Sony HDR-CX220/L Full HD Camcorder 2.7-Inch LCD Blue

This camcorder is an excellent camcorder for someone who is looking for a cheap option for HD recording and HD playback. It is light-weight, compact, sturdy, and very user-friendly. I will go through different portions of this camcorder in my review. If I miss something, please feel free to ask me in comments, and I will add it to my review.NAVIGATIONThe menu and options on this camcorder is a breeze to use. Next to the 2.7" display are two buttons- a play button and a cursor/select button. The play button is only used to select between recording and play-back. The cursor/select button is used for 99% of the navigating on this camcorder. The positive side of this is that it is easy to use and feels natural. It acts as a joystick for scrolling but also pushes inward for selecting options. This makes navigation very easy for a beginner, since your finger never has to leave the same button, while operating the menu on this camcorder.MENUSony has done well by making this camera easy to use and operate. The menu is separated into six different categories: Shooting Mode, Camera/Mic, Image Quality/Size, Playback Function, Edit/Copy, and Setup. It is simple to change quality of recording, switch between recording and playback, change time and settings, check battery status, and switch between still shots and HD recording.HD RECORDINGFirst, let my start by saying, this is an entry-level camcorder with a price-tag of $200-$250. That being said, the HDR-CX220 shoots excellent quality movies and clips. Under the Image Quality/Size category, there is several options that can be used to change the quality of recording to what the user preference is.There are two different frame rates that can be selected from: 60i and 60p. Without getting technical and taking up a lot of time describing the difference between the two, I'll simply state that the i stands for interlaced and the p stands for progressive. With 60i, the frames basically overlap, which equals only 30 frames per second. With 60p, this is the higher resolution, which equals a true 60 frames per second. The 60p setting creates beautiful recording, but also consumes more baterry life and uses more memory storage. I'd suggest using the 60p setting while making home videos and storing on your personal computer. But if you plan to post online, I'd suggest using the 60i setting. This will allow for faster and more hassle-free uploads. I generally use the 60i setting, because it allows me to shoot more videos on my 32GB SDHC card.You can choose between HD recording, SD recording, and MP4 recording. This will also shorten or lengthen your record time.- MP4 quality being the lowest quality. When recording in HD, there is four sub-categories that can be chosen from: Highest Quality, High Quality, Standard, and Long Time. Any user can fine-tune exactly what quality they want to record at.How did this camera record for me?- Splendidly! I have used this camera in several different situations to put it to the test. I live in a very snowy area, which basically means, a lot of light. I have recorded my kids sledding and it looks beautiful. The still shots in a well-lit area also look very good. The user has the option to take still shots while recording video or to use the camcorder as a camera only. But the real question was, how did this camcorder work in low light?- The answer is: Much better than I thought. I went down into my basement and recorded my kids playing with only a lamp on. The Exmor R CMOS Sensor in the CX220 works very well. This camcorder detects low light and gives the best HD recording possible. The one main Con that I found with this camcorder is the still shots in low-lit areas look grainy, but are still acceptable.The 32X zoom also works vey well on this camcorder. I was suprised just how well it worked. While standing across my half acre yard, I zoomed in on my dog, and it looked as though I was standing right on top of him. This, in combination with the Steady Shot feature, makes a very nice steady HD recording. (Even with a beginner camera man)The Zoom Mic feature also works quite well. While recording with the Zoom Mic on, the subject being recorded is very audible and the background noise is muffled away. It doesn't amplify the sound of the object being recorded, but it more or less mutes the unnecessary, needless side noise. This is a very nice feature and Sony has done a good job with it.PLAYBACKThe playback feature is incredibly easy to use and operate. It is as simple as this: plug your mini HDMI cable (which is provided by Sony, with the purchase of the CX220) into the camcorder and then into your TV. Everything that you view on the 2.7" LCD screen, is also mirrored on your HDTV. You can then either scroll through your menu, or push the play button. Then select the video clip you wish to view, and wada-bing, your watching beautiful HD homemade movies in 1080p. It looks great on my Sony 60EX645 LED 1080p TV.COMPATIBILITYI have decided to add an addition to my review, because it is a fairly common question. Is the CX220 compatible with PAL video format? The answer is no. The HDR-CX220 is designed to work with NTSC video format and HD. There is a process and select programs that can convert NTSC to PAL, but it is fairly complicated. My suggestion is this- there is an alternate version of this camcorder. The model number is HDR-CX220E. It is the exact same camcorder, but it is specifically designed for PAL video format. It can be found on Amazon(UK) or directly from Sony. If you are interested in recording in PAL video format, this would be a great option.DIRECT COPY TO HDDCopying to an external hard-drive is as easy as it sounds. Plug your camcorder to your hard drive using a Sony VMC-UAM2 cable (not provided). Your CX220 will recognize the HDD and give you step-by-step instructions to copy to your HDD. I have a Toshiba 320GB hard drive and it worked perfectly for me. Toshiba 320GB Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 Portable Hard Drive in Black (HDTB103XK3AA) One thing to note is this: a VMC-UAM1 cable will NOT work with the CX220. It MUST be a VMC-UAM2 cable. This cable is not sold on Amazon, but is sold at B&H Photo or Sony.PC USERSThe CX220 is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. I am currently running Windows 7 (64bit) on my HP Pavilion. Using this camcorder with my PC was as easy as plugging my CX220 into a USB port, Windows automatically recognizing it as a Sony HDR-CX220, and then installing the proper drivers. But if you want a great software program, install Play Memories from Sony. This program is fantastic. It allows the user to combine video clips, downgrade quality (if needed), make DVDs from even HD recordings, and much more. I highly recommend this program.MAC USERSThe CX220 claims that it does not work with MAC OS, but it does work with iMovie. What this basically means is that you cannot simply plug the CX220 into your MAC and copy files.You must first download iMovie, and then all recordings can be stored to your MAC very easily. iMovie is a great program and very easy to use. There is a great post on YouTube that is titled: HDR-CX160 directly to iMovie. This is the same method for storing videos from your HDR-CX220 to your MAC. It works very well.MEMORYThe CX220 does not have any built-in memory. This camcorder is compatible with SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards. I purchased two Transcend Class 10 32GB SDHC cards with my CX220. They both work very well. When recording in 1080/60p, a 32GB SD card will hold approximately 2 1/2 hours of content. When recording in 1080/60i High Quality (which is what I usually use), a 32GB SD card will hold approximately 4 1/2 hours of content. This, in combination with Direct Copy, should allow for recording large events or vacations. (Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card (TS32GSDHC10))BATTERY LIFE AND CHARGINGThe NP-FV30 battery that comes with the CX220 is lacking, in my opinion. While recording in HD, the battery lasts for less then two hours. I would suggest buying supplemental battery packs. I found a great combo pack from the seller Big Mike's, here on Amazon. It is a third-party 2 pack NP-FV70 batteries and charger and is every bit as good as the OEM batteries. Each NP-FV70 battery lasts for over four hours, while recording in HD. Here is the product link for the battery/charger combo- Sony Handycam Camcorder Battery and Battery Charger Kit Includes Qty 2 NP-FV70 Batteries , AC/DC Battery Charger , LCD Screen Protectors , Micro Fiber Cleaning ClothOne thing to note, the CX220 does NOT come with a wall charger. It does however, charge very well from the built-in USB cable. It also comes with a USB extension cable, for more convenience. The majority of people already have some sort of USB wall charger from an iPad, iPhone, iPod, tablet, android phone, Kindle, or various other devices. These will work with the CX220. If you do not have a USB wall charger and do not wish to purchase a battery pack/ wall charger combo, Power Gen sells a very good USB wall charger for $10 here an Amazon. Here is the product link- PowerGen Dual Port USB 2.1A 10W AC Travel Wall Charger - WhiteThe CX220 also has a DC port under a tab on the right side of this camcorder. The camcorder can be ran solely from an AC power adapter, but this will involve an additional purchase. The AC adapter needed is the AC L200. There is an official Sony adapter and some third party AC L200 adapters sold on Amazon. If a person wanted to operate the camcorder using an AC wall outlet, this could be a solution. Sony Customer Support also claims that this will charge the battery, but I have not tried this myself. I do not own an AC L200 adapter. If you are interested, here is another product link- Sony AC L200 - Power adapterCONCLUSIONAll in all, I would definitely recommend the purchase of the HDR-CX220. It is a lightweight, compact, well-built camcorder with excellent features. It shoots beautiful recordings and has a price tag of less than $250. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask me, and I will try my hardest to find the answer and incorporate it into my review.

The SONY CX-220 is the low end camera in SONY's Camcorder line based on the Exmor R 8.9 Megapixel image capture element. From a practical perspective, low end can be measured in a number of ways.First, it's about half the price of the top of the line camera in the series, the CX-260.Second, it has no internal memory, which requires that you use an SD card to record your videos. Other cameras in the series include 8 and 16 Gigabytes of internal memory. The internal memory can occasionally useful, but SD cards are inexpensive and easy to carry along. Given that you'll need a 32GB card to do upwards of 2 hours of highest quality video, the lack of internal memory is no real handicap.Third, it it has a smaller external zoom (27x as opposed to the 30x in the CX-260). Again, there may be circumstances where the extra zoom matters, but you'll need a tripod to take advantage of it. Of slightly greater concern, in this regard, is the starting point for the zoom. While all of the cameras in Sony's Exmor R line are described as "wide angle", the CS-220's wide angle isn't quite as wide as other cameras in the series, which means you may have to position slightly further from the scene to capture everything you want to have in the frame. This is a practical issue for me as I most frequently use my video cameras to record Chorus concerts, which usually involve a wide frame. This shouldn't be an issue unless you are shooting in a small space (like a classroom) and want to capture the full width of the room. There are sometimes limits on how far you can back up the camera. It hasn't been an issue in auditoriums.Fourth, it comes with a weaker battery than other cameras in the series. The CX-260 comes with Sony's FV-50 battery, which I've found can easily handle two hours of continuous video, but the CX-220 comes with Sony's FV-30 battery, which is rated as having about half the power of the FV-50 and needs a stretch to do an hour and thirty minutes of continuous video. This is offset somewhat by the CX-220 relatively stingy power use. The CX-220 will run a good 20 minutes longer than the CX-260 on the FV-50 battery. For longer videos or videos that do a lot of zooming (something I do very little of in my concert videos), either camera will benefit from the more powerful FV-70 battery, which should be good for upwards of 4 hours of highest quality video. My CX-220 clocks in at nearly 5 hours with an FV-70 battery.Fifth, the CX-220 doesn't come with a Sony battery charger, but is instead documented as charging up using a USB cable. Several reviewers have complained about this, but I don't see an issue. From a practical perspective I nearly always have a USB charger with me, and it's nice not having to bring yet another charger along when traveling. If, moreover, you need a larger battery (like the FV-70, you'll probably find that the cost of the battery charger is small compared with the price of the battery and get them bundled (as I did). Finally, if your first camera is a higher end Sony Exmor R series camera like the CX-260, your existing Sony charger will charge up your CX-220 as well.Sixth, the CX-220 uses button controls rather than touch screen controls, as the CX-260 does. I find the touch screen controls easier to use than the CX-220's button controls, but your milage may vary. Bigger fingers, and those who obsess about finger oil on screens, will probably prefer the CX-220's button controls.Finally, there are more menu options, most of which you'll probably never use, and some flashy bells and whistles like an electronically controlled lens cover on the higher end R-Seres cameras. If you want super-slow motion or to have the camera protect the lens when the camera turns off, the CX-260 is probably the better camera for you. If they don't, you can get the same high quality video from either camera. Both cameras have the same imaging element and record the same highest quality video. If those differences make a difference to you one way or the other, you can probably stop here, but I've titled this review "excellent second camera" and you may be interested in knowing why.I obtained a SONY CX-260 camcorder six months ago with the specific intent of shooting concert videos. I've been shooting concert video on and off for most of 30 years now, but I was looking to step up a level to an HD prosumer camcorder that I could edit into high quality HD streaming video for distribution on Youtube. I already had a camera that could shoot 1080P video, but that could only record for about 30 minutes at a time. I also had a 720P camcorder and a somewhat better than 720P camcorder, so I was well positioned to shoot video with insets and closeups. What I needed was a second camera that chould shoot a continuous 1080P stream that I could use as a base for cuts and insets. After looking at a lot lot of prosumer camcorders and reviews, I concluded that the Sony CX-260 would best meet my needs based on its ability to record at better than 1080P (about four times better), its relatively high audio and video quality in low to moderate indoor light, its relatively long battery life, and its reasonable price (about $360). It has more than lived up to my expectations. For examples of video shot with this camera see the HD videos at [...]That said, I've wanted to do better. One of the key restrictions on my filming of these videos is that I'm singing in the choruses. I can't exit stage right and return to restart a camera during the concert. I pretty much have to set up the cameras and forget about them. The CX-260 has really helped with that insofar as it has enough pixels to do high quality digital zooms while I'm editiing. That allows me to focus in on a soloist or small ensemble without losing the HD resolution (something I do a lot of in the referenced Youtube videos). What I haven't always had is the routine ability to cut between different camera angles while retaining HD quality. I've been searching for a second HD camcorder for a couple of months now. The obvious answer was to get another CX-260, but I was looking to spend less than $200 and get something that could approach (not necessarily match, but approach) that quality.The CX-220 more than meets those criteria, if only because it is able to match the video quality of CX-260 video for less than $200, not quite half the price of the CX-260. Aside from the slightly smaller optical zoom it has the same imaging components and records at the same high resolution. When I load video from both cameras into editing software I simply cannot tell which camera I loaded the video from unless I clearly label it when I import it. I can do the same levels of digital zoom without apparent loss of quality, and I can cut from one camera to the other seamlessly, which not only helps to make the edited video more entertaining, but allows me to show elements (typically people) that are hidden from one angle using the other angle.If you are an amateur looking to shoot high quality home video, the CX-220 could be an excellent choice for you. If you are looking to create professional looking videos with excellent prosumer equipment, the CX-220 makes an excellent second camera.