Sony Webbie HD MHS-CM1 Camcorder Review

Low Light Performance Summary
• Overall, low light performance was very poor • Internal processing and the f/3.3 maximum aperture made for abominable sensitivity—despite the large 1/2.5-inch sensor • Mediocre saturation and poor color accuracy • Persistent grain of noise—much worse than what you see in bright light
	Motion & Resolution Performance	(Page 5 of 17)	Compression & Media

Low Light Sensitivity (0.45)

Low light sensitivity was one of the weakest areas of the CM1's performance. This was, frankly, a surprising result, considering the large 1/2.5-inch sensor. Often, budget YouTube cams with large sensors are able to pick up more light. The MHS-CM1 required 27 lux to produce 50 IRE on our waveform monitor. (More on how we test low light sensitivity.)

Required Illumination *

* the lower the lux required, the better the performance

Clearly, the internal processing and the f/3.3 maximum aperture did not do the CM1 any favors in low light sensitivity.

Low Light Color (7.03)

The color accuracy in low light conditions is not quite as good as in bright light. The MHS-CM1 loses quite a bit of its saturation, with just 76.17%. The color error score according to Imatest was 5.22. This comes hand in hand with the darker image, which especially skews the green and purple hues. (More on how we test low light color.)

Note: CCI is using a new color error formula this year for our new 2009-2010 rubric, so the numbers won't match up with the results from most camcorders we reviewed over the past two years. The new system uses the CIEDE2000 formula, which is the most accurate equation for determining color error, and will be in place on all our reviews as of 2009. The color error for the three comparison models below has been recalculated using the new formula.

Auto Low Light Color Performance
Color Chart with Error Chart to the right
According to Imatest, the Sony MHS-CM1 produced a color error of 5.22 and a saturation of 76.17%. (The map on the right is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular color.)

A 5.22 color error score isn't great for a high definition camcorder, even in low light. It means that the white balance worked fine, but that noise and desaturation prevent the image from retaining the most accurate colors. The CM1's competition fared better, with the Kodak Zi6 and the Flip Mino HD both turning in significantly better scores.

Low Light Color Comparison
Sony MHS-CM1	Flip Mino HD
Kodak Zi6	Flip Mino

Low Light Color Score Comparison

* Scores for these models were recalculated using the new 2009-2010 rubric.

Low Light Noise (9.02)

In low light noise levels, the MHS-CM1 once again fails to impress. The clear image we saw in bright lighting conditions is dark and marred by a sheet of fine noise. According to our Imatest results, the noise percentage came in at a whopping 1.33%. (More on how we test low light noise.)

Noise at 60 lux Auto
Sony MHS-CM1 100% Crop	Flip Mino HD 100% Crop	Kodak Zi6 100% Crop	Flip Mino 100% Crop

The noise on the MHS-CM1 isn't as discolored as what you'll see in the Kodak Zi6, but it's just as omnipresent. For a clear image in low light, you're much better off going with the Flip Mino HD or even the original Flip Mino.

Low Light Noise Score Comparisons

* Scores for these models were recalculated using the new 2009-2010 rubric.