Sony CX330 Camcorder Review! [My Camera Gear]

sony-cx330-review

I know I made this website to be about Android but I have a ton of passion for making videos and video equipment.  Plus, if you want to take videos that you can’t really make with an Android device, this could be very useful.

For example, I love my Note 4 camera and its camera abilities but if I wanted to make home videos of my daughter skateboarding (and me following her) without my Note 4 shaking on me, I really couldn’t as smartphone video recording technology is simply not there yet.  One day I will definitely make videos with my Android smartphones only but until then, I use other gear that make my videos as best as possible.

And for those of you who want to get started with making videos on YouTube, make videos for your website, or even get some cool videos for your school project, you will want to get a dedicated camcorder.  A dedicated camcorder does the job a lot better than your Android smartphone simply because it’s specifically built for that and that only.  For doing such a thing and also without breaking your bank, I do highly recommend the Sony CX330, which can do up to 1080P 60FPS and the video stabilization is night and day compared to my Note 4 (or any other smartphone for the matter).

I initially bought this camera over Canon camcorders (I love my Canon DSLRs) due to its wide angle lens.   It was actually for my daughter Peony so she could start “vlogging” on her YouTube channel.  Well, after playing with it for few weeks, I can tell you this is one of the best camcorders you can buy under $200.

What I love about this camera is that you can achieve the stabilization of cameras with steadicam without spending hundreds dollars alone on steadicam unit.   And for those of you who are not familiar with cameras, the stabilization on this Sony CX330 makes you look like a pro!

Also, you can very good 1080P 60FPS which is a notch higher than what most smartphones can do these days (Note 4 does 720P 60FPS but not 1080P 60FPS, and also Note 4 does 4K video but the optical stabilization is nowhere near Sony CX330).

Also, zooming is very good on this camera, its 30X optical zoom works well and beats any digital zoom (used on most smartphones) any day.  With good zoom, that means you can take videos from blocks away without losing clarity.

One thing that the Sony CX330 lacks is low-light performance.  I wouldn’t say it’s better than Note 4 maybe about the same.   But then again, why would you be recording videos in complete darkness?  I guess there are occasions like Halloween or concerts but for most videos I make, I make sure I have great natural lighting (sunlight) or use light soft-boxes.  The biggest advantage CX330 has over my Note 4 is again the video stabilization, you get less of that shaking and still get stable video recordings.  In every day situations, you don’t carry tripod with you everywhere and that’s where smartphone cameras fail to perform, give you good videos while you hold it with one hand or two hands.

Overall, for $199, the Sony CX330 is a great starter camcorder that’s recommended for anyone who wants to tinker with more stable videos than what your Android smartphone can do.   And I am also getting the Sony FDR-AX33 4K camcorder soon (for those of you who want 4K), which I should have a review also).

Currently the Sony CX330 is a camcorder I stole from my daughter (shhh, don’t tell Peony!) for making videos when I go on trips (so I don’t have to carry all my DSLR gear).  So if you need some better videos than what smartphones can do, definitely give this one a try, you won’t be disappointed.

 

 

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Max Lee

Max Lee is the founder of HighOnAndroid.com. Max makes Android tutorials and review videos for people who want to get high on Android over at his YouTube channel and Korean YouTube channel.