Okay, I said I’d start doing reviews again, and here we go. This review is not in any way sponsored by anyone and is purely my thoughts on the item. Longtime readers will know how I am about marketing. I won’t review junk, only review things I think you all might be interested in, and if someone sponsors the review via payment or with a free product, I’ll let you know up front, though it won’t sway my review.
Sony’s New HD Videocam
Is Sony’s new Bloggie MHS-PM5 the next best thing in pocket-sized digital videocams or does it suck as much as its name?
Like any parent, I want to capture memories of my child growing up for posterity, and to someday embarrass him. While I have a camera that shoots video, the quality isn’t too hot – especially when viewing the videos on a computer.
I didn’t want to spend a lot on a full-sized HD cam, but I’d heard some bad things about the first gen Flip Cams, so when I heard that Sony had a next gen 1080 Full HD pocket video recorder, I figured I had found the perfect item.
In addition to shooting 1080p Full HD MP4 video at 30 frames per second or 720p video at 60 frames per second. The unique feature of the Bloggie, however, is its swivel lens, which you can rotate it 270 degrees, allowing you to watch yourself on the screen, while you chow down on a bowl of corn flakes while ranting out a video blog post.
Here’s the good and the bad of the Sony Bloggie MHS-PM5
- Good: Pocket-sized and quickly ready to shoot. Takes great shots outdoors (during daylight) and has rich, vibrant colors and no “jaggy” warped images like some cams have. Software has face recognition which focuses where it should rather than on the clock in the background.
- Bad: Unless you have lots of windows or happen to live on a movie set flush with stage lighting, the video is dark and grainy.
- Good: Small and light enough to fit in your pocket or purse, with a nice 2.4 inch LCD screen.
- Bad: The screen is nearly impossible to see unless you’re at exactly the correct angle (which I‘ve yet to find). Don’t even try to see the screen in daylight, which, of course, is the one place you can reasonably use the camera
- Good: No need for a USB cable to upload from your SD memory card (though the cam comes with a small one) as there is a retractable USB plug at the base of the camera which you can insert into your pc or mac’s USB port. The camera recharges its lithium battery via the USB port (so long as the camera is not on) and can shoot for an hour or more off one charge.
- Bad: While the camera takes 5MP pictures, its not a great camera, and I found it hard to focus for a decent shot. Most indoor shots were blurred, which is good if you’re a surreal artist.
Overall: This is a great camera — if you shoot all you happen to shoot all your video outdoors or have a brightly lit house. The ideal use for most people would be to shoot videos for YouTube or their blogs, hence the not-so-clever name. Unfortunately, if you’re like me, and shoot most of your video indoors, you might try a different camera. At $149 retail, you might be better off buying a full-sized camera.
Of course, I’d be willing to change my stars if Sony were to sway me with a free PlayStation 3.
Rating: 2 Blogger Dad Stars Out of 5 (for my needs)
Tip: To get a look at the video quality, go to YouTube and search for Sony Bloggie MHS-PM5; there’s lots of test videos posted. I’ll update this post in the future with some video and photo examples of my own.
(note: This review is not a sponsored review and is based solely on my impressions of the product. Your experience may vary.)
What video camera are you using? What’s your experience been?
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David, I thought this was a good review, and based on what you say I probably wouldn’t buy one. I’d happily accept one as a gift though. Truth be told I don’t do that much vid anyway.
.-= Dave´s last blog ..The Secret Of Weight Loss =-.
I guess after you’ve had 20 kids, the novelty wears off.
Thanks.
Thanks for the review. I am looking for a decent video camera and will definitely check out the youtube reviews too.
A lot of the lower end stuff seems to record badly in low light, I think. If I find one I like, I’ll let you know.
I love the little “stars” at the bottom.
When is the next cooking segment? LOL.
Thank you. As for the video cameras, I’m guessing there’s got to be a few low or mid range ones that record in low light. I mean, a lot of bloggers record inside and I doubt they’re all using the best equipment. Maybe everyone just lives in brighter homes than me.
As for the cooking segment – soon.
I have a different version of the Bloggie. It has a 360 degree attachment thing which lets you shoot all around you. Pretty cool. Though, you’re right, shooting inside is way too dark.
What a coinky-dink – just saw a review of this very gadget by our local ‘gadget-guy’. The video quality outdoor was indeed better than in, the gadget of a 360° lense (as it was described here) was gimmicky and poor quality. Priced at $220 here, which given the relative parity between CDN and USD -just sucks. The name is definitely sucky too.
If it’s good quality you want I recommend the Panosonic HDC-SD60S camcorder, a bit of a different genre and higher price I know – but well worth it in our experience. Oh ya, it takes stills too. We went with this based on a recommendation from a techie who was into video technology.
Sure ‘flip-cam’ type have a place, easy, fast, cheap… but you cant beat the quality of the right tool for the job – the camcorder.
Thanks for the review. I wouldn’t buy it.
I like the “stars”. It is interesting