Handycam or compact video camcorder may not a trend anymore and look like things from the past but, even though with the rising popularity of high quality mirrorless cameras, these units still have irreplaceable points for many users. Sony has a collection of many dependable items like Sony HDR CX405 vs Sony HDR CX240. These two are very similar yet also different and if you are confused about which to choose, go check our article below to see which product suit your need the most.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
– What are Sony HDR CX405 and Sony HDR CX240
– What Sony HDR CX405 and Sony HDR CX240 Look Like
– What Sony HDR CX405 and Sony HDR CX240 can offer to you
– Sony HDR CX405 vs Sony HDR CX240
About Sony HDR CX405
In present day, it is very easy to capture video since most people already use smartphone unlike in the past when only those with cameras can do the activity. However, even though the quality of these phone’s cameras are continuously improved, they still can’t beat the real thing for it is not mainly built for the purpose. Sony has a wide choice if you are looking for dependable camcorders in their catalogue and one of them is HDR CX405 which is released not long ago last year.
Sony HDR CX405 Design
Looking at this camcorder, if you are already familiar with the company’s previous cameras like 330 or 240 which we are going to talk later, it looks like they decide to still use the same design since these 3 has the same appearance with the same dimension and weight. Weighing around 6.7 ounce with a nice hand strap will make this camcorder not only easy to carry but also comfortable enough to handle. As a more modern units, it is unfortunate that HDR CX405 only use 2.7-inch display without touchscreen capability. Read also: Sony FDR AX100 vs. Panasonic GH4 here.
Sony HDR CX405 Features
Thankfully, Sony HDR CX405 still retain the main or essential feature that makes many other Sony’s camcorder a dependable unit to have with its MP4 and AVCHD codecs together with their own XAVC S format, so you can record 50Mbps 1080p video at 60 frame per second. This camcorder is coming with 26.8 wide angle ZEISS lens with a more than decent quality together with the capability to do 30x Optical Zoom and up to 60x Clear Image Zoom with a special algorithms.
The Optical Zoom is still the best but Clear Image Zoom is also useful compared to standard zoom because the processor will make new pixels to avoid too much blurring. To be more attractive for young users, this camcorder has 7 picture effects to enhance videos and still pictures along with face detection that can detect up to 8 people which is good to improve the quality of video involving people. It even can distinguish between children and adult.
Its Intelligent Auto feature will determine the type if scene being recorded and will combine the current settings from face, scene and camera shake to produce the best result across all of its 90 scene types even when you are recording at night or in backlit scenes. Just like many other camcorders, Sony HDR CX405 also has an image stability with Active Mode combined with 3-way-shake-cancelling to capture an even smoother videos.
About Sony HDR CX240
As it has been mentioned earlier, Sony HDR CX405 is not the only camcorder you can get from the company because they also have another similarly dependable items in their catalogue such as HDR CX240 which seems like a good option if you are coming in with lesser budget because it is more affordable yet still offer enough features to support ideal video recording. For starter, it comes with the same sensor like in the newer product but with bigger Zeiss lens.
Sony HDR CX240 Design
When you placed this camcorder with 405 and 330 side by side, they do look alike and it is pretty hard to distinguish if not for the amount of zoom they are capable of printed on the top of the lens that will tell you what model they actually are. As an entry-level camcorder, Sony HDR CX240 retain what already exist from the predecessor and it even available in two color variant in case you are not fond of the regular black, you can pick the blue version. It is light and compact with a comfortable strap and built-in USB for data transferring.
Sony HDR CX240 Features
As it has been mentioned earlier, Sony HDR CX240 is using the same lens but is bigger at 29.8 mm to provide wide angle, so you can capture everything you want in the shot. However, since it is launched earlier, the capability is also not as good as the newer model because it only can perform 27x Optical Zoom added with up to 54x Clear Image Zoom. Unlike digital zoom that will crop the image to get a closer look, this camcorder digital zoom used the processor to create new pixels and match the selected patterns in an attempt to get cleaner images.
To make a cinematic video in high definition, HDR CX240 is able to record in 1080p at 60 frame per second up to 50Mbps in XAVC S and high quality still pictures with resolution up to 9.2MP. There is a function called Highlight Movie Maker that will produce a short highlight movie clip for instant sharing by selecting the best scene from your videos to create a MP4 highlight video from multiple videos.
With face detection that can detect up to 8 people and can differentiate between children and adult, you can improve the quality of video involving people because it will adjust the flash, focus, exposure, and white balance. To improve video quality with motion, the image stabilization will compensate the camera degree combined with innovative 3-way shake cancelling to produce and even smoother video.
Comparison
Now, let’s compare HDR CX405 with HDR CX240. As you may already know, these two are having many similar features and capabilities as well the lack of Wi-Fi connection. What seems to separate them prominently from each other is the fact that CX405 is able to perform more zoom than CX240.
Sony HDR CX405 vs. Sony HDR CX240
Conclusion
All in all, the decision is all yours to make. In our opinion, both of them are equally dependable and you should pick based on your need. However, if you don’t have an issue against the price, we will highly recommend you the newer HDR CX405 with more zoom capability.
