Sony HDR-CX100 AVCHD HD Camcorder with Smile Shutter & 10x Optical Zoom (Black)

This camera is amazing. Once I charged up this puppy and fired it up it looked awesome. I filmed my dog and you could see every strand of hair on his body and the texture of the hair. It also has the smiling sensor technology that is really neat. Put it in video mode and when someone smiles SNAP!....a photo is automatically taken (you can set it on or off). I like that its flash memory as well (hard drives dont survive drops so well). I gotta say Sony put out one sexy stylish camcorder. It looks great in the hand and it definitely got some peoples attention. Once you get this camcorder you'll never want to go back to SD recording. Here are my PROs and CONs:

PROS:

+ Amazing quality video

+ Lets you take a photo while filming

+ Smile detection

+ Ready to film once screen is open

+ Small and compact

+ Very good looking camera comes in three colors

+ Flash memory (bad/good you decide)

+ HDMI support

CONS:

Not just any HDMI cable will work

Proprietary memory stick format (memory sticks are expensive)

Low 10x optical zoom

3 hours recording time

Love this camera and highly recommend it.

Recently bought this camera with same results as review by E. Sharon. Great for outdoors in good light, otherwise it is so grainy you might as well not bother with HD. Even with 100 W light bulb in a 10 x 10 room, picture was so grainy I thought the product was defective. I brought the camera back to the store, and one of the salespeople said that that was pretty much going to be the picture quality with such a small sensor size. I then returned the camera for a CX 12, which was head and shoulders above the quality of this camera, which it should be given the higher price point and larger sensor. Overall, it's a great camera outdoor use, however I would not recommend it for indoor use. If you need a camera that works indoors and in lowlight, go with the CX 12. Hope this is helpful.

Buy Sony HDR-CX100 AVCHD HD Camcorder with Smile Shutter & 10x Optical Zoom (Black) Now

Right out of the box this Handycam Rocked my World!

I was looking for a camera that was:

-Small for traveling

-Does not use tapes

-Great HD quality.

The Sony HDR-CX100 was just released. I usually do a lot of research when it comes to technology, but the handycam fit exactly what I was looking for:

-Small

-Card Based Media

-Great HD Quality

I really took a chance on Quality, without testing at local store first..

(impulse buy)

But it worked out great the camera Is AWESOME. I even put it to a test.. I used the Handycam (all set in auto mode) along with the Sony HVR-Z1U 3CCD High Definition Camcorder to record a theatrical performance.. The quality matches perfectly.. cutting between the two cameras is seamless..

The size and superb HD quality, makes this a Must have for any one looking for compact HD handycam.

Read Best Reviews of Sony HDR-CX100 AVCHD HD Camcorder with Smile Shutter & 10x Optical Zoom (Black) Here

If you are reading this, you are probably seriously shopping for a compact HD camcorder. Simply put, look no further. Buy it now!!

The camera itself is tiny you could easily fit it inside a 12 ounce drink can. This means you can take it just about anywhere. All camera recording and playback controls are available via a touchscreen on the flip-out widescreen display. I was hesistant about this initially, having big hands, but it is very easy to navigate once you get used to it.

The video quality of this camera is simply amazing! You will not be disappointed, I assure you. Played back on an HDTV, the video quality is jaw dropping! It has several video compression modes, both in HD and SD. Other brands such as Canon don't have both HD & SD modes. The HD video files are highly compressed (AVCHD) and don't take much more disk space than SD video.

The included software is pretty slick. One caveat the software is Windows-only. Using a Mac, you can import your HD video to iMovie, but the workflow is easier using the Sony software. One cool thing about the Sony software is that it allows you to burn HD disks using regular (and cheap!) DVD-R disks, which will playback on a Blu-Ray player. Or, you can convert your HD video to SD quality and burn a regular DVD disk that will play on any standard DVD player. I have done this, and the converted video looks fantastic!

The camera comes with 8gb of installed memory, and has an expansion slot to add more. However, the Pro-Duo "Mark 2" memory cards you will want to use are expensive. They cost about 50% more than a similar SD memory card. Don't buy a card without the Mark 2 designation, as these are much faster and rated for HD video.

My only complaint, and it is minor, is that the supplied battery doesn't last too long so if you are like me you will find yourself needing a 2nd battery. You can either go with a Sony brand battery, or save over 50% buying an aftermarket battery. These are available on Amazon, eBay, etc.

Want Sony HDR-CX100 AVCHD HD Camcorder with Smile Shutter & 10x Optical Zoom (Black) Discount?

The Sony DCR-CX100 is an example of small size, ease of use and stunning video quality. Granted, there's a lot of stuff missing on this camcorder that the upscale models have, but hey, this was designed to be used by consumers.

The camcorder arrives with eight gigabytes of memory built in, so you can begin shooting as soon as you charge the battery. A card slot accepts a Sony memory stick which can be used either to extend shooting time or as a backup to the internal memory. You can copy the files from the internal memory to the Sony memory stick in the camcorder so you'll have backups for your video before you even get home. Place the card in a secure place, and if the camcorder gets stolen or falls in the lake, you'll at least have the video you backed up.

The CX100 is easy to use. Charge the battery, open the viewfinder to turn the camcorder on and you're ready to shoot in full automatic mode within three seconds. Autofocus works fast and accurate, even in normal room lighting. Automatic backlight compensation lets details be seen in shots where normally the subject would be underexposed. In auto mode, the white balance is accurate in even the most difficult, mixed lighting conditions.

Of course, all these controls can be set manually, albeit via the touch screen menu, which can be a chore to memorize the many settings for fast access.

Outdoors, the image quality is simply stunning. Colors are rich, but not over saturated. Color accuracy is nearly as good as setting the white balance manually. Autofocus is flawless. Exposure is accurate, almost never washing out except under the most adverse conditions. The image quality outdoors comes within 95 percent of some professional camcorders.

Indoors, the camera holds it's own when there's a lot of light, such as in an office or in a brightly lit room. When the light gets really low, the image falls apart. The shutter speed automatically goes from 60 (normal video) to 30 (for better low light), resulting in a stucatto effect. You can disable this in the menu, or use it as a special effect. The other negative is the automatic image softening at low lighting. This softens the graininess of low light video, but it becomes so soft the image loses it's high definition sharpness and begins to look like a standard definition camcorder. This is not adjustable, and it makes using the camcorder next to useless in very low light conditions. As a reference, the Sony HDR-CX12 (another memory stick camcorder) does not soften the image, and looks much better in low light than the CX100.

In all fairness, the CX12 has a bigger image sensor and lens, and costs nearly double. The CX100 also lacks a hotshoe, so there is no provision for any external light or microphone attachment. There are no audio inputs or headphone outputs. The CX100 is not a good choice for the budding film maker since lights, mikes and headphones can't be attached.

In summary, the small size of this camcorder and the stunning results in medium to well lit conditions make this the ultimate vacation camcorder. You can fit it in a jeans pocket when it's not being used, and have great high definition outdoor footage which most vacationers will shoot.

Rick Bennette

Fine Art Video dot com

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