Imagine you are on a picnic to the countryside along with your family or you are celebrating your birthday party with your family and friends. You have everything prepared for the well awaited occasion and you have not missed even a single friend or relative of yours and everything is going on very well. But for sure, you notice that you do not have the opportunity of capturing all your happy moments and the gorgeous times you have spent. You do feel like having a stunning camcorder with you in the same situation. Don’t you? If you feel the same, then this is the right place for you to check out all the latest camcorders in the market and select the one that suits you the best.

The camcorders are the most popular and the most ornamented electronic gadgets among the commons. Technology has been subservient in completely changing the prospect of everything that suffices your daily round. The camcorders are not an exception to this. With the daily advancements in electronic technology, everything is becoming slimmer and slimmer day by day. This particular aspect of miniaturization has made all the gadgets, including the camcorders, very portable and stylish. New models and features are being introduced every now and then and all the prime producers of electronic goods in the world have embarked on providing a variety of camcorders and each one of them is unique in its own terms. But out of all of them, Sony has the proud privilege of being right at the top. Its camcorders, just like its other products, have been of the finest quality. It has recently released a new series of its camcorders, which includes the Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 Camcorder. It has in it all the style in the world and also the features that will suit just about everyone. Here is a detailed analysis of this new cam from Sony.

Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 Camcorder

Design:

Not Pocket Friendly:

When you look at the Bloggie MHS for the first time, you will be under the impression that it is quite large for a modern camcorder. It measures about (W x D x H)39 x 101 x 67 mm. This is enough to show that it is a tad bigger than normal. It weighs about 6.9 ounces. So, considering these measurements, it can easily be said that you cannot fit this camcorder into your pocket. Except this, the remaining part of the design is absolutely perfect for a camcorder. The candy bar style of the camcorder is very cute looking and it is also quite comfortable to hold in one hand. Its stylish looks add to its beauty. The very look of it is quite cool and at the same time it has a professional look too.

Buttons and Controls:

All the main controls are placed at a very intuitively, at the top of the cam so that you can approach them with your thumb. This arrangement reduces the need to use two hands while filming as that leads to the shaking of the camera. There is a slot for the tripod stand at the bottom. This stand comes in handy when you need to mount the camera somewhere. The USB arm is also well placed so that the connection of the camera to a computer becomes a lot easier and also by doing this, you can forget about using wires for connections. The screen is also perfectly placed and on the whole, the design of the Bloggie MHS-CM5 HD Camcorder is nearly perfect and stylish.

Display:

The Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 uses a 2.5 inch LCD screen. The screen is comparatively quite big and thus you can have a comfortable look at everything before you actually start filming. This 2.5 inch LCD screen can rotate up to angle of 270 degrees on its axis. This is of great help to you especially while you are filming yourself and also if you try new angles of filming in order to make your videos or pictures look somewhat special. The swiveling screens are quite common nowadays but there are few screens in the market that can rotate up to 270 degrees. You do not normally see that, do you?

Features:

Of late, there has been a great deal of features introduced by Sony. None of them were any inferior to the best features available out there. This time around, Sony has tried its luck by introducing some innovative features and tested if they could be of any help to the users. Although most of them were only add-ons to those of the previous camcorders, they came out to be good in the end.

Camera:

The Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 has got one of the best cameras in the market. Its 5 MP camera helps you in giving literally crystal clear pictures. The pictures and the videos look great on the camera of the Bloggie MHS. The camera has CMOS sensor that sharpens the pictures. It has also got a 5x zoom facility and the image quality does not degrade much even in the zoom position. You almost get wonderful pictures and videos on this camera except when the outside light conditions are too poor and also when the photographer’s hands are a bit shaky. These are the main drawbacks of this otherwise magnificent camera. There has been a hue and cry among the users of the Bloggie regarding the above two factors that hinder the performance of the camera a bit.

Flash:

On one hand, the Bloggie MHS-CM5 HD camcorder does not have a built-in flash light to support the light intensity during poor light conditions. Although the camcorder adjusts itself the brightness levels according to the conditions, you would always want a flash light option which brightens the images a lot. On the other hand, as most of the users of the camcorders are not professionals in photography, it is quite natural that their hands tend to shake a bit while shooting. This is the reason why the new cameras have come with a feature that nullifies the shaking effect to give a more qualitative output. But this does not seem to be the case with the Bloggie MHS. Hence Sony has provided a tripod stand at the bottom of the camera in order to make it stand upright and hence to get better pictures, sans any blur. Another thing to notice is that there is no picture stabilization at 1080p.

HD Recording:

If you have always wanted high definition video recording from your camcorder, then the Sony Bloggie MHS is one of the best findings for you. Sony has always been following the latest video technologies. The video technology has taken new turns as the High Definition Video output has come into picture. This High Definition Technology gives you ultra crisp pictures with the highest quality. The HD videos look like the movies you see in the theatres. Exactly in the same manner, Sony has implemented the HD recording feature in the Bloggie MHS. You get ultra high quality pictures with the Bloggie. The Bloggie takes pictures with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which is the best one you can expect from a camcorder of this type. It allows you to record the best moments of your life in the latest mp4 format, also known as the H.264. This new format, the mp4, helps you compress the videos and pictures taken by you and hence makes it easy for you to upload the files into your computer. Mp4 also proudly claims its capacity to meet the compatibility needs of most of the websites on the internet such as YouTube and PhotoBucket.

Face Detection:

This has been one of the most common but very important features of all. With the help of this very special technology, the camera of the Bloggie MHS identifies the faces of the people in the picture and then alters and optimizes the settings and picture options accordingly. It helps in making the faces of the people in the picture clearer than the other parts of it. The faces are also made quite sharp with the face detection technology. Another thing with this feature is that it makes the skin tones of people in the picture more natural. So, this new technology only adds up the pluses list of the Bloggie MHS.

Media Card Slot:

You always need some memory in the cam in order to save all the pictures clicked by you. So, you need a memory card. The Sony Bloggie MHS has proved its flexibility when it comes to the compatibility with the memory cards. It accepts as many as five types of memory cards that are available in the market. Memory Cards like the SD, SDHC, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo and Memory Stick PRO HD Duo are accepted by the Bloggie MHS. You can choose any one of these cards, with good memory. Sony sells these cards along with the cams for a separate price but you can also buy them separately from the stores.

Connectivity:
With the Bloggie MHS, you can easily connect it to your PC and the net. It comes with an in-built USB arm and it makes your connection easier. You do not need to search for cables for the purpose of charging or syncing, but instead all you need to do is just plug in the camcorder to the USB port of your computer using the USB arm. So now you can easily share the media files to your computer and then you can also easily upload them to the internet. This special connectivity feature is often not associated with the camcorders. You normally see this feature in small music players and other USB enabled devices. But all in all, this is a bit of a unique feature introduced by Sony and it is fine.

Easier Share:

With the Picture Motion Browser or the PMB feature that is pre installed in the Bloggie MHS, you can easily share your videos with friends and family. For this, the only thing you need to do is just pre-select the pictures and videos that you want to show to the world and then you can simply upload them to a compatible PC and then to a website like YouTube, without the requirement of any new software. Even though there are many camcorders that allow sharing of the pictures and the videos taken by you, nothing is as easier as on the Sony Bloggie MHS.

Multi AV Terminal:

Any camcorder must come with a terminal that connects to the television because after all, you would want to view the pictures that are filmed by you in a bigger frame and Sony has always allowed you to do so by providing an external terminal. There is the Multi AV terminal that is featured in the Bloggie MHS that allows you to easily connect your camcorder to your TV. A separate cable is provided for this and it has to be purchased from the stores separately.

Tripod Mount:

This is one of the unique features of the Bloggie MHS. As we have seen already, the camera needs perfect stability for you to get optimum picture quality. But then you cannot stand the cam on any kind of surface. Hence a separate Tripod mount is provided. This is situated at the bottom of the camcorder. It consists of nothing but three interlinked plastic sticks that are designed to just about bear the weight of the camcorder. So, the camera can now be made to stand on its own feet and it does not need anyone to hold while shooting. Due to this reason, this feature is so well appreciated and also well received by the users of the Bloggie MHS.

Dual Capture:

This is again a pretty good feature implemented by Sony in the Bloggie MHS. With this you can capture videos as well as photos simultaneously. This can be done by switching between the video and still pictures modes of the camera. So, with the press of a single button, you are in a position of capturing both the videos and photos. It is like the screenshot mode you will see in movie editors. You can screenshot the photos you want from the videos taken. There is a button at the top that toggles the functioning from still image capturing to video capturing. Dual Capture is the order of the day when you have the Bloggie MHS in your hand.

Miscellaneous:

The MHS-CM5 Digital Video camcorder can be switched on instantly by just opening the LCD screen. There is no need of searching for a button to switch the cam on and also to wait for a while for the cam to start working. Immediately after you open the LCD screen, the cam starts working. There is also an option for the display of multiple languages on the screen. Regarding the photos, there is an auto white balance mode to automatically retouch the photos and the slide show mode allows you to watch all the pictures in the slide show mode. There is also the Steadyshot Image Stabilization feature that stabilizes the photos and videos and hence gets you very candid pictures. Great options for you to explore on!

These are precisely all the important features that you will see on the Bloggie MHS-CM5. They are not only unique in their own terms but they are also quite useful for daily usage. They are also so user friendly that even the novice users can get used to them very quickly. Altogether, they are very good, both in number and in terms of utility.

Bloggie MHS-CM5 Camcorder Multiple Views

Performance:

This is considered as the most important facet of any electronic gadget. Particularly, when it comes to the camcorders, the first thing you will look for is the way the camcorder performs. You always tend to expect the best performance from Sony, owing to the reputation it has earned over the years. This time too, it has not disappointed in any aspect and it seems that Sony has not compromised at all in any aspect of the Bloggie MHS. Sony has also proved once again that you do not need to compromise on the aspect of the performance of the camcorder if there are many features and options. We have discussed all the features and options that you will see in the Sony Bloggie MHS camcorder and it certainly promises to give a good performance. Here is a glimpse of the performance details of the Bloggie MHS.

Video Performance:

As discussed earlier, the camera of the Bloggie MHS is pretty good and hence you get good videos off it. It has got some of the characteristics that are required to give meticulous pictures. A 35 mm equivalent lens that has a wide range of 41 – 205 mm at 16:9 and 38 – 190 mm at 4:3, an aperture of 3.3 f and a focal distance ranging from 6.3 mm to 31.5 mm, all of them are instrumental in producing quality videos. Although the optical focus is only 5x, the digital zoom allows zooming up to 20x times larger. Even these highly zoomed images do not considerably lose their quality. The Auto Focus option automatically focuses on to the objects and the focal length of the lens is automatically changed accordingly. The shutter speed ranges from 1/ 15 to 1/4000. Added to all of these, a resolution of 5038 K only makes the video output better.

Audio Performance:

The audio performance of camcorders from Sony is generally good. Same is the case with the Bloggie MHS. There is a built-in microphone inside the cam and this one is of good quality. The sounds are recorded very well with good precision. The recording format is mono. This is a bit of a concern as there is no stereo type of audio recording. Generally, the stereo type gives you better quality sound when compared to the mono type. But nevertheless the audio on the Bloggie MHS is good enough to complement its video.

Considering these two and also the other sundry aspects of performance, it is more than reasonable. Although there have been a few problems in the past regarding the performance of the camcorders from Sony, this time around the problems are few and far between.

Software:

The Bloggie MHS comes with some software that helps it function better. The PMB or the Picture Motion Browser is a tool to help you share your pictures with the world. There is an embedded version of this browser in the camcorder, but Sony also provides a CD ROM that contains this software of a different version that is compatible with the PC. You need to install this software in your computer if you want to transfer the media to the websites on the internet.

Even though Sony has been trying to provide software that do not pose any problems, there has always been some complaint or the other regarding the aspect of software. Even the Bloggie MHS is accused if these software problems and many users have expressed this already. Sony has noticed them and we hope that these minor problems will be corrected soon.

System Requirements:

To sync your camcorder with your PC, the system requirements are as follows: An operating system that is either of Microsoft Windows 7, Windows XP (service pack 3), Windows Vista (service pack 2) and Mac OS X (version 10.4 to version 10.6). Other operating systems are not supported. You must also be connected to the internet if you would like to upload your photos and videos to the websites on the internet like YouTube and PhotoBucket.

Battery:

The battery is lithium ion type as usual, but the thing is these batteries are of a new type and they stay for longer time. Sony has stated that it has integrated even its batteries in a view to enhance the battery life of its camcorders. These new batteries support uninterrupted video recording for a period of 105 minutes. This is comparatively very high for a battery life. When you see the other cams in the market that come with the conventional battery system, you will notice that they only stay for a period of sixty to seventy minutes. So, this is definitely going to be a plus to the Bloggie MHS-CM5.

But the major drawback of the Bloggie MHS regarding its battery and charging is that it can only be charged by connecting to the computer through the USB arm. There is no other alternative as Sony has not provided an external charger along with the device. This may cost a lot to the users and they will certainly be in straits if they are away from home and their battery is over. So, in that case, the users are advised to have at least one more fully charged reserve battery in order to comfortably record videos without ever being bothered of the battery life.

Warranty Details:

Sony offers warranty to the Bloggie MHS against any defects in the workmanship or the material. Consistent to the warranty details given below, Sony will either repair the product or replace it with a new piece. There are two warranties for the Bloggie MHS-CM5.

The first one is the parts warranty. This constitutes the hardware package included in the device. This is provided for a period of one year from the original date of purchase. This warranty does not cover the technical assistance for the repairing of the parts and there is also no warranty for the software contents whether or not included in the device. If at all the hardware components are damaged genuinely, then Sony will provide renovate the defected parts with new ones. The other one is the labor warranty. This is active for a period of ninety days. The same conditions explained above will be applicable here too.

To obtain warranty, you must either take it to the service center or send the whole device to the service centers with the same packaging conditions. A receipt is to be produced to avail the offer of warranty.

Verdict:

The Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 is a cool camcorder to have, particularly if you are a novice user and you do not use it too often. It is quite good and suitable for home video shooting. Its design is pretty good though it is a tad bigger in size for a pocket camcorder. The LCD screen is big enough for comfortable viewing. Its features are very interesting and are also quite good in number. The camera, in particular, is very impressive. The performance of the Bloggie MHS is good enough for novice users, although not that great for the professional photographers.

Coming to the negative aspects, the battery charging facility is a bit disappointing. The picture stabilization option is not that effective and even if this option is switched on, the pictures are blurred if there is movement while recording. There are also few complaints regarding the software compatibilities of the device and we expect Sony to correct them in the near future. But anyways, no camcorder is perfect and everything has some negative aspects. This camcorder looks good in the hands of novice users and particularly the young.

Check other Sony Camcorder Reviews, Ratings in this website.

Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer Sony
Model Name Bloggie MHS
Model Number MHS-CM5/V
Camcorder type Mini, HD Camcorder
Dimensions (W x D x H) 39 x 101 x 67 mm
Weight 6.9 ounces (196 grams)
Colour Black
Monitor 2.5-inch TFT LCD
Video Resolution 1920 x 1080
Still Picture Resolution 5038 K
Image Sensor CMOS 5 MP
Lens (focusing) Optical auto focus
Zoom Yes, Up to 20x
Exposure control Auto
Video compression format MP4
Face Detection Yes
Shutter type Electronic
Frame rate 30 fps
Media Card Slot available Yes (SD/SDHC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo)
Image stabilization Steadyshot Image Stabilization
Audio input Microphone
AV out HDMI component-out and normal
Speaker Yes (mono)
Digital voice recorder Yes
MP3 player No
TV playback Yes
Self timer Yes
Quick Start Yes
PC interface USB arm
Power adaptor USB arm
Accessories USB Cable, PMB software, Rechargeable battery pack,
wrist strap, A/V connecting cable, component A/V cable
Battery Li-ion rechargeable battery
Warranty One Year
Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google

Other Camcorders