Sony HDR-MV1 Music Video Recorder (Black)

(Edit: UGHH...The video looks terrible uploaded here!) NOTE: This isn't really a video review. This is my first time uploading video for viewers to see. So this is just a sample video displaying the quality. This little thing has surprised me with the quality when shooting outside. That was my last test to see whether I was going to return it or not. It needs good lighting to product crisp clean video. I used it to record my son in side and wasn't really pleased with the quality in low light. The footage looked weird on the computer, a bit washed out, but when I streamed to the footage straight to my Samsung 55inch LED 240Hz TV it would be warmer, but still not as pleasing as i'd want it. I figured it's a "you got what you paid for" kind of product. I bumped up the light in the house and notice gains in quality. That's when I got curious to shoot in daylight. Pointed it outside my window just to get some footage, then took it to the PC to stream to the TV. I was THEN surprised. My initial reaction was "S*** look at that, oh so clean and clear" I guess I was making noises because my wife started teasing me, haha. So in all, for just under $300, this lil guy has exceeded my expectations in quality and easy of use. The file format it produces is an MP4, which can easily be uploaded anywhere and played on your PC, iPhone & iPad without a hiccup. You don't really need a manual because it's pretty simple to use. You turn it on, press the start/stop record button, then shoot. A lot of folks don't like that there is a side view, I can understand why because I too would like to see what i'm shooting. However, if you have it on a tripod, standing at the side while rotating it is best. The mics are very sensitive. If you have it on the table and tried to turn it to shoot something else, you will hear it. So a tripod is best or sitting it down pointing in the direction you need. I say try it, if you don't like it, return it. Amazon is great with returns. I gave it 5 starts due to how compact it is, how easy it is to transport, how easy it is to get the footage off of the device. The increased quality in good lighting, how clear the audio is. You can get pretty creative with this. I would take .5 off for not being able to see from the back making it a 4.5 star product.

Very good at recording audio at loud concerts without much, if any, distortion. Don't expect pro quality video from this as the video part is more of an add-on than main feature. That said, the video is quite good especially in low lighting scenarios and much more "usable" than other brands such as the Zoom Q series. The fisheye effect from the wide angle len is CONSIDERABLY less on this Sony compared to the Zoom Q series equivalent which I almost bought. For all of this I choose this Sony over the Zoom. One area that, for me, that it completely fails at, is the wireless control via smartphone. The monitor on this is placed on the side, is not moveable, and is very uncomfortable to watch while trying to pan the subject in the middle of the view. Selfie stick + smartphone control to the rescue - kinda. You can use a Sony app on your smartphone to control and view the recording so you can move the camera around on a selfie stick to get the best vantage point. When it works, it is fantastic. When it doesn't, it makes you want to throw the thing away - it is so frustrating. Most of the time, it disconnects so you lose control and view of the camera. I tried this, recording 4 days of concerts on a cruise ship, with two different iPhones and two different (same model) cameras with the same results. I am very unimpressed with the smartphone control feature. Fantastic idea - total failure in implementation. So - buyer beware. Maybe the next generation will be great but for what I need this for and how I need to use it - it's a fail.

Hi, I purchased the MV-1 the weekend it was released after viewing all of the Japanese video's posted online of folks using it. I play drums in a couple of terrible bands and go to a lot of small shows in little bars to see my friends terrible bands. I use a 64gig class 10 microSD card in my camera, so far this little guy has been perfect for me! I set this camera up every time we have a practice session, or whenever i'm practicing alone then dump the files onto a hard drive, its so easy to put this in a corner, and get better than decent recordings to review, critique and go back to whenever you want. its been helping me clean up small problems with my playing, and it helps my guitarist remember what chords he was pulling out during a particular Jam. For an armature musician like me, this helps me get the most out of the infrequent times i get to practice. The inability to zoom and side screen would be annoying if I were to use this for something other than recording music, but I don't, This is a music recording device that is crazy light, has good sound, and still gets a decent picture. The wide angle lens allows you to just point in the general direction of the show and you will get everything you need in the frame. I've yet to use this in an outside venue or in a large indoor venue, but so far it has exceeded my expectations.

Excellent camera doesn't have more setting go straight to shoot.

Does a great job

Good sound but no zoom ?!?

Sound capture is excellent, although video quality is poorer than an average mid-high end smartphone. No display screen makes video recording with precision difficult. Although its the best there is for recording high quality songs at ur home.

You can not record while charging App does not show display properly and disconnects frequently Display is not facing you so useless Recording quality excellent Audio superbbbbb But I could not use due to above mentioned problems in blogging