Sony HDR-CX240E Opinions
Main advantage:
Ideal to carry in a compact place and without attracting too much attention, this Sony camcorder stands out for its portability and quality in a single package. In addition, it has a very sharp image zoom of 54x.
Main disadvantage:
The only way to turn on this equipment is by opening the LCD screen, which promotes excessive power consumption. It would be advisable to add a power button to better distribute the load.
Verdict: 9.6/10
This is one of the best purchase options when it comes to video cameras thanks to its Exmor R CMOS sensor.
Main Features Explained
Sensor and recording mode
If you listen to the opinions of an expert, he will tell you that the main feature that every videographer needs to take into account when choosing a new video camera is the sensor, which is responsible for recording the image and, depending on the type, giving more or lower quality to the video you are going to record.
This model features a 1/5.8-type Exmor R CMOS sensor with built-in back illumination that measures approximately 3.1mm. This sensor offers an effective pixel count of approximately 2,100,000 pixels, with an aspect ratio of 16:9 in video recording mode, and for photo mode, approximately 2,290,000 pixels for an aspect ratio, since either 16:9 or 4:3. On the other hand, the image processor used by this model is the BIONZ X, which improves the image quality significantly compared to other camcorders, in addition to having a multi-segment metering mode that allows for correct exposure.
On the other hand, it is important to know the recording mode that the video camera allows, since in general it offers the possibility of manual and automatic recording. Through the menu of this equipment, you can choose between the automatic video recording mode, ideal for the few experienced in the area. However, if you have some knowledge of recording and image exposure, you can choose a fully manual recording mode, allowing you to control the lens iris from F:1.9 to F:10. In addition, it has a shutter speed that ranges from 1/25 to 1/10,000 as standard.
Microphone and focal length
Nowadays, all camcorders usually incorporate audio inputs to be able to connect an external microphone and thus be able to collect much cleaner audio. However, not just any microphone can be plugged into an XLR port, so you’ll need to know which microphone to use. On the other hand, sometimes you will want to collect the original audio from the environment where you are or simply because what you are recording is a family video, so investing in equipment that has an independent audio input can be an unnecessary expense, so suggests that the computer has a quality built-in microphone.
This model stands out for incorporating a high-quality microphone with which you won’t need to connect an external device and with which all your videos will have a very natural sound thanks to its audio system. It has a built-in zoom microphone system with 2-channel Dolby Digital Stereo and 2-channel MPEG-AAC LC Dolby Digital Stereo Creator technology. It offers a two-step control for the microphone and is of monaural technology.
On the other hand, the zoom consists of the ability of the camera lenses to give the sensation of closeness of an object that is in the distance, making it appear that it is very close. This equipment stands out for having a clear image zoom of up to 54x, allowing you to reach the most distant details when you go for a walk in the mountains or on the beach.
Let us remember that the focal length is important to define what we have close up or what we see in the distance, so this model has a minimum focal length equivalent to a 35-millimeter camera of 1.9 mm and a Vario-Tessar focal length of Zeiss of 29.8 – 804 millimeters. The main advantage of this feature is that with its 1.9mm focal length you could pan across a wide landscape without panning, while using its 804mm focal length you could shoot close-ups of a bird in the ledge of a tree, without the latter realizing that they are watching him.
Special functions and employment
When looking for a compact video camera, many times our priority is to choose a device that is easy to use, which offers us automatic operation and gives us the best results at the touch of a button. But many other users prefer to have the possibility of being able to manually manipulate some exposure values such as aperture, shutter and ISO sensitivity, so that they can have a little more creative freedom. For this reason, although they increase significantly in price, many users choose complete equipment that allows them to start in the world of videography comfortably and without much technicality. There are a host of special features that today’s video cameras offer, a group of which are core features.
It is noteworthy that this model allows manual control of the basic functions of filming. First of all, it is very common to be able to vary the white balance, so that the image we record has the exact colors as they should be seen in reality. In addition to having an adjustable white balance for both outdoors and indoors, this Sony video camera has a wide range of scenic modes for beaches, fireworks, day and night landscape, portraits, sunrise and sunset, among many other functions. To choose the best video camera, we recommend that you look carefully at this feature.
