Sony Webbie HD MHS-CM1 Camcorder Review

Manual Controls Summary
• There are no manual controls for exposure, focus, shutter speed, or white balance • Fortunately, the automatic adjustments work well in most conditions • Exposure is too dark in low light and sometimes blows out highlights • Automatic white balance is surprisingly accurate • 5x optical zoom is a nice added bonus, but there's no variable zoom speed • The onscreen histogram is superfluous for an entry-level camcorder that offers no manual controls for responding to the information provided
	Compression & Media	(Page 7 of 17)	Still Features

Auto Mode (6.51)

The Sony MHS-CM1 is its own auto mode. Since there aren't any manual adjustments you can make, you'll be relegated to cruise control for the entirety of your shooting experience. Fortunately, the automatic features work well in most shooting conditions.

Exposure can be tricky in very dark and very bright conditions: highlights are often blown out and, as we mentioned above, the low light sensitivity is not very good. Focus works well except in dark conditions, where it has trouble settling on a focal subject. The really pleasant surprise was white balance, which is often terrible for consumer camcorders shooting in indoor lighting. The Sony MHS-CM1, however, handled itself well and gave us accurate color balancing in most indoor scenarios.

Low Light Modes
The Sony MHS-CM1 does not have any specific low light shooting mode, except for the Low Light scene mode listed below. This is one of the ways that the Webbie differs from other Sony camcorders. Extraneous features have been removed to maintain simplicity. More advanced Sonys include multiple low light modes that play with the auto shutter speed to allow more light into the sensor. The CM1 could have used something like to make up for its abysmally low light performance.

Scene Modes
While many features have been stripped away, a grouping of Scene modes did make the roster. They are listed in the menu and include: Sports, Landscape, Low Light, and Backlight. In an apparent effort to make operation simple, the designers have actually complicated some of the operation here. Normally, you would use a directional-pad (D-pad) to toggle up or down a list of items, then push the OK button to confirm your selection. But in the Scene modes list, you don't actually need to confirm. In fact, it doesn't even respond to a tap of the OK button. How do you know if you're shooting in a Scene mode? Only a tiny icon onscreen indicates the selection, and the icons are vague enough that only long-time Sony owners or those that have studied the manual will be able to decipher it.

Zoom (6.0)

Zoom is controlled by a small toggle located on top of the Sony MHS-CM1's body, near the rear. Don't expect much in terms of fine control. Unlike the majority of camcorders on the market, this zoom toggle is not pressure sensitive. It offers a single, fixed zoom speed across the entire 5x range. Also, unlike other Sony camcorders, there is no secondary set of zoom controls along the bottom of the LCD panel. This is no great loss, as it's hard to imagine holding the tiny CM1 with two hands. 

The zoom toggle is of a standard design, but doesn't allow for variable speed zooming.

Zoom Ratio (2.55)

The Sony MHS-CM1 has a meager 5x optical zoom. While this may be sufficient compared to some point-and-shoot cameras, it pales in comparison to average camcorders in the same price range, which run between 10x and 35x optical zoom. For a little more money, you can find zooms as high as 50x, as in the Panasonic SDR-H60. On the plus side, the 5x optical zoom is better than the 2x digital seen on the rest of the YouTube competition, including Sony's own MHS-PM1. Plus, the MHS-CM1 offers exacting onscreen details about the zoom power, down to the nearest tenths decimal point.

A digital zoom option can be turned on and off in the menu, and extends the zoom out to 10x.

Zoom Comparisons
Wide Angle	2.5x Zoom	20x Zoom

Focus (0.0)

The Sony MHS-CM1 offers no manual control over focus. Most inexpensive ultra-compacts, including the pack leader Pure Digital Flip Mino, have a fixed focus lens. The  CM1, however, has a focal range of 6.4 - 31.4mm.

There is a one-touch Tele Macro setting, activated with the D-pad. However, we found that it didn't seem to have any effect while shooting objects in close range.

Exposure (0.0)

There are no exposure controls on the Sony MHS-CM1. You can add a couple lux of light with the built-in LED, but it won't provide anything more powerful than the average keychain flashlight. 

Aperture (0.0)

There are no aperture controls on the Sony MHS-CM1. 

Shutter Speed (0.0)

There are no shutter speed controls on the Sony MHS-CM1. The Sports setting in the Scene modes probably increases the shutter speed, since that's the preferable setting for fast moving scenes. The Low Light scene mode may decrease shutter speed. In normal mode, the auto shutter speed ranges from 1/30 to 1/4000. 

White Balance (0.0)

There are no white balance controls on the Sony MHS-CM1. Fortunately, the automatic white balance works better than on most consumer camcorders.

Gain (0.0)

If there weren't exposure, aperture, shutter speed or white balance settings on the Sony MHS-CM1, you can be pretty sure there aren't any gain controls either.

Color & Image Controls (0.0)

There are no additional color and image controls.

Other Manual Controls (0.5)

Cryptically, the Sony MHS-CM1 offers an optional onscreen histogram, which demonstrates the exposure levels within your current frame. With no tools for making manual adjustments, this seems like superfluous information to provide—and potentially confuse—your user. Even if the histogram tells me that levels are too high or too low, there's not much I can do other than find a flashlight or go shoot somewhere else.