I am highly impressed by this little camcorder. While the size of it is about the same size as a smart phone, this specializing in just recording movies makes this a must buy item. I have a android phone also, but I am happy to have this based on how fast I can record something. I can simply take this out, cut it on about 1-3 seconds and hit record. There is pretty much no load time whatsoever. While this isn't perfect, for the price it's worth every penny.
Pros
1. Speed - All it requires for you to do is cut it on and you will be recording immediately. If you see something, you will most likely have it on this device.
2. Convenient - It's small and compact. You can easily fit this in your pocket. Also the software that comes with it makes it extremely easy to use which is stored on the camera itself. Plug it in your pc, use it like a flash drive and install it on your pc. Everything else is self explanatory.
3. Technologically Efficient - The capacitive touch screen is easy to use. No where as near as well thought out as the Iphone or Android, but it does work. It's easy enough for my mother to use and plus while you are recording, you can snap pictures simultaneously. You can also load up anything easily to facebook or youtube through the included software. It also has a HDMI port to hook up to a High Definition Monitor.
4. Quality - It shows very well once I take the data off the Bloggie and add it to my pc. It does 720p x 30 fps, 720p x 60 fps, and 1080p x 30 fps. 30 fps shows extremely well and I have yet to try the 60 fps. Colors are great and the sharpness is good with some exceptions.
Cons
1. Size of space - 4 GB is too small. Only 2 hours of data could run out and that is on the lowest setting. 1080p runs out much faster. Plus I don't see a way to upgrade the size with a memory stick unfortunately. A 8gb might be better, but a way to upgrade with a memory stick would be the best solution. Nevertheless it is easy to add and remove on your pc.
2. Using Zoom and Dark Areas - If you use either, the picture looks a bit grainy.
3. No PC, No Buy - If you don't have a PC, there is absolutely no reason to buy this. You can only charge this through the USB port of a PC (there are things you can buy to use a charger although nothing is included with the Bloogie), plus if you run out of space, you wont be able to back up the files on your pc.
4. The touchscreen - It isn't as easy as Android or Iphone. No multitouch support and it's not always as responsive as I like, but it is definitely usable.
The pros definitely outweigh the cons. It's a device worth having and I have never had so much fun using a camcorder. Sony Bloggie Touch (MHS-TS10/S) - 4 GB, 2 Hour NEWEST MODEL (Silver)
This is a Great little camera for what I use it for. I am a martial artist and I use this camera for recording techniques for later study. I also use it for at home family use. No problems thus far. I would highly recommend it.
This is what it is... convenient as all get out. No cards to hassle with, charging is cake and the battery lasts a good while. Need video...no problem...oh and a snap shot too? No problem. Quality of the photos are good, but this isn't a great digital camera...it is simple and good quality. Wish it had better scene detection and a flash, but it does the job...better than the cell phone, and much smaller. Video is good, haven't dabbled too much with the HD, but you won't become a great film artist with it...but great for soccer and events around the house you'd like to capture...nicely and easily.
The software was cake...plug it in and get your goods. That simple. The built in USB and HDMI are a huge plus. No need for friggen propriety cables to loose...or cards..or batteries...this is simple.
The great...bang!! your taken vids and photos with ease...and just as easy to share them.
The not so great...this is not meant to be a high end camera, but one does come to expect more from a digital camera at 12mp.
I am extremely pleased...
As other reviews point out its agility and compact size. Here are some practical problems after I used for 2 months.
1. Self recording is very difficult as you are not sure if you aiming right in the frame of the camera.
2. Audio is good indoors but outside it degrades.
3. Quite slippery, accidents are expected. Must buy a small tripod.
4. The video is jerky sometime at high resolution.
5. Need to buy some professional video editing software as the bloggie software to edit the video is rudimentary
6. Indoor videos need good light.
7. Zooming while shooting the video is subject to shakes because of touch screen controls.
Otherwise a perfect camera, a must but when you plan to go out with kids and can't effort to use both of your hands to take that perfect short.
I bough this to replace another 12 Megapixel HD Video Camera that was getting progressively slower over time.
This little camera is great and is ready to go FAST, so very little waiting between shots and after turning it on. The touch feature is nice. Just make sure you upgrade the firmware to the latest version and you'll be good to go! The only negative I can think of is that it does not have a flash. I would buy it again.
Purchased to use for child's end of year program. I hate reading manuals, etc and I didn't need to with this. It's easy to use and the clarity is AMAZING (HD).
*I dislike the Bloggie software that is associated with it, but with so many other free options out there - who cares.
The camera itself is fabulous.
Overall
I thought when I opened the package, "Wow! This is gonna be great!" I bought it to take to the Rush Time Machine tour. What I didn't realize was that the battery time is less than two hours, and that the video time is pretty bad as well. In addition, if you want a nice wide screen look to your videos, the microphone is placed exactly where your finger will want to rest when you hold it.
Video Quality
The video is shaky, lacking any stabilization control software, and anything that creates a decent amount of light or movement on the screen will cause it to fall out of focus. Getting it back into focus isn't easy, and the only way I found to get it jumpstarted is to take a picture with it, which is going to shake the camera as you move your finger and press the button. Even taking a picture, however, is no guarantee that the camera will make its way back into focus, and you could end up like me during the sing Witch Hunt, panning the camera around trying to find something else for it to focus on so you can get in back into focus, touching the microphone in the process and generally ruining the whole thing.
Motion blur is also a problem. On nearly every video I took, blur is evident as I pan the crowd. Even though I'm moving slowly, it's noticeable and looks really really bad.
Sound Quality
The focus thing isn't the biggest issue, however. The microphone holes (three in all), aren't located in the front of the unit. They're on the side. Exactly where your finger will want to rest should you decide to turn your Bloggie on it's side so that you'll get a nice widescreen version of whatever it is you happen to be watching. Whoever decided to do that needs to be beaten soundly with a stick. It's a stupid thing to have done, and ruined nearly every video I managed to take at the concert. Even if you manage not to touch it with your finger, since it's right on the side, it picks up the scratching sound of your finger and leaves little scratchy sounds in your video. The sound quality also gets really rough if you're in a concert situation with a lot of distorted guitars and bass, or Rush, for example.
Software
The software is a little buggy, and it's faster to just drag and drop the files into Windows Explorer. Doing it with the Bloggie software is slow, cumbersome, and if you're using a little small netbook, you may not have the computing power to do it in a reasonable amount of time. Bear in mind also, that the Bloggie doesn't charge unless it's turned off, and that you can't offload it's visual cargo unless it's turned on, so while you're spending the 10-15 minutes it takes to offload all that video, you're burning your precious battery time, which is short indeed. Want it back? Good luck. There's no way to remove that battery, and charging it up to full takes about three hours.
Comparisons
I've seen video taken at Rush concerts with other cameras. The Flip being one of them. I don't know why I didn't buy that one. My whole experience may have turned out better. Kodak supposedly makes a smaller camera that is great for this sort of thing. Frankly I wish I had bought one of those rather than this. It's a gorgeous little thing, all sleek and polished and brushed metal, but it just doesn't live up to it's good looks. - Camcorder - High Definition - Flip Video - Hd Camcorder'
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