Sony MHS-CM5

Compression (7.60)

The Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 (and its sister model, the PM5) record in the standard MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format. This format is easier to edit than the large AVCHD files recorded by full-featured HD camcorders.

Also new this year, the Bloggie lineup has a native 60p recording mode and a full 1920 × 1080 30p mode that were not present on last year’s Webbie line. It’s a shame that the 60p mode tops out at a resolution of 1280 × 720—recording in full HD is only possible at 30fps. Sony does not publish the bitrate of the Bloggie camcorders, but we estimate the maximum to be approximately 7Mbps. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various high definition compression types.

Media (5.35)

The CM5, like all Sony camcorders this year, has a single memory card slot that is compatible with either MemoryStick PRO Duo cards or traditional SD/SDHC memory cards. The Bloggie is not compatible with SDXC cards, but we are pleasantly surprised that Sony has adapted to allow consumers to use non-proprietary media.

There is also a small amount of internal memory on the CM5, but not enough to record video. (It’s primarily reserved for the built-in editing software.) Below is a table of maximum record times, based on selected media. Regardless of the capacity of your media, you will only be able to shoot continuously for approximately 29 minutes. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Still Features (7.61)

The Sony MHS-CM5 is not a good option if you’re looking for a true video-photo hybrid. The photo quality is very low and there just aren’t a lot of options to add versatility to the photos you shoot. In a pinch, however, you can certainly use the Bloggie to capture some meager still shots. The maximum resolution isn’t bad (2592 × 1944) and at least it takes photos at all, which is more than you can say for the Flip lineup.

In terms of options, the only thing Sony really provides is a self-timer. You can’t capture photos while recording video and there’s no flash, manual controls, continuous shot, or bracketing. That said, the size options alone put the Bloggie on even footing with most ultracompacts these days. The only competing model that outstrips the Bloggie is the tremendously Sanyo VPC-CG10. This little Xacti has tons of still photo options and good quality too. It isn’t as easy to use as the Flip and its clones, but the Sanyo’s offerings are impressive in this department.

Sony’s ultracompact camcorders turn in still color performance that’s just above average for their class. When compared to many higher priced camcorders and, especially, to dedicated still cameras, this is a poor performance. The color accuracy was 7.13, while saturation was measured at 131.6%,

In terms of our still photography noise testing, the Bloggie was very poor indeed. Its captured photos were even noisier than those of last year’s MHS-CM1 Webbie—and those were really noisy. The alarming noise percentage of 1.77% is yet one more reason to only use the Bloggie for photos in a pinch. The Sanyo VPC-CG10, on the other hand, aced this test. This is yet another reason to buy the Sanyo if you’re looking for a video-still hybrid.

Still sharpness was probably the Bloggie’s strongest performance in our still photography testing. As was the case with video sharpness, the Bloggie managed to capture more fine detail than most of the competition. The CM5 measured a horizontal sharpness of 1919 lw/ph, with just 7.8% oversharpening. The vertical sharpness measured 1703 lw/ph with an oversharpening of 12.6%. These score are quite good for an ultracompact camcorder—though not as impressive as the sharp results of the VPC-CG10.