Sony’s HDR-CX105 had everyone oohing and ahhing over it when we first saw it, and rightly so – it was one of the smallest full-HD camcorders on its launch. Now it’s been overtaken (or should that be undertaken) by the likes of the Sony HDR-TG3, but its bright 2.7-inch touchscreen, 10x optical zoom, SteadyShot image stabilization and 1080i video still impress.
Another new feature is Sony’s Smile Shutter, which makes its cheerful camcorder debut. Activate it and the tiny CX105 detects a grin, smirk or sneer in film and still mode. Speaking of which, still images are mightily impressive for a camcorder, bursting with detail.
But this is about the video. And thanks to stabilised Carl Zeiss optics and a D-Range Optimiser that tackles back-lit scenes, the results are stunning. Imagery is vivid, bursting with natural colours caught by the 2.4MP CMOS sensor. Unfortunately the 8GB of storage is barely enough to hold standard-def flicks, let alone your 1080i video caught at 16Mbps. Still, at least there’s a Memory Stick Duo port for expansion.
In all, the Sony HDR-CX105 is an impressive little camcorder. The touchscreen makes it easy to get around the menus and the video quality is excellent. Only the lack of Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, the mean 8GB storage space and comparatively high price stop this from getting full marks.
