Sony Handycam HDR-CX210 (black)

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The good: Sony's entry-level Handycams, the HDR-CX190, CX200 and CX210 are small, lightweight and cheap. A captive USB cable that enables charging while connected to your computer is one of the few perks.

The bad: You can't really call the video HD quality, the camcorder feels flimsy and the lens is prone to fringing.

The bottom line: They're cheap and capture video, but don't buy the Sony Handycam HDR-CX190, CX200 or CX210 thinking that you're getting a great bargain on a real HD camcorder. If you're going to buy one, get the cheapest; nothing on any of these is really worth the extra bucks.

Sony's trio of entry-level camcorders -- the Handycam HDR-CX190, CX200 and CX210 -- seem amazingly, aggressively priced. But they're priced like standard-definition camcorders because they use SD-level components to produce video in HD format but not HD quality. Sony's not alone in this: both Canon and Panasonic play the same game to various degrees with their entry-level models. All of them use low-resolution sensors and interpolate the video up to HD resolution. In this case, Sony actually is using a sensor that's even smaller and lower-resolution than the 2-year-old CX110.

The three camcorders differ from each other in a few ways. The CX200 and CX210 incorporate touch screens; the CX190 has a small joystick and playback button on the LCD bezel for operation. In addition, the CX210 has 8GB of internal memory -- keep in mind when comparing prices between the CX200 and CX210 that an 8GB flash card costs less than $10. This review is based on testing of the CX190. (There's also a version of the camcorder with a built-in projector, the PJ200.)

As far as I can tell, the video quality doesn't look any worse than predecessors like the CX130, which many folks consider acceptable. If you view your video scaled down and played on a computer, or like to shoot close-ups, which usually deliver the best results for both cameras and camcorders, it looks good. But for typical tourist and home-video type shooting of middle distances and viewed at actual size or on a large-screen TV, I found it extremely soft and mushy. The combination of sensor and optics seem prone to fringing, and can produce an overall purplish cast on the video rather than just on edges. In low light -- say, early dusk -- it's even softer and quite noisy. The audio is typical for its class; a little too bright-sounding, but the mic picks up the sounds you want.

If you only view the video scaled down (inset), it can look fine -- provided you don't mind the occasional purple cast caused by fringing. At full size, though, it's kind of messy. (Frame grab)

(Credit: Lori Grunin/CNET)

Stills look pretty bad -- soft and overprocessed. Many camera phones are better. (Unsurprising given that Sony's "5.3-megapixel" photos are actually 1.3-megapixel photos bloated up for specsmanship.) Part of the problem is that you can't pick a focus area, at least on the CX190. You just have to point and pray. The CX200 and CX210 both have spot focus and exposure via the touch screen.

On the upside, the performance isn't bad, though the battery seems to run down a little faster than I'd like -- it lasts about an hour. The LCD actually remains quite visible in bright sunlight and the camcorder focuses relatively quickly and accurately. The image stabilization works well for about three quarters of the zoom range; I think part of the problem is that the camcorder is a little too light and harder to keep steady than some.

Of course, its compact, light design is one of the attractions of the camcorder, though it also makes it feel quite plasticky and flimsy. It fits comfortably in a roomy jacket pocket or bag. The design is also typical of these entry-level models, with a zoom switch, photo shutter and mode (movie/still) button on top and a record button in the back for thumb operation. A manual switch opens and closes the lens cover.

Sony Handycam DCR SX85 (silver)

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The good: The Sony Handycam DCR-SX45, SX65, and SX85 are easy-to-use ultracompact camcorders with good active electronic image stabilization and a built-in USB cable for quick uploads.

The bad: The DCR-SX45, SX65, and SX85 produce very soft and noisy video with noticeable fringing on subjects even at small sizes. There are no mic or headphone jacks, and the electronic image stabilization won't help you with the lens fully extended.

The bottom line: Sony's Handycam DCR-SX45, SX65, and SX85 standard-definition camcorders pack a megazoom lens at a reasonable price; one look at the standard-definition video, though, and you might regret not spending a bit more for an HD model.

The Handycam DCR-SX series is Sony's flash-memory-based standard-definition ultracompact camcorder. It's made up of three models that differ only by storage amounts: the SX45 has no internal memory; the SX65 has 4GB built in; and the SX85 has 16GB of internal storage. This review covers the SX65, however the SX85 is the best value. All of them have a 3-inch touch-screen LCD, a 60x optical zoom lens, and few cool features like a built-in USB connector for quick uploads and easy charging by computer. However, none of the features do much to improve video quality.

No, unfortunately, there's apparently no reason to make an excellent standard-def camcorder these days; the SX65's movies are mediocre at best--especially if you're watching them full-screen on a large TV or are used to the sharpness and clear details of high-definition content.

For Web use at small sizes the results are OK, though, and if you're not terribly concerned with video quality in the first place and want a reasonably priced camcorder that's easy to use, has a megazoom lens, and can fit in a coat pocket, this Sony is worth checking out.

Weight (with battery and media)4GB flash memory (3.8GB available); Memory Stick Pro Duo, SD/SDHC/SDXC cards3-inch LCD, 230K pixels (touch screen)Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length)60x, f1.8-6.0, 39-2,340mm (16:9), 44-2,640mm (4:3) (35mm equivalent)3 lux (1/30-second shutter speed)MPEG-2 (.MPG), Dolby Digital 2-channel stereo720x480 pixels (9Mbps)/640x480 pixelsRecording time at highest qualityBattery type, rated life (typical)Li-ion rechargeable, 60 minutesSony Picture Motion Browser, PMB Portable (Windows)

Available in blue, black, silver, and red versions, the SX65 is an attractive little camcorder. Its physical controls are textbook camcorder design with a start/stop button comfortably under the thumb at the back and a zoom rocker up top in front of a shutter release for snapshots in Photo mode. The whole package is roughly the size of a soda can. The hand strap is comfortable if a little low. Interestingly, it also acts as a cap for a full-size USB connector that's attached by a cable to the camcorder's body. This allows you to connect it directly to a computer to offload photos and video and charge the battery. Just above the strap is a small door hiding a power/charging input and AV output (a composite cable is included).

The battery juts out from the back, and above it is a button for changing between photo and video modes. Below the battery on the bottom of the camcorder is a card slot that supports both Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.

Flip open the touch-screen display (there is no viewfinder) and you'll find four buttons in the body cavity, for power; entering Sony's Intelligent Auto mode; turning on and off an LED lamp under the lens; and changing over to Playback mode. The last of the I/O ports is in this cavity, too: an uncovered Mini-USB port. An optional cable can be used with this port to connect directly to an external USB storage device for quick saves without a computer. You can also copy content from the internal storage to Memory Stick or SD cards.

The touch screen is nice and sharp compared with other models in its class, but it was very difficult to see in direct sunlight. Luckily it rotates, so even if you can't see it you can change the angle. On the left edge of the screen there are virtual buttons for controlling the zoom lens and starting and stopping recordings, very helpful if you're shooting at a low angle or on a tripod. The menu system is good for those who don't make a lot of changes. In other words, it's responsive, but because all of the options are in one long row, it can feel like the list goes on forever. At least Sony lets you configure an opening menu screen with six items you frequently adjust.

Panasonic HDC-TM900

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The good: Generally excellent video quality and a straightforward, if somewhat unglamorous, interface highlight the Panasonic HDC-HS900, TM900, and SD800's capabilities.

The bad: Wonky white balance and lack of a built-in neutral density filter are the two biggest drawbacks of an otherwise very good series of prosumer camcorders.

The bottom line: Panasonic's trio of prosumer camcorders, the hard-disk-based HDC-HS900 and flash-based TM900 and SD800, deliver generally excellent video quality and provide the full set of manual controls and features advanced users want. But you have to be willing to baby the white balance a bit. The TM900 is my top pick of the three for its EVF, but if you're on a tight budget the SD800 should suit just fine.

Panasonic has a history of producing solid prosumer camcorders that deliver excellent video quality and performance, but have unexciting, functional designs. That tradition continues with the latest crop of models. Updates to last year's 700 series, Panasonic's 800/900 models--the HDC-HS900, TM900, and SD800--are fundamentally the same as their predecessors with some modest enhancements and slightly better video quality. They do, however, use the same trio of sensors and lens, as well as an essentially identical body design.

Series information: We performed a hands-on evaluation of the HDC-HS900, the hard-disk version of the camcorder, but aside from the few functional differences inherent in recording to the different media, the HS900 and TM900 should be identical. The HDC-SD800, on the other hand, is basically a stripped-down version of the TM900; it has the same sensor and lens as the others, so delivers the same video, but lacks an EVF, lens ring, and accessory shoe, provides only two-channel audio, and has a smaller LCD and no built-in memory.

Models in this series
Download the manual (PDF)Primary media: 32GB flash, 1 x SDXCPrimary media: 220GB hard drive, 1 x SDXCPrimary media: 1 x SDXC
no EVF, no ring on lens, smaller LCD, 2-channel audio, no accessory shoe

When it's functioning correctly, the video quality looks very good. It's got a relatively broad tonal range, though bright highlights tend to clip and I couldn't recover them in software (probably because the camcorder has compressed out any recoverable data). The color and exposure rendered by the three-chip system are quite good, though the automatic white balance can get a bit wonky--usually switching to another setting and then back did the trick. Aside from the white-balance issue, all the automatic settings worked very well, including exposures with backlight. I didn't see any moiré. And while there was a little bit of cyan aberration on high-contrast edges, it exhibited minimal fringing.

In good light, the camcorder can produce nicely sharp video, although it has some auto white-balance problems. Changing the white-balance setting and then back to auto usually fixes them, though.
The low-light video quality is quite good, with relatively little noise (though some suppression artifacts) and decent color saturation.
Better bokeh is one of the main reasons you might want to opt for a dSLR or ILC over a pricey camcorder; even the more expensive consumer camcorders have unattractive polygonal apertures.

In low light there's practically no color noise, although you can see quite a bit of smearing from the noise reduction. Still, the video looks surprisingly good and remains naturally saturated.

The still photos are pretty mediocre viewed at full size, but might work as small reference images. You might be better off sticking to frame grabs at 1,920x1,080 pixels.

The HDC-HS900 performs well, too, with fast, accurate autofocus that's not easily confused, warm sound, and a decent wind filter. There's minimal lens distortion at its widest, but that's probably because the lens doesn't get very wide; Sony seems to be leading the pack with that, which is one of the significant ways this whole class of models could improve. That, as well as more attractive apertures. As far as I know, there's no technical reason a $1,000-plus camcorder can't incorporate a seven-bladed aperture.

As with most advanced AVCHD camcorders that shipped in early 2011, using the best-quality 1080/60p mode is a bit of a pain. Because the AVCHD spec wasn't updated until the summer to support 1080p (note that there is no 1080/30p), the camcorder makes you jump through some outdated hoops and throws up annoying warnings when you switch in and out of that mode. This is one of the few complaints I have about the series. But I'd just switch into it and stick there because you really do want to use the maximum bit rate and resolution.