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Sony Ultracompact 'Bloggie' Camcorders

January 6, 2010 – Sony has upgraded its 2009 Webbie HD camcorders with a new series: the Bloggie. The MHS-PM5 and MHS-CM5 represent Sony's second foray into the ultracompact camcorder market, with some improvements that the company hopes will bring it one step closer to challenging the dominant Flip series of camcorders.

Most of what has changed this time around is the overall design. Both Bloggie cams have been significantly de-cluttered, with fewer buttons and options than were present on the PM1 and CM1. Options such as scene selection have been removed to make the camcorders easier to use.

The PM5 is very similar in design to last year's PM1. It features the same fixed lens and huge 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor, as well as similar ports and controls. An innovative swivel head lets you easily self-record or capture unique angles, despite the limitations of ultracompact camcorder design. To highlight the unique capabilities of this lens, Sony is marketing a special kit that comes with a 360 video lens. Point the lens of the PM5 upward, attach the 360 lens, and you can record everything in front of, behind, and to the sides of the camcorder.

The CM5 is greatly changed from last year's CM1—a change we heartily support. The clumsy vertical body of the CM1 has been replaced by an upright pistol grip design, similar to that seen on Sanyo's Xacti line or Sony's own TG5V. This change makes for a much more portable device, while still allowing for a more sophisticated 5x optical zoom lens. Plus, while the PM5's digital image stabilization is only activated during low resolution recording, the CM5 has digital SteadyShot in all settings.

There are two substantial changes to this year's PM5 and CM5. For starters, the USB port has been replaced by a built-in USB arm that swings out or folds into the body of the camcorder, as needed. It's about time Sony implemented this bit of technology from the Flip and others like it. The other improvement lies under the hood: you can now record full 1920 x 1080 video at 30 frames/sec or 1280 x 720 video at 60 frames/sec. Both of these recording options are natively progressive.

The MHS-PM5 and MHS-CM5 Bloggie camcorders will come in a variety of colors (including white, teal, eggplant, pink, and black) and will be available this spring.