Making #SonyMemories Review

Making memories is something we have been doing since we became a family. We have dozens upon dozens of photos and some videos, too few in my opinion. Every camera we have owned be it just a simple digital camera that also captures video or a digital video camcorder itself, never have we had the delight of using a device that was as unique and user friendly as the PTPA Award Winning Sony HDR-PJ260V Handycam camcorder.

It’s been a couple of weeks since the courier dropped off the box which has given us some time to get familiar with it, check out all the awesome features mentioned in our last Sony post and show you what kind of quality memories you can expect from shooting a video to editing and sharing our memories with family and friends.

The Sony Handycam makes it easy to start as it comes with everything you need to begin making your very own home movie library.

• Charger cable
• USB Adapter cables
• HDMI Cable
• Rechargeable battery
• Instructions manual
• Customer 1 year warranty
• Remote control

Setting up the Sony Handycam was a breeze, pop in the battery; open the side screen and go! The main features of the Sony Handycam were simply amazing:

• The built in projector allows us to instantly create our own home movie theatre with the simple push of a button. Choose which video you have recorded and would like to play, touch the projector button and point your camera toward a wall you’d like to show your movie on. The picture is crystal clear and the sound is crisp.
  
  
• Low-light: Record amazing quality videos even in less-than-best lighting conditions. Our house is low-lit most of the time and pictures usually come out pretty terrible unless you have a good camera with a flash. Well, not with the Sony Handycam. I shot a couple of videos in the evening of our dogs doing their tricks for treats and I can honestly say the quality is stellar.
  
  
• Optical SteadyShot™ with Active Mode: Probably my favourite feature so far on this video camera. I am the worst person for making shaky videos. I can’t hold a camera straight so I always need some kind of anti-shake mode, even on a camera just taking still images. This is great because not only do you get stellar quality HD videos but you get them without the shakiness of a nervous or tired hand.
  
  
• The Wide Angle Lense and Zoom is great because the more you capture, the more you cherish right? It allows you to capture everything in one shot and not have to worry about missing a thing.

Overall I think that the Sony Handycam earned its name honestly. It’s sleek and light weight, easy to hold especially with the adjustable hand strap which also encases a built-in usb. Everything is marked right on the camera so no guessing what symbols mean and which button does what. Aside from the main features, it has other great qualities like the rotatable touch screen which is very impressive; it’s quick and responsive when searching through videos and playback. The remote is handy when you are showing off videos on your TV using the included HDMI cable. 

Now as fun as shooting videos with the Sony Handycam is, editing them is where it really begins. It’s simple to get your memories where you want them by first plugging the Sony Handycam directly to the USB port of your computer via the built-in USB cord. If the cord isn’t long enough it comes with an extension but we didn’t need to use it.

Once your computer installs the required drivers you can install Sony Play Memories Home software directly from the camcorder which organizes all your photos and videos on your computer for you by date, and allows you to edit and share your videos as well.

If you are like me and take a bunch of mini-clips, it’s simple to combine them all together and make one video from them, save them and share them! The quality of the videos is amazing even after converting them, just check out the first video we made with the Sony HandyCam below!  

This is a definite must-have for anybody looking for a simple yet quality camcorder to capture your most precious moments with. For more information about Sony Handycam please visit www.store.sony.ca/HandyCam

Although the official Disney Share the Magical Memories contest has come to an end you can still enter daily until September 20^th, 2012 for your chance at weekly draws with prizes like a Sony Handycam camcorder and a Disney shopping card! For more information, rules and to enter visit www.disney.com/memories!  

Disclosure: I am participating as a Sony Canada Ambassador with PTPA. We received a loaned product for review purposes however compensation was received as a thank you for our work. Information about the Sony Handycam provided by Sony Canada. Opinions and comments on this blog are those of AME.