Sony MHS-PM1 Webbie HD First Impressions Camcorder Review

At CES this year Sony unveiled two new ultra-compact, Webbie HD camcorders: the traditionally shaped MHS-CM1, which is currently available for $199.99, and the upright, Flip Mino-esque MHS-PM1, which will be available in March for about $170. The MHS-PM1 offers some exciting additions to the upright, pocket-sized camcorder market. First, it has a rotating lens that is capable of a 270-degree swivel. Second, it offers a removable lithium ion battery pack and records video and images to Memory Stick memory cards. Third, the camcorder records HD 1080p video using a 30p mode and it can capture 5 Megapixel still images at a max resolution of 2592 x 1944.

The MHS-PM1 also comes with internal software that allows for quick, seamless video and image upload to YouTube as well as other media hosting websites. With all these features and options, it is clear Sony is hoping to grab a big chunk of the ultra-compact market and steal some of the spotlight away from Pure Digital's Flip series of camcorders. The camcorder is available in three colors—eggplant, orange, and silver.

Lens & Sensor
The MHS-PM1 has a fixed lens, which means the lens has no moving parts and cannot perform an optical zoom. The lens is able to rotate, however, thanks to a swivel-joint system on the top of the camcorder. This gives the MHS-PM1 the capability of capturing footage at odd angles, and it also helps deal with the viewing problems created by the stationary LCD on the back of the camcorder. The MHS-PM1 is packed with a huge 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor, which corresponds to a whopping effective pixel count of 5 Megapixels. This sensor is nearly twice the size of the 1/4.5-inch CMOS sensor found in the Flip MinoHD.

Front
The front of the MHS-PM1 doesn't include much. The rotating lens sits at the top, waiting to swivel at your command, and a small microphone hangs out in a slot just to the right of the lens.

The front of the Sony MHS-PM1

Right
The right side has three buttons: an on/off switch, a menu button, and a delete/format button for changing image size and video resolution.

The right side of the MHS-PM1

Back
The back of the MHS-PM1 has a stationary LCD screen with a set of buttons directly beneath it. A shutter button for snapping photos is on the left, next to it is a zoom toggle that manipulates the digital zoom, and to the right of this is the record button. Another row of buttons is further down on the camcorder: the playback button, the navigation joystick, and the share/tagging button for organizing and indexing your clips and photos.

The lens at the top of the camcorder can rotate fully, so it is easy to point the lens at yourself if you want to take a quick snapshot or video of your own face.

The back of the MHS-PM1

Left
The left side has no buttons, but a small speaker takes the form of a plus-sign at the top of the camcorder. Down at the bottom is a port cover that snaps open to reveal the USB port, AV-out, and DC-input.

The left side of the MHS-PM1

Top
No buttons or ports are located on the top of the camcorder, which can look quite strange with the lens rotated inward (as it appears below).

The top of the MHS-PM1 with lens rotated inward.

Bottom
The Memory Stick slot is located on the bottom of the MHS-PM1, behind a sliding door cover. The rechargeable battery is also located here. Also on the bottom of the camcorder is a standard tripod mount.

The bottom of the MHS-PM1