Customer Reviews

Sony HDRCX130 Handycam Camcorder (Black)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I received my Sony HDR-CX130 today and was shocked to find that IT HAS NO MICROPHONE INPUT of ANY KIND!
I alerted Sony and they thanked me for bringing to their attention this error on their technical specifications listed (and promptly linked me to a page that allegedly says it's not their fault if errors are made on their advertising.. that link did not work either, btw bwaha).
So, no, NO 3.5 mini jack or ANY mic/audio input whatsoever.

Also, every auto-focus mode is EXTREMELY SLOW, and the "manual" controls are next to impossible to adjust due to the DESIGN. I have been practicing for HOURS and STILL haven't gotten the hang of using any of the "manual" controls. It's basically, "set everything to automatic and HOPE for the best" which is not too convenient for any point-and-shoot.
On the bright side, the "touch the screen to focus on that area" DOES seem to work rather well 50% of the time, and I am pretty sure THAT is the way I will be focusing

The touchscreen however does respond accurately (even with my huge fingers) and menus are fairly easy to get to (even though it always exits as soon as you make any selection instead of taking you back to the menu). The touchscreen is a GIANT LEAP FORWARD in control when compared to that horrendous small "joystick" on earlier consumer camcorders like my old Canon.

Optical stabilization is AMAZING!!

And that Tele-macro feature is brilliant, if everything is extremely STILL!

SO those are the biggest pros/cons so far. I still haven't actually recorded anything today so I don't know how the image quality holds, but it APPEARS to be great.
I just thought i'd warn any potential buyers of the NO-MIC-INPUT (which was one of 3 absolutely-necessary aspects I needed, which basically means I wasted my money on this particular camcorder) and also warn of the near-impossible "manual controls" along with the snail-slow auto-focusing.

"The HDR-CX130 features an LED light that can assist in low-light situations giving you more flexibility when capturing your video." So says the last item under "Product Description." This is one of the key features I
was looking for. I just bought the CX130, and lo and behold, there is no LED light!

I got mine at best buy about 2 months ago (wanted to really get to know it before I wrote a review)

Where I'm coming from:
I am an amateur skateboard filmer who has professional taste (some of my friends do it for a living, and I can't be outdone, lol). I had a budget of around $500 for a new HD camcorder that I could attach conversion lenses too (primarily wide/fisheye)

I'll make a long story short:
WHat's Great:
-I finally realized that the cameras "Wide/telephoto Conversion lens" setting actually allows you to use auto settings with a fisheye (which has historically always been a manual setting only kind of lens) and my clips are in focus, and the exposure is perfect every time. This is HUGE because any camera without a viewfinder is going to be impossible to get all the manual settings perfect, ecspecially in the sun.
-High color setting is gorgeous, particularly when filming bold, bright colors
-High frame rate setting is awesome, slow motion looks perfect.
-Easy to find any cheap, off brand accessories, cuz Sony's stuff is way over priced(on amazon you can find a cheap extra battery, lens, lens hood, etc...)
-Overall Size makes it easy to store, and travel with.

What's not great, and infact kinda sucks
-A really good computer is almost a must if you want to watch or edit your HD vids without needing an amazing amount of patience.
-Shooting in Standard Def produces a dramatically reduced quality (and I don't mean the resolution, I mean the overall quality is terrible (I have a point and shoot sony Digital camera that shoots SD 720 video, and it blows this camera's StanDef away, even though its 5 years older)
-SHooting in Standard, or low quality HD will give a "ghosting" effect (basically means it looks like crap when played in slow motion) so with fast moving subjects I'm usually forced to use the 60fps setting...which looks amazing but produces enormous computer files.
-It's compact size is ideal for travel, but not for steadiness, and with the steadycam function turned off (for fisheye) its hard to keep the thing from shaking without using an additional handle or shoe-mount (but those are cheap, and pretty useful anyways)
-I run a 64 bit windows 7 system, and therefore can not use the supplied disc, which I normally wouldn't even use except for the Full user manual is on that disc, and the downloadable version still wont work on my computer (Sony knows/admits this, yet no solution yet?!)

The cons are more plentiful, but the pros outweigh them in my opinion. So, anyways, for what I paid, I am very happy with this camera. I held it to extremely, probably too high standards and didnt find enough reasons to return it for another. (its now $100 cheaper!!!) My friends who have VX cameras (which are kinda the pro versions of Handycams) not only agree that my clips look great, but also seldomly use their cameras anymore, just b/c the size, weight, and ease of transport is so much easier with my CX 130.
Even without using a lens, the camera works/looks great....Just make sure you shoot in HD and make sure your computer can handle HD.

Pros = 1) Good price and 2) takes pretty good high definition footage. 3) Memory sticks are pretty handy and easier to deal with than Hi-8 tapes like my older Sony standard definition camcorder used.

Cons = 1) As others have already stated...the LCD screen is pretty hard to see in outdoor sun conditions. Recently tried to capture the USAF Thunderbirds in flight and found it to be quite the challenge. The camera really would have been much better if it had thru-the-lens viewfinder in addition to the LCD. 2) Also, the auto-focus is a bit slow. The camera does allow for manual focus, but the feature is through the menu list and is push-button rather than a twist of the lens. Not very practical for most situations.

Overall, a good camera for the money unless you're prepared to shuck some big bucks out!

I previously had a Sony Digital 8mm camera from 10 years ago and decided it was time to get a high def camcorder. I purchased this one and is quite pleased with it.

The things that I like about it are:

1. Image stabilization technology - it really does help you if you're not using some sort of tripod/monopod system
2. Turns on as soon as you open the video screen and turns off when you close it
3. Uses regular SD memory cards. 32GB holds about 14 hours of high-def video
4. Nice touch screen menu interface

The camera is simple to use and does the job. Battery life seems decent (about 2 hours on the included battery). No issues with the camera. Would recommend it to anyone is not a pro like me.

Mac users: the included PMB software won't work on your computer (no big surprise there), but if you have iMovie, it's easy to import your movies - just use the USB plug hidden in the hand strap, connect to your computer with the included cable, open iMovie, and import your movies. One thing that amazes me is the range of focus - you can get two inches away from something and it will be in sharp focus, then you can focus on something far away and zoom in with good clarity. Yes, it can be a bit slow to focus sometimes, but the stabilization is worth the wait. This camera is so small and light, you can leave it on a shelf so it's handy for those special, unexpected moments.

I bought this as an inexpensive backup to my pricier Canon Vixia to go on motorcycle trips, boats etc so if I killed it it would not be a financial disaster. It exceeded my expectation.

Good points:

Very small and easy to carry.
The touchscreen menu is intuitive and offers lots of in camera editing features for this price.
Very good wide and long zoom. No accessory wide angle lens needed but I recommend a polarized filter in very bright situations.
Surprisingly good screen image for the price - would definitely satisfy most non professional users. Colours are true and detail is crisp.
Focusing can sometimes be a touch slow but the feature that allows you to follow focus by touching the subject on the screen works really well.
Very good image stabilization which you need for a light camera with a long zoom.
The supplied battery is good for two hours and most people won't need to buy a backup. You can leave the charger at home and use the USB cable in the camera plugging it into your computer or similar power supply - quite cool as the charger is bigger than the camera.
Takes cheaper easier to get SD cards as well as Sony memory stick.

Bad points

View screen can be hard to see in bright daylight but improves if you wear polaroid glasses and shadow the screen with your body or hand. As the screen is polarized you will see the full brightness even with your glasses on but the rest of what you see will be shaded. Not nearly as bright and clear as my Vixia but usable.
Photo quality is barely adequate. Carry a still camera
In extremely high contrast bright situations highlights can burn out - a neutral density or polaroid filter helps this but it doesn't happen a lot.
Indoor shooting is fine with good room light. It can be a bit grainy and there is no infra red nightshot but it is not a $1200 camera, not for paranormal hunters so it should satisfy most people.

Summary - Well built tiny camera that will give you quite good video and sound.

I recently got this camera from best-buy, around same price as Amazon. This camera is great! I use it to film skateboarding with and it does a great job. the auto focus and clarity of the camera is awesome. While there isn't a spot to plug in a external mic, there still is a mic do not get that confused, and it works great. the auto stabilization really is great you can zoom in all the way and still keep a pretty steady film. If I had to choose another camera again i'd choose this one even still! If you're looking for a camera in the 400-500$ range and don't need an external mic definitely go with this one!

I was trying to decide between the Standard Definition Sony Handycam and the High Definition version which has a decent price difference of about $150.00. I would highly recommend getting the HD version as it has very good quality. I can film and play it right to my HD TV using the supplied component cables. The standard definition setting with HD enabled is really good but I choose to shoot with the mid-range HD setting. It chews up space faster but the quality is amazing. I bought 2 32GB Transcend SDHC cards (class 10) to go along with this camera. You definitely want class 10 cards for the HD. I can get about 4 hours per card and then I will need to offload to my computer.

One thing to note is that once a video is cut (removed) from the camera you can't just put it back on. So now I have videos on my computer that I can't play on my TV until I get a blu-ray burner. Also this camera seems to do much better in well lit areas. Daytime in the sun is crystal clear whereas nighttime with a couple of lamps seems more standard definition.

Definitely recommend this camera for family functions, child's accomplishments, and general camcorder use.

Use this camera to film football games. Nice, wide angle lens that does pretty well in dark conditions with bad lighting. Autofocus is gets worse at night and indoors. No manual controls to speak up. SD files are easy to work with, but you need a newer PC to work with the AVCHD video files (or a converter to make them mp4 or avi). Camera is easy to use and cheap!