SonyHDR-CX300 16GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I considered the HDR-CX300 (this one), HDR-CX350V, and the HDR-CX550V.
In a nutshell my decision process went like this:
The CX550V has a better lens than the others, and more memory, but was completely out of my price range - so out of the question.
The CX300 and CX350V appear to be similar except:
- the CX350V has 32GB built in memory instead of 16GB
- the CX350V has GPS capability
- at time of purchase the CX350V was a good bit more expensive than the CX300 (but there is only a ~$40 difference now).
To address each of these points:
- Built-in memory is a non-issue. These camcorders have SD card slots so you can effectively expand to whatever capacity you need (and typically at much cheaper than the premium you pay for "built-in" memory). Also, this camcorder can store about 85 minutes video on the built-in 16GB memory using the highest quality setting (24MB/s high def). Do you really need to record more than 85 minutes at a time, really? I'd wager that most folks grossly overstate their memory requirement. The obvious exception to this is event recording, e.g. recording a child's play/performance/game etc.
- GPS would have been a "nice to have" but not necessary for me. I understand that enabling this feature on the higher end models drains the battery faster.
- At time of purchase the CX300 was considerably cheaper.
Considering these points I selected the CX300.
Thoughts on the CX300:
Pros:
- I upgraded from a standard def DV camera (Sony DCR-HC96). No comparison in quality, this camera blows it away. I can't compare to other AVCHD cameras, but I'm pleased.
- Low light performance is pretty good, especially at maximum bit rate (24MB/s setting), I know the CX550V is better with a larger sensor, but I've got no complaints, and if you don't go start pixel peeping then I'll bet most people would never know the difference between the two.
- image stabilization ("Optical SteadyShot") is an order of magnitude better than any consumer grade camera I've used
- really really small (think soda can size), smaller means you'll carry it more - it can fit in a loose pants or jacket pocket
- no "dock" to deal with like my previous camera (e.g. for charging, syncing, etc)
- auto mode is pretty good (I'm an enthusiast still photographer, but I just use this thing on auto and it works great)
- macro mode is impressive, it can focus really really close up
- there are a few 'gimmick' modes, e.g. slow motion etc - they work as advertised
- footage is actually "smaller" (per hour) than standard definition DV footage, something like 13GB/hr for SD DV, and 11-12GB/hr for this camera at the highest quality setting
- wide angle lens, makes the camera much more usable indoors
Cons:
- no viewfinder, have to use LCD for recording (I don't mind this, but in bright light situations it can get a little washed out) - minor issue in my opinion
- ergonomics aren't great - the zoom toggle is a little hard to use depending on how you hold it (try it out in a local store first)
- supplied battery is mediocre. good enough for a day's worth of intermittent shooting on a family vacation, but probably not enough for recording a long event
- haven't found a good case for it, the smallest sony case is still a little too big - have to stuff some additional padding in there
- CX350V is now only marginally more expensive, so now less of a case for buying this camera
- menu is small and tedious to use (expected at this price point I think)
Other/misc:
- This camera records to AVCHD format straight to internal memory or SD card - no tapes involved. There is a lot of debate about this. On the plus side it means you can transfer the footage to your movie by just doing a file copy without having to play it back at normal speed on the camera to transfer it to computer, like you do with a DV tape. On the down side, tapes are a fantastic automatic back up (assuming you don't record over your tapes), but you've got no back up here. It's up to you to back up your files just like you do your photos, important docs, etc.
- AVCHD is a fiddly format to handle. Not all software deals with it well for transferring editing. For Mac, if you connect the camera and import *directly from camera to imovie* (i.e. recent versions of imovie 08/09) it will work fine. IMovie transcodes this to Apple Intermediate Codec on import. This blows up the file size by quite a bit. IF YOU COPY THE MTS FILES STRAIGHT TO YOUR COMPUTER FIRST, THEN IMOVIE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE THEM. That's just the way iMovie works (it expects a certain folder structure found on the camera in order to recognize the footage). If you copy the files straight to your computer first then you need to convert them to another format (e.g. AIC) or use something like VoltaicHD to deal with them (Voltaic works great and is cheap). I have no idea how all this works on PC but the camcorder comes with PC software for managing the footage. AVCHD support will get better in the coming months/years as more camcorders adopt this format.
- You can burn *high def* footage to a DVD (in AVCHD format), and this can be played in some blu-ray players (not DVD players), but only if you do not select the highest (24MB/s) bit rate option.
- If you find online prices that are too good to be true, they probably are (i.e. they are grey market, or they'll call you to upsell you accessories you don't need). Amazon's price is competitive (was for me).
- still photo quality is adequate, nothing to write home about
I'd recommend this camera to a friend, but now that the CX350V is not much more expensive, I'd also tell them to consider the CX350V.

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