Sony HDR-CX150 16GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this camera on Monday, had fun with it for two days, and then returned it. Although I can't afford it, I then closed my eyes and ordered the HDR-CX550V. I basically went from the bottom of the Sony consumer class to the top in one fell swoop.
Things I liked about the CX150:
* FABULOUS quality in adequate light. The video in 24 Mbps mode is stunning. Search YouTube for examples. Every hair on my cat, dust particles in sunlight, it all shows up with beautiful resolution. It's amazing. Almost Blu-Ray quality. You won't find any consumer-class camcorder with better quality.
* 25x zoom , when used with a tripod, lets you get really close
* "macro" works without any special settings. Just put the lens an inch away and it will focus. Resolves fingerprints.
* Amazingly tiny. With no hard drive or tape drive, the unit is frighteningly small. You can put it and all the cables + charger in a camera case designed for a DSLR + telephoto
* PMB software works, has good basic editing. Used it to grab frames from movies - almost don't need the "still" function if 1990x1080 res is good enough.
* It will take a 32GB memory stick, even though the feature list says they only support 16.
* The touch screen is responsive
* "touch the object" spot focus, spot white balance is cool
* Give it the NP-FV70 battery and it will record for hours and hours
Things I either did not like or features missing (by "missing" I realize that you have to pay more). Don't mistake the length of my 'cons' list as hating the little guy - it's a good camera for what it is designed to be.
* A bit pricey. I think it is worth about $450.00, not the $549.00 list
* No wide-angle. I wish Sony had made the lens go from slightly wide-angle to about 15x, instead of from normal to 25x.
* No external mic input
* No hot shoe - not even the Sony proprietary one
* Zoom motor noise is very audible in quiet settings - don't expect to use this camera to record acoustic orchestral music in concert halls
* The "smooth slow-mo 240 fps" is NOT HD 1080i60 quality. Might be OK at 720, but I found it disappointingly blurry. I'd love to see it have the same capability as the Casio EX-FX1 (not holding breath)
* Not enough buttons - too much reliance on the touch screen. I prefer buttons to scrolling through menus. Sony could fix this by providing more than 6 "my menu" choices.
* Auto focus works good most of the time, but when it gets confused it is horrible. Combine that with no quick focus wheel and it is a recipe for loosing shots
* Picture mode is not available in 24 Mbps HD mode.
* The electronic stabilization does not work. I've grown used to optical stabilization in my DSC-H50 and there is no going back.
* Short of using something like the Black Rapid Straps Fasten-R2 screwed into the tripod shoe, there is no way to attach a neck strap. I almost dropped it several times.
* The plastic housing is sensitive to noise - any little touch while recording will show up as sound in the video.
* No windscreen for the mics. Combine that with no external mic capability and you won't be able to hear anything in windy conditions.
* No remote
* No "night shot" infrared
* Low light performance is what you would expect from a small lens size. All the electronics in the world can't fully compensate for glass area.
Summary: if you want a fairly cheap, tiny camera for shooting GREAT quality vids of vacations, the kids and the pets, this is an excellent choice. Want to do more, and you will need to pay more for a better unit. Just want to help other people avoid my experience of being a bit disappointed and having to trade up.

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Capture stunning 1920 x 1080 Full HD video and 3.0 Megapixel images with the ultra-compact HDR-CX150, which features an "Exmor R" CMOS sensor for superior low-light performance, 16GB of embedded flash memory, and a Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 25x optical zoom lens to help bring you closer to the action.

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Westinghouse LVM-37W3 37-Inch 1080p LCD Video Monitor Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Let me start off by saying that this is my 4th Westinghouse TV(monitor). I've spent this last year replacing all of the CRTs in my house with flat panels (as opposed to "flat screens" which usually indicates bulky CRT/tube TVs). The logic was, I wanted to get rid of the weight and the bulkiness of the CRTs and I definitely wanted to upgrade to the High Definition picture and connections. I researched for about 6 months before deciding on the Westinghouse brand. There are several equal or better brands but some of them are twice the cost of the comparable Westinghouse and I am more of a bargain hunter. Okay, I'm thrifty.
I bought my first 37" Westinghouse (an LVM37w1) in January of 2006. I had heard of the Westinghouse brand, but it was only based on alarm clocks and other appliances that we had around the house as kids. I was spending over a $1,000 on this first purchase, so I crossed my fingers AND purchased the 4-year replacement warranty. Overall, I was ecstatic with the first TV. My only complaint was of a peripheral nature, the LVM37w1 is a monitor, not an actual HDTV(television with tuner) so I had to go out and purchase a separate used HDTV tuner(for ~$75 off Craig's list) in order to watch Hi-definition television.
I was so happy with the first Westinghouse TV, in June 2006, I bought my second one, a 32" HDTV (with an HD tuner built in). Again, I crossed my fingers and paid extra for the 4-year extended warranty.
This October, 2006, very happy with my previous purchases, I went ahead and completed my LCD flat panel for CRT swap around the house by buying one 42" Westinghouse LCD HDTV monitor (the LVM42w2) and one 37" Westinghouse LCD HDTV monitor (the LVM37w3). I didn't buy the 4-year extended warranties this time because I feel like the 1-year factory warranty is good enough. If you're going to have problems with your LCD, like dead pixels, it's invariably right out of the box. Thru my research, I've learned that pixels will rarely, rarely die out two or three years later.
I moved the original 37" LVM37w1 into my home office and hooked it up to my computer. I was able to instantly get the phenomonal 1920x1080 resolution using a cheapo $5.00 VGA/VGA cable. Some of my friends thought the monitor would be too large but trust me, once you work on your computer with a 37" monitor with a crystal clear picture, you will NEVER go back to a little 19" or 20". For example, this review I am writing is overly long but I can see the entire review on my 37" monitor in huge, perfectly defined 1/4" high text. It's wonderful.
So now I have experience with FOUR Westinghouse monitors (from 1-1/2 months up to 11 months) serving as computer monitors, televisions (with separately purchased HDTV tuners) and DVD monitors for movie night ... and I couldn't be happier with my choice of monitors. (NOTE: make sure you use an UP-CONVERSION DVD player as opposed to just a progressive scan. It makes your DVDs look fantastic and converts them to 1080i).
I think the moral of the story is:
- Buy from a reputable source. That way you can return them if necessary.
- I bought local. The stores I bought from gave me a 14-day return policy if I noticed any dead pixels. They claimed that the # of pixels had to be grouped in 10 or more, but their policy allowed a universal return, meaning even if I didn't like the color of the outer bezel, I could return the set. Therefore, if I had even noticed ONE dead pixel, I would have returned the set and stated that I didn't like the color of the bezel!
-NOTE: Out of my four monitors, three are 1080p(meaning 1920x1080 resolution) and one is 720p (meaning 1320x768 resolution). That means that I had over 7 MILLION pixels that could have been "dead" (meaning that the pixel was locked in on one color --- typically blacked out) and yet, after scouring all four sets, I never found a single dead pixel. The easiest way to check for dead pixels is to hook it up to your computer and run it thru its paces as opposed to trying to located them off a paused DVD or TV screen.
Sorry about the extended length but I hope this helps.

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With 37 inches of pure HD entertainment, you'll have trouble deciding what to do on it next. The Westinghouse 37" 1080p monitor is a true 1080p monitor, combining leading-edge technology with stylish design, to deliver the ultimate in entertainment enjoyment. The LVM-37w3 is ideal for all viewing environments, with greater versatility than plasma, especially for daytime viewing. Designed to be future-proof, this big 1080p monitor is equipped with 6 HD connections. If you're into maximum entertainment, it's the only display that should be connected to your HD cable box, satellite or multimedia PC.

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