Sony Handycam HDR-CX190E

I am really interested in photography.although no expert! A few months ago I decided it was time to update my old Sony hanycam. It had been cutting edge in its day,but I was finding the tape system really outdated. In addition I no longer have a working video player,so was not able to transfer the tapes onto video format and having them put onto DVD is expensive. I knew I wanted a camera that recorded via a memory card but didn't want to spent a fortune. The camera I was looking for would need to be easy to operate,small enough to fit into my handbag and produce good quality images. After a lot of research I opted for the Sony cx-190 E.

Inside the box
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I purchased the camera from Amazon as they offered the best price at £209.It arrived well packaged. The box contained the camera. instruction booklet,AC adapter and connecting cable, a/v connecting cable, USB cable and information about using save and share programme.

What can it do
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I am not going to give you lots of technical information about this camcorder as you can find that on the internet. However I will give you a brief outline of what it can do. The battery can be charged either via your computer or with the AC adapter. I have used this camera abroad and had no problem charging using an adapter. The battery life is disappointingly short and I intend to buy a spare battery. It only lasts for about an hour which can be very annoying when you are out for the day!

The camcorder itself is made of plastic and is very light, When I first opened the box I was disappointed in its flimsy feel. However it has proved more robust than first looks indicated!

The camcorder has no on/off switch and is operated by opening the LCD panel. There is no touch screen and the menu is accessed via the small arrow buttons to the left of the screen. The menu appears on the screen. Once you get the hang of things I have no problem with the lack of a touch screen. There are 6 icons on the menu screen including- shooting mode, camera/mic, image quality,playback function,edit/copy and setup. I tend to leave the camcorder set to automatic although the wind noise reduction option is really useful for filming outside to reduce wind noise. Within the manual settings you will find white balance, exposure, focus,low light, fader auto back light and fader. As you can see there are plenty of manual settings for you to play with!

The camcorder has a good x30 extended zoom and 5.3 megapixels for stills. It also has steady shot to help prevent camera shake.

Filming is really simple.Press the mode button on the top of the camcorder to display the HD filming icon ,press the small button on the side of the camcorder and you are away! When you are recording a red rec light will appear on the LCD screen. There is no view finder on this camera but again this is not something that bothers me. When you have finished filming press the record button and the standby symbol will be shown.

The camera can also take pretty decent stills. Press the mode button to camera and take your shot. I would have liked to have been able to take stills from video footage but unlike my old camcorder this one does not support that function.

Playing back your film is via the menu system. I do find this a little time consuming and here preferred my old touch screen camcorder where you could rewind to see what you had filmed in an instance, However I love the fact I can view my videos on my computer screen using the supplied USB cable.

The camcorder uses an SDHC memory card and you will need to buy a high speed card of level 6 or above. I bought a couple from Tesco as they were much cheaper than the Sony ones!

Another feature I really like is that there is a USB cable stored inside the wrist strap. The wrist strap is perfect for my small hands but may be a bit small for someone with large hands- try before you buy!

My opinion.
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I really like this little camcorder. It fits perfectly into my handbag ( buy a small Sony camcorder bag from Amazon) so is easy to carry around. It takes really crisp footage with good sound quality. I find the menu is easy to navigate and operate.

I like the lens cover that is operated via a small switch on the side of the camera. I am good at losing lens covers so at least this one will stay in place!

On the negative side it can be difficult to hold the camcorder still when filming as it is so light! Even with the steady shot turned on I still get some shaky images. However overall the picture quality is very good.

The battery life is rubbish! I really recommend you buy a spare battery if you intend to use the camcorder for more than about an hour .

Overall I recommend this camcorder if,like me, you are looking for something basic that produces good results and is light and easy to use.