Customer Ratings & Reviews

4 month review. I've used this camera 2x a week for the last 4 months and I've had zero issues. I used this camera mainly for my kids sports in highschool. The quality is great even when zoomed in. It pics up sounds very well in the front of the camera. You will need a memory card there's zero internal storage. The quality of the plastic feels a little cheap so if you plan on using it as much as I do I suggest total tech. I've also uploaded videos to YouTube with no issues. There's also settings to adjust how you shoot your video for a better quality, action recording and automatic lighting adjustment.

Great compact video camera using small SD flash card. So far, 64gb is enuff for a lot of photos & videos. Camera & User manual easy to use.

Bought this camcorder due to its affordability and simplicity. I used it for vlogging and capturing memories instead of just lame snapchat videos on your phone that are easily forgettable. Though only at 1080 quality, it's still pretty clear and can easily upload to your laptop via the memory card or the usb cord that it comes with. I did lose the cover for battery in the back and could not find it :( Had to tape up the back (see photos) so battery would not fall out.

I have never used one so this is my first. I needed it for longer videos instead of limited cell phone. Its easy to use i was able to get easy instruction on line and ive had no problems. Its light weight and compact i can carry it in my pocket.

great starting camera, the price was pretty little compared to the bulkier cameras with higher quality. the quality is perfect for youtube content, family events, or even nice photos and i’m very much in love with this camera.

I love this thing. I compact and very light. Easy to handle and video quality is good.

Very good camcorder, easy to use and videos come out clear.

What I disliked; The quality is bad. My iPhone 13 Pro blows it out of the water. I couldn’t justify the $250 when the quality can’t even match a phone with a small sensor. The quality gets substantially worse in lower lighting. All the MP4 videos look distorted. There are pixelated artifacts that show up throughout more than half of all my videos. I recorded using the dual codec thing, but all it gave me were MP4s. I might not have figured it out. What I liked: The optical zoom was amazing. There was little drop in resolution when zooming in. The digital zoom had very little noticeable drop in quality, also. I love how the USB tucks away in the hand strap. It’s pretty easy to just plug it into the PC, too. You should probably use the included USB extender, though, as it gets awkward plugging in your camcorder with the 4” or so cable.

I'm having fun with my new video camera. I'm using at birthday party, Sporting events just getting the family together and having a good time.

Works fine, the only thing I do not like abut it is that it does not come with and 3.5mm jack. Had I known this, because this is not stated in the description plus I also asked a best buy employee who say it did have one, I would not have bought this model. I discovered it didn't have the 3.5 mm jack a few days after I would be able to return/exchange this item. But honestly other than that, it does its job. I only recommend it if you don't plan to ad an external mic to it.

I liked my sony handycam. Image quality it good enough for this price. I really wish Sony reduce the price of its battery ($39 now in 2020). 60X optical zoom is great. But no one really use that zoom. Also option for external mic and larger battery pack would be great.

Good availability of product and fast shipping. Except, the item had been opened, returned by another container, reshelved and sold as brand new.

Easy to make music videos that look like a studio quality job.

Great camera! excellent for filming outdoors and indoors. Plus it has the 1990s look to it!!!

The camera works very well. Good optical zoom and image stabilization. Nice dual battery feature and built in USB charging cable.

I wish I could return it. I wish I had heeded the warning of other reviews. Horribly pixelated. I don't know if it'd be better in bright sunlight, but it's practically useless for our indoor use.

The function button on it is very small. My hands are small , I can barely make it do what I want , there’s no way my husband could . Angie

This Sony HDR-CX405 Handycam camera is a great product. The price is unbelievable for what you get. This is Sony, it's basically all I buy. This is a very basic camera without any bells and whistles. The picture quality is very good during daylight and normal bright conditions. At night and during dark scenes however, it lacks in its ability to deliver a quality image without a lot of image noise. It does have a low-light mode that does help a little. The camera is very lightweight. Some people think that it is cheaply built. But there are advantages to going towards an ultra-light camera. It is certainly easier to hold up in the air with your arms for longer periods of time than traditional cameras that have some weight to them. However, parts on the camera probably tend to break much more easily. For me, there is a little plastic flap that covers where the memory card goes and I have managed to leave that open, while the screen slammed shut and bent the hinges on the little flap. It still works and didn't break, but it is bent now but it still closes properly and completely. The other side of the camera has a smaller plastic flap that covers a single input. That little plastic cover flap gets snagged on my hand often, when I put my hand up through the hand-strap to hold the camera properly. It won't last too long and will no doubt break at some point, especially when I'm grabbing my camera as I'm going to film another viral video. They should have made the plastic cover to have the hinge on the opposite side or something. Poor design on the plastic flap covers. The view-screen is not touch-screen, but instead you will use a tiny joystick to move the cursor around on the screen and you press the center of the joystick to make selections. It has a built-in speaker with volume control that allows you to watch back your recorded video while being able to listen to it too. The screen flips out from the camera. The screen can then be rotated so that the person that the camera is recording can see themselves on the screen at the same time. Perfect for recording video selfies or taking selfie photos too. The menus could be constructed better and might take a little getting accustomed to before you feel comfortable knowing where all of the options are located. Personally, I always use Sony products so there is hardly a learning curve for me. I recommend changing the recording to the highest quality possible, which is at 60 full frames per second. Go in to the menu. Go: "Image Quality / Size". Select "Frame Rate". Select "60p" then click "Next". Now click "OK" to save setting. Now you are set to the highest quality of video recording. Note that when it is set to this highest quality, that you cannot press the "Photo" button that is on top of the camera (it sits right up against the zoom lever), while you are video recording. If you do have the video quality set to a lower setting, it is possible to press the photo button which takes a photo while simultaneously recording video. But personally, I want nothing less than the most premium video quality possible, and will sacrifice all else to do so. There is a short USB cord that you cannot remove from the camera. This is a Sony standard and it is just amazing. You can use that USB cord to plug in to any USB charger and it will charge the camera. You can also use the embedded USB cord to plug in to your computer (or easily to any other computer wherever you are) to charge the camera and to transfer images and videos to the computer for long-term storage, editing, and sharing to all of your friends and family on your favorite social media sites. This camera has a micro-SD memory card slot. I have issues with it not inserting properly sometimes and the camera tells me to "Reinsert the memory card". I comply, and it usually works after trying once or twice. I found that a good trick seems to be to turn the camera over so that it is upside-down and then insert the memory card in to the slot firmly. It is so lightweight, that you can use a rope that has a clip where you can wear the rope around your neck, allowing the camera to hang as if a pendant on a necklace. I have had this before with my previous Sony camera that was much heavier and it worked well. This camera uses the very exact same battery as does my tiny Sony Actioncam (Sony's version of a GoPro) and consequently, I now have an extra battery for either camera. The batteries are very slim and lightweight. Great for packing many with you and you won't even notice. It has a great playback feature that will automatically mix clips from your videos from the day and it will create a final edited video for you to watch on the screen, and even allows you to save it for later so you can transfer and watch it on your computer. The zoom is very good. It says it is 60x optical zoom. Do not turn on digital zoom (on any camera, ever) as that distorts the image and is just horrible. Friends don't let friends use digital zoom. The higher the optical zoom number, the better. Don't be fooled by a high digital zoom number cause the higher the digital zoom number, the absolute worse the image will be (totally grainy and blocky and just ugly). I have a 32 GB memory card on board this camera and that gives me 2 hours 38 minutes of video recording at the highest quality. It records in stereo and it does not have any type of microphone input jacks, as it is just a very basic video camera. It has a standard tripod mounting screw hole that allows you to attach it to a standard tripod, monopod, or other attachments. It has a flip-switch near the lens that will open and close the lens cover. It is not a powered lens cover and does not open and close automatically, so be sure to remember to switch it closed after each use to prevent dirt and scratches to your lens. The camera will remind you that the lens cover is still closed, if you forget to open it up before starting to record video. I paid $179 for this Sony HDR-CX405 camera in April 2017 from Best Buy Honolulu. I don't expect this camera to be available for very long as I think it will soon be a discontinued item. This camera for this price range will be replaced be the next camera in the line. This camera should provide you a few years of service at a minimum and even longer if you take care of it.

this camera met all expectations!! my husband and i are so excited to have this for our memories without taking up our iphone storage. he loves it and so do i. i have never purchased any camera/ camcorder before but being pregnant i got the idea that i wanted to get one to document the few months before baby is here and special moments after i deliver. its easy to use, beginner friendly. i love that the charging cord is attached to the side so you never lose it. it has good quality video and sound. you can take photos while you record as well! for the price this was worth every penny and i would recommend to anyone. wether its for you or your kids, i cannot stress enough how easy it is to begin recording. youre able to flip the screen towards you to see yourself being recorded. it is not touch screen but i think its better so you dont accidently delete or hit the wrong button. i have not figured out how to convert the videos to be saved yet just learning as i go.. battery life is good as well. i love the zoom in feature. being that we have so much high tech technology in 2020 i love that this camera makes it feel a little old school but with the good quality videos. the size of it is perfect, fits in my small crossover purse. it feels great and sturdy while holding it with the hand strap.

Say it with me again, it is ONLY $240 and so there, "Rating: Excellent" for $240. I played with mine (stop it!) for about an hour and figured it out. Thank goodness I have a background in psychology because, this Sony is shy! You'll read bad reviews stating, "Color is washed out" and crap like that. Truth is, it comes setup out of the box at half-capability, that's true! Here, lemme show you... I right clicked on the movie file I imported very easily into Windows Photos and it stated 30fps and I could tell the camcorder wasn't giving me TRUE HD, and yes, the colors were boring. I found setting for XAVC S (true HD) and it said, if you choose me, you won't be able to take photos while taking movies!! I don't care, at all. BAM! Full HD and it's nice. I turned the filter on for vivid color (it's in the photo features and they work in video mode as well, got some weird name but, click and boom, all pretty color. Movies are better than with my Samsung S21 I had and distinctly better than the horror which is Google Pixel! However, the Pixel takes the best photos of all three. Again, $240. GREAT FOR: Vlogging, Walking and talking YouTube. Teaching videos. SUCKS FOR: Fast motion video, "stunning" quality, attaching an external mic. This is your near only choice at the money because Panasonic at twice the price sucks. Canon just says, "I ain't making nothing else under $1000" so...either buy the Canon or the Sony at a grand or learn to love this nice like champ at $240. If it's not what you need, don't try to pretend it will work and then rate it badly.