I bought this camera on Monday, had fun with it for two days, and then returned it. Although I can't afford it, I then closed my eyes and ordered the HDR-CX550V. I basically went from the bottom of the Sony consumer class to the top in one fell swoop.Things I liked about the CX150:
* FABULOUS quality in adequate light. The video in 24 Mbps mode is stunning. Search YouTube for examples. Every hair on my cat, dust particles in sunlight, it all shows up with beautiful resolution. It's amazing. Almost Blu-Ray quality. You won't find any consumer-class camcorder with better quality.
* 25x zoom , when used with a tripod, lets you get really close
* "macro" works without any special settings. Just put the lens an inch away and it will focus. Resolves fingerprints.
* Amazingly tiny. With no hard drive or tape drive, the unit is frighteningly small. You can put it and all the cables + charger in a camera case designed for a DSLR + telephoto
* PMB software works, has good basic editing. Used it to grab frames from movies almost don't need the "still" function if 1990x1080 res is good enough.
* It will take a 32GB memory stick, even though the feature list says they only support 16.
* The touch screen is responsive
* "touch the object" spot focus, spot white balance is cool
* Give it the NP-FV70 battery and it will record for hours and hours
Things I either did not like or features missing (by "missing" I realize that you have to pay more). Don't mistake the length of my 'cons' list as hating the little guy it's a good camera for what it is designed to be.
* A bit pricey. I think it is worth about $450.00, not the $549.00 list
* No wide-angle. I wish Sony had made the lens go from slightly wide-angle to about 15x, instead of from normal to 25x.
* No external mic input
* No hot shoe not even the Sony proprietary one
* Zoom motor noise is very audible in quiet settings don't expect to use this camera to record acoustic orchestral music in concert halls
* The "smooth slow-mo 240 fps" is NOT HD 1080i60 quality. Might be OK at 720, but I found it disappointingly blurry. I'd love to see it have the same capability as the Casio EX-FX1 (not holding breath)
* Not enough buttons too much reliance on the touch screen. I prefer buttons to scrolling through menus. Sony could fix this by providing more than 6 "my menu" choices.
* Auto focus works good most of the time, but when it gets confused it is horrible. Combine that with no quick focus wheel and it is a recipe for loosing shots
* Picture mode is not available in 24 Mbps HD mode.
* The electronic stabilization does not work. I've grown used to optical stabilization in my DSC-H50 and there is no going back.
* Short of using something like the Black Rapid Straps Fasten-R2 screwed into the tripod shoe, there is no way to attach a neck strap. I almost dropped it several times.
* The plastic housing is sensitive to noise any little touch while recording will show up as sound in the video.
* No windscreen for the mics. Combine that with no external mic capability and you won't be able to hear anything in windy conditions.
* No remote
* No "night shot" infrared
* Low light performance is what you would expect from a small lens size. All the electronics in the world can't fully compensate for glass area.
Summary: if you want a fairly cheap, tiny camera for shooting GREAT quality vids of vacations, the kids and the pets, this is an excellent choice. Want to do more, and you will need to pay more for a better unit. Just want to help other people avoid my experience of being a bit disappointed and having to trade up.
The camera has many adjustable settings, but many of them a buried within the menu system, which is accessible via it's touchscreen.
Sony was even nice enough to give you a quick menu area where you access the features or settings that you may use more often. I
wish there were more than one screen of these as I often have found myself needing more quick buttons than this.
However, the real reason I am so pleased with this camera is because you don't need to fool around with anything to take good video.
The intelligent auto feature is activated by default and it pretty much has you covered, as the camera will quickly detect scenes
and select the proper settings based on the environment. What this means is, if you are a point-and-shoot type of person (like me),
this camera will not let you down.
And did I mention the picture quality? It is incredible!!!!
The camera has 4 HD modes and 1 SD mode. They are FX,FH,HQ, LP (all for HD), and STD HQ for SD.
I have only tried the different HD modes and I must say they are great, but I found that I often need to shoot longer videos, so
I am currently using FH mode, which allows me a bit more recording. BTW, this camera has 16Gb internal flash memory, plus a
slot for an SD card or Sony's memory stick duo.
And did I mention the picture quality?
No matter which of the recording modes you choose, the quality is absolutely stellar!
Battery life is pretty good. You get a battery that you nearly squeeze 2 hours out of. What I like best is that the battery is
external, meaning you can buy a larger capacity battery (Sony has at least 2 additional batteries that will fit).
What I liked about this camera:
1. Quick and easy to use
2. Excellent picture quality regardless of recording mode (1080i)
3. built in flash memory
4. adjustable microphone (recording is dolby digital 2 channel)
5. small and compact
6. zoom is smooth and steady
7. has touch focus
8. has face recognition, including priority of one face in the picture
9. smile detection will take a photo if one of the faces smiles (and smile detection is adjustable)
10. shoots photos while filming
11. reasonably good low light performance (not great, but the colors still looked like themselves)
What I didn't like:
I waited a while before writing the review to see if I had an issue that I could complain about with this camera.
I don't have any complaints. It exceeded my expectations in every area. I read some complaints about not having 1080p....
whatever.
Video Formats:
For HD this camera produces MPEG4 H.264 AVC/AVCHD files (files have .m2ts extention when imported by PMB, .mts if you browse
the camera)
For SD I believe the format is MPEG2 (I haven't shot much SD footage, but what I have was very good)
Make sure your computer is loaded with the proper codecs and you should have no problems.
The camera came with Sony's PMB software, which I use to download my footage to the computer. It allows you some manipulation
of the files and the ability to burn to DVD in AVCHD format, where it can be played on a Blue-ray player. You can also burn
normal DVDs with PMB as well. However, I only use PMB to import from the camera. I have other software to produce videos.
I would mention the picture quality shot with this camera again, but I think I'll close the review by saying that, this is an
excellent camcorder and it was worth every penny.
Buy Sony HDR-CX150 16GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) Now
I paid, after shipping, $489.99. For that price, this camera is worth it. It lacks certain features you would find on the more costly camcorders. There is no optical image stabilization, only steady-shot. No night shot, no external light, no remote... I can take about 2 hours of video on the highest setting. Battery life is about the same (2 hrs). The sound seems pretty decent, although, nothing to write home about. Video quality is average. Nothing amazing. Images arent quite as sharp as I've seen on higher-end Sony's. I viewed files on my 46" Sony LCD and the video quality wasn't what I hoped for. It looks better on smaller screens. The videos were presented in 1080p only when played back through the camcorder. For just average consumers who are looking to play video that fills up their T.V. screens, and do it on a budget, this would probably be a suitable choice. If video quality is a major selling point for you, I don't recommend camera. I guess what can you expect for $489.99?!!!!!UPDATE!!!!!! 03/31/2010
After taking this camcorder outside on a beautiful spring day, I must say, in environments with good lighting (outside), the video quality appears to be a lot better. It definetly makes it worth the price. You WILL need a tripod or some form of mounting device to keep the image stable. This thing is lite, as I've stated previously. There is no weight to counter any jiddering or wobble your arm/hands makes when operating. I must say that I am overall pleased with this product. I still stand by everything I said before the update.
!!!!!IMPORTANT!!!!!
This camera suffers from a common problem that I thought was restricted to DSLR's: Rolling Shutter. If you're unfamiliar with this phenomena, it occurs when the camera pans from left to right (or vice versa) in quick fashion. It causes the image to become "slanted" as you pan. This can be avoided by not panning the camera so speedily. I also have noticed it in other types of video cameras, so it seems to be more prevalent than I thought.
Read Best Reviews of Sony HDR-CX150 16GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) Here
The video quality is great! The touchscreen is very easy to use, the internal memory is great! This is a better buy than the HDR-CX110 which has no internal memory.The camera is very small which I love, it fits perfectly in my pocket. It turns on when you open the screen and it turns off when you close the screen, very convenient.
The zoom works great and the steadyshot feature is very good and it really works.
If you set the camera to manual focus you can touch the subject on the screen that you want the camera to focus on, very cool.
Overall I love this camera because the video quality and of its size.
Want Sony HDR-CX150 16GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) Discount?
Knowing that I wanted a camcorder for use over the next few years I had made the decision that HD was right for me but I definitely wasn't interested in going to the $800 range that was on offer.Although there are "HD" camcorders available for as low as $200, they really aren't true HD. Unless you are going to get a 1080 resolution camera that has a decent frame rate (As the CX150 does) then you may as well save some money and get yourself a regular SD camcorder in my opinion.
My requirements were simple enough, I needed a camcorder that shot great HD video in good light as well as in low light situations inside. I needed the camcorder to be small and have good stabilization with good memory options and battery life. The CX150 delivers on all these fronts.
VIDEO QUALITY
=============
Only one word is needed to describe the quality of video you get from the CX150, Awesome! HD is what I wanted and HD is certainly what I got, I couldn't be happier. Low light video is really good too although of course, the better the lighting the clearer your video.
CAMCORDER SIZE
==============
Perfect. Fits comfortably in my hand and is super lightweight so there's no arm ache with extended use.
MEMORY
======
The in built memory is all I have used so far and it has stored all the video I have taken in the last 3 months of usage. Soon I'll need to back it up on a hard drive. The ability to buy extra SD memory is great, and if I want to go that route then it's a nice option to have.
BATTERY
=======
I've never found battery life to be an issue yet although I haven't shot any extended video. I can imagine when it comes to school plays, concerts or sporting events then I might need the extra battery that is available. For general usage the battery that comes with the CX150 has been just fine.
FEATURES
========
The facial detection, focusing and also the smile detection are great. This wasn't why I bought the camera, but now that I have them they are really handy and super easy to use. The pictures it takes by itself when it sees a smile are a really nice touch. The stabilization is good but I think I was hoping it would be a little better.
MENU (Bad)
=========
The touch screen is nice but gimmicky and in terms of usability it's not great. The scrolling menu's are long and unless you read the manual to know which options are where then you can be searching for a while. Better option grouping could save a lot of scrolling time here. Having said that there are tons of features and settings to get your camcorder setup just how you like it.
SOUND (Good and Bad)
===================
Inside, sound is picked up as clear as a bell. Outside wind noise is certainly a factor, and that has been the case even when it hasn't been that windy. Maybe there is a setting to counteract this but I haven't found it yet.
SOFTWARE
=====================
The software that came with the CX150 for use on a PC wasn't too bad. It arranges all your clips and photos by date in a calendar interface which is surprisingly easy to use and navigate.
When I tried to upload high quality video to however, the experience was not so good. High quality videos were chopped off at a certain duration so only some of my video made it to the site, otherwise if I chose low quality the entire video would be uploaded.. at a much lower quality. Not satisfactory.
I have since switched to a Mac using iMovie which is entirely a much better experience.
CONNECTIVITY
============
I don't know if this is an issue with other camcorders but thought I should mention that most standard USB cables for devices will work with this camcorder (Handy should you lose or forget your cable). Importing your video to a Mac (With iMovie) or a PC using the bundled software is very easy. I haven't bought the HDMI cable to connect directly to a TV but that seems straight forward enough too.
OVERALL
=======
I am VERY happy with this purchase. Everything I wanted in a camcorder is present in the CX150 and I expect to be happy with it for the next few years given that the video quality is so good.
Yes, there are better camcorders out there but as far as I can tell you are going to spend a lot more money to get not a whole lot more.
The menu system could be better but I hardly use it so it's not a big deal to me. It's simple to use, lightweight and compact and delivers great quality video every time.
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