Sony Bloggie MHS-PM5 (eggplant)

For a company that's long been entrenched in the camcorder space, Sony's pocket video cameras have always been off target in terms of features and usability. The Bloggie MHS-PM5 minicamcorder, however, at least shows improvement and a better understanding of what consumers are after with these devices. The Bloggie matches up well against competing models when it comes to shooting movies, offering good features and decent results. Sharing your clips, on the other hand, is not as user-friendly as cams from Flip Video, Kodak, and others.

Also, the product name, however silly it sounds, is an accurate descriptor. Its clips are suitable for Web sharing and nondiscerning TV viewing. Just because it's capable of recording at 1080p doesn't mean it can replace larger full HD camcorders or that the video is "Blu-ray quality."

There are two versions of the Bloggie PM5 available; one is only the video camera, whereas the other comes with a 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card and a snap-on 360-degree lens for an extra $20. The lens is fun, but the outcome is definitely more arty than useful, and Mac users can't take full advantage of the clips.

The PM5 is a candy-bar-style camcorder that's slim and light enough to keep in a pants pocket; it's available in blue, white, pink, and dark purple. One of the main differences this Bloggie has over similarly designed cams is its rotating lens. When closed, the lens is protected because it is aimed down into the top of the body. Swivel it out and the minicamcorder turns on; the lens rotates up to 270 degrees, allowing you to record yourself while looking at the 2.4-inch LCD. It also lets you hold the device horizontally, which makes recording below eye level possible. This is especially nice since the LCD becomes difficult to view off angle. (Seeing what's on the screen is tough in direct sunlight, too, even with the brightness turned up.)

To the right of the LCD is the shutter release for capturing photos up to 5 megapixels, and below it is the video record button. Though this puts them in easy reach of your thumb, it might be difficult for some to press them accurately one-handed. Next to them on the right side of the body are a power button and a zoom rocker. Don't get excited, though: it's only a 4x digital zoom that makes things look so bad it's basically useless. Plus, it's not available when recording at the highest resolution. (If you want an optical zoom, check out the Bloggie CM5.) Below the LCD is a five-way joystick flanked by playback and menu buttons. (Pressing in on the joystick will bring up the menu system, too, but it's otherwise used for making selections.) Only the top half of the screen is available for framing shots; the bottom displays information like video and photo resolutions, remaining storage amounts for photos and video, and the time of day. The full screen is used when viewing your recordings, though.

A slider on the bottom pushes out the PM5's built-in USB connector from behind a door on the right side. (The sole AV connector is here as well.) A door on the left side hides a memory card slot and the removable lithium ion rechargeable battery. The card slot accepts both Memory Stick Pro Duo cards and SD/SDHC cards. The battery gets charged in camera via USB. The positioning of the USB connector might be a bit tricky to use for some computers, but Sony includes a short extension cable.

The PM5's shooting features are above bare bones but below well equipped. It's pretty much an automatic point-and-shoot video camera, so you don't get a lot of options to tweak and experiment with. Nonetheless, you do get four video resolution options, electronic image stabilization, face detection, fluorescent-light flicker reduction, and a self-timer. The video resolutions include 1,920x1,080 pixels, 1,280x720 pixels, and 640x480 pixels at 30 frames per second (progressive) and a 1,280x720-pixel mode at 60fps (progressive). With a 4GB card you'll get up to 40 minutes at 1080/30p, 1 hour and 20 minutes at 720/60p, and 2 hours at 720/30p. Continuous shooting is possible for approximately 29 minutes. In the 1080/30p and 720/60p capture settings, the electronic image stabilization can't be activated.

This Bloggie's input and output offerings are anemic. You get the aforementioned USB connector for use with a computer and some HDTVs and a proprietary multiconnector output for composite and component video out to a monitor or TV. A composite cable is included, so you'll have to pay for a component cable if you want to connect to an HDTV. There's also no HDMI output for an easy single-cable connection for audio and video to an HDTV. There are no mic or headphone jacks, either, and the built-in mic is mono only.