Panasonic HC-V770 and Sony AX33 are very good camcorders suitable for beginners and casual users. These models are easy to use, and are already equipped with effective and reliable image stabilization. However, Panasonic HC-V770 is slightly more affordable than Sony AX33. Read the detailed comparison of Panasonic HC-V770 vs Sony AX33 below to determine which one that you should buy!
This article will discuss further about:
– The overall dimensions of each camcorder
– The features of Panasonic HC-V770 and Sony AX33
– The comparison of their image stabilization performance
– The recording quality of Panasonic HC-V770 vs Sony AX33
– What memory cards that are compatible with these camcorders
– Why Sony AX33 is generally better and more recommended
Design
Let’s start from the physical dimensions of these camcorders. Usually, a camcorder for beginners and casual users needs to be compact, lightweight, and portable. It must be easy to hold and to carry around. That’s why most consumer-grade models come with streamlined designs; for the sake of convenience and portability. See also: Panasonic HC-V770 vs HC-V800.
Of these two models, Panasonic HC-V770 is indeed the smaller and lighter one. It measures 2.6 inches x 2.9 inches x 5.5 inches, and weighs only about 0.778 lbs without the battery and memory card. This camcorder is easy and comfortable to hold. It won’t make your hand sore during extended use.
All the controls are within the easy reach of your fingers. Indeed, some settings of Panasonic HC-V770 need to be accessed via the touchscreen panel. However, there is also a nice dial on the front-left, just under the lens, for manual control over focus, shutter speed, sharpness, brightness, and white balance.
On the other hand, Sony AX33 is a thud larger. Without the battery and memory card, it measures approximately 2.9 inches x 3.2 inches x 6.0 inches and weighs about 1.3 lbs. To be fair, the differences are rather marginal, and this camcorder is still compact, lightweight, and portable enough for comfortable use.
The control layout is also excellent and intuitive to use. The buttons are clearly labeled, and the touchscreen panel is responsive. In addition, Sony AX33 also has a manual control dial on the left side, near the front end, which will allow you to adjust the iris, exposure, shutter speed, and white balance quickly without having to run through multiple menu screens.
Display and Viewfinder
Both Panasonic HC-V770 vs Sony AX33 come with LCD touchscreen panels, but the resolutions differ. Also, Panasonic HC-V770 doesn’t have a viewfinder, whereas Sony AX33 features a nice electronic viewfinder.
Panasonic HC-V770 offers a 3.0-inch wide LCD monitor where you can monitor your recording and playback footage directly on the unit. The resolution of the display screen is 460,800 dots. It can tilt and swivel around, so you can easily adjust the angle when shooting from any direction. This display is definitely good enough to serve basic recording purposes.
However, the lack of a viewfinder is a major weakness for people who need enhanced accuracy and control in order to deliver high quality footage. The display screen is not accurate enough, especially when shooting at a high zoom level.
Sony AX33, on the other hand, comes with a better display screen and a particularly useful electronic viewfinder. It is a 3.0-inch Xtra Fine LCD panel that has a resolution of 552,600 dots. So, the display screen here can provide sharper and more detailed images, and is generally more enjoyable to look at. It can also be tilted and rotated.
The 0.24-inch electronic viewfinder provides 100 percent field of view, which is great. You can see precisely the entire scene that the lens is seeing. The resolution is 1.55-million dots. The electronic viewfinder provides very sharp, clear, and accurate images. It is very handy for improving videos that are taken at long zoom levels.
Connectivity
Both Panasonic HC-V770 vs Sony AX33 have 2.4 GHz WiFi as well as NFC. So, connecting either camcorder to your mobile device wirelessly will be very quick and easy. After connecting these camcorders to your mobile device, you can control them remotely via their respective mobile apps. You can also utilize the wireless connections to transfer pictures and videos between devices.
Panasonic HC-V770 has a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed port which also supports charging, but only when you use its own USB power supply. In addition, you can find a Micro HDMI port, a standard AV output, a stereo-mini headphone jack, and a stereo-mini microphone input.
Sony AX33 features a Multi/Micro USB terminal which also supports charging. A USB cable is nicely integrated into the camcorder, so you don’t need to bring a separate cable. You can charge the camcorder directly from a PC connection. Alternatively, you can plug it to a power outlet by using an AC-USB adapter. You can also find a Micro HDMI terminal, a standard AV output, a stereo-mini headphone jack, and a stereo-mini microphone input.
Storage
Both Panasonic HC-V770 vs Sony AX33 are without internal storage. So, in order to start recording a video, you need to insert a memory card. However, these two models have different memory card supports.
Panasonic HC-V770 is compatible with SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. However, the maximum capacity that it supports is only 64 GB with an SDXC memory card. Well, at least, this is good enough for recording a few Full HD videos. But you won’t be able to utilize the latest 128GB memory cards.
Sony AX33 is definitely better in terms of storage. It is compatible with SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards and supports a maximum capacity of 128 GB. So, you can have a larger storage space for saving more videos. It is recommended that you use a 128 GB memory card when recording 4K videos – yes, this camcorder supports 4K recording. In addition, this slot also supports Sony’s Memory Stick Pro Duo and Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo cards.
Lens and Zoom
Panasonic HC-V770 is equipped with a Panasonic Zoom Lens which has a focal length of 4.08-81.6mm (35mm-equivalent to 29.5-612mm). This is a very good quality lens. It can provide up to 20x optical zoom, which is quite impressive. If you need high zoom levels, this camcorder can be a great choice.
Additionally, Panasonic HC-V770 can provide up to 50x Intelligent Zoom, which is an optimized digital zoom that will allow you to achieve higher magnification with minimal impact to image quality. The basic digital zoom, however, can go up to 1500x.
Sony AX33 comes with a high-quality Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens, which is really cool. It has a focal length of 3.8-38mm (35mm-equivalent to 29.8-298mm). It has a maximum optical zoom of 10x, which is good enough for shooting from a distance.
The zooming capabilities of Sony AX33 are not as powerful as Panasonic HC-V770, but it is still great. The camcorder has Clear Image Zoom, which is also an optimized digital zoom, capable of up to 15x magnification in the 4K setting and up to 20x in the HD setting. Meanwhile, the basic digital zoom goes up to 120x.
Image Stabilization
Panasonic HC-V770 already has the 5-axis Hybrid OIS to deliver sharp and blur-free videos. This image stabilization system combines an optical mechanism with digital algorithms to minimize blur in any condition. It is quite effective at wide-angle as well as tele.
However, compared to Sony AX33, the image stabilization performance of Panasonic HC-V770 is still of a lower level. While it is quite effective for minimizing blur and vibration, the resulted images are still not quite as sharp and stable.
Sony AX33 has the Balanced Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization, which many people consider as one of the best in the category. The image stabilization is highly effective from wide-angle to tele. It is really great for eliminating blur and vibration from your footage. Even if your hands are shaky or you are shooting while walking, the footage will still be sharp and crisp.
Recording Quality
Panasonic HC-V770 relies on a 1/2.3-inch BSI MOS sensor, which is a good sensor. It has 12.76 MP of total pixels, though only 6.03 MP are effective for shooting videos and still images. The maximum video recording quality is Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 50fps.
Note that Panasonic HC-V770 doesn’t support 4K recording. It is a good Full HD camcorder, but the overall quality is still under Sony AX33. The images are somewhat less sharp and detailed.
Sony AX33, on the other hand, comes with the 1/2.3-inch BSI Exmor R CMOS sensor. It is a very good sensor. It has 8.29MP effective pixels for videos and 10.3MP effective pixels for still images. This camcorder supports 4K (3840 x 2160) recording at 30p and 24p, as well as Full HD (1920 x 1080) recording at 60p, 30p, and 24p.
The overall recording quality of Sony AX33 is better. It is a good 4K camcorder and great Full HD camcorder. In 4K, the images are incredibly sharp and accurate, and the movements are quite smooth. In Full HD, Sony AX33 provides sharper images than Panasonic HC-V770, with even smoother movements.
Panasonic HC-V770 vs Sony AX33
Conclusion
In general, Sony AX33 is more recommended. It supports 4K and Full HD recording, and the overall quality is better. It also has an impressive image stabilization which is highly effective for eliminating blur and vibration. It supports 128GB memory cards and features a nice electronic viewfinder.
