Sony HDR-CX110

1080p HDTVs are becoming more affordable these days and all the media being available make them worth the purchase. Sony is one of the top manufacturers of quality HDTVs and now they are pushing forward with some affordable camcorders that can record in Full HD as well. Camcorders that record high quality video are often too big for average consumers to handle, but the Sony HDR-CX110 serves as a nice entry-level camcorder that showcases an impressive set of features.

Latest Update: There is a newer model for this camcorder -  Sony HDR-CX130

Sony HDR-CX110

Design

The design really shows that anybody can carry this device around and use it with one hand. The Sony HDR-CX110 also comes in blue, black, and red designs to suit different tastes. The viewfinder is stylishly designed with the HD Handycam logo standing out. Behind the viewfinder reveals a 2.7″ touch panel display which is normal for most digital camcorders that size. It can rotate 270 degrees to allow multiple viewing angles.

Main Features

The Sony HDR-CX110 primarily excels in the overall quality of the videos which matters most. This is all thanks to the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens combined with the Full HD specification which means that it can record videos in the maximum 1920 x 1080 resolution. To further meet up to the standards of the latest HDTVs, 1080/60p playback is supported via HDMI. The x.v. Color technology is even present to make sure that the recorded videos look excellent in BRAVIA HDTVs.

The HDR-CX110 is also a great performer in low light as well because of the incorporated “Exmor R” CMOS sensor. This back-illuminated sensor is specifically designed for compact cameras to get the best performance possible. Image clarity is greatly improved and the grain is drastically reduced. The BIONZ image processor which is found in DSLR cameras play a role in improving the camera response time to make the pixels as pure as possible.

It even has SteadyShot image stabilization with Active Mode to make sure the image stays smooth to compensate the camera shake. In addition to the Auto Mode, there are a number of scene modes that can improve the quality of the recording depending on the environment.

The 25x optical zoom may seem like a standard for most digital camcorders these days, but the Digital Zoom Interpolation pushes the feature beyond functionality to allow digital zooming up to 300x more while still staying clear. This is considered an advancement of digital zooming technology because there is less distortion.

Two technologies backup the strong specs to make it a great camera to record family videos or any special occasions involving lots of people. One of the technologies is the Face Detection commonly found in digital cameras. Faces can be prioritized using this technology allowing the device to optimize the focus and color exposure to make them more natural looking. 3-megapixel snapshots can be taken with the same Face Priority technology just in case a digital camera isn’t available. With the Smile Shutter technology, snapshots can actually be taken even while the camcorder is actively recording.

Other Features

The Sony HDR-CX110 is outfitted with excellent playback features to add to the fun. The “Highlight Playback” feature is an interesting feature that uses a special algorithm to identify all of the key scenes in the footage. It then presents these scenes in a trailer style by adding music and transitions. For better flexibility, the Face Index function can be used as an alternative for manually seeking just to find a specific person. Now, seeking is easier by choosing any of the faces detected so that the camcorder seeks them out.

To enjoy the content on the big screen, playback is easily possible just by plugging in the HDMI to the display. The media card slot can read both memory stick and SD/SDHC media. If more space is required, the videos can be transferred directly to a special external drive (sold separately) without requiring a PC.

Bottom Line

The Sony HDR-CX110 stays competitive with its reasonable $500 tag. The video quality should be good enough for anyone in the family to appreciate even during low-light situations. Anyone that wants to prepare content for a 1080p display should consider this because of the different ways to transfer media.

Average User Rating:
More user reviews:

• “I have had this camera for about a month now and it is exactly what I was looking for. I previously had a Samsung mini-DVD camcorder and wasn’t satisfied with either the battery life or the quality of the video. This camera addresses both of those concerns. The battery life seems to be great both in use and in standby mode and I have been able to tape full softball and t-ball games with no problem at all. The picture is just awesome too. The multiple HD settings allow you to select the definition that you desire and connecting the camcorder to a HD TV is about as easy as can be. My only concern I have with the camera turns out to be a benefit as well…and that is the size. I knew the camera was small when I purchased it, but I was a bit surprised when I unpacked it and saw just how small it really is. That being said, the size makes it easy to pack away or stick in to a sweatshirt/jacket pocket when not in use. The built in 3.1 megapixel camera is nice, but I experience a second delay from when I take the picture to when the camera registers the image. Not horrible, but I have missed a few pictures due to this (perhaps this is a setting issue…still investigating). I LOVE the fact that there is no hard drive and I purchased two high capacity SD Memory sticks to go along with it. Very nice machine.” – John M. (NY,USA)

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• “Amazingly small camera with a great set of features. Have only used it about 8 hours, but love it so far. Am a little concerned that it is finnicky about what brand of memory it uses. Keep getting a buffer overflow when using Sandisk 8GB memory card. Otherwise, could not be happier.” – M.Voeks (WI,USA)

• “My 8-year old Sony mini-DV Camcorder kicked the bucket just as my 14 month son started to utter his first words. I needed to get a new camcorder fast, and based largely on the first Amazon review I purchased the CX110. The image quality and size are just perfect. I have only two complaints and they are minor. First, there is no way to quickly delete a video clip easily right after recording (you have to wade through menus). Secondly, it outputs .m2ts files instead of more common formats like .mp4. Even after installing the right codecs my computer still won’t generate thumbnails for my video clips. Now I’m nitpicking — this is a great camcorder.” – R.Platt (PA,USA)

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