C13:00 error. Returning for refund.

We bought this handy-cam on Amazon for nearly $900 including shipping. It was Mothers day gift for my wife. She was very excited about the Bluetooth feature that would allow us to record our daughter’s school plays etc. in 5.1 surround. Did not get to try that feature as we decided to return the camera and the Bluetooth device has not arrived yet.

I did not get to test most of the features on this product - that’s how soon it malfunctioned. Within a month of having it and after less than 2 hours of recording the camera produced the infamous C13:00 error that SONY products often have. I could return it for a replacement but after spending nearly $900.00 I shouldn’t have to worry that the product will malfunction any time - especially in the middle of my daughter’s important part in her upcoming school play. So basically to ensure reliability on the $900 product I would need to spend another $160 or so for an extended warrant and then again if it malfunctions the whole hassle of returning it etc. etc. etc. Who needs the headache?

What a waste of money! I was so excited about the Dolby 5.1 that I immediately upgraded my DVD burning SW - $79.00. Then I purchased a 1 GB flash card $50.00 - so I could take lots of pictures at 4mp (the camera did not come with even a basic 32mb card.) I bought DVD RW discs - $20.00. Bought a camera bag for $25.00 - NONE OF WHICH CAN BE RETURNED.

If you are willing to put up with all of the above issues read on about the feature that I could test. Trying to be as unbiased as possible - but its difficult.

Features I used
Ease of use: Turn it on with a disk inside and you can shoot right away. It has an easy button that makes the camera really easy to use. Just point and shoot. You can take still pictures also by clicking the shutter release button which is separate from the record video button. Takes a little getting used to remember to press the correct button. The zoom in/out, shutter click and on/off knob are all located right next to each other. The zoom button feels just like the on/off button so sometimes you'll end up shutting off the camera unintentionally.

Camera setup: The menu is intuitive and informational. It’s easy to set up the camera for initial use. All function can be set using the extra wide view-finder which is really nice. Alternately u can use the eye-piece view finder also. You can set exposure, shooting mode (wide screen or regular), date time etc. Discs can also be finalized/un-finalized. There is also a feature that allows you to edit your videos.

CMOS Sensor: No idea what its purpose. I suppose it gives better image quality as it says on the box but I had nothing to compare with. The still images did not compare to my Canon Powershot Elph 500 digital camera.

Steady shot: Works very well. It worked so well I didn’t even realize it was working. Long shots were very steady and the zoom quality was good.

Zoom: 10x is actually not great. I saw much cheaper Sony Handy cams which had 120x optical zoom. I found 10x to be adequate though.

Night Shot: I experimented with it a little. It has a super night shot also which works great.

Bundled Software: It was easy to install but a pain to use. I've worked with photo software before but I found the packaged software a hassle. Did not use it eventually.

Cables: Comes with a USB to connect to your comp and is USB2 capable. Comes with AV cable to connect to your TV. Comes with a DC adapter and you can charge the battery on the camera using the adapter.

Extra Wide LCD viewfinder: It’s a very nice feature. Enough room for a man to comfortably press buttons on. The touch screen is easy to access and the picture on the LCD is very clear.

Video Quality: The image quality was not fantastic. You could get better image quality from 8mm media. In low light conditions like indoors the image was grainy. Outdoor shots were great!

Still Pictures: The quality was not great. There is a lag between pressing the shutter release and actual shutter release. It does not replace your Digital camera. I was very interested in this feature as I expected I would be able to leave my Canon elph home – but not so.

Sound: The Dolby 5.1 works very well. In one clip I actually turned back to see where the sound was coming from. Unfortunately I was unable to test the Bluetooth feature.