I was looking to replace my JVC Everio, that had a 60GB hard drive in it. I loved the convenience of the hard drive, since that replaced an older unit I had that used the small tape cartridges. But the prices for the HD capable units are more than I was willing to pay for a camcorder, so looked at the units that just used memory sticks.
I have the Sony DSC-TX1 digital camera and was blown away by its optical quality, and it even took 720p movies which were just insanely clearer than my 1 year old JVC camcorder. That was when I realized I needed to lose the JVC. Almost all the movies I do are of my son, now 6 years old, so the better the quality the happier I would be. Too many artifacts with the low definition JVC, panning was just ugly ugly ugly, and while it had a great response in low light, the picture quality was just not what I wanted considering how good everything else with my TV and still camera.
I was initially going to get the 100 version of this, since it was so insanely cheap for a 1080 capable camcorder, but the bad low light capability put me off, since most of what I record is in my house. And the very low numbers for optical zoom also concerned me. But amazon conveniently puts little links under the initial product listing if there's a new version, so I saw the 110 and the price was good. I did some digging on Sony's site, somewhat confused that the cheap little 100 had 16GB built in but the higher end had none, but when I saw the rest of the specs in comparison, I felt it was a very good unit to give a test run with. My local brick and mortars didn't have it in stock, so I ordered it from Amazon and got the Saturday delivery early on Saturday, plenty of time to charge it up and try it out.
I left all settings at default except for the quality setting. That was easy to find, and the touchscreen on this unit makes it very easy to operate. As with my sony still camera, it has a "user" screen too where you can pin the six most used functions to save you from having to navigate into submenus. I love this feature, as it made my touchscreen still camera so simple and quick to use.
So I did four test movies, all of the same thing (my 6 year old playing with a huge Geotrax set), at all four of the options for 1080p resolution. The camera is smaller than I had expected, very light and fits well in the hand. The only real buttons to deal with in normal operation are the zoom and the start/stop recording, which are placed well despite the small size of the unit. If you want to grab a still as well, which you can do while recording, that button is on top right behind the zoom, so it's easy to get at. So use is great, no problems.
As I said, touch screen menu is great, so changing settings as I went was a piece of cake.
Started with the highest 24Mbps, then the next down (I think it was 17Mbps), then the "default" one they start you out at, 9Mbps, then the lowest. When I was done, I pulled the card out (nice, quick access on the bottom with a great, sturdy, hinged door). Went into my macbook pro just fine, and i started playback.
I have a 13" macbook pro, the aluminum unibody, that I got about four months ago. So new core2 duo processor, nvidia 9400 graphics... And it could not play the highest or second highest quality movies raw... Which told me that they were going to be great on my windows 7 media center. The third and fourth files played, but since the laptop is not a 1080 screen, it didn't look that good. So I went ahead and pulled the memory card out of the laptop, put it in my Dell Zino that runs my beautiful 46" Samsung HDTV, and played them all.
One thing I hadn't realized is that when it creates the files, it creates them in a native bluray playback format, the folder structure and all. So that should make it easy for people who will want to burn to Bluray.
Anyway, on the media center, i played the highest quality one first. And my jaw dropped, and I nearly had to go buy some adult diapers. WOW. That was all I could say or think. WOW. It was just outstanding, WAY better than I had expected. And it's not like I'm so unfamiliar with HD that even bad HD was impressive to me my first HDTV was purchased back in 1999, a huge 60" Mitsubishi diamond line TV. So I've been using HD for over 10 years now. And this just knocked my socks off.
I had nearly no artifacting or blurring or anything with the movement of the camera as I've come to expect from camcorders. Even the blurring was minimal. And the shots of things were just crystal clear. I had a 1080p version of the movie BOLT running on the TV as he played with his geotrax, so I zoomed in so that filled the viewfinder, and recorded some of the movie. During playback at that scene, I couldn't even tell it wasn't the original playing back, that it was a recording of the TV from earlier, it was that clear.
I was indoors, in Wisconsin on a winter day with snow falling, so there was no direct sunlight, just all clouds. Only one window's curtains open, and no lights turned on inside. And the clarity and lighting was excellent. Every bit I could hope for.
So I tried the next down quality, and it blew me away. As did the third and then the lowest quality. All looked stunning. When I got down to the lowest, I could see some difference between it and the highest, but for what I was, and will be, shooting (my son), I think I'll end up using the default third lowest setting because it was still jaw droppingly good on my HDTV.
I got the 16GB card since the 32GB card was still in the three digit price range, and i have a habit of transferring the files to my computer as soon as I'm done shooting anyway. And at the third quality setting, the default 9Mbps one, a 25 minute clip used just 1.9GB, so I should get about 3 1/2 hours on this card at this rate, so I'll not have to worry about running out of media for my normal use.
The display is crisp and clear, widescreen format, and not cluttered when recording. Response to touch was very good, only once when selecting something from a bottom of a menu did I have to touch it twice, since the first didn't register. Didn't take any pressure to get it to see my pressing.
The still picture while shooting video worked easily enough, but they're not great quality, so it won't replace your digital camera if you have a good one. But it may give you a decent still shot of something you would have missed otherwise...
All in all, this is waaaayyyyy better than I had expected, and more than I had even hoped for. 100% satisfied with the unit.
I can't attest to battery usage yet, since I have only had it for five hours, and only ran about 40 or 45 minutes of recording through it so far. In a few days I'll pop back in here and edit this with the results I've seen with regards to the battery life, since this is evidently the first review of this model.
This is the cheapest high-def camera from sony, has exactly the same quality and specs than the other more expensive HD handycams but it doesnt come with any memory at all (that's the catch!). I also purchased the sony pro duo 16GB mark2 memory, that provides enough space to save up to 90min on full hd (1920x1080) quality for less than $70! When I first opened the box I couldnt believe how small this camera is and I thought it would be a problem since I have big hands, but I was mistaken, I have full access to all the buttons (rec zoom mode) with only one hand. Once connected to an HDTV the recording/play back quality is amazing. Steady-shot technology makes it really easy to take great and stable shots even when zooming in and no tripod. Highly recommended!
Pros: excellent video recording quality even on low-light shots, stereo microphone array, 25x optical zoom, touch screen has good response (even for big fingers like mine!), user-friendly menus to configure settings, Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar lens, stock battery (NP-FV50) has good charge above 100mins, steady-shot works great (image stabilizer).
Cons: no memory, no case, no view-finder, no batt-only AC charger (will have to charge the battery while mounted on the camera), lcd has to be open or the camera will turn off (but you can turn the lcd 180deg, close it and that works!), no mini-HDMI to full-HDMI adapter cable.
Important/recommended accesories:
Sony PRO Duo 8/16/32 GB Mark2 memory stick
HDMI Cable, mini-to-full (Part No. VMC-15MHD)
Travel AC charger (Part No. BC-TRV)
Carrying case with extra-battery (Part No. ACC-FV50A)
Shooting grip with mini-tripod (Part No. GP-AVTI)
Hope this review will be helpful!
Buy Sony HDR-CX110 High-Definition Handycam Camcorder Now
I purchased this camera a couple of weeks ago after someone I now had also picked it up. It was to replace my old Sony Hi-8 camera that recently quit working. I must say right off the bat that anyone looking to buy a starter, entry-level, low price high definition camera this is the one for you! At under two pounds, it's extremely light, compact, and portable. (Having longer fingers I almost have a hard time working the trigger and zoom.) As an entry level camera, you must be prepared for the fact that things like memory cards, cases, HDMI cables, and other bells and whistles will not come with this camera hence the low price.
What you do get is an incredible 1080 24bit HD picture that will blow you away. My first outing was to our local Desert Botanical Gardens to view and film the colorful wildflowers, cactai, and butterflies. I used the HD FX (highest quality video setting) for video, as well as taking 3meg pictures. When I returned home and viewed the footage and photos, my jaw dropped at the clarity and vivid, rich colors in beautiful 1080 on my 52" Sony TV. The details were very crisp and no artifacts were present in the movies. It was amazing.
The camera was easy to use and operate with the simple touch screens, as well as the I-Auto feature to help with the proper contrast and exposure. It was great to pick which scene you wanted without having to fast forward or rewind ever again!! The only drawbacks on the camera that I don't like are the low life battery that comes with it, as well as having to purchase your own HDMI cable separately. All in all, this is a great camera for the price!!
Read Best Reviews of Sony HDR-CX110 High-Definition Handycam Camcorder Here
We really do like our Sony HDR-CX110 high def Handycam camcorder. It is easy to use and takes beautiful high def videos. Unfortunately, our camera had to be returned to Sony for repair during the 90 day warranty period. This is the description of the problem I provided to Sony with the returned camera: "When viewing door of Handycam is opened, it responds with a message: "the viewing lens cover might be closed, check the cover" regardless of whether the lens cover is open or closed. The viewing area of the screen is dark even with the lens open (not covered), but in other respects normal. It will actually record videos and take pictures but the picture and video recorded is blank/dark. Audio (when recording a video) does record and play back."
I hope the camera they return to me is more reliable. They will provide a new 90 day warranty period. I have to pay shipping to the Sony repair center but they will pay shipping when they return a functioning camera to me. Luckily the problem started just before the 90 day warranty period expired. They will cover both parts and labor. Given this experience, I would suggest purchasing an extended warranty for this camera.
Want Sony HDR-CX110 High-Definition Handycam Camcorder Discount?
Video quality on this camcorder is fantastic. I did many research and debated between Canon and Sony. I didn't like the model CX100 because of the fact that the poor quality in low light condition. I almost decided to buy canon HF200. I went to bestbuy to buy this canon. I saw this new model CX110 and bestbuy representative explained the features. This CX-110 is a major upgrade from CX100. New sensor Emos "R" and 25X optical zoom were the best one. I then decided to buy this Sony new model instead of Canon.
I am very happy about my decision. I took shots in day light and also in low night, the video is excellent. Amazon.com is very good and i got it within 4 days after placing the order.
I read the review comment of the person who rated 2 for this camcorder. I am surprised to note the reason for the low rating. Even though the specification of this camcorder clearly says no internal memory, i don't understand why people buy and rate low for their mistake.
Bottomline, my prediction is Sony will break-through and out beat other competitor in 2010 in camcorder.
This product isnt useful. The picture is very faint and blurred unless the projector is placed right next to the wall (and then the picture size is no bigger than my 15" laptop screen), so whats the point? I unfortunately didnt need to use it immediately and when I finally tried it and discovered just how bad it was, the return window had expired.
