Camera and camcorder manufacturers are always finding ways to differentiate their models from others on the market. But that is tricky because, let’s face it, there are only so many other things that a camcorder can do that meshes in with its prime function.

GPS springs to mind (and has been done), eliminating the intermediate step of burning to exterior media by recording straight to it (DVD) has been and gone (thankfully), and adding surround sound is de rigeur. 3D of course is so last year …

Well Sony has come up with a cracker of an idea – well they think so – by building a projector directly into the camera. That’s right; you can play back your footage directly from the camera on to any blank wall up to a max size of 60”. They have managed to this by incorporating the projecting lens into the exterior side of the flip out 3” LCD.

I’ll give adjudication on how successful it is in a second; first let’s talk about the camera.

The engine room of the romantically named HDR-PJ10 is Sony’s tried and proven ¼” EXMOR R CMOS sensor peering through a 29.8mm Sony G lens capable of up to 30x optical zoom. There is 16GB of internal memory and provision for Memory Stick or SD card in a single integrated slot.

Still image resolution in these days of 14Mp and above at 3.3Mp is no great shakes but all the other geegaws are there such as face detection,  smile shutter, intelligent auto and smooth slo-mo. A newie has popped up too – ‘Golf Shot’.

For serious videographers, you can plug in an external mic (5.1 surround is standard from the inbuilt one) as well as a headphones. Output is via mini HDMI (no, no cable supplied), USB and AVI with Sony’s proprietary DIN cable to attach to the camera.  The first three are under a flap and the latter on the right hand side of the body.

Controls are minimal as most functionality is performed via touch screen. On the body accessible when the LCD is open are the on-off and play buttons and projector switch; on the top are a lateral zoom rocker switch and photo and mode switches. The start stop button is as always, located on the rear. There is no viewfinder.

Operationally, the PJ10 is a doddle to use as it is very point and shoot, a no brainer. The lack of viewfinder compromises the framing as in medium to bright sunlight the LCD offers less than perfect viewing. Similar applies to the projector. In a standard lit room on an overcast afternoon, you can see there is an image there (from about 3 metres away), and this is confirmed by playing it on to your hand.

In a dark room, it does its job but is no substitute as you would expect for direct playback through a TV. The projector isn’t designed to replace a TV though, any more than the LCD is. It’s more designed for immediate playback at parties and the like,what the marketing and PR bods would call a ‘fun’ accessory.

It’s a nice idea in a better than average camcorder and I expect to see this feature appear everywhere now. At $999 it’s probably a bit steep for the teenage market, but ideal as a present. As a family camcorder it ticks most of the boxes, with the missing ones being no HDMI cable and lack of viewfinder.

By David Hague

David is the owner and publisher of AusCam Online. He has a background in media dating back to 1979 when he first got involved with photojournalism in motorsport, and went from there into technology via a 5 year stint with Tandy Computers. Following that, he ran a software distribution company on the Gold Coast and was one of the first to recognise the potential of Microsoft Windows.

Moving back to WA, David wrote scripts for Computer Television for video training for the just released Windows and Office 95 among others, and was then lured to Sydney to create web sites for the newly commercial Internet in 1995, building hundreds of sites under contract to OzEmail including Coates Hire, Hertz Queensland, John Williamson, the NSW Board of Studies and many, many more.

He went back into full time journalism as the Managing Editor for Channel 7's 'Gadget Guy', Peter Blasina's publications VideoCamera and Pixelmag, before starting Australasian Camcorder magazine when these publications were shelved. He lives at Sydney's Avalon Beaches nearly on the ocean front with dog Budweiser and in his spare time is a nut for motor sport, road safety, fishing, science fiction - especially Dr Who - and technology.

David can be contacted via david@auscamonline.com 

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