SonyHDRCX405 HD Video Recording Handycam Camcorder (black)

I've given this five stars because I really do think this is a dandy little camera, but it wasn't the right purchase for me, and I gave it away to a friend for an early Christmas present. I think you should know:1. This is a very small camera. It is not the size of a Coke can, think more the size of a little V-8 can. It is entirely plastic and it weighs practically nothing at all. Really, it weighs less than my television remote. That can be good or bad. You can shove it into the pocket of a jacket and forget you are even carrying it, so it's always with you. Like a TV remote, you can probably drop it without damaging it because it has so little mass. But, if you have unusually large hands, like mine, or arthritis, like me, or your hands have become insensitive through age or manual labor, also like mine, you may have trouble picking it up or holding onto it. I can only get three fingers of my hand through the strap up to the middle knuckle, and that is with the strap adjusted all the way out, as loose as it will go. The menu button, a four-way rocker with an "enter" or "OK" button in the center is about the diameter of a garden pea. Not only will my big thumbs not operate this button, but the switch that changes from "video" to "playback" is directly below the rocker switch, and my thumb covers them both and I end up pushing both at the same time. If you leave this sitting on a restaurant table, you may not even notice that it is no longer in your pocket, because it only weighs a few ounces.2. If I am reading the display correctly, a 64GB micro SD will hold 7+ hours worth of video. The batteries last about 2 hours and a dead flat battery will take the better part of 3 hours to recharge. Get the Powerextra 2 pack replacement Sony NP-BX1, also sold on Amazon. It has two extra batteries, and a charger that you can charge from a wall socket or from a car 12v outlet. I can testify that it charges faster than the wall charger that comes with the camera, and if you are at an all day event you will need those extra batteries.This is a very nice camcorder. It has an excellent lens, the digital zoom is just spectacular. It will take still pictures as well, even while you are making a video. I gave it to a gal who is very small, has small hands, and can text on a mini keyboard cell phone with both thumbs. She navigates menus within menus like it was second nature. She loves it. It just wasn't made for a fella like me.

I've been a long time user of Sony Handycams and I was excited to upgrade a new camera. Sony's video quality has always been something I'm impressed with. I've stuck with them for about 17 years now.First off, I was surprised at how light the camcorder is. It doesn't feel heavy at all, sometimes people associate lightness with it being cheap in quality. In my opinion, it still feels pretty solid. I also like that I'm able to charge from the USB cable that's tucked away in to the strap. Nice unexpected feature!I love that Sony has switched from proprietary memory cards to Micro SD cards. These come so cheap nowadays that you can get a 32gb micro SD card that can handle a couple of hours of HD video.I still am rating the CX405 with 5 stars because for the price and quality that you get, it's fantastic. I wish the CX405 could have some apps like slow motion or any of the others that you can get with the Sony Nex cameras. But for simple point and record needs with solid HD video recording, this is a great little camera!My purposes are simple, I need a camcorder that's light, takes good quality video with good sound. The CX405 does a good job at this. I won't be shooting the next big Hollywood blockbuster with the camcorder (unless it's like a sequel to The Blair Witch Project). But it will capture my travel trips and family events just fine.I've had a number of Handycam cameras for my amateur needs. Sony has always done a great job on making tough, unassuming camcorders. I've put all of them through the wringer and with some of them being 15+ years old, they still work today! My only reasons for upgrading is that the technology continually improves. Great little camera that won't break your budget.

My application uses two HDMI cameras to feed a live video switcher (Cerevo Livewedge). I purchased both the Cannon HF R700 and the Sony HDCRX 405 to compare and evaluate. I ended up returning the Sony and getting a second Cannon HF R700 instead. The Cannon is a bit more expensive, but slightly better built and better matched to my application. If you are using the camera as a normal portable Camcorder, the Sony is a bit less expensive and would probably work for you. See below for details.While both the Sony and the Cannon can be operated to produce a live feed via the HDMI output port, there are numerous advantages to the Cannon. First, the Cannon can be operated without the battery being present using the supplied AC adapter. The Sony can be powered via an extension USB cable plugged into the supplied USB brink, but the battery must always be present. In my environment I wanted to be able to just turn the power on and off using a plug strip that turns all the video equipment on and off. When the power to the Sony was turned off, the camera continued to run on battery power. To turn it off you needed to unplug the HDMI cable and close the fold out screen. There is no power switch on the Sony.Second, the Sony micro HDMI connector on the camera was very flimsy. If I moved the camera slightly with the HDMI cable connected, the video would often drop out and come back as the cable was wiggled.Finally the Sony has a slightly inferior picture quality when compared to the Cannon. This is more noticeable in low light conditions. (Nether camera does very well in low light, but the Sony does have a bit more noise.)The Sony does have one advantage. It has an optical zoom of 60x, whereas the Cannon optical zoom is only 32x. When zoomed all the way in the Sony is slightly closer to the subject and when zoomed all the way out it has a somewhat wider field of view. This may be an important advantage for some users.Both cameras have the ability to turn off any automatic power saving (so you can keep it running when on external power). Both have the ability to turn off the on-scree-display for the HDMI output port, but the Sony hides this feature by calling it "HDMI Control" instead of the obvious "On-Screen-Display".The Cannon is slightly heavier and feels a bit more substantial. Both cameras have reasonable optical image stabilization, though when zoomed all the way in, neither is quite up to the task.