HDR-CX360V
4.8
5
4
4
Well Rounded Camera w/Very Good Vid Quality
I've owned this camera (two actually) since July, shooting mostly interior industrial videos and I have not regretted a moment of it.
The HDR-CX360v shoots very well in most of its stock 16x9 settings. No problem what-so-ever with memory card rec/playback at the highest settings. Stable. Flicker free. Excellent linearity. Crisp and most importantly, good consistency across both cameras making color matching between cameras a breeze.
I acquired in the second highest setting and found it was an easy down-convert of the footage to iPad 640res MP4 for web streaming with very good results. Both in image quality and relatively small file size.
Another plus, was clearly the audio. I was pleasantly surprised at the low noise and better than expected dynamic range of the the mic/line input. I used wireless UHF lavs fed from a mix pad to the cameras and could not have been happier.
When I did have to catch exterior B-roll, the camera performed very well. Good image stabilization, reasonable zoom control and no complaints with the 1+ hour record time on the stock battery. This camera has a very decent built in mic and camera noise was almost nonexistent. Final note on the audio, the headphone output drive is far better than other cams of this type. Extremely important in my work. Well done Sony.
With all of the performance I have come to expect from this camera, it must be said that like others of this style, it has its limitations. Most everything is menu driven from the flip out monitor and it's certainly more fragile than larger cameras used for industrial shoots. Its low light image quality is reasonable at best but color abortions in anything less than the highest res setting will disappoint. That said, for the money, there simply isn't another camera in its price range that compares given its features, convenience, versatility, picture & audio quality.
Bottom line, I would and have recommended the HDR-CX360v to others who, on a budget, need a light weight camera providing client pleasing audio and video capture and that adapts surprisingly well to a variety of shooting situations.
Tip: A well made camera bag for protection is essential if you work with this camera for a living,
December 6, 2011
Nearly perfect
As it is a great camera indoors, and the touch screen works out well for selecting and staying with the object to be recorded, outdoors a view finder is needed. On a beautiful sunny day, it is impossible to see anything with the touch screen due to reflection and glare. There is no position to turn the touch screen to eliminate glare.
Otherwise, a great camera and I am pleased with the results. If the camera had also a view finder, it would be perfect and a keeper. Not having the option of a view finder, in my opinion, is a design flaw and ruins the experience for me, since it has caused me to miss out on things that I was expecting to capture, but I could not see them on the screen.
August 21, 2011
Awesome Camcorder!
This camera is beautiful. We decided to get this camera. A good portion of our cost was a gift and we flipped for the difference. Having said that, the camera itself is just awesome. We've had the old vhs, an old dvd burn kind, a little tape kind, etc. but this new camera is just fine. No more finalizing bologna with our old dvd kind. Just plug this baby into your computer when done and get those awesome HD videos to zip right onto your computer. The usb plug is very clever. The sounds that it picks up are crisp and loud. The picture is really cool. This will come in handy at many times.
We have many sony products and they always tend to shine. From the ps3, grand wega tv, ps portables, vaio's to this outstanding new camcorder, they all work together just fine.
So if you are in the market for a camcorder, this model does more than enough at the mid range price.
May 12, 2011
Beautiful, but is hardly compatible with mac.
I fell in love with this camcorder the moment my mother brought it home for her real estate business. It's amazing how much bigger the 3.0" touch screen is compared to the previous 2.7" screens. It takes beautiful videos, and stunning 7.1 megapixel photos. The 12x optical lens is wonderful. But the 160 digital lens is superb! I've used digital lenses before on other cameras and it makes it 'pixel-ated'. Technology has come a long ways! This camcorder doesn't 'pixel-ate' nearly as horrible as the previous ones that I've used!
March 26, 2011
