Sony Handycam HDR-CX110 Camcorder - Black

video quality is great.still picture quality is not that great.excellent zooming but its only 25x optical zoom.As a price overall camcorder is good.No built in flash,it is a very big deal.

We are having a baby in August, wanted HD video, as the video of my son wasn't top-of-the-line, if you know what I mean.
Love Sony products. Never had a problem with them (when I could afford them). Got a good deal on a refurbished item.
The camcorder takes excellent video in HD (although not certain why 4 separate HD settings are necessary, don't see a big difference in picture quality between them). I generally leave it at the top quality, which is stated to be 24 mbs. I actually checked the file size. This equates to 2.4 megabytes a second, or about 6 1/2 minutes of video per gigabyte. In todays file sizes, not horrible for a very clear video.
I have read other reviews that state all the perks on this camcorder, yet I don't see many of them as being that rewarding. I had a little fun with the slow motion, but it only records three seconds (play back at 11 seconds), and films at 240 frames a second! The "low lux" setting does brighten dark scenes (like a parking lot with overhead lights not terribly bright), but in a very dark room it does little. Don't expect it to be Hd quality even with "low lux", but better than previous cams I have owned.
The 3.1 megapixel pictures are prob what you would expect. They are okay outside, in the sun, but somewhat grainy indoors. about like a camera I had in 2005. Useable if you don't have anything better, but nothing crystal clear.
There is a setting to take pictures while filming, but it takes 5 seconds to process and if you don't set smile detection or priority, you must manually press the button. This requires the photo and cam record buttons to be separate, which I have never come across before. Also, the picture-within-the-filming is less than 1 megapixel, and nothing I would personally keep (unless it was a rare shot).
The camera itself has far exceeded my hopes as a "true HD", but the file format for the video is a nightmare! It is Sony's own: AVCHD, developed in 2006. I prefer to pull my SD card and manually remove my pictures and videos to the computer, and although you can do this, you are better off using the mini USB which automatically opens the software. It has a calendar program that wants to load your new videos (as well as old ones made from other cameras)& group them all together. I already have a system of dating and organizing and it messes it up everytime. Also, although the HD files can be played on Media Player, my 4-quad, 8 gigabyte DDR2 RAM computer can't handle it one out of three times. The player that comes with the software is pretty much the only way to ensure it to play properly. If your computer is more than 2 yrs old or less specs than mine, I would really reconsider if it will play your movies!
You must have a PS3 or Blu Ray player to play these videos from disc. I didnt know that. The highest setting is incompatible with "AVCHD" discs.
See how it starts to get complicated by using a unique file format? This stops this camcorder short of being exellent!
Its lightweight (less than 2 pounds), maybe 5 inches long and 2 inches tall. Easy to carry, but prob easy to damage too. The start/stop record button seems to be in the wrong place from the zoom.
All and all, I would recommend this cam based on fine videos that (especially outside) make you feel like you are really at the location that it was filmed!

PRODUCT BUY IT FOR:
NEED A HANDYCAM WITH THE FOLLOWING FEATURES: VERY GOOD DEFINITION, HIGH OPTICAL ZOOM, EASY TO USE, MULTIPLE CONNECTIVITY, BUT ON COMPACT ALL THAT RANGE IN THE HAND, AND I HAVE GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH THE SONY BRAND.
THE PRODUCT IS ACCURATE TO THE SPECIFICATIONS OUTLINED IN EBAY.
NO WINE WITH THE ORIGINAL SOFTWARE, I'M LOOKING FOR INTERNET, expect SOON.
CONCLUSION: VERY GOOD BUY!

I bought this camera because I was waiting for HD cameras to be more affordable, and I wanted the right trade off between a decent zoom and at least 3MP for still shots. I got everything and more for a super low price! The feature that impressed me most was the Smile Shutter. Now I've used Face Detection before, but this camera takes this technology one step further and actually detects a smile and automatically takes a still shot while your recording video! And it works! The HD resolution is simply magnificent, and it fills up my 50 inch widescreen TV with every pixel(1080)with clarity and detail. It is also nice and compact in size. The touch screen on the playback screen is easy to use, too. The included software makes uploading videos to your computer quick and simple. All around great camera!

Small size. Like it a lot, easy to use, great price, awesome camcorder. Light, easy menu, battery life is amazingly long, the only other option I wish it has is the night vision. The older Sony camcorders had it, I used it quite bit. Highly recommended.