Sony Webbie HD MHS-PM1 Camcorder Review

by Jeremy Stamas
Published on Sep 21, 2009 1:00 PM

 
Intro
 Product Tour
Colour & Noise Performance Motion & Sharpness Performance
Low Light Performance Compression & Media
Manual Controls Still Features
Handling & Use Playback & Connectivity
Audio & Other Features Sanyo VPC-CG10 Comparison
Kodak Zx1 Comparison Flip UltraHD Comparison
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Introduction
The design of Sony's MHS-PM1 is very similar to the Flip series of camcorders, which has the strongest market share by far in this ultra-compact budget category. So how do you make a name for yourself? Sony is trying with a swivel lens that can be rotated up to 270-degrees. We like the features that Sony added to trump the Flip, but user experience is certainly not as fun.
    (Page 1 of 17) Product Tour


Section The Good The Bad
Product Tour Lens rotates up to 270 degrees Some buttons are of poor quality
Colour & Noise Performance Colour accuracy and noise levels are decent
 Saturation lower and colours not as vivid as the competition
Motion & Sharpness Performance Sharpness is good
 Motion is choppy and has a lot of artefacting
Low Light Performance Overall good low light performance
 Low light sensitivity very poor
Compression & Media Camcorder records at 1440 x 1080, 1280 x 720, or 640 x 480 Installation of software is complex and challenging
Manual Controls 2x digital zoom and scene mode
 No manual controls; lens is fixed, so there is no autofocus either
Still Features Various resolutions for stills
 Still colour is terrible
Handling & Use Easy to use, light and compact design
 Layout of buttons is not very good
Playback & Connectivity Easy playback No HDMI port
Audio & Other Features Camcorder can be used as webcam
 No external microphone or headphone jacks



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