Mr. Tendy, I believe Sony should pay you for this review! If I didn't already have the camcorder, this review would have convinced me to buy it. Thank you for the pro tips on how to use the camcorder and for the mini concert. You guys are really good! :-)
Excellent review, thank you very much. Many people don't care for good audio or low-light recordings, but for me that's very important. Your video gave me all the information I needed. Great job... also as musician ;-)
Without repeating what many others have said, your video John is more effective in helping the viewer not only to make an informative choice; but reach for the pen and paper to make notes of the settings required for indoor and night settings. Just like your music, this video is in key and refreshingly entertaining :)
The CX405 certainly can deliver good video (and under the right conditions and settings, can maybe rival broadcast video). One thing that bugs however is the location of that tripod nut - right at the front end of the camera, with the operable controls being sited right at the other extreme end, resulting in unavoidable bounce on start up which is much magnified at the higher focal lengths, and wobbly zoom outs etc. This could have been obviated had they included a remote unit with it, but I guess the camera has been produced to provide optimum quality at minimum cost (in which they have succeeded), and I suppose that the majority of amateur video is shot hand-held in any case. None the less, if start and finish margins are allowed for in the editing, the CX405 can produce a very impressive result.
It is a clumsy location, but I use it with a clamp, sometimes on a wall or ceiling fixture, so it is actually a good location for my purposes. Thank you for commenting
John, bought the camera today in Amsterdam, after watching your review. I really liked the review because you used the camera on an ordinary day in your life. Good music as well!
It's still a good camera for the money, but remember this is eight- year-old technology and shoots at 1080. They go for about $229. But in 2024, for a few more dollars more you can do better. There are many 4k camcorders for under $500. Also, later versions of this camera have more features. Thanks for commenting!
+John Tendy Wow, Excited!. Glad it had arrived! Hope to see a good review testing out the 5.1 channel audio and with an external mic as well. It will be good to add in some AF test, like moving from one point to another to see the speed, Sony says that is faster.
just bought this camera today, and I must say I am very happy with it for the price. great camcorder for a pretty reasonable price. very good for vloging type stuff.
I still love to use it outdoors. I keep one in my glove compartment. Feather light, so it's great for hiking, sports, park. Have fun! Thanks for commenting. Best wishes - John
Was searching this morning for an inexpensive digicam and this came up as an on sale at Best Buy. Was on the fence about it reading some things here and there, but after your video showed such detail and actual video I made the decision to go ahead and buy it. Thanks so much
This is the camera I picked up, fantastic for what we currently use it for; recording tabletop miniature games indoors. Altogether it was under $300 CAD, had to alter a setting so it stopped making two copies of each recording and enabled the long battery life, else it would die in under 20 minutes of recording. It works great now though! Nice review man, if I had researched the camera first this would have sold me on it.
Real helpful. Im using credit card reward points to get me one now based off of your review. Thank you for taking time out to make this for all of us to use! Great sound w the band btw!!
Thanks for the review! I just purchased one and am currently testing it out. As of 11/22/15 they are on sale for $128 on Amazon. For the money, it's a great little camera. Oh, and great wedding video. Very funny!
thank you very much for the time you took on sharing this! i love sony products. and miss my old sony camcorder. i am finally ready for another one, and this video helped me decide.
What do you call that octopus monopod thing with the clip on the end you have in your hand at the beginning? I could really do with one of those, but don't know the name of them. Also a tripod that can do over head shots, can't find one of those anywhere either.
+Larry Bundy Jr - Dinkum Fleximount. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/887901-REG/Dinkum_3013_FlexiMount.html. Much easier to position the camera if you add a ball head. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/687361-REG/Oben_BD_0_BD_0_TABLE_TOP_BALL.html. Thank you for commenting :)
The fact that I can hear what you're saying with all of that background noise protruding through, really shows that Sony put in some very good microphones for this $200 camcorder.
I was going to sell mine because I used it for College Spanish and now I just have it sitting in a drawer.... however, I think I'll keep it but first I need to look up how to adjust settings. I tried making videos of a Christmas party in normal lighting indoors but it came out very pixely. I know absolutely nothing about cameras and recorders. Brilliant playing. Sounded mesmerizing.
Thank you for putting this up. I was trying to decide if I wanted to buy this for vacations. I love my camera and that takes great videos but I wanted a videocam to take along. This helped me decide! PS-you sounded great!
Yours is so much clearer than mine. When I'm moving around its extremely choppy. Also, your sound is far better. I'm not sure what to do. I need the high quality.
Have you enabled steady shot? The camera is so small and light that image stabilization is necessary when not using a tripod. I leave it set to active. It will digitally crop but nothing noticeable. Go to Camera/Mic > SteadyShot > Active. For audio there are three settings - Zoom mic, Wind Noise Reduction and level. Try a low mic level first and see what that does. Levels need adjusting, depending on what the sound source is.
I purchased one at Best Buy with Geek Squad Protection. Im an Urban Explorer, I used this Camcorder for most of my video's, the best feature is the long distance zooming, its like looking through a rifle scope. People always ask if I use a Tripod or Stabilzer, I say no, I don't need with this camcorder.
Im not able to record FULL HD using this camera it shows an error msg showing memory card does not support XAVC S ...so do i need to buy an XAVCS supportive memory card or is there some hack ?
+Ur IndianConsumer - Your SD card is probably too slow. This one by Sandisk has a fast read/write speed - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081253-REG/sandisk_sdsdqxn_032g_g46a_extreme_microsdhc_32gb.html. This one by Sony has a slower write speed, but B&H recommends it - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1151540-REG/sony_sr64uy2a_tq_64gb_mcro_sdhc_memory.html. I'd check with a salesperson first. B&H info on Sony micro SD: "A 64GB SDXC memory card (or higher) is required for recording in the XAVC S codec." Thanks for commenting :)
Records at 30 & 60 NTSC. Specs say it also records in 24, but I can't find a setting for it. Maybe there's a firmware upgrade, but not to my knowledge.
I bought one last week- nice! I have a Sony RX100 VA and a Sony a5100 with kit lens and 35mm OSS lens, and both cameras produce higher quality video, but still, the very inexpensive CX405 is still very decent, has quite a zoom range and (because of the price), I'm not going to cry if it gets banged around a little! Nice sax playing, by the way!
I used it just last week for a livestream through a Blackmagic switcher. Link at the end of this reply. It's the overhead shot where the coffee cup and drink are visible. Set to XAVCS. Still very useful to me, especially as a keyboard overhead. Thanks for commenting! facebook.com/110519503711232/videos/2469790366669955/UzpfSTE4OTI5NjQ0MTA5Mjg2ODoyNzc5MTQzNzQ1NDQxNDQ1/?q=brian%20charette%20jazz%20piano%20at%20that%20jazz%20show&epa=SEARCH_BOX
I was about to purchase the CX455 before I saw your review, so after investigating the specifications, I purchased the CX405 instead. I doubted I'd ever "need" the multi-camera control or streaming WiFi capabilities of the 455. I also noticed the visual specifications of the 405 and 455 are exactly the same, so why pay more? Besides, the Handycam will only be used for UA-cam videos, so I figured, "Who needs more resolution than is actually needed". With the money saved, I was able to purchase an external light, extra batteries, charger, and a tripod. Your You Tube video paid off for me. THANKS!
Will it be good for high speed rail shooting in day light or in night? Or shooting from running trains open door or glass window? 60fps? Zoom for bird video shooting?
I bought the PAL version of this camera in New York. It costed me 25 more dollars than the NTSC model.I'm very happy with the overall quality. The optical stabilizer is what surprised me most.
Love the music you guys played!! This cam looks like it will have to do for what I need, but could you help me out... Do you know if it records 4:4:4 chroma subsampling?
hey John,greetings from Oz. I am a reeds player too. I enjoyed your "road test" I am about to go overseas for some gigs and I need a small cheap camcorder with great sound, a decent zoom and long battery life. Would you recommend the sony using these criteria? Lovely tenor, by the way. xxx
That's a tall order for a low budget. Maybe one of the newr Zooms, as they have a built-in XY capsule and XLR inputs for additional mics. I have used Zoom audio recorders and really like them. But I have never tried the camera. Canon G20 isn't bad at all. Great picture and has an input for an external mic. I had one a few hears ago would describe it as a good cheap camera. Discontinued, but B&H and Canon are always sell refurbs for about $600. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1293610-REG/canon_8063b007_32gb_vixia_hf_g20.html Also as I mentioned in other responses, the Panasonic Lumix series of bridge cameras and DSLRs offer some great options.
Five years later, I still have and use my CX405 in the camera case. It's smaller and much lighter to use than my Canon T7i, especially when I'm outside or do not need a remote microphone.
Hi John. I am interested in this camcorder and I found out it uses Xavcs which is very impressive. I want to judge myself to see the quality of the video as UA-cam compresses it already. May I ask if I could see the raw footage straight from the camera from 2:44 to 4:05 where u were playing your musical instrument. I would like to see the Xavcs file. Maybe you can share me a link to download it through Drive or Dropbox so that I am able to download it and watch. Just one part of the video will do. Thanks for your help.
Hi. I no longer have the raw footage, but if you'd like to see a comparison go to my other UA-cam channel, also called John Tendy. The latest video includes overhead shots of a piano in crappy light. That camera is a CX405 in XAVCS. Others are VG30, VG20 and AX100. Thanks for commenting. Best wishes - John
+Cove Ops - What might be enough light for one camera may not be enough light for another. I bought this camera for one specific purpose - overhead shot of drums or keyboard. And for that it's better than a GoPro or MV1 because you can zoom. But for all-purpose use this camera does a great job in good light. Not my #1 camera, of course, but at this week's trending price of $129 it's an amazing value and a good starter camera. If you need smart phone control via wifi you'll have to step up to the CX440, which is about $100 more.
Wow---Very good on SAX! Question, I bought cam today. However I can't locate the PAUSE. Do you know how to PAUSE IT? Everytime I stop recording, hoping to pause, when I continue to record, it's a whole new video. How annoying!
All digital camcorders are like that. It isn't linear tape, so there is no need to pause. When you upload clips to Sony Play Memories you can save to your hard drive as one file.
There are many that connect clips. iSkySoft, Wondershare are two that you can purchase. Sony Play Memories is free and easy to use. Here's the link for info/download: support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/www/disoft/int/playmemories-home/en/index.html. All digital cameras work this way. If you're new to digital videography, it may require a small learning curve, but the benefits and versatility you get in return are well worth it.
Tendy Media .... Thank you😃 very much. I’m new to digital video away from my iphone. I bought this camera because I have no Pause option, like android phones has. I Do Not have hours to splice 50 clips together every time I make video of each in their cages. However Thank you😃 for quick reply. Do you have suggestions which camera is for me?
@@BrigitteCoffman I don't know of any, that's just the nature of the format. But editing is quicker than you think, you don't have to be a pro to do the simple edits you have in mind. Give it a try. There are pause record apps for iPhone. Here's one - itunes.apple.com/us/app/pausecam-video-recorder/id923045172?mt=8. I don't know if it's good or bad, but it looks to have good reviews.
Man I have a problem with my camera is the same model of the video, and my problem is that when I try to record a video for UA-cam and the video has more than 10 minutes the camera create another file so when i try to upload the video in the camera looks as one video but when I upload it I have to do it by parts (the camera create 2 or 3 files from one video and I can upload one video of 20 minutes) and I don't know how can resolve this problem I really hope you can help me, I checked the manual but I can't remove this time limitation
It should run straight through till card is full or till battery drains. Has it done this since you bought it? Maybe your Micro SD card needs a reformat. Also, try initializing your camera back to original factory settings. Setup > Initialize > Ok.
Can you set this camera to a macro fixed focus so that you could film yourself writing or drawing from above without what you are creating becoming blurry ?
I know this is an old video but I hope you can answer a question for me. I just today got the CX405 and happened upon your video. The video quality in the low light was absolutely stunning in your video, but the question I have is that I set my cx to XAVC as you recommend, and my videos are coming out very very grainy. I was wondering if you did post production to the clips to remove the grain? I set it back to AVHC mode, and the grain was a little better but more blurry, so I don't understand how your video is stunning in low light but mine is awful... You mentioned nothing about post production of the clips so was just wondering if you used a de-noise filter in post. Thanks in advance for your help - Great SAX playing by the way - Awesome. I love to listen to the SAX when a person knows how to play it...
@MuhammadNuno Thanks for the info. I will have to try that, as it does make sense. However I am not sure about the setting for 2.8, my cameras lens is a 1.8 so it should be very very good in low light, but I will have a look and see if there is such a setting.
@MuhammadNuno Ok, I found the setting to change to 2.8 on one of my camera, but I have two of these cameras, and tried setting the other one, but it will not go below 3.1, so can't figure that one out. The lens on both cameras are 1.8 so not sure why I can't set the one camera below 3.1. I must be missing something LOL.
Excellent and extensive review! I am planning on using the Sony camcorder to record my 60min lessons in high school for my principal. Would this have an ok quality in a rambunctious classroom? Great job too as a musician!
Almost forgot this was a camcorder review when I heard that saxophone... love it.
Lol
me too
Seriously....I just got the goose bumps! WOAH!
Okay I think the quality is good. I'm gonna buy the sax now.
Haha thank you!
Not only did you help me make a very good decision, you also are one very smooth cat. Much props.
+SteamboShow Thanks! Glad you found the vid useful :)
I was thinking the same thing!
Mr. Tendy, I believe Sony should pay you for this review! If I didn't already have the camcorder, this review would have convinced me to buy it. Thank you for the pro tips on how to use the camcorder and for the mini concert. You guys are really good! :-)
Stephanie Maybin Thank you Stephanie!
feel like Im watching Walter White play a Sax
Lol ikr
dream come true
Skyler White is a bitch!
haha
LMAO!
Excellent review, thank you very much. Many people don't care for good audio or low-light recordings, but for me that's very important. Your video gave me all the information I needed. Great job... also as musician ;-)
+DF-OutdoorVideos Thank you for watching and commenting. Best wishes - John
Righttttttt
Men, you play that instrument so nice. Wow, I almost forgot that I am here for the camcorder review.
Camera review and a jazz concert? I love this video!
Without repeating what many others have said, your video John is more effective in helping the viewer not only to make an informative choice; but reach for the pen and paper to make notes of the settings required for indoor and night settings. Just like your music, this video is in key and refreshingly entertaining :)
+Andy Shaw - Thank you Andy! Glad you found the video helpful.
Dude! You rock on that sax! love the studio gear too! As a music producer and techie I really enjoyed this video
The CX405 certainly can deliver good video (and under the right conditions and settings,
can maybe rival broadcast video). One thing that bugs however is the location of that
tripod nut - right at the front end of the camera, with the operable controls being sited
right at the other extreme end, resulting in unavoidable bounce on start up which is
much magnified at the higher focal lengths, and wobbly zoom outs etc. This could have
been obviated had they included a remote unit with it, but I guess the camera has been
produced to provide optimum quality at minimum cost (in which they have succeeded),
and I suppose that the majority of amateur video is shot hand-held in any case. None the less, if start and finish margins are allowed for in the editing, the CX405 can produce a
very impressive result.
It is a clumsy location, but I use it with a clamp, sometimes on a wall or ceiling fixture, so it is actually a good location for my purposes. Thank you for commenting
Really a great video, it complemented very well the characteristics of the camera with the beautiful music, and that sax sounds great.
Thank you Alex!
I LOVED THE PART WHERE YOU STARTED PLAYING MUSIC UGH THANK YOU I love tech and music so much so getting both in one video is cool!
Well that's the most entertaining camera review I have watched, music and everything, I am inspired to review some stuff.
one of the best field tests I've seen! thanks for sharing!!
John, bought the camera today in Amsterdam, after watching your review. I really liked the review because you used the camera on an ordinary day in your life. Good music as well!
Great review and awesome sax skills. Thank you.
Thinking about buying this to record my band. Very helpful review. Thanks!
It's still a good camera for the money, but remember this is eight- year-old technology and shoots at 1080. They go for about $229. But in 2024, for a few more dollars more you can do better. There are many 4k camcorders for under $500. Also, later versions of this camera have more features. Thanks for commenting!
@thatjazzshow what would u suggest for something to record sports (will mainly be outside)
I GOT THE NEW CX455 this week. Review very soon.
+John Tendy Wow, Excited!. Glad it had arrived! Hope to see a good review testing out the 5.1 channel audio and with an external mic as well. It will be good to add in some AF test, like moving from one point to another to see the speed, Sony says that is faster.
does it have nightvision or nightshot
Entertaining video with the unexpected pleasure of the Sax recital! Thanks for uploading!
just bought this camera today, and I must say I am very happy with it for the price. great camcorder for a pretty reasonable price. very good for vloging type stuff.
I still love to use it outdoors. I keep one in my glove compartment. Feather light, so it's great for hiking, sports, park. Have fun! Thanks for commenting. Best wishes - John
One of the best reviews on a camera , thanks so much this was REALLY helpful in my decision making.
Was searching this morning for an inexpensive digicam and this came up as an on sale at Best Buy. Was on the fence about it reading some things here and there, but after your video showed such detail and actual video I made the decision to go ahead and buy it. Thanks so much
Bought this camera a year ago and gonna use it now as I'm doing a screen and media course, thanks for your video and congrats on your sax playing!
Thank you Henrique. Best wishes - John
Thanks. I purchased the CX405 after watching your video. :)
Thanks for the review and actual footage. Also appreciate the soothing sax performance.
Thank you and best wishes - John
thank you for taking the time to create and post this video
You're welcome! I still use my CX405 often.
damnn came here for the cam review.. got an awesome sax & trumpet session. makes me miss playing the trumpet ! great stuff
Thank you!
This is the camera I picked up, fantastic for what we currently use it for; recording tabletop miniature games indoors. Altogether it was under $300 CAD, had to alter a setting so it stopped making two copies of each recording and enabled the long battery life, else it would die in under 20 minutes of recording. It works great now though! Nice review man, if I had researched the camera first this would have sold me on it.
+Fr0z0rz I also made the same mistake of not disabling dual recording when I used it the first time. Excellent point. Thank you for commenting.
Real helpful. Im using credit card reward points to get me one now based off of your review. Thank you for taking time out to make this for all of us to use!
Great sound w the band btw!!
I came for the camera review, and am leaving a huge fan of your sax performance!!! incredible style, not to mention lungs. excellent!!
Thanks so much for the comparison footage and all the different examples!! helped so much!! Also you guys all played so beautifully! Haha :)
+iris muddy - Thank you :)
Thanks for the review. I just bought this for my dad for his Father's Day present.
That's great! Enjoy.
Thanks for the review, and especially the music recording demo, as I want to use the Sony for music videos. Excellent playing, Sir!
6:23 this looks like nitro in NFS MW 2005.
Love the sound of sax! You're great musician for sure :)
Great review!
I enjoyed listening to you play and the trial run was spot on. I am sure it is going to help me make up my mind. Thanks
I just got this camera yesterday and after watching this review. I am so excited to start using it. Thanks for the review :)
Thanks for the review! I just purchased one and am currently testing it out. As of 11/22/15 they are on sale for $128 on Amazon. For the money, it's a great little camera. Oh, and great wedding video. Very funny!
+MrIgnition - Was perfect for the wedding because it fit in my suit pocket. Thanks for commenting.
thank you very much for the time you took on sharing this! i love sony products. and miss my old sony camcorder. i am finally ready for another one, and this video helped me decide.
What do you call that octopus monopod thing with the clip on the end you have in your hand at the beginning? I could really do with one of those, but don't know the name of them.
Also a tripod that can do over head shots, can't find one of those anywhere either.
+Larry Bundy Jr - Dinkum Fleximount. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/887901-REG/Dinkum_3013_FlexiMount.html. Much easier to position the camera if you add a ball head. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/687361-REG/Oben_BD_0_BD_0_TABLE_TOP_BALL.html. Thank you for commenting :)
Best video test I've seen so far. And you guys play really really well! I'm gonna buy this camera after that! hahahaha Greetings from Germany! :)
+Memorias de uma Paulistana Estressada Hello Germany!
Thanks for sharing ... Buying this camera after your video is over !
Hi John your review, the scene footage decided me to buy the HDR-CX405, the specs were good on paper and at a budget price!
ablaze6783 Well, great! Glad you found the video useful.
As an old tenor and baritone player, have to say great tone!
And the camcorder review is good too!
Should be perfect for my new style challenges for season 2 :) cheers for the review on this camera!
+Envora Best wishes :)
John Tendy thanks if you fancy checking out Season 1 its all up and season 2 is out on the 1st of May
I definitely will :)
The fact that I can hear what you're saying with all of that background noise protruding through, really shows that Sony put in some very good microphones for this $200 camcorder.
great demo! Also, enjoyed seeing you play! Thanks!
Great review, I ordered this product thanks to your review of it, also nice music. you're verry talented :)
+GingeIRL Thank you Ginger! Have fun with the camera :)
I was going to sell mine because I used it for College Spanish and now I just have it sitting in a drawer.... however, I think I'll keep it but first I need to look up how to adjust settings. I tried making videos of a Christmas party in normal lighting indoors but it came out very pixely. I know absolutely nothing about cameras and recorders. Brilliant playing. Sounded mesmerizing.
love the howard in the back ground at the end. classic. thumbs up on this vid. Thanks.
I always have Howard 100 on... unless it's the wrap-up show.
What is the song at @5:05 please? :)
Thank you for putting this up. I was trying to decide if I wanted to buy this for vacations. I love my camera and that takes great videos but I wanted a videocam to take along. This helped me decide! PS-you sounded great!
Yours is so much clearer than mine. When I'm moving around its extremely choppy. Also, your sound is far better. I'm not sure what to do. I need the high quality.
Have you enabled steady shot? The camera is so small and light that image stabilization is necessary when not using a tripod. I leave it set to active. It will digitally crop but nothing noticeable. Go to Camera/Mic > SteadyShot > Active. For audio there are three settings - Zoom mic, Wind Noise Reduction and level. Try a low mic level first and see what that does. Levels need adjusting, depending on what the sound source is.
Thanks recording music is the application I want to use it for, and it sounds and looks like it will work fine.
I purchased one at Best Buy with Geek Squad Protection.
Im an Urban Explorer, I used this Camcorder for most of my video's, the best feature is the long distance zooming, its like looking through a rifle scope. People always ask if I use a Tripod or Stabilzer, I say no, I don't need with this camcorder.
Im not able to record FULL HD using this camera it shows an error msg showing memory card does not support XAVC S ...so do i need to buy an XAVCS supportive memory card or is there some hack ?
+Ur IndianConsumer - Your SD card is probably too slow. This one by Sandisk has a fast read/write speed - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081253-REG/sandisk_sdsdqxn_032g_g46a_extreme_microsdhc_32gb.html. This one by Sony has a slower write speed, but B&H recommends it - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1151540-REG/sony_sr64uy2a_tq_64gb_mcro_sdhc_memory.html. I'd check with a salesperson first. B&H info on Sony micro SD: "A 64GB SDXC memory card (or higher) is required for recording in the XAVC S codec." Thanks for commenting :)
+John Tendy thanx a lot was really helpful
people have told me that this can only record 50 fps max, is that true?
Records at 30 & 60 NTSC. Specs say it also records in 24, but I can't find a setting for it. Maybe there's a firmware upgrade, but not to my knowledge.
OK, getting mine soon!! Thank you so much for reviewing this product..Awesome test footage. Proof is in the playback!! 😎✌🏼🎬
Great review. How about the zoom?
Exactly what I needed immediately! Thank you!
I'm glad you found this useful. Thank you for commenting :)
I bought one last week- nice! I have a Sony RX100 VA and a Sony a5100 with kit lens and 35mm OSS lens, and both cameras produce higher quality video, but still, the very inexpensive CX405 is still very decent, has quite a zoom range and (because of the price), I'm not going to cry if it gets banged around a little! Nice sax playing, by the way!
I used it just last week for a livestream through a Blackmagic switcher. Link at the end of this reply. It's the overhead shot where the coffee cup and drink are visible. Set to XAVCS. Still very useful to me, especially as a keyboard overhead. Thanks for commenting! facebook.com/110519503711232/videos/2469790366669955/UzpfSTE4OTI5NjQ0MTA5Mjg2ODoyNzc5MTQzNzQ1NDQxNDQ1/?q=brian%20charette%20jazz%20piano%20at%20that%20jazz%20show&epa=SEARCH_BOX
Great review and loved the extra sad playing gift! So cool
Thank you for watching and commenting!
Tendy Media I meant sax! Damn autocorrect haha. Great playing!
thanks for providing a sample of how well it records music! I was looking into this camera for recording something similar.
I was about to purchase the CX455 before I saw your review, so after investigating the specifications, I purchased the CX405 instead. I doubted I'd ever "need" the multi-camera control or streaming WiFi capabilities of the 455. I also noticed the visual specifications of the 405 and 455 are exactly the same, so why pay more? Besides, the Handycam will only be used for UA-cam videos, so I figured, "Who needs more resolution than is actually needed".
With the money saved, I was able to purchase an external light, extra batteries, charger, and a tripod.
Your You Tube video paid off for me. THANKS!
+Omega TI - I agree, if you don't need the extras go for the 405. The price difference is way too wide. I will discuss this in my 455 review.
Will it be good for high speed rail shooting in day light or in night? Or shooting from running trains open door or glass window? 60fps? Zoom for bird video shooting?
I bought the PAL version of this camera in New York. It costed me 25 more dollars than the NTSC model.I'm very happy with the overall quality. The optical stabilizer is what surprised me most.
Yes, stabilization is great. Thanks for commenting!
the field test on the 405 was great you did you did a great job on this soon I commend you sir and you certainly play great saxophone
Great posting.....and the camera is performs wonderfully. For that price it's a steal.
wow such a talented musician i almost forgot about the review that was beautiful
Woooow! Geee! Those sax skills! I felt goosebumps! I like it! Your buddy is great too! You're all great!
Love the music you guys played!!
This cam looks like it will have to do for what I need, but could you help me out...
Do you know if it records 4:4:4 chroma subsampling?
Nice patina on the sax...gotta love a well used instrument.
Nice vid D ir . 5 yrs later and still very useful
I like how you took us along with you to work...nice 🎉
I think this is the best review !!!! You are Awesome ! ahaha .. I liked your playing, too
The video was awesome! Thanks for the footage and the music.
hey John,greetings from Oz. I am a reeds player too. I enjoyed your "road test" I am about to go overseas for some gigs and I need a small cheap camcorder with great sound, a decent zoom and long battery life. Would you recommend the sony using these criteria? Lovely tenor, by the way. xxx
That's a tall order for a low budget. Maybe one of the newr Zooms, as they have a built-in XY capsule and XLR inputs for additional mics. I have used Zoom audio recorders and really like them. But I have never tried the camera. Canon G20 isn't bad at all. Great picture and has an input for an external mic. I had one a few hears ago would describe it as a good cheap camera. Discontinued, but B&H and Canon are always sell refurbs for about $600. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1293610-REG/canon_8063b007_32gb_vixia_hf_g20.html Also as I mentioned in other responses, the Panasonic Lumix series of bridge cameras and DSLRs offer some great options.
Great video. Looking forward to using this camera.
Very nice Real world review. Thanks for that! Stay healthy!
I agree with Stephanie, this really is a great review. I'm certainly interested in buying one now.
Look's like I made the right choice in cameras, great review
Really good camera for under $200.
Also, I love your accent.
+RamtroStudios Ha! Gotta work on that!
available for 100 on Ebay
Five years later, I still have and use my CX405 in the camera case. It's smaller and much lighter to use than my Canon T7i, especially when I'm outside or do not need a remote microphone.
Hi John. I am interested in this camcorder and I found out it uses Xavcs which is very impressive. I want to judge myself to see the quality of the video as UA-cam compresses it already. May I ask if I could see the raw footage straight from the camera from 2:44 to 4:05 where u were playing your musical instrument. I would like to see the Xavcs file. Maybe you can share me a link to download it through Drive or Dropbox so that I am able to download it and watch. Just one part of the video will do. Thanks for your help.
Hi. I no longer have the raw footage, but if you'd like to see a comparison go to my other UA-cam channel, also called John Tendy. The latest video includes overhead shots of a piano in crappy light. That camera is a CX405 in XAVCS. Others are VG30, VG20 and AX100. Thanks for commenting. Best wishes - John
John Tendy alright. Thanks!
The vid is called L-O-V-E. (Has nothing to do with Ron Paul.)
I kept playing back the sax part. It's beautiful.
Do you think the picture would still be grainy indoors if there's enough light? The highway footage looked great. Looks like the Taconic lol
+Cove Ops - What might be enough light for one camera may not be enough light for another. I bought this camera for one specific purpose - overhead shot of drums or keyboard. And for that it's better than a GoPro or MV1 because you can zoom. But for all-purpose use this camera does a great job in good light. Not my #1 camera, of course, but at this week's trending price of $129 it's an amazing value and a good starter camera. If you need smart phone control via wifi you'll have to step up to the CX440, which is about $100 more.
+John Tendy thanks for the reply. It's been getting good reviews so my wife ordered it online. At that price, we can't go wrong. thanks for the review
Cool, have fun!
+John Tendy Just an FYI, Amazon has refurbished cx440's for 149.99 with a case and memory card right now. I'm ordering one on Monday!
+Savage Medic I have a 440. Wifi works great with iPhone and my LG tablet. For $149 it's a no-brainier.
I use mine for the same purpose. It captures sound very nicely, sometimes to well.
Great review. I have one but I've only used it once or twice. I don't know what software to use to edit my videos that I record with it.
Great review! What's the song you're playing first ? Love it !
From hopefully soon a camcorder owner, and a trombone player 😂
I enjoyed more the live music than the review! jeje good job
The last person I expected to hear in a random review of the Sony HDR-CX405 was High Pitch Erik.
Wow---Very good on SAX!
Question, I bought cam today. However I can't locate the PAUSE.
Do you know how to PAUSE IT? Everytime I stop recording, hoping to pause, when I continue to record, it's a whole new video. How annoying!
All digital camcorders are like that. It isn't linear tape, so there is no need to pause. When you upload clips to Sony Play Memories you can save to your hard drive as one file.
I have no way to edit all my short 15 second videos I made of each bird as I move cage to cage. What software? My Computer has none. Window 10
There are many that connect clips. iSkySoft, Wondershare are two that you can purchase. Sony Play Memories is free and easy to use. Here's the link for info/download: support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/www/disoft/int/playmemories-home/en/index.html. All digital cameras work this way. If you're new to digital videography, it may require a small learning curve, but the benefits and versatility you get in return are well worth it.
Tendy Media .... Thank you😃 very much. I’m new to digital video away from my iphone. I bought this camera because I have no Pause option, like android phones has. I Do Not have hours to splice 50 clips together every time I make video of each in their cages. However Thank you😃 for quick reply.
Do you have suggestions which camera is for me?
@@BrigitteCoffman I don't know of any, that's just the nature of the format. But editing is quicker than you think, you don't have to be a pro to do the simple edits you have in mind. Give it a try. There are pause record apps for iPhone. Here's one - itunes.apple.com/us/app/pausecam-video-recorder/id923045172?mt=8. I don't know if it's good or bad, but it looks to have good reviews.
hey john thanks for the review very helpful. just purchased this cam at micro center.
Nice review, the camera seems to do pretty well...
Thanks, Moses...
Man I have a problem with my camera is the same model of the video, and my problem is that when I try to record a video for UA-cam and the video has more than 10 minutes the camera create another file so when i try to upload the video in the camera looks as one video but when I upload it I have to do it by parts (the camera create 2 or 3 files from one video and I can upload one video of 20 minutes) and I don't know how can resolve this problem I really hope you can help me, I checked the manual but I can't remove this time limitation
It should run straight through till card is full or till battery drains. Has it done this since you bought it? Maybe your Micro SD card needs a reformat. Also, try initializing your camera back to original factory settings. Setup > Initialize > Ok.
John Tendy thanks man I will tried to return back to original maybe that allow me to record with more than 10 minutes regards from Mexico
Great review. Killing the sax man, great job 😄👌
Thank you!
Can you set this camera to a macro fixed focus so that you could film yourself writing or drawing from above without what you are creating becoming blurry ?
I know this is an old video but I hope you can answer a question for me. I just today got the CX405 and happened upon your video. The video quality in the low light was absolutely stunning in your video, but the question I have is that I set my cx to XAVC as you recommend, and my videos are coming out very very grainy. I was wondering if you did post production to the clips to remove the grain? I set it back to AVHC mode, and the grain was a little better but more blurry, so I don't understand how your video is stunning in low light but mine is awful... You mentioned nothing about post production of the clips so was just wondering if you used a de-noise filter in post. Thanks in advance for your help - Great SAX playing by the way - Awesome. I love to listen to the SAX when a person knows how to play it...
@MuhammadNuno Thanks for the info. I will have to try that, as it does make sense. However I am not sure about the setting for 2.8, my cameras lens is a 1.8 so it should be very very good in low light, but I will have a look and see if there is such a setting.
@MuhammadNuno Awesome. thanks for the info. I will have to find that setting LOL., but thanks for the help, much appreciated 👍👍
@MuhammadNuno Ok, I found the setting to change to 2.8 on one of my camera, but I have two of these cameras, and tried setting the other one, but it will not go below 3.1, so can't figure that one out. The lens on both cameras are 1.8 so not sure why I can't set the one camera below 3.1. I must be missing something LOL.
Oh man from one sax player to another you are good my friend.
Thank you very much!
Excellent and extensive review! I am planning on using the Sony camcorder to record my 60min lessons in high school for my principal. Would this have an ok quality in a rambunctious classroom? Great job too as a musician!
Bel video. Sarebbe bello se tu cominciassi a fare review di altre videocamere
+Valerio Caporusso Yes, I will review others soon. Thank you for commenting :)