Product Description

Compatible with Full HD (1080i), the HDR-CX6 from Sony is the first camcorder from the Japanese company to record high-definition images to memory card, and is one of the smallest camcorders on today's market.The HDR-CX6 captures images in great quality thanks to its 3.2-megapixel CMOS sensor. Also able to save videos in 1920 x 1080 pixels, this camcorder comes with a 14-bit HD DXP processor and the x.v.Colour processing feature to further improve the quality of your images. What's more, the HDR-CX6 features a whole range of settings and programmes, including 11 scene modes and 5 special effects to add a touch of originality to your creations. Thanks to its 27" 16:9 touch screen with built-in spot meter and spot focus adjustment buttons, this device from Sony gives you total control over your photos. Furthermore, this camcorder has a powerful optical image stabiliser and a NightShot mode so you can get fantastic results even in the worst lighting conditions. The included 4 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card lets you store up to 30 minutes of high-definition video and 1 hour and 25 minutes worth of standard video. The HDR-CX6 can even record video and fixed images at the same time thanks to its Dual Recording function. The HDR-CX6 also has a resolution of up to 6 megapixels for sensational photos. The HDR-CX6 from Sony comes complete with its docking station so you can save your data to DVD via the DVD Burn button. With an HDMI output, USB 2.0 port and PictBridge compatibility, the HDR-CX6 lets you directly print your photos to paper, carry out video editing on your computer or even watch your videos on a high-definition television.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29440 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sony
• Model: HDRCX6EK.CEH
• Released on: 2007-05-29
• Dimensions: .82 pounds

Manufacturer's Description
The world's smallest and lightest full-HD camcorder (as of April 2007, Sony research) is here, offering you the ability to film in the incredible 1080i HDTV format. Not only affordable, the HDR-CX6EK cuts out the hassle of tape and DVD, as it works to record on Sony Memory Stick, letting you potentially create up to 8GB of footage in a single session - just under three hours worth of recording! You can record up to 15 hours in a single session. Fitted with a precision-built Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens and a ClearVid CMOS sensor, you get the benfit of optimal picture quality.

Equipped with a HDMI output, you can bring the amazing High Definition pictures to your HD-ready television. The Sony HDR-CX6EK HandyCam features an x.v.Colour mode for producing more vivid and life-life colour in your filming. Browsing is quick and simple with new intelligent search functions such as film roll index, face index and highlight index. An incredible 10 x optical zoom lets you pick up exceptional close-up detail without quality loss. Don't worry about camera-wobble, the Super SteadyShot technology is on-board to ensure your footage comes out looking professional!

Appending to the multimedia functions and complementing the next-generation HD technology, you get a Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound creator, complete with built-in microphone.

Feel the advantage of touch-screen control thanks to the 2.7" wide ClearPhoto LCD Plus screen, allowing you to peruse through the amazing options on offer, such as the Smooth Slow Rec mode for advanced slow motion footage. The easy-to-use menu and guide functions make this Sony HD camcorder a breeze to use. For computer editing, simply hook up with your system's USB port for editing - the camera and computer work together in harmony, sending picture and sound information to and from each other! True widescreen filming in 1080i HD can now fit into your hand!

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Be aware of editing issues
The camera is amazing, the quality of the images extraordinary etc etc. All true. Especially good is the lack of any audio hum from the camera - as no moving parts, so the built in microphone is actually quite useful for a change.
But the camera is ahead of the PCs and MACs editing abilities in that AVCHD is not yet edited natively. The sequence goes something like this.
1 record an hours footage in high def onto 4GB memory stick.
2 archive the entire memory stick into a folder (still 4GB obviously)
3 on the mac, open final cut express 4 and use the log and transfer screen to select the folder and open it to reveal the video clips. So far so good.
4 import the clips you want.
5 wait while they are transcoded into apples intermediate codec.
6 (on a dual core 2.4 intel imac this happens at about real time speed)
7 gasp in horror as you realise your 4GB AVCHD is now opened up into 40GB of intermediate codec.
8 Grapple with the huge files and edit with a horribly glitchy timeline, especially if used to the lovely feel of DV editing.
9 output your edited film to whatever format you like, but allow the computer at least overnight to do the rendering.
10 keep the edit but delete the project and intermediate codec files, or buy shares in WD, iomega, maxtor etc.

Essentially the only reason to have your footage in AVCHD is to either future proof the footage, and certainly archiving the AVCHD files is quick and easy, or to view the amazing footage unedited directly on a HD TV, picking the unedited clips you want to see.
If however you want to edit the footage into something watchable, then DV is still king. Sure uploading the footage is done in realtime, but once on your harddrive the editing is a dream.

In summary I cannot fault the beautiful camera nor the images it produces.
I'm delighted to have future proofed my footage. I look forward to owning a new computer able to edit AVCHD natively. In the meantime I may change my editing process and take the standard def video output from the camera, record it onto my DV deck, and then upload that DV footage onto my computer for editing. Workarounds are the name of the game at present with all the compressed HD cameras!

Amazing !
After carefully reading up on all the camcorders available and other customer reviews I opted for this model . . I was'nt disappointed. After ordering it arrived next morning. Straight out the box put the memory card in and did some test shots indoor and outdoor. I then went to my playstaion 3 and played back on my 42 inch Pioneer Plasma and inserted the memory card , pressed play and wow ! Stunning images and sound . Went to my pc and installed the software provided . In a few minutes install completed successfully , transfered the footage into the Sony Motion Browser without problems. I then copied the footage onto dvd in Hd ...minutes later tested the dvd on my Playstation 3.Again Simply stunning !
I'm glad I opted not to get the built in hard drive option as I think the memory cards will be a better way to store as transfer seems easy. To Sum up ..No negatives found so far , worth every penny and as usual a faultless service from Amazon.

Great camera for great quality filming
I can't wait to get out and about and start filming with the superb camera (just waiting for my case to arrive) - from what I have filmed so far (using the highest quality settings) the quality is spot on with images as sharp and clear as ones you'd expect to see from a TV documentary, I do agree with other reviews that the low light quality is a bit grainy but if you set the exposure to manual and tweak the settings you can reduce this to an acceptable level. The quality in good light is brilliant, you can zoom in and see an incredible amount of detail - I tried zooming into our carpet (just to experiment ;) and you could see the fine fibres that you can't even see with your naked eye.

On highest quality the battery provided gives you and estimated 108mins - which exceeded what I expected - the 4Mb memory card provided gives you about 31mins. Obviously there are numerous options to turn down the quality to give you many more minutes if you don't require the high resolution in your shots.

The stills are good too but perhaps not as good as an actual dedicated 6.1Mb digital camera. If you zoom in to a picture on the computer after transfer you can't zoom too far before you start to see the some amount of graininess (since you are magnifying the image) - but for taking snaps it does the job and if your bothered about high res stills then maybe getting a separate dedicated digital camera would be advised.

I have not played around with the software much but it appears to be comprehensive and easy to use - I transferred some material and rendered it as a HD DIVX and the quality on playback was top notch.

The actual camera looks great and looks very robust, the screen is very clear and the night mode includes an infra-red light so if you want to film in the total dark you can!