Sony Webbie HD MHS-CM1 Camcorder Review

Sony MHS-CM1 versus Flip Mino HD
• The Flip Mino is much easier to use: from recording to editing to uploading • The Sony is a traditional horizontal design, while the Flip is an ultra-compact upright • The CM1 comes in three different colors, while the Flip Mino series has a sleeker aesthetic and is infinitely customizable • Video performance of the two is very similar in bright lighting conditions, with the Sony having a slight edge in automatic white balance and resolution • The Flip Mino HD blows the Sony out of the water in low light performance, with far superior sensitivity, color accuracy, and noise • The Sony has simple, mediocre still capabilities, while the Flip has none
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There are a lot of differences between the Sony MHS-CM1 and the Pure Digital Flip Mino HD. First and foremost, there's the question of aesthetics and handling: the CM1 is of a traditional horizontal design, while the Mino has the ultra-compact, upright style that Pure Digital made successful. The Mino is also a sleeker, sexier camcorder. You can create your own unique design with the Flip or settle for the orange, purple, or silver options of the CM1.

	Comparison Specs
	Sony MHS-CM1	Flip Mino HD
Price	$199	$229
Primary Recording Media	Memory Stick Pro Duo	4GB internal memory
Secondary Media	12MB internal memory	None
Image Sensor	1/2.5-inch CMOS	1/4.5-inch CMOS
Effective Pixel Count	2,070,000	Unknown
Mic Input	No	No
LCD/Viewfinder	2.5-inch 4:3 panel with 153,000-pixel resolution	1.5-inch
Weight	210 g (7 oz.)	94g (3.3 oz.)
Dimensions	43 x 61 x 105mm (1.75 x 2.5 x 4.25 inches)	50 x 100 x 16 mm (3.94 x 1.97 x 0.63 inches)
HD	Yes	Yes
Optical Zoom	5x	None
Frame Rates	1080/30p	720/30p

In terms of performance, there's one thing that sets the Flip apart: low light performance. The Webbie turned in abysmal scores for sensitivity and mediocre results in color accuracy and noise. In bright light, the two are more equal, with the Sony showing a slight edge with its superior resolution and automatic white balance (which meant more accurate colors in indoor lighting conditions).

Required Illumination *

* the lower the lux required, the better the performance

But there are other differences too: the Sony records to a removable MemoryStick, while the Mino is all internal memory. The CM1 has still photography, while the Mino does not. What really has us sold on the Mino, however, is its incredible ease of use. Recording video is so hassle-free and uploading to YouTube is a snap. The Webbie was sometimes unintuitive to navigate and was a cumbersome, painful ordeal for uploading. A camcorder better have far superior video quality for it to win out over the Flip... the Sony MHS-CM1 does not.