Sony HDR-MV1 Music Video Recorder (Black)

(Edit: UGHH...The video looks terrible uploaded here!) NOTE: This isn't really a video review. This is my first time uploading video for viewers to see. So this is just a sample video displaying the quality. This little thing has surprised me with the quality when shooting outside. That was my last test to see whether I was going to return it or not. It needs good lighting to product crisp clean video. I used it to record my son in side and wasn't really pleased with the quality in low light. The footage looked weird on the computer, a bit washed out, but when I streamed to the footage straight to my Samsung 55inch LED 240Hz TV it would be warmer, but still not as pleasing as i'd want it. I figured it's a "you got what you paid for" kind of product. I bumped up the light in the house and notice gains in quality. That's when I got curious to shoot in daylight. Pointed it outside my window just to get some footage, then took it to the PC to stream to the TV. I was THEN surprised. My initial reaction was "S*** look at that, oh so clean and clear" I guess I was making noises because my wife started teasing me, haha. So in all, for just under $300, this lil guy has exceeded my expectations in quality and easy of use. The file format it produces is an MP4, which can easily be uploaded anywhere and played on your PC, iPhone & iPad without a hiccup. You don't really need a manual because it's pretty simple to use. You turn it on, press the start/stop record button, then shoot. A lot of folks don't like that there is a side view, I can understand why because I too would like to see what i'm shooting. However, if you have it on a tripod, standing at the side while rotating it is best. The mics are very sensitive. If you have it on the table and tried to turn it to shoot something else, you will hear it. So a tripod is best or sitting it down pointing in the direction you need. I say try it, if you don't like it, return it. Amazon is great with returns. I gave it 5 starts due to how compact it is, how easy it is to transport, how easy it is to get the footage off of the device. The increased quality in good lighting, how clear the audio is. You can get pretty creative with this. I would take .5 off for not being able to see from the back making it a 4.5 star product.

Hi, I purchased the MV-1 the weekend it was released after viewing all of the Japanese video's posted online of folks using it. I play drums in a couple of terrible bands and go to a lot of small shows in little bars to see my friends terrible bands. I use a 64gig class 10 microSD card in my camera, so far this little guy has been perfect for me! I set this camera up every time we have a practice session, or whenever i'm practicing alone then dump the files onto a hard drive, its so easy to put this in a corner, and get better than decent recordings to review, critique and go back to whenever you want. its been helping me clean up small problems with my playing, and it helps my guitarist remember what chords he was pulling out during a particular Jam. For an armature musician like me, this helps me get the most out of the infrequent times i get to practice. The inability to zoom and side screen would be annoying if I were to use this for something other than recording music, but I don't, This is a music recording device that is crazy light, has good sound, and still gets a decent picture. The wide angle lens allows you to just point in the general direction of the show and you will get everything you need in the frame. I've yet to use this in an outside venue or in a large indoor venue, but so far it has exceeded my expectations.

I just got the product, and so far I'm impressed. I'm a musician, and it looks like a perfect fit for recording gigs. Unlike the original user review, my product DID come with a user guide. It's minimal, but sufficient. The product is small and seems sturdy, but lighter then I expected. People reviewing the release pictures of the product were worried about the microphones being easily damaged. The arms protecting the mics feel sturdy enough. I'm am concerned about wind however. The mics are exposed, and I don't see a great way to cover them with a wind shield, sense any wind shield could obstruct the camera view. Anyone who has recorded gigs outside knows that mics need a wind shield. We'll see. I plan to go to Guitar Center and see if they have anything usable. Worst case I'll hang a napkin around the mics. The video looks great. It is a wide angle fixed lens, so you don't have to be far away at all in order to capture the state. If I had to estimate, it looks like the width of the image is double the distance. So if I go back 5 feet, I can capture a 10 foot state. There are no controls for zooming. And focus is also fixed. Anything from 3 inches away to infinity is in focus. I played around with it with very low lighting conditions, and the image looked better then I expected it to. The image didn't get grainy. One thing I didn't know about the product before getting it, is it's ability to remotely monitor and operate through the use of the smart phone. I have an iPhone 5s. I downloaded the free app PlayMemories Mobile (from Sony) to my phone. With iPhone you connect your phone to the camera using the WIFI connection provided by the camera. If you have an Android, you can use NFC for an even easier setup. Once paired, the smartphone app displays a LIVE feed from the camera, and allows you to start and stop recording. This is perfect for being on stage, seeing that the camera view is good, and controlling recording sessions. It's a really good solution for live musicians. Others have talked about the fixed view screen on the camera being a huge issue because it is side mounted and fixed. The remote view capability on a smartphone is so much better then anything you could use with a screen being on the camera. I've yet to use this at a gig. I'll post an update once I do. So far I think it's great! UPDATE 12/23/2013 Here is a sample from when I first used the camera. As you can see it has a bit of a fish-eye effect. Because of it though, you can get much of the stage without being far away. I'm about 15 feet in front of the guitarist here. Also, the band isn't lit in any way. The camera did great in low light conditions. I'm happy with audio as well. The room was audibly bright. Brick walls and concrete floors. Still the audio sounds great for a live performance. http://youtu.be/u6aaf-pOHj0

I have now used this three times: I recorded two band practices and one live performance. The audio is great. I did do some post editing on the audio but really the sound is accurate. If you sound great, the recording should sound great. The video I shot of practice was also great. Both practice spaces are small and the camera gets everything in the shot. Now for the downside: video of live bands. I set up for a live performance. The venue was small and the camera was not too far back. I wish I had measured. In the video we were way too small in the shot because of the wide angle lens. If I had moved it up closer to get us framed properly, the camera would have been right in the middle of the dance floor. This would have also possibly changed the sound giving more of the stage audio and not the front mains mix. For the final video I was left with choice of cropping or letting it stand. I cropped and of course the video lost much of its "high definition". Will continue to look for that sweet spot in terms of framing and audio levels. I may have to work out some way to do a ceiling mount, but every club is different and that may not be an option. I am worried that any medium or large size venue will be simply to big to get close enough to the stage.

I can't understand someone taking away stars because a camera doesn't have a certain feature. That's like taking a star away from a coffee maker because it doesn't make eggs. This camera has a fixed focus, very wide angle lens, with no zoom. That is how it is built. If that serves your needs then it's GREAT! If it doesn't? Well then DO NOT BUY IT! Seems simple, no? I am recording video blog posts where I show things I am building in my studio. I can put things close to the lens and they are clear and sharp - no focusing needed. You know those instructional videos where the camera won't focus on the thing the person is trying to show you? This camera doesn't do that...ever! The sound recording from the built in mics is fantastic, btw. And I love that it has a input jack that can take a mic level or line level signal. I've read several complaints that the view screen doesn't swing out. They are correct, it doesn't. No one ever said it did. Why did you buy this camera knowing that it didn't??? Truth be told, the fact that I can use an app on my phone, and/or my tablet, that acts as the camera's viewfinder screen AND lets me start and stop the recording...well, that's been simply incredible. Yes...an app...on your untethered device. You can walk around and see what the camera sees, and start and stop the recording from the app - wirelessly! It's mostly plastic, yes. So are most of my other electronic things (cameras, cell phones, etc, etc) Hasn't ever been an issue for me. Might be for you. I don't know. I've seen complaints that the menu system is horrible, so braced myself for disappointment. I took the camera out of the box, and without even looking at a manual had it working, and was changing settings in the "horrible" menu system within minutes. Whatever. I'm able to change the settings I need to within seconds mostly, so I'm happy enough. So yea, if this is the camera you need it's easily worth 5 stars. If it isn't...well...then don't buy it.

I wanted so badly to love this product. I'm a guitarist / instructor and I envisioned this as a great way to do demo videos. Unfortunately, it's marred by a fatal flaws: 1) Very wide angle lens and no optical zoom 2) No image stabilization Additionally, the desktop remote software could not recognize the camera. I spent 25 minutes with their tech support who kept asking me if the USB cable was connected even though I started off explaining that I installed the software via the built in mass media storage / USB connection to the device. The android app connection worked but you can't set any parameters such as level, recording quality, etc. #FAIL To summarize, if you are recording live bands and need a wide angle of view and if you use a tripod you will probably love this product as the mics are fabulous. But frankly, i see little advantage of this over something like a canon Vixia HF R400. Spend another $100 on an external stereo mic and you'll have great recording quality and the ability to zoom so that you're actually cropping in camera with good optics.

Purchased this camera December 2013 and used it maybe 25 times or so, really liked it for my bands live performance capture, nice audio, but a problem with the memory card recognition started, continuous "error" message, "not installed correctly." This happed over a year ago and I put it in desk drawer, just touched it again same error message. VERY disappointed with product quality!

I used this as a static cam for my wedding reception. The picture was very clear and did well in fairly low light. The sound quality was very good, particularly at this price range. It has a wide angle lens, but doe not zoom in or out. Works best as a static camera, it doesn't have a great design for use as a handheld, but it comes with an inclined platform and can also easily be fitted to a tripod. Very solid construction with materials that feel to be of good quality.

Excellent camera doesn't have more setting go straight to shoot.

Does a great job

Good sound but no zoom ?!?

Sound capture is excellent, although video quality is poorer than an average mid-high end smartphone. No display screen makes video recording with precision difficult. Although its the best there is for recording high quality songs at ur home.

You can not record while charging App does not show display properly and disconnects frequently Display is not facing you so useless Recording quality excellent Audio superbbbbb But I could not use due to above mentioned problems in blogging