Comments about Sony Sony MHS-PM1/D 5MP Webbie HD MP4 Camcorder, 4x Digital Zoom, MPEG4 Format, Silver:

I have owned the camera for about 1 week and I use it daily to capture memories of my family. I also own another comparable HD pocket video cam.

My interest in this Sony Webbie was based on the fact that it can record HD 1080p 30fps video AND take 5MP photos on the same device! 5MP is a great photo size for prints and it won't eat up your hard drive.

The specs and capabilities of this tiny little device pack a great punch for a decent price. You turn it on and you're instantly ready for recording a video or taking a picture with out twisting any dials or navigating any menus. Press "Photo" to take a photo, press "Movie" to shoot video. The battery life is OK, but not great.

However, I have a couple of issues with this video camera. My main one, unfortunately, is the picture quality. Compared to my other HD Pocket camera, this Sony Webbie HD seems to have poor image quality. It especially has trouble interpreting lighting conditions resulting in mediocre looking videos. All of the videos and photos seem to have this faded and/or pea soup greenish tint. What a waste of 1080p.

Also, a minor issue is the slow response of the 5MP Photo mode. You must first set up the shot by pressing and holding the "Photo" button, then fully press down the button to take the photo. The response time is about half a second after you set up the shot. Minimum time to take a photo without setting up is 2 whole seconds. It is very annoying until you get the hang of it.

Other than that, it picks up audio very nicely and the swivel lens is a great feature for including yourself easily into your photos and videos.

If you are looking for a fun HD camera for casual use at a good price then this is a good bet. But, if video picture quality is very important to you then stay away from the webbie.