Customer Reviews

Sony Webbie MHS-CM1 HD Camcorder (Orange)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

Length:: 4:27 Mins

My video "review" isn't really a full review...it's mainly to setup some actual [handheld] footage taken with the webbie. Of course, with the video compression you won't see the actual HD footage, but it should still show up a bit crisper than the footage taken with the JVC GR-D770U in the very beginning of the video.

The footage with the Webbie taken at my desk looks yellowish, but it's because I have a yellow (normal 60 watt incandescent bulb) lamp at my desk. There is no manual white balancing on this camera, but if used with some 5100K fluorescent lights, you'll have a MUCH better picture.

You will NOT get professional features/results on a consumer camera in this price range. Period. Once you understand that, you'll be able to see this camera for what it is.

You WILL see pixelization in low light situations - this is true for ALL low-end consumer cameras. Unless you spend $1000 for an HD camera, you're simply NOT going to be able to film in the dark...especially not without picture degradation.

I rarely use the audio taken from the internal mic, so I can't say much about it. But it does appear to be unidirectional, and will pick up EVERYTHING in the surrounding area...especially wind noise. In quiet situations, you'll also hear the noise from the zoom and/or auto focus (you can really hear it in the section of the video with the cats).

There's no image stabilization, so either use it with a tripod, or don't drink an entire pot of coffee before shooting with it.

FOR THE MONEY, this is a good little camera - it's what I expected the camera to be.

The previous reviews don't seem hands-on, but just a review of the published features. I bought one from Sony immediately, got it and used it for a couple of hours. Here are my experiences:

Removed from box, looks good! Silver is a nice color.

Unwrapped charger and plugged it in. Charge light comes on, great! Charge light goes off. Uh-oh! There was either something wrong with the jack in the camera, or the charging plug. I had to hold it in a certain position to keep it charging. Well, don't condemn it yet, see how it works. I put the camera down, and laid the charge cable just so and it maintained contact and continued to charge for about 10 minutes, then it stopped again. I moved the cable around some more until the charge light came back on and carefully did not move it again. I came back an hour later and the light was off again, but hopefully I got a decent charge.

Now time to check it out.
I put in the Memory Stick Duo Mark 2, flip open the LCD screen, which is actually quite nice. Hit power button and the camera boots up quickly, now we are getting somewhere!

The date/time menu comes up. I fumble for a couple of seconds trying to figure out how to set it. Thats done, now lets take some video. I am inside, it is night time, in my fairly well lit kitchen. I took some sample vids on each of the shooting modes, and close up with the LED video light on. Then I plugged the component cables into my 42" HDTV and play back the samples. It was extremely disappointing, with grainy blocky pixels on the screen. Even when standing far back from the screen. I know this was never meant to be a camcorder replacement, but still, it was that bad (video from a fairly well lit indoor scene).

The next day, I went outside to test out the camera in a bright outside setting. Picture quality significantly better all around. This camera does not perform well indoors with normal lighting. Outside in bright lighting it is a champ.

Write speed to the Mark 2 memory stick was very fast, no issues here.

Zoom and Focusing: The camera zoom and focusing is very fast and the zoom is pretty spectacular for such a small and inexpensive camera.

Playback: The footage from outside was very clear and looked great. Unfortunately, you hear the focusing mechanism and zoom mechanism throughout the video playback. A constant tick tick tick noise was picked up via the mic for the entire time I was panning the camera and/or zooming.

Build Quality: The camera is what it is, an inexpensive web video camera. Don't expect anything near to typical Sony build quality. It is cheap and it shows. Plus I had the issue with the power jack, and another issue with the charging cord I saw when I was packing it up to return it. The overmolded wire on the charger was split right at the stress relief, exposing copper wires to the world. This was due to the fact that the plastic was so thin, it just split open. This is how it was received. The buttons are also very cheap feeling.

Button Layout: The buttons are not laid out well, and are difficult to operate - you really need two hands to do it.

Software: The included software is fine for the intended users, quick, easy to figure out, and is right in the camera's on-board memory to install on any PC you connect it to. It isn't a feature rich video editing application. It is there to download, do minor edits and post to the web, which it seems to do just fine.

File Format: Sony specific wrapper on an MP4 video format.

LCD Screen: Very nice for the size and cost of the camera. It turns around so you can film yourself.

Sound: The mic is excellent, clear and picks up stereo sound. Unfortunately it also picks up all the sounds of the focusing and zoom mechanisms.

If you are looking for a cheap alternative for an HD video camera to capture those precious moments, this isn't it, and to be fair, Sony never claimed that it was - they don't even refer to it as a camcorder. If you need a camera to take random vids, and post them to the web, this is an excellent choice. I got unlucky with the power/charging issue. It may not even matter if you use the USB charging capabilities anyway, but it was still pretty disappointing for a Sony product.

It comes with composite out cables to connect it to your HD tv, a very nice feature!

Conclusion: This is a great alternative to the Creative vado and flip MinoHD, IF you want the zoom capability. It is much larger than those cameras though, not a pocket cam. I also have a Flip MinoHD, which has significantly better low light performance, but falls short against the very nice zoom capabilities of the Sony CM1 Webbie. In bright, well lit scenes, the video is quite amazing if you can live with the clicking noise on the playback. Since one of the uses of the camera would be for video blogging, it seems that the low light performance should be a lot better, but it was horrible, at least on the camera I received. Hopefully, Sony will work out these issues and the camera will do well. However, it seems to me that you can get a really nice flash SD camcorder for $50 more, and if you don't really need HD video, they would be a better choice. In fact, there are a couple of SD Flash camcorders that are the same size or smaller than the Webbie!

I tried taking stills, but could not find them quickly in the camera memory or the memory stick and I wasn't keeping it so I didn't try to figure it out.

In the end, I returned the camera due to the defect in the charger, the horrible low light performance, and the awkward button layout.

This camera is smaller than it looks, but the image quality for the size is astounding! In particular, making 1080 videos outdoors in the daytime will result in breathtaking footage. The colors are very true to life, like what your naked eye sees. I almost feel like I can make my own nature documentaries with this camera. The built-in light doesn't really help much at all, so like most camcorders, indoors shooting will still require strong alternate lighting unless you don't mind the constant noise in your video. There is also a little bit of artifacting in the outdoor videos, but only during fast motion. This might have been avoided if there was image stabilization, but I haven't been able to figure out how to turn it on if there was. You can almost give up on shooting indoors at night, the video has more grains than breakfast cereal.

The still camera capability is incredible, far better than the still image quality on my HandyCam. I don't expect it to be a replacement for my Canon SD1100IS but if you are shooting a barbeque at a friend's house, you won't be needing to bring multiple cameras with you. The images are crisp and definitely print quality. I can see having this camera with you at an outdoor graduation commencement or a fantastic springtime wedding. However, this camera was definitely made to simplify uploading video to the web and in that respect it is excellent. Don't expect to be getting a full-fledged professional quality HD camera, and you will be pleasantly surprised with some of the results.

Since I began to make my own electronics purchases, I've been a loyal Sony customer. Rather than opt for the then-hipper Nintendo 64, I went with the Playstation, a decision I stuck by through both the PS2 and PS3 era. My digital cameras? Sony. TV? Sony. It was a reliable brand name with which I felt comfortable; they'd never before steered me wrong and I saw no reason to take any expensive chances with other brand names that might let me down or perform below my expectations.

So when I decided to purchase a digital camcorder it seemed only logical that I should look at what Sony was offering. Judging by its technical specifications, the Webbie HD seemed, like all of my other Sony purchases, to fit the bill with flying colors: An SD card camera, it allows users to utilize memory cards the way one used to use VHS tapes. Simply stick the card into the camera, and record; when you run out of time, simply download the media to a DVD, your computer, or some other storage device, wipe the SD card, and it's ready to go again. Couple this with the camera's manageable size, durability, amazing zoom feature, and HD capabilities, and it would seem that it's the total package.

For roughly $200, one couldn't ask for more in a camcorder, especially one that produces so crisp a picture and is also capable of taking relatively sharp still photos (lacking a flash, the camera's only apparent drawback is that it is not suited for low-light situations; a small flashlight bulb is built into the front of the camera as a means of compensation, but it's rather weak and doesn't provide much illumination beyond a foot or so). The resolution is some of the cleanest I've seen on a digital camcorder, easily rivaling "professional" quality HD camcorders. The menus are simple to use and easy to learn, and out of the box I was already recording and deleting without having read through the instruction manual. Theoretically, even the most technically inept individual could easily pick up and use the Webbie within an hour or so's time. The only questionable feature, upon first inspection, is that the battery is internal, and the camera itself must be plugged in for recharging to take place. This also means that, should some damage befall the battery or should it begin to degrade, one would have to either send it into Sony for repair or scrap it altogether. However, for someone who takes reasonable care of their camera, or who can/intends to use it primarily plugged into the wall during recording, this is at worst what can be considered a minor drawback. Fully charged, the battery allows for roughly two hours of HD recording; certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Unfortunately, all of this is meaningless. Sony made a decision to intentionally cripple its own products, and therein lies the major flaw of the Webbie-- a flaw so glaring that it makes the camera useless for even home movies and the most amateur of filmmakers.

If you haven't already done so, go read over the camera's technical specifications. Read them on Amazon, read them on Sony's webpage. Find any and all consumer information you can. Missing from all of this information is the fact that the camera is programmed to record in 25 minute intervals and then shut itself off. If you're confused by this, you're in good company. Upon reading it in the instruction manual-- buried in the middle amongst information on SD card recording capacity-- I was confused, and thought that it must either be a typo or a misprint regarding the size of SD card being used. However, upon conducting testing with various size SD cards-- 4GB, 8GB-- it quickly became apparent that the manual was correct. Regardless of the size of SD card placed into the Webbie, once it has recorded for 25 minutes, the camera shuts off recording.

A phone call to Sony's customer service shed light on the situation: Per the company, this "feature" is a "security precaution" meant to protect the camera's integrity by not "overloading" it. When I asked if the company planned any sort of firmware upgrade to the camera to allow it to record for longer intervals, I was informed that the company has no plans to update or otherwise upgrade the Webbie in any way, shape, or form, and was advised that if I wanted a camera that recorded for more than 25 minutes, I should look into some of Sony's other models-- all of which were well into the $400-$500 range.

A quick consultation with some techno-geeks revealed the situation to be utterly hopeless: By virtue of the camera's design, there is no way to even modify the camera oneself to allow for more recording time. Sony not only designed the camera to only record for 25 minutes, they went to every length necessary to ensure nothing could be done about it.

The Webbie is now back where it came from, after a great deal of grief, most notably from Sony, who tried in vain to convince me first that I should have read all of the literature (until I informed them of the extent of my research and noted that information regarding the 25 minute feature ONLY appears in the product manual) and then attempted to talk me into dropping another $300 on another model. No such luck. After this experience, I can no longer fully trust Sony; if a company is willing to not only release an intentionally flawed product onto the market, but cover that fact up by leaving it out of technical specifications, they have no qualms about deceiving their customers in other matters as well.

If you're considering this product, I strongly advise you to check into JVC's Everio GZ-MS120 line of digital camcorders. Also utilizing the SD feature, the quality isn't quite HD, but fairly comparable, especially for a non-HD camera. It's essentially the same camera as the Webbie, minus everything wrong with the Webbie. The menus are a bit more complex, and the price runs a little bit higher, but for these losses there are remarkable advantages (external, upgradeable batteries permitting up to eight hours recording time; an LED light capable of actually lighting up a room, as compared to the Webbie's weak bulb). At the very least, stay away from the Webbie, and save yourself the trouble I had to go through.

A terrific package, stuffed with lot of functionality. Small camcorder that you can keep in your handbag or glove box all time. You are not stuck with the crappy cellphone videos any more. It works like a charm. If you have used a point shoot camera before, the optical quality is very similar. CMOS sensor is small and the lens f/stops are not wide enough. I stress again on optical quality. In built battery gives long life, with memory stick you transfer video from camera to PC easily. This a wonderful package. Quality of video is in between flip and full fledged HDV camcorders. It is not full true HD. For this price worth every penny. Pictures come crisp and clear. I also love the quite noise free operation of flash camcorders. Especially when you are recording a sleeping child or other really calm situations. Even if you have one of the big camcorders, I strongly suggest getting this as a second one.

Very worthy contender in this new flash camcorder space. It has both optical and digital zoom. There is no image stabilizer, so you need steady hands at full optical zoom. And it is not a simple extended digital camera. It sports full stereo audio recording. Video is stored as H.264 format, same as blu-ray. It provides the best compression known to man that can be played any where. H.264 videos can be downsampled for internet viewing without a lot of effort. Trans coding takes time, just down sampling can be done faster. Flash media is much easier to work with than tapes. Most of the new Macs doesnt have firewire port, even in older computers it takes for ever to transfer from tape. With memory stick duo, you can drag and drop the necessary movies edit them instantaneously. All the blu-ray players support AVCHD DVDs. You can easily fit 45 min of high definition video in a dual layer DVD.

For night time video capture it includes a LED light. With LED you get best of both worlds, bright light with longer battery life. If you have used other point and shoot cameras you will be home right away with auto modes like landscape, night shot etc.

Manage your expectations, it is not meant to be a full fledged HD camcoder. It is a step above cameras that shoot videos and below HDV camcorders. Understand the laws of physics. Larger lens, larger CMOS sensors will provide better exposure, saturation, bokeh and crisp low light pictures. Sony has done the best that physics will allow to be done with this size optics. If you want a small pocket size camcorder look no where else. A nice touch as with other Sony products, it comes with every thing you need. Every kind of cables, lens covers etc. etc.

Now one important warning. Memory Stick Duo is one of the most pirated card in black market. Pay up and buy from trusted vendors. Cheap cards sold in ebay and other 3rd party vendors are slow and less reliable. When you put the card in any device like PSP check for magic-gate info. If it says magic-gate: unknown, return it back.

***I'm updating my review because of the dreaded "Format Error"***

I really liked this camera, and took really good care of it - I even bought the carrying case and always left it in there - but after only about thirty uses, it is broken.

I recently got the dreaded "Format Error". I hadn't used the camera for a while, so the battery was low. I turned it on to film something and then got an error. Now it doesn't work (it's not the card. The card reads fine in my computer). I liked it up until this point, but kind of feel ripped off that I only got a few uses out of it. So I'm changing my opinion to "Junk" on this thing. Below is my old review.

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I have to admit, I was a little puzzled by the range of reviews of this camera, so I thought I'd write about my experience to offer some clarity.

The Sony Webbie is a small, cheap ($200 for a camera is relatively cheap) camera built for portability and uploading videos quickly to the Internet.

Size - It's about as long as a pack of cigarettes and about a pack and a half wide. Small enough to put in a coat pocket or big pants pocket, but a little cumbersome for jeans. (still, it can be done)

Ease of Use - "Easy" if you are familiar with a point-and-shoot camera

Picture Quality - For a small camera, I would say "good". In low light, there is significant noise (little "dots" in the picture where the camera is having trouble distinguishing color, in this case, it makes a grid pattern and some of the images are a little dark) but as the light gets better, so does the picture quality.

Another weird phenomenom I've noticed is if you pan too fast, the top of the picture moves, and the bottom lines are about a fraction of a second behind and need to catch up. (For example I was filming a tree, and I panned to the left and I could see points where the top of the tree had moved to the left and the bottom was still a little to the right and needed to "catch up" to the part on the left.)

That being said, in medium to bright light the picture quality is pretty good.

Auto Focus - Relatively fast, but if you're filming something fast, like a hyper dog running around the room, there will be times when it can't keep up. (In this case, I didn't zoom in and just used a wider angle, and the picture was fine)

Sound - I'll say "Decent". Yes, when it's windy the microphone picks that sound up, and in quiet situations, you can hear the autofocus motor whirring. But between those two extremes it does a decent job.

Internet - Now this is where this device shines! Recording in MP4 (h.264) format the file sizes are small and manageable. That 30 second video you just recorded can be manipulated with software or uploaded to your favorite website in seconds. There's no converting files or anything. This is the main benefit of this camera, and something the people who are comparing this camera to the more expensive models are forgetting. While they are maxing out their processors for hours trying to convert their videos from a proprietary Sony or Canon HD format, you can already be done and have your friends enjoying your videos. This coupled with the fact that YouTube now offers software to add titles and stuff to your videos makes it all too easy.

The Light on the Front - Really doesn't do too much at a distance, but is nice for a dark room at bout 1-2 ft. away

USB cable - Doesn't charge the camera (?)

Sony Software - Is okay, but I just use Quicktime to watch, and go to the MP root to retrieve the videos

Battery Life - I think the manual says something like 90 minutes

25 minutes at a time - Somebody else mentioned that this camera will only record 25 minute files. So if you need to record something for an hour, it will shut off, and you will need to start recording again.

Sony Cards - Are an expensive addition to the cost of your cheap camera. An 8 GB card cost me $45 and allows me to record 4 hours of video (at 720p)

*********

My Opinion - If you want professional videos, image stabilization, low light recording, and attachable microphones for watching pristine HD videos on your TV, then this is not the camera for you. Pick up a bulkier, more expensive camera with a bigger lens and all the bells and whistles.

If, however, you want something relatively cheap, portable, easy to use, easy to upload to the Internet, that does not always take perfect pictures, then this is the camera for you.

That's why I picked this camera. Most of what I want a camera for is the Internet. Some of the weaknesses of this camera I just work around. If it doesn't film well in the dark, I turn on more lights. The fact that it's portable lets me bring it to a party with little worry. Try doing that with a big camera.

After a week, I can say I really like this camera!

Some people are completely off their rocker. The complaints on a $200 digital camcorder reflects unreal expectations. Sony has not designed this camera to be a replacement to your existing camcorder for things like weddings or school plays. This is designed for great portability and to capture video for your computer and internet sharing. Complaints about the footage looking grainy on a 50' plasma are crazy, this camcorder is designed for smaller screens, DUH THE WEBBIE.
My experience with this product is great. The video looks reasonably good on my 40' Bravia played through my PS3, but since I store and view my video on my computer the video on it is what matters and it is amazing. Low light does cause some grainy video but no more than more expensive camcorders, one would have to pay 3 times the cost of the Webbie to get better low-light video that is worth the cost. I recommend this camcorder, it definitely gives the most bang for the buck. One would have to pay at least $500-$600 to get a better camera, the buttons are somewhat difficult to use but I can put up with that to save some green. Again you are not getting a $700 HD camcorder for $200, but a $400 camcorder for $200, so realize what you are getting before you buy it. The people who wrote the bad reviews seem like the people who go into restaurants and try to get extra food for less money and then don't tip their server.

This is a nice little camera that is very easy to use. However, there are comparable products for the same price (or less) with much better video quality.

Before buying the Webbie HD, I was considering purchasing the Flip, Creative, or Sanyo low-cost HD camcorders. I was excited when Sony released this similar priced model with two things the others don't have: (1) 1080P resolution and (2) optical zoom. I admit that I bought it on a bit of an impulse. But, I was hoping the video quality would be comparable to those other models. It wasn't.

In outdoor settings (on a bright day), the video quality is good. However, even in bright outdoor shots, you'll see some blocky-ness around objects. Strangely, the 720P mode produced generally better results than the 1080P mode (and a wider viewer angle for some reason). Overall, the video quality, while good, is not as sharp or fluid as I've seen on the Flip Mino HD or Creative Vado HD.

Indoor shots show the real difference though. When shooting indoors, the video quality is horrible. There is a yellow cast on everything and the video is incredibly noisy (i.e. you'll see small dots on everything). It doesn't matter how many lights you turn on. In a standard house or indoor setting, the video quality is no better than (and maybe worse than) VGA video on a standard point-and-shoot camera. It's hard to describe how disappointed I was after taking my first video and hooking the camera up to my HDTV. The video is that bad. Compared to video samples from the Mino HD and Vado HD, it was a joke.

I understand that the camera is not intended to produce videos of the same quality as more expensive AVCHD cameras. And, to be fair, if you just intend to use this outside, the video is very impressive, especially for the price. But when you consider that, for the same money, you can buy camcorders from multiple other companies with much better results, it's hard to justify this one.

I've now returned my Webbie HD. I'm not sure what other camcorder I'll buy now, but I'm willing to sacrifice optical zoom for watchable video.

I want to film my kids, but I never grab the camera. Is it charged? Do I have a tape? And if I film the event I never watch it -- who has another few hours to capture the video and edit?

I really have wanted a small, flash based camera with an optical zoom. Digital Zoom to me is a waste. I considered the Flip Cameras, the Kodak, and others, but purchased the Sony. Here are the high points:

* Form factor is fantastic! Comfortable in my hand, easy to operate. If you have a previous cybershot camera or handycam, you'll recognize the user interface.
* Charges up PDQ!
* Open the screen, the camera comes on within seconds.
* I pull the card, put it in the Memory Stick slot on my computer, and I'm watching video.
* PQ is Good -- in the right conditions...
* Camera slips in a pocket -- it really is tiny!

Low Points --
* Really could use image stabilization
* I agree with previous users -- indoor videos I have taken have a yellowish hue. I wonder if this is because more people are using CFL light bulbs -- I have them everywhere I shot indoor video.
* Autofocus is a bit slower than my older handycam. Outdoors, I zoomed in on the neighbors house, and there was a perceptible lag as it focused -- 1 -2 seconds. This was in Auto Mode.
* Built in LED is only useful for "close-up" in your face shots. It did not help in any other scenario.
* Uses proprietary Memory Stick media, which is a drawback for some.
* Builtin battery -- can't swap when you run out of juice -- you have to recharge

In the end though, I miss so many events b/c my HandyCam is to big, not charged, can't find a tape, don't want to edit, etc. My question was is "decent" video that I actually DO TAKE superior to the video I DON'T TAKE because of the "hassle" of the HandyCam (even if the quality is better). The answer for me is a resounding yes. This camera is not perfect, but solves many of the hassle factors that prevent me from taking video -- And it does take GOOD video.

Update 2/20 -- After using this camera for several weeks, I can report that the Camera does well with sports when mounted on a tripod. I'm finding the lack of image stablization to be a big drawback for other types of shooting. Taking some video of my daughter riding her new bike, the images were shaky, even though I was concentrating on trying to hold still. This is a good "second camcorder", but I no longer consider it a primary.

Update 2/25 -- I've decided to return the camera. I loved it, but I needed a camera that worked well indoors, and ordered a Canon Vixia HF-10. More pricey, and not a fair comparison. I wanted to keep the Sony, but the wife wouldn't let me!

After seeing the impressive stats of the Sony Webbie HD video camera that was announced at CES earlier this month I decided that I needed to give it a try. I've been on a mission to find a good video camera that was under [...] and only used memory cards for storage; no hard drives no tapes.

More info at Gear6.net

Having purchasing and returned in the past month 4 cameras: JVC Everio MS120 (SD), Kodak Zi6 (HD), Flip Mino (HD), and Canon FS100 (SD) and being disappointed with everyone I was about to give up and put down [...] on a `proper' HD camera. But in one final attempt I thought I would give the Sony Webbie HD a try. Figuring if the Webbie could deliver even 3/4 of what Sony's promising then this could be a keeper.

The first thing that you realize when you open the box is just how incredibly small the camera really is; at only 1.7 inches wide and 2.4 inches tall the unit is not much bigger then a small point and shoot camera and can easily fit into a jacket pocket or purse. I purchased the orange () version and the color is really nice it doesn't look cheap or cheesy but set's it apart from every other bland silver and gray camera on the market. The only negative about the cameras small size and lack of hand strap is if you have large hands it can be a little uncomfortable to hold for a long period of time.

Design
The camera on in only a second or two after you open up the swivel screen and is ready for action. Screen picture quality is good but like most LCD's does have a limited viewing angle. The screen does rotate 270 degrees so this should be an issue and allows you to do "self-shooting". Button layout is logical and most functions can easily be done with one hand.

Interface
Setup of the camera is done with the four buttons on the side of the camera and directional pad at the rear. Navigation of the menus is easy and options are pretty straight forward if not a bit sparse. You don't have a lot of different scenery options or ability to self adjust exposure. It's possible Sony would change some of this with a firmware update but even if they do not it's not a terrible interface and allows you to do most things.

Video
Ok, now the moment of truth... Yes the camera is incredibly small and very cool looking the menu system is ok but does this little thing really take HD quality movies? Yes it does and they look pretty darn good! Shooting at 720p I was very happy with the clear picture and sharpness of the video when played back on my computer and TV. The video quality blows away the SD camcorders that I had perviously purschased and is on par with some of the [...] cameras that are on the market today. (I will post examples of the video ASAP). I did try one video at 1080p and it seemed to be a little grainy so I switched back to 720p. This needs to be further tested as it might just have been an incorrect setting. The one flaw that I've found when shooting video is the auto focus is a bit slow and if you are zooming in and out your subject may appear out of focus for a split second which is annoying.

Still Photos
The Webbie HD also sports the ability to take still photos with the onboard 5mp sensor which is accessed just by pressing a `photo' button on top of the camera. Still photos are razor sharp and are the quality you would expect from a good quality point and shoot still camera.

Format
Another great feature of the Webbie is that Sony choose to use HD MP4 to encode the video files with. This means it's a snap to edit and play back the videos on your PC or Mac computer. No need to reformat them or use some crazy proprietery software. Just plug the camera in and your ready to go. The pre-installed Picture Motion Browser (PMB) Portable software, the Webbie makes it simple to pre-select videos or pictures for viewing on your PC. It also makes it easy to upload to popular internet sharing sites like YouTube. The sofware doesn't work for Mac's but isn't really needed any ways just use iMovie.

Features
At only [...] it's not surprising the Sony MHS-CM1 isn't loaded with features but it does have a few tricks up it's sleeve. Having no detachable battery you are not lugging around a big charger just a small ac adapter that plugs into the side of the camera. While shooting video you can just click a button and a very bright white LED will turn on to help illuminate your subject, it's not a spotlight but it helps. One lacking feature is the lens cap; you would think Sony could design an integraded lens cap that would slide into the body of the unit like most modern cameras. Unfortunaly they just give you a plastic cap and a cord to attach it to the back of the camera . This really detracts from the look and feel of the unit.

Summary
Overall I'm very happy with the Sony Webbie HD MHS-CM1 despite it's few flaws. Compared to every other video camera on the market that I've tested near this price point or even those costing upwards of [...] the Webbie will blow them away. It's video is sharp and clear the 5x optical zoom is plenty for normal recording and it's overall size, combined with a 5mp still camera makes this a great gadget.

If you are looking at getting any of the SD camcorders on the market today don't bother, this is by far a better product and most likely less expensive. It's perfect for someone wanting a camera to occasinaly take home movies, do some projects and just have fun with this is a great camera but your not going to make a feature film on this unit.

On the other hand if you are looking to be taking a lot of HD video and want deeply saturated colors, and long distance zoom the Webbie HD is not the camera for you. You need to spend the extra dough and get the full sized, full featured HD camera.

Pro's
Size
Video quality
Still photo quality
Ease of use
Battery
Video file formating

Con's
Len's cap is awful
Limited menu options
Color saturation could be better

More info at Gear6.net