Customer Reviews

Sony HDR-CX100 ACVHDHD Camcorder with Smile Shutter & 10x Optical Zoom (Red)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

Excellent EXMOR Sensor and image processing engine, the BEST as for today! Small size. Full HD. Fast start. Even with "Limited" features has a lots of them. Camera instantly detected in PC-XP Pro and Mac-OS/X. I do not care about 4MP still shots, so won't even bother to talk about it.

Native MTS camcorder format is not supported by many players. It needs to be converted to H.264 usable by BlueRay players ...
I was reading reviews before buying this camcorder, and was just amazed how much ridiculous stuff people were saying. Some have no clue what to do with this (or Canon...) HiDef camcorders! Speaking about this CX100 - there is nothing to be scared about. Nor about Canon's or others Sony, Canon Panasonic's ... all using slightly different flavors/methods of recording AVCHD. Sony happen to mark their movies with MTS extension. I have ~6 years old Pentium 4 2.8HT/2 GB RAM/XFX with NVidia7600GT card/DirectX 9.x. (Window Media Player +Xvid plugin) playback is not perfect, a little choppy but acceptable. Please note, that if you computer preview is smudgy and choppy, this is NOT a CAMERA fault! Same video is played perfectly fine on Blue Ray player when converted to H.264. I also have new unibody 2008 Mac Book pro OS X - laptop detects camera right away and launching iMovie08, offering video transfer. If you have older, non Intel Processor Mac - forget about this camera - and ALL OTHER's AVCHD/H.264 camcorders - most likely they will not be working for you. So, please, do not write negative reviews, do not confuse people, OK?

I do not use Component and AV cables (they still in the box). If you do, you are downgrading HiDef video to patetic Analog quality. I refuse call it a "Standard Definition". HDTV is new STANDARD! And that other thing is, Analog. :) So, I use just a HDTV cable to direct view on HDTV, and USB cable to move files to Harddrive.

This camcorder when connected via USB cable is detected as external drive, not a camera. No big deal to me, even more convenient. I prefer to be able to save original files by Copying them to folder I created on my harddrive. When camera is connected to computer, make sure - do not delete movies from camcorder this way. Movies "List/Previews" still will be displayed in camera LCD preview. Completely delete files in build in memory only using in-camera controls. And format removable MemStick only in camcorder, not in computer. I believe, this is typical to all camcorders.

If you already have HDTV - LCD or Plasma, you can view footage directly from camera connecting via HDTV cable. It is looking really good on my Samsung LCD, as good as any non-studio recorded HD content. But this is only a temporary solution. You'll need to empty memory to take more video's, right? I wanted to get the best video from this camcorder and it is all about conversion of MTS to H.264. There are different solutions for Mac and Windows users. Keep reading.
.......................................
PC users:
- You can use supplied by Sony PMB Software to burn your original HiDef files to REGULAR, not a Blue Ray DVD-R!!!! This is awesome for someone who already has Blue Ray player anf HDTV! I repeat, they can be burned on regular DVD burner, to normal DVD-R, and then played in the Blue Ray player in full glory, with no quality loss, which can occur in conversions to other formats. I made disk like that, and tried it out - and I can assure you - it is real HD video! No motion blur, no hiccups, all is PERFECT! Looks like BlueRay players have much better hardware to handle HD content. You can AVCHD DVD directly from camera, or from movies you copied to the comp harddrive. For each movie event I create separate folder, and later PMB need to 'analyze' each folder befor disk burn.(By the way, when PMB burning disk, you will see that MTS format is converted to H.264). It is in a Manual too.
- One more way: You can install XVID (free) plugin and you can perfectly play original uncorverted MTS files via Windows Media Player!!!!
- Another way: you can get DIVX 7 Pro for mere $[...] ([...]) and convert to MKV, or DIVX PLUS HD format, which can be easily played on PC and Mac computers. DIVX player is free, is that Pro version, which has converter is not free...
- If you have slightly outdated Core 2 Duo comp - make sure you get more memory (4GB+, and better video card with HD support, like Nvidia 9000 series DDR3 /Direct X 10/Open GL2.x)
- Allegedly Windows 7 should have better HiDef support and most of the codexes... will see.
.....................................
Mac Users:
- Sony providing PMB software for PC user only. Get over it. But actually, Mac user have even better solution, not free though...
- You can get Mac version of DIVX player also for $[...] and convert MTS to something more user friendly.
- Or, (My choice) you can shell out $[...]+tax for Elgato Turbo.264 HD USB/hardware based encoder/accelerator ([...]), and convert MTS to h.264, then store them on external haddrive
- Quick Time Pro 7 can be used for playing H.264 movies! Again, they can be burned on regular DVD-R for BlueRay players. You also, can connect your Mac via MiniDisplay Port /HDMI adaptopr ([...]) to any HDTV or projector for bigger trill.
- PS: MacConnection catalog now is listing this CX100, so you see - it is OK, it is safe to get Sony HDR CX100! :)
....................................
Finally, if you don't have any stinkin' computer, or all what you got is one of those anemic 'netbooks' and you still want Canon, or Sony H.264 camcorder - No problem. At Costco, for $[...] you can get standalone Sony DVDirect MC5 DVD recorder (not a Blue Ray disk recorder, regular DVD's) and connect it by USB cable. You can make AVCHD disks readable by Blue Ray players. Never tried myself, just repeating what Manual says :). Canon also has similar device, but it looks like it is making only analog, not HD DVD's. So, all you will need is: Camcorder/MC5 recorder/Stack of DVD-Rs (which cost on average ~$[...] each)/new BlueRay Player/720p, or 1080p LCD or Plasma HDTV. That's it!

MY OBSERVATIONS and recommendations after first week of playing around.
1. ALWAYS record in highest possible resolution [HD FH].
2. Set color to X.V. COLOR!!! (if you have Sony Blue Ray player/and HDTV supporting that (Sony, Panasonic...) you can have advantage of enhanced colors). But it may be better turn it OFF in really sunny day. Colors might be way saturated (red/blue/yellow) almost fluorescent. And even with x.v.color off - believe me, camera will produce very nice video! And use of x.v. color could be very beneficial for cloudy days, or for dimmer lighting.
3. Make sure that you have image stabilization (STEADYSHOT) tuned ON!
4. ...all other settings I have on Auto. You choose yours.
5. There is bunch of useful presets like Beach, Landscape, Soft Portrait ... I have to check it out yet.
6. Camera is very light, so you'd better hold it steady, or attach it to something. I have small tabletop tripod (~$[...]) and I have it attached to the bottom - it works for me like an extra handle.
7. Even when camera is on a tripod - pan (sweep left/right) as slowly and smoothly as you can. Many people have to learn this, because some report excessive blur - it not worse than much more expensive camcorders. It is YOU - you need to learn how to "drive" your new toy. Eventually, it will come to you, no worries.
8. Get a Polarizer, or UV filter - to see through the glare of glass or water. This is VERY nice thing to have on a bright sunny day!
9. Tripods? I have Slik Compact XL, light and good for travel. Works for me. But much better is Manfrotto 190XDB I saw for $[...] at bestbuy... Very solid built, and smooth panning.

RECIPIE to get best video (This is true for ALL camcorders, and digital cameras):
- Try to get as close as possible to object you are filming. I think, best range is 2 - 20 ft. Next best is 20-50 feet
- Do not shoot in the dusk/dark. Film in well lit conditions. Try to have sun, or source of light behind you, not in front of you (unless you are shooting Hawaiian sunset... :) In low light - this camera is about the same as any other one's, if not better. Do not listen to purists about low light "performance".
- Turn OFF that "Digital Zoom"! 10x of OPTICAL zoom is more than enough for most conditions. Beyond that you will get big quality degradation. Try to apply less zoom as possible. Besides, "digital" zoom is using camera sensor, reducing resolution to get higher zoom. NOT good!
- Less zoom will make a big difference (unless camera on a tripod) for Image Stabilization, it will work better. Try, and you will see how is difficult to hold camera still on far zoom range...
- U can use Wide Angle adapter, I got ~$[...] Sony VCL-0630X through Pricegrabber and it is just... OK. At max zoom, corners will be blurred a bit. You can find better one for $[...] (Sony VCL-HGA07).

CONCLUSION: There are better camcorders over there. I really like new Canon HF S100... But it is around ~900! And this cutie, for under 460 --- it can be beat! And even in a "pocket" size - it is real Hi Definition camcorder, just use it to full capacity! Later on, when I become a PRO cameraman, and have tons of money (3500-4000) - I will definitely go for a Scarlet from RED ([...]). But now -- I'm happy with CX100. When I get decent video's I will post it on [...].

... Phew, I'm tired of typing. Just go and get it.
UPDATE: I just saw Pricegrabber's new super deal - 455 at [...]! That's $[...] less than I paid)
You'all have a good time!

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.

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.

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.

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

Well this is a really nice little camera with really great video quality. Though the features are stripped down the processors are not. It is great for anyone who wants just straight out of the box performance and not a lot of confusing settings to deal with. It records in 4 HD modes giving you more or less time on the 8gb internal memory, additional memory sticks are essential as is another battery and possibly a wide angle lens (30mm inner threads). As always Sony puts out another gorgeous looking product that is both ergonomic and sexy. All controls are well within reach although the lens cover is a bit clunky in function and takes two hands to open. If you are wanting an HD camcorder that isn't too complicated to operate and is a budget price then this is the one for you!

I thought this would be a big winner to replace my old Panasonic DV camcorder.
However, I guess this is what you get for ~$450.

Pros:

- Excellent picture quality in daylight
- Pretty cool smile/face detection and tracking
- Super light and small
- Quick to start

Cons:

- Questionable quality indoors, can get very grainy
- Highest HD quality (FH) is limited to ~60min of recording on built-in memory/8G Stick
- Charging is a pain!!! since it has to be done through the camera. better independent charger is extra
- Software to watch/export movies is painful

Prior to ordering my camcorder I read all the negative reviews. While I appreciate that they warned me about the poor image quality under low light conditions, I was a little surprised that the camera even recorded under low lighting at all. Mind you, I am upgrading from a behemoth of Sony VHS camcorder that I bought in 1998, which just flat out wouldn't record in a dimly lit room without the lamp on (which also discharged the battery at 3x the speed of normal use), so my expectations are ,,, to say the least,,, much lower than most on low light recordings.
As soon as I got the camera I started testing the lighting requirements for recording. I started out in regular HD on an overcast day indoors and found that in a 20x14 foot room with 3 60 watt bulbs and all but one of the blinds closed on 3 windows I could record with moderate graininess but with surprising quality compared to my ancient camcorder under the same conditions.
I moved into my garage which had a small north facing window for a 20x20 garage and one 60 watt bulb. The graininess increased but surprisingly, I could even see the objects in the dark portions of the garage that were otherwise covered in shadow.
I moved outside on an over cast day and the quality was unbelievable.
When night fell, I recorded my wife in our 14x14 foot kitchen lit by 2 75 watt bulbs and one 60 watt bulb and the quality was again very impressive. I'm talking see the weave of the fabric on her shirt from 11 feet away with a little zoom quality.
Note that all lighting was florescent light, which in my experience tends to wash out color and the wattage I indicated for each shot is the equivalence to incandescent lights, not the actual wattage on the bulbs which are significantly less.
Using the camera for me was very easy. It felt intuitive to me, the buttons to record and zoom were fairly similar to my ancient cam. What I really liked was the size and weight of it. Man try carrying my other Sony cam around on your shoulder for an hour! This one fits in the palm of your hand and the lens cover is built in. Thats a good thing cause I lost my other cams lens cover a month after I bought it and had to buy another and lost that too.
The software is a snap to install and use.
I'm not into plugging in mics and lamps into the cam. I did that a couple of times with the ancient camcorder I have and learned they were just a big pain in the posterior so that doesn't bother me at all either. I do wish the user guides were written a little better though but besides that I'm stoked!
I didn't like dealing with Ace Digital Photo though. I paid for 1 day expedite and they sent it 3 day select. It barely got here before I went out of town and they never contacted me about reimbursing my money for the a shipping option I never got.
Oh yeah, and it should have come with the HDMIC cable instead of the component.

I bought this camera as an upgrade to my Sony TRV-22 mini-DVC SD camcoder. It's only day two but here are my first impressions:

- my first usage of the camera was at night in my living room. There's LOTS of noise under low light conditions. I'm comparing this to the TRV-22 which performs excellently under the same conditions. That's my only negative comment.

- It is truely amazing that you can get HiDef recording out of a device small enough to fit in your (baggy) jeans pocket. And it is extremely lightweight. I'll be carrying the camcorder around with me much more than I've done with my past camcorders.

- The built-in lens cap seems trivial but is great since you never have to worry about losing it.

- The smooth slow motion capture is a lot of fun. My kids loved acting silly for 3 seconds and then watching their antics played back in slow motion. I could see this being a great tool for capturing stunts or sports activities (with a little luck on the timing).

- Under outdoor lighting conditions and HiDef recording, the picture played back on my SD TV is the sharpest camcorder image I've ever captured. I don't have an HD TV yet so I can't comment on how it looks there. But I'm very impressed with the video quality for my needs.

- I'm not a fan of loading new software on my PC everytime I buy a new gadget. So I was extremely happy that I could just plug in the camera to my USB port, and then copy the .mts files over in Windows, and then edit those files using Pinnacle Studio 11. Without reading the manual I had my first HiDef video file edited and created in a matter of minutes. Thanks for keeping it simple, Sony.

- I then installed the PMB software and played with that, but I'll probably uninstall it. It seems like it has some nice bells and whistles, but the analyze operation took longer than the file copy operation. And I have my own software for authoring and burning DVDs, so I don't see the value added.

So in conclusion this camcorder is easy to use, extremely compact, and interfaces nicely with my PC. The only downside is the low-light performance, but I'm willing to overlook that based on the camcorder's other strengths.