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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best camcorder I ever had, April 2, 2010
This review is from: Sony HDR-CX350V 32GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
This camera is an important upgrade in image quality and features. I replaced a Sony HDR-CX100 by this camcorder and the upgrade is noticeable. First, the LCD screen is much more detailed and brighter, and that was something I missed when I compared the CX100 with the Canon VIXIA's, specially when I film in the sunlight. Second, the light sensitivity is simple AMAZING. With very low light this camcorder is capable to obtain beautiful and grain less HD movies. I guess this is because the new backlight XMOR sensor and of course the Sony G lens. Third, the stabilizer effect is something that I have never seen in any other camcorders: you can walk filming without any undesirable shake or vibration in the filming movie. Also if you film in a car or in a sportboat the steady shot feature in this camera is simple incredible. This helps you a lot not just for filming but also to take photos using the zoom in low light conditions. Fourth, the wide angle lens is a very nice feature that allows you to capture more wide scenes and is very useful when you don't have to much space to film. Fifth, this camcorder power up in a very short time and open and close the lens protector automatically, so you can't miss any good shots opportunities. This is what I can tell you about the most important features for me. I guess I will use this camcorder for a long time not just for filming but also to take photographs.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Video is terrific; menus, not so much, April 9, 2010
This review is from: Sony HDR-CX350V 32GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
i hate giving this camera a 5-star review, but at the end of the day the quality of the video deserves 5 stars. i bought this to use a handcam camcorder and that's why it is getting 5 stars. i am upgrading from a very, very good 3CCD Panasonic PV-GS400 miniDV camera that i've loved (bought in 2005ish). i was ready to move away from MiniDV and to HD, but i've been waiting for the right price/features and figured this CX350V would fit my needs. i was hesitant to go with a product that had no reviews at the time, but the previous cameras that this is built upon had good reviews and this upgrade was not cutting back.
i just spent the past week in San Diego and i did not take a still camera and decided to use the CX350V for everything. my review is based on this one trip.
PROS:
*my videos easily import into iMovie on my Mac. i didn't have to do anything other than plug the camera in.
*camera powers up and is ready ultra fast
*steady shot works very well
*size -- this camera is even smaller than i imagined. if you look at the user supplied photos you'll see 1 that i took with an iPhone with the camera next to a pop can. this photo doesn't do the size of the video camera justice. it's a really nice size, but still fits in my hand just right.
*when you open up the LCD the camera turns on in video mode and is ready. when you close the LCD the camera automatically turns off. you don't have an on and off button otherwise. so far this has been really good; however, i wanted to check a cable to a port that was inside the LCD wall and to do this i had to turn the camera on. no biggie.
*video quality is beautiful. i shot all sorts of shots in the morning and at night inside and outside, near water and in parks . . . all gorgeous. even coming from the Panasonic PV-GS400 left me impressed. it's hard to believe a camera this small can do video so well.
*audio quality with the built-in mic is terrific.
*GPS on shots (geotagging) is easy to use. i think the battery drains more quickly if you leave GPS on, but i have a backup battery and have yet to have this be an issue (i have yet to need the second battery in a single day either).
*the Sony Carrying Pouch for Sony Handycam® Camcorder (Blue) bag fits the camera well. it's actually bigger than it needs to be so i could easily fit a second battery in the bag . . . but it was awkward. i may look for a better fitting bag down the road, but that's only because this camera is small enough to go with a smaller bag and that's a bonus.
*price . . . the price really fluctuates on this camera. i bought it here for about $870 and then found it for $799 with free shipping here from Portable Guy. i returned it to Amazon to get my $70 back (sans shipping) and bought it for $799. now i see the price is up across the board. odd. but the price i bought it for seems like a good deal for a just released product of this quality. i was ready to buy it at $870 so you can still get a good deal, i think.
CONS:
*menu system is very tedious (you can create a custom menu, i've read, but i have yet to figure it out). little things that i would use often are buried (e.g., i want to use a little SDHC card instead of the built-in memory from time to time and i wasted about 2 minutes trying to find it in the menu system. i actually found it and then realized later that i had only switched it for photos and not for video when i meant to do both -- you have to do it twice for that to work.
*still photos are good quality when your settings are correct. unfortunately, the the changes i needed to make while taking pictures one night were too difficult to figure out (e.g., turning auto flash on or off) in the time i was allotted so i missed some shots and others were just complete dark. using the menus more quickly could have fixed this, but i didn't have time to play in menus and just wanted the shots. i have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) and i was thinking i'd sell it, but now i realize it will still need to go with me unless i can figure out how to more quickly change settings on the CX350V when i need to do so for still shots.
*i took a photo of my son with 2 parrots on his shoulder in Seaport Village (San Diego). if i zoom in to the original size of the photo i can notice that the image clarity is lacking for what i have come to expect. for a 7 Megapixel still image this is not very mind blowing especially considering how much better HD video looks on this camera.
*taking photos doesn't feel nearly as natural as shooting video. i much rather prefer a dedicated still camera where both hands can more easily hold the camera steady while shooting the shot. i suspect this is probably the case with almost any camcorder and perhaps you'll have a different experience.
i have a screen protector for my Lumix DMC-TZ5 camera LCD screen and i had extra film strips. so i cut one to fit this CX350V perfectly. the menus still work and all that jazz, but i no longer have to worry about finger prints and smudges on the actual LCD screen. i'd recommend doing this until a properly fitting screen protector is released.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the Money, April 4, 2010
This review is from: Sony HDR-CX350V 32GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)
I'm going to be short and to the point here. I need a camcorder for the type of business I run so image quality is very important to me. When watching the videos back on an HDTV, the quality is absolutely amazing to me. The Handycam has come a long way! I did a test video outside at night with only the street lamps to light the environment. I was totally floored when I imported it on to my computer to realize that there was very minimal grain. When shooting outdoors during the day, the sensor does an amazing job of automatically adjusting the exposure depending on your orientation with the sun.
I cannot complain about the camera itself, but be warned that finding a program to edit and convert and compress your avchd files (the format the camera outputs to) can be challenging. Since this is a review on the camera and not the software, I will not let this factor into my five star rating. But you do need to consider this if video editing is as important to you as it is in my case. I've tried Window 7 Movie Maker and Pinnacle Studio HD and they both have their flaws. W7MM is a terribly unfriendly program to try and edit with using any creativity whatsoever, and Pinnacle has a little problem with dropping the frame rate when converting into WMV format.
In short, camera = excellent, avchd = maddening.
EDIT - If you desire to edit the AVCHD files much like you could with the old Windows Movie Maker for XP, the Pinnacle Studio HD is what you need. By far the best program I've found, but you need a pretty powerful system to handle it. If you have this program, editing is no longer an issue.
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