mal die Sony besser als die Pana... aber eben schwierig..
Panasonic has more realistic colors. Sony puts all the lights into this consume-like yellow-ish tone. I prefere Pana.
Colour saturation vs brightness
PJ790을 사용하고 있습니다 당신의 영상을 잘봤습니다 감사합니다, 또하나 부탁합니다 낮에도 두가지 비교해서 올려주시길 바랍니다..
sony seems to out shine the Panasonic. Sony looks somewhat more crispier.
the Panasonic is the best ... Amazing
The winner is Panasonic
The Sony wins it in my opinion.
Panasonic rules.
Its cheaper, and little better image quality, and is not made in china like the Sony.
У Сони с балансом белого проблемы, у Панасоника баланс белого лучше. :-)
Мне кается у Соньки картинка по живее смотрится. Хотя панасоник тоже неплох.....
Panasonic is better in some videos and 700 $ cheaper ! How is possible ?
In some videos? Panasonic crushed Sony in very video!
😄sony 1000000000000000000 times better men please
Так что купить сони или панасоник