Why does the UK get the CX730E with no storage and the USA get the CX760 with 96GB onboard ?

[EricButton]

At CES Sony announced a large number of new models, including the CX760 the successor to the CX700. Both have 96GB onboard storage, the newer CX760 has a significantly modified optical stabilsation mechanism.

So why is it the the USA is getting the CX760 (with 96GB onboard storage) for $1499.99 (£947) and the UK seems to have been shortchanged with the CX730E which has zero onboard storage for £999. The rest of Europe appears to be getting the CX740E (with 32GB onboard storage) for €1300 (£1085).

Please can someone clarify why the UK appears to be getting stitched up with a camcorder model that has zero onboard storage.

Thanks

[Mick2011]

Hi Eric, welcome to the Sony Forums

It's possible the full roll-out hasn't yet been announced; there's still a very good chance the whole range will become available to European market.

Price differences are notorious between different ditribution zones, especially the UK. Typically, the US appears much cheaper then the rest of the world for most electronic goods and the UK seems to be the most expensive.

The main reason for US/UK discrepancy is the good old tax man. US prices are usually announced ex-VAT (sales tax in the US) because it varies from state to state; add that 20% on and it can easily bring prices close to UK levels. Add in import duty (relatively high in the UK) and you've basically accounted for any residual difference.

Cheers

Mick

[EricButton]

Mick

Thanks for the warm welcome and the detailed reply. I hope your speculation is correct and that the UK will indeed see the CX760 very soon.

Is anyone from Sony UK able to provide any details of the arrival of the CX760 or CX740 in the UK ?

[EricButton]

Is anyone from Sony UK able to provide any details of the arrival of the CX760 or CX740 in the UK ?

[Mick2011]

Hello again

As this is a user forum I'm afraid you're very unlikely to get a reply from Sony regarding product updates here.

In my experience, Sony product releases are only 'for sure' when they're publically announced. You can often find speculation on internet forums, but until the official announcement happens it's just guesswork and like most manufacturers, Sony don't often discuss potential or pending releases beforehand.

However if you'd still like to talk to someone at Sony you'll find contact details on this page: http://www.sony.co.uk/section/contact/article/id/1201538196794/page/2

Cheers

Mick

[EricButton]

Mick

Thanks once again. It is a shame that Sony don't actively participate on this forum. I came here after looking at the contacts page you linked to, I was disappointed that there was not an option to enquire online.

Guess I will just wait and see what happens. Have you seen any decent reviews of the new CX7** range yet, I've not come across anything other than press releases and brief hands on reviews at CES ?

Cheers

[Mick2011]

I guess it's just early days, I haven't seen any more than those PR pages either. Some pointelss stuff on YouTube, nothing substantial as yet.

Most review sites fall over themselves to be the first, I'd imagine there'll be something published in the next week or so.

Cheers

Mick

[EricButton]

Two months down the line and still there is no further information.

No sign of either the CX740 or the CX760 coming to the UK.

What has popped up is the NX30E which appears to be a professional version of the CX760.

It is hard to understand why the NX30E is priced at over £2000 when it appears to be a CX760 with a few hundred pounds worth of microphone accessories added on.

The price hike between the CX700 and the NX70 could be rationalised by the work required to dust proof and waterproof the camera. The NX30E is not dust/waterproof so why is the price so high ?

[Mick2011]

Hi Eric, me again

I've read some good reviews of the new NX cameras but there certainly does appear to be a clear consumer / professional crossover between CX and NX models. It's really not surprising, given the way mass-market technology manufacturing is currently geared.

The argument will doubtless be (and you'll hear the same rationale with most tech manufacturers) that Sony develop for the top end of the market and make much use of the same R&D and technology for the consumer market. It's no secret that cheaper products in a given range share often identical components: this is to be welcomed, if (like most people) you happen to be looking for the best quality at the lowest possible price. It also the best way to beat the competition in that price/quality battle, as the manufacturer isn't spending so much on R&D for cheaper goods.

So what you get at Sonys camcorder top end is the full range of possible add-ons and extras, which are pared back as you move down the range. As you note in your post above, the NX70 has the lot; meanwhile the slightly cheaper NX30 lacks little more than its water/dust proofing; the cheaper-still CX700 has no shotgun mic, no XLR inputs, no manual gain control, slightly less refined image quality (according to reviews I've seen) and so on.

Of course I'm over-simplifying to make a point; many models have something unique to them. The NX30 is very similar to its big sister but retains several unique features at its particular price point, such as progressive recording and balanced XLR inputs. The point is that plenty of people won't be interested in those features but want the image quality, and should opt instead for the cheaper CX700.

If you need any more info just shout

Cheers

Mick

[EricButton]

Hi Mick

Once again thanks for a comprehensive reply.

That professional and consumer camcorders share hardware is no surprise, what is a surprise is the price difference.

Compare the CX760 to the NX30 and you will struggle to find any difference beyond the microphone accessory, oh yes and the almost pointless gimic of the projector which I am sure virtually no professsional wants. They both record 1080P HD at the same frame rates and bit rates, they have the same sensor, the same lens etc. It's very very hard to explain the price difference. I have seen the CX760 offered by a UK company for £695, now I am sure there is VAT to be added to that but that gives a price of £834. The NX30 is being offered by most of the UK dealers at £1795 + VAT which = £2154. A price difference of £1320 can't be explained away by a microphone accessory and a silly little gimic of a projector and a pro warranty. Sony's pricing on their upper end camcorders is all over the place in the UK.