Sony MHS-PM1

Auto Mode (6.51)

The Sony MHS-PM1 has more features and options than your average ultra-compact budget camcorder. Still, the camcorder doesn't offer much in the way of manual controls, so you'll be relying on auto mode for just about everything. In fact, the only thing the PM1 really does have is a few scene modes, a 2x digital zoom, a flicker reduction setting, and a live histogram for measuring luminance.

The lens on the MHS-PM1 is fixed, which means it has no moving parts and its aperture is always set at f/3.6. This isn't that wide of an aperture, but it does a pretty good job in keeping the whole frame in focus. Since the lens is fixed, there is no autofocus element on the MHS-PM1. Sony claims the camcorder can maintain focus from 7.0mm to infinity, but we found you had to be roughly 10 inches away before things started to become clear.

Auto exposure also had its problems. Bright areas were often 'blown-out' and overexposed and sometimes the camcorder had trouble when we shifted from light to dark. Most of the time, however, the camcorder adjusted quickly and fairly accurately. Auto white balance was a pleasant surprise, with the MHS-PM1 having one of the best systems we've seen on an ultra-compact budget camcorder.

The joystick is used to navigate menus, change the LCD display, and engage the self-timer.

Low Light Modes
There is a low light scene mode on the MHS-PM1, but we didn't notice any significant low light improvement when we used the mode to record video. The scene mode did lower the shutter speed for still photos, however (to as low as 2 seconds). The PM1's big sister, the MHS-CM1 has a video light that does provide a slight boost in low light.

Scene Modes
The camcorder offers four scene modes in addition to Auto: Sports, Landscape, Low Light, and Backlight. Sports limits the shutter speed of the camcorder to 1/250 of a second or faster, while Low Light allows for slower shutter speeds (for Photos only). Landscape is for focusing on a distant subject and Backlight will help if you're shooting a subject with strong illumination behind it.

Zoom (4.75)

The 2x digital zoom on the MHS-PM1 is controlled via a small tab on the back of the camcorder. The tap feels cheap, flimsy, and has a strange implementation. To zoom out, you push the tab up; to zoom in, you push the tab down. This design feels awkward and most camcorders that use a vertical slider work the opposite way.

The zoom toggle feels cheap and awkward.

Zoom Ratio (0.0)

The MHS-PM1 has no optical zoom, but it does include a 2x digital zoom. This lack of an optical zoom is one of the primary differences between he PM1 and e.g. the Sanyo VPC-CG10, which has a 5x optical zoom. The PM1's digital zoom isn't very good and can result in some image degradation when used. Since it is electronic and not optical, the zoom also isn't smooth and looks jumpy when you use it.

Zoom Comparisons
Wide Angle	2x Digital Zoom

Focus (0.0)

There is no manual focus on the MHS-PM1. In fact, the lens is fixed, so there really isn't any autofocus mechanism either. As we said in the auto controls section of this review, Sony claims the PM1 has a focal range of 7mm to infinity. We found the range to be more like 250mm (10 inches) to infinity. The MHS-PM1 does not have a telemacro setting.

Exposure Controls

None

Aperture Controls

None

Shutter Speeds

None

White Balance Controls

None

Gain Controls

None

Exposure (0.0)

The MHS-PM1 has no manual exposure controls.

Aperture (0.0)

Aperture cannot be controlled manually on the MHS-PM1. The lens is fixed with an aperture of f/3.6.

Shutter Speed (0.0)

As with aperture and exposure, shutter speed cannot be set manually on the PM1. Some of the scene modes do alter the range of shutter speeds used, but the adjustment is still automatic. The camcorder offers a shutter speed range of 1/30 - 1/4000 for video.

White Balance (0.0)

There's no white balance option on the MHS-PM1 either.

Gain (0.0)

Gain control isn't available on the MHS-PM1. In fact, manual gain is usually only found on high-end or prosumer camcorders, although Sanyo offers ISO settings on its VPC-CG10 and VPC-HD2000.

Colour & Image Controls (0.25)

The MHS-PM1 has a Flicker Cancel setting in its set-up menu. Flicker Cancel is supposed to reduce the flickering that is occasionally produced when shooting under fluorescent lights. Strangely, we didn't notice the setting doing anything when we shot under fluorescent bulbs as there was no flicker with or without Flicker Cancel engaged.

Other Manual Controls (1.0)

The PM1 has an on-screen histogram display that can be turned on or off. The display, which shows the light levels of whatever the lens is pointed at, is relatively useless. Since you can't make any exposure adjustments on the camcorder, there's really no way to utilise the information garnered from the live histogram. Sony would have been better off removing this feature altogether (or leaving a histogram display option during playback) as all it does is confuse the user and clutter the screen.