Side by Side Comparison of: Samsung vs Beach Camera

We took this camera on our trip to South-East Asia, last November.We used it like it was a Go Pro camera, that is, putting it in the waterproof case that is part of this camera kit. In one case, this led to a problem with fogging on the inside of the waterproof case when we crossing a river. The case fogged up without much warning (when I reviewed the video); most of that recording was ruined, unfortunately. The camera itself worked well during all of this, but tends to run a little warm when used for extended periods. The hard waterproof case proved useful when I was a passenger on an evening scooter ride in Saigon; got some good footage!

I love it and used it to film dozens of soccer games since I purchased it. Buy a regular size tripod or, even better, monopod with it. Their mini-tripod is a joke. The extra batteries help. Basically, the batteries last about one hour of filming a soccer game without stopping. Having a back-up batter and being able to switch at halftime is always a relief.The thing weighs next to nothing, but it works great. It has great sound and video and is worth the low investment cost.

I was a bit of a techno-phobe when it comes to camcorders, but this product is really really great !It takes very nice videos and pictures. I had to go online to figure out how to get a photo-image capture from a video, and its very easy. The little tripod is just that - very little - it needs to sit on a table-top. So I got an additional 57" adjustable tripod for about $20 I'm very very happy with the product. It's easy to use - it's an excellent "first" camcorder, for sure. And maybe it will be my last... The bundle comes with everything you need, so if you're looking to buy a gift, this bundle has it all, and you don't have to stress over that issue, either.

I purchased this camera on a whim as we were going to Australia and New Zealand on a cruise. I normally shoot pictures with my Canon 7D, but I wanted something I could take movies / pictures with that would be very light. I also loved the fact that this camera uses SD media, versus the compact flash media that my Canon uses (much greater capacities with a greatly reduced cost). I used the camera on the cruise and was totally impressed. The movies were great as well as the pictures I took with it. It even worked well in lower light conditions (setting in the camera). I also loved the fact that I could take photos concurrently with taking a movie. The camera is small enough to carry in your pocket and does a fantastic job, especially given the price. Big thumbs up on the camera all the way around.

have been using for awhile now. No problems,closeups exceptional.I have a little trouble finding small objects without reading glasses.The accessories were perfect,just what was needed.A big plus from this seller.Do not try to use the stick on screen savers,I went through 3 before giving up trying to get out the bubbles.I can't find a single problem with this handcam,except shaking when in closeups(normal difficulty with any zoom-this camcorder has a stabilizer that really helps.I think that I do miss the view finder because of my sight problem.Price was great-same as Walmart but then the accessories added by the seller made a huge difference.The extra battery,sd card,case,etc...what a great deal.Woould buy again from this seller.IOncluded just the right accessories.

After researching on alot of different web sites and looking up endless reviews I finally decided on the CX220 model, if your looking for a amateur camcorder for around 250 dollars save yourself the time and get this camera, its a very nice compromise between basic function and a really modest price for what you get. The Sony CX220 has all the necessary features you want with no over priced frills. I paid 250 for the value bundle with 32 gb memory card, extra battery, wall charger, car charger, mini tripod, cleaning kit, and camecorder case this value is unbeatable. Higher end Sony CX models will add 16 gb of internal memory which is a nice feature but they will increase the price by 50 dollars or more when you can simply buy a sdhc class 10 or higher memory card for around 20 dollars and that will give you twice the memory.-Recording Modes-There are 4 different recording modes.1. Highest def which is 1080 p (60 frames per second) approx 2hr 30min record time on a 32 gb memory card2. High def which is 1080 i (30 frames per second) approx 3hr 30 min record time on a 32 gb memory card3. Standard def 480 i (lower resolution 30 frames per second) approx 4 hr 30 min record time4. Mp4 for quick internet or cell phone transfersI usually use the 1080 i record mode this provides very good video even in low light conditions with the proper settings enabled. You can also take pictures as you record video on the second to highest rec mode which is fantastic for capturing those key sporting event pictures.-Battery-The 2 Lithium Ion batteries included in the bundle are the NP FV30 and the NP FV50.the NPFV30 will give you approx. 95 minutes of record time (depending on settings)the NPFV50 will give you approx. 180 minutes of record time (depending on settings)and you have the option to recharge the batteries directly in the camcorder, on the provided wall charger, or by the provided car charger. Other battery options for separate purchase are the NPFV70 (375 minutes record time) or the NPFV100 (745 minutes record time)-Output Connections--The built in USB connection lets you plug the CX220 directly into your computer to make easy data transfers so there is no real need for a seperate card reader.-HDMI output lets you plug the provided HDMI cable from the CX220 directly to your tv for full 1080 P video display and picture slideshow display from the camcorder.-Sound-The CX220 has a built in speaker for playback sound dirtectly on the camcorder and for recording sound uses "Dolby Digital Stereo Creator". This camcorder records good sound quality in stereo and has a wind sound reduction feature if your recording at a windy location. It also has a built in zoom mic and adjustable mic level which gives you the option to mute or reduce background noise.-Lens-Carl Zeiss 29.8 wide angle lens. The 1080 settings are truly vibrant, especially when recording landscape and nature. It also comes equipt with a sony patented Cmos Exmor R sensor that lets in extra light for low light situations. It has a lux rating of 3 which basically means the minimum lighting requirement needed is the equivilant of 3 candles in a 100 square foot area, but the more light the better (in short turn on a light and you should be fine). As with all camcorders in this price range recording in low light is not optimal but for my purposes it works reasonably well.-Still shot-The still shots are 8.9 mega pixel, which is higher resolution then the iPhone 5.-Zoom-It can zoom up to 32x however with the active steady shot enabled you can only zoom 27x which I find is more then I ever need to zoom. To give you an idea you can read a bus sign across a park from over 100 yards away.-Computer Compatability--PC-Operating requirements are (windows xp, windows vista, windows 7 and windows 8) Sony provides an online photo and video editing service for PC called "play memories" and is compatible with "You Tube" and "Facebook".-MAC-Requirements are os x (version 10.5 - 10.8) Mac users you will need to download the Imovie app.-PS3-Requires a network account and a simple application download.-Direct Editing-You have 3 options to edit your footage or pictures directly from your camera.1. Deleting: you can delete both photos or footage: multiple images at once or individual scenes directly from your camcorder.2. Protect: you can protect movies or photos from getting deleted by accident.3. Direct copy: You can copy images to an external media device, ie external hard drive.-Settings-A quick list of adjustable settings are: white balance, exposure time, focus options, lux adjustments for low lighting environment, self timer, tele macro, steady shot, back light, digital zoom, face recognition, smile shutter, grid dislay, time date on dislay settings, beep sounds, lcd brightness, language setting, and power save mode.There is also an I-auto feature that automatically optimizes your video settings based on where your recording. I find this feature very usefull since I dont want to have to adjust the settings every time Im indoor or outdoor or if its overcast ect...-Warranty-Sony also gives a limited 1 year warranty, meaning they will replace any part they deem defective for up to a year after the purchase date.The sony 32 gb card I use Sony 32GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 R40 Memory Card (SF32UY/TQMN) you also have the option to get the 64 gb card as well which is what I will be ordering next time.Another handy accessory to have for organizing your memory cards ECO-FUSED® Black Memory Card Carrying Case / ECO-FUSED® Microfiber Cleaning Cloth IncludedThis camcorder has a ton of nice features and is a very good light weight all purpose starter camera perfect for capturing family vacations or your kids sporting event. I have already recomended it to family members especially if you can get the value bundle deal.If this review helped let me know, I enjoy the feedback.... and if you have questions, I have answers.

Have not used it yet, but expect it to perform as advertised. I would of liked an AV cable as part of the bundle. Min-tripod is useless. User guide could have been more descriptive.

Good overall. The quality sound is not great.... It's decent at best. Thinking about buying a microphone to improve the sound quality. Other than that, it has been great

The camera operates within an acceptable level of satisfaction.

It is very easy to operate. I initially did not like that all the thumbnails streamed together and were only separated by date but I now see with a stop button that I can manually separate them.

Nice camera and handy little kit! Has everything you might need! Not the greatest quality for the accessories though, as the tripod broke immediately after first use and the carrying case doesn't have any pockets or anything so all the stuff is just jumbled around in there.

This turned out to be a very good camera for the price and all the extras that came with it made it an even better buy. The picture on the camera is crystal clear and the sound is excellent. The only thing that bugged me was the table top tripod that came with the kit. The tripod connects to the front portion of the camera and the weight of the camera tips it right over. Since I have another tripod I can work around this. All in all, a very good buy.

nice but was hoping for the price the quality would be better it seems somewhat cheap it feels hollow as if the quality is not great wanted something more solid filling

Full disclosure, I have only used the camera once and it worked well but straight away this package did not come with the displayed tripod and was poorly packaged like it came from someone's garage. Very disappointed out of the gate.

Camera arrived with everything promised.However (you knew that was coming, right?)I purchased this specifically to record 1280x720. To achieve that requires recording in dual-mode. No problem, I can always delete the higher quality video. I turns out you need:* 64gig card minimum* 94mbps record time. 94!Most cards do 40, 60, or 90. 94 is about a fast as I've found.Meaning, I purchased a lower-end camera to film at a lower rate & to do that I need a very-high-end memory card.I did find one on, which was about $50. Maybe on Black Friday I can find a better deal.Everything else about this camera is very nice. I really like the form factor, this purchase came with an extra battery, charger, (2) micro-HDMI to HDMI cables, inexpensive bag, mini-tripod, (2) batteries, etc.Also, according to the manual it takes at 2+ hours to charge the battery (in the charger). 270 minutes if via the USB cable in the camera (I find this very hard to believe). Generally it's been 2 minutes of charge time via USB give me 1 minute of record/play time. We'll see. I'll update once I use it.Still a great buy, even though Sony doesn't make it clear that if you really want all the features advertised you're going to pay. Why not just allow the lower recording option without all the fuss? I think Sony is pushing an adjenda that doesn't make sense.

Light weight, quick working and had a god bundle. But the quality was not good for what I wanted it for; YouTube video indoors. This camera for me works better outside then in. Not HD enough for me. Still shots were good quality though.

I haven't even used this yet. But I feel like I paid $250 for a microchip. The camera itself feels like one of those cheap throw-away one-use plastic jobs you get at the drug store. I'm afraid if I drop it outside, it will just shatter. Really Sony? A little more heft would be re-assuring! My little flip phone feels stronger...

The camera works well, however, the accessories package is not worth it. The tripod is extremely cheaply made and barley stands without support. Furthermore, the SD card that came in the package does not work with the camera! The camera requires a mini SD card, we were sent a regular sized one. Now we have to spend more money to purchase the proper sized SD card. You would think the seller would know what products work with the camera. I wouldn't spend the extra money on the accessories package. Just buy the camera.

On-line description at Amazon and Sony says this has a mic and headphone jack -- neither is on this camera. Also, Sony changed the battery with this generation of camera to a smaller camera battery (as opposed to the bigger camcorder battery), which has much less power -- about 1 hour compared to 2.5-3 hours. While the camera looks good for what it is, this was false advertising and I was looking for something else.

Came in okay but the quality is extremely poor, for the price I really thought it would be better...it stats in and out every few seconds, and only time it works is if subject is still.....

The motor of my camera constantly makes a little noise when recording. Even the noise is a little, I can clearly hear the noise when playback my video. For this reason, the sound quality of this camera is pretty bad. Because the camera does NOT provide any port to connect external microphone, so the motor noise problem is almost impossible to solve. So it is not worth to buy it. My honest advice!For more information about Sony camera design flaw (Not only limited to HDR CX405), please check following Youtube video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFb-UrNrrIo

I am still practicing taking good videos as this is my first video camera. The video seems crisp but you have to be careful with the zoom and movement as things will get blurry really fast. The operations are intuitive however, the button to access the menu and change things is so small that it is almost impossible to do the simplest function (like setting the date and time.) I tried a stylus and had no better luck. I wish I had not purchased this online because I never would have bought it if I had tried it out in the store. I do not recommend this camera.

THIS WAS NOT TO MY EXPECTATIONS POORLY MADE TO ME, EXPECTED A BETTER CAMERA...

Video quality is bad indoors, and mediocre outdoors. There is a lot of noise and/or compression artifacts even on the best quality setting. If you shoot outdoors on a sunlit day, it looks almost as good as cell phone video. In addition, it is $100 more expensive here than if you would buy the same camera on newegg.

This camera sucks. I only used it once to try it and it started freezing and turning itself off and on again. Brand new and not working and can't get my money back cause it has only one month return policy. Very disappointed. My advice DO NOT BUY. Waste of money for cheap camera and kit. Plain garbage...

Bought this camera as a Christmas gift for my sister and ever since she opened it she has been having nothing but issues. It won't record longer than 4 minutes or it just stops recording and freezes. The only way to unfreeze it is to remove the battery. She has not been able to successfully use this product since opening it. Needless to say, we are not happy and will not be purchasing again.

I have had this camera less than a year. Today I started recording some video and the display just went black and now refuses to come on. I have attempted every way I know to reset it, such as removing the battery, removing the memory card, etc, and this has not resolved the issue. Without the screen I can't see what I'm recording, can't link it via USB, its effectively dead. I'm out 250.00 for a camera less than a year old. Others have had the same issue based on what I'm seeing now online. DO NOT BUY THIS CAMCORDER.

I am not happy with this item. It is light plastic. I did give it to my daughter n son in law, because it was so close to Christmas. But, I won't buy Sony again.

Battery charger doesnt fit battery and tripod not included like it says on the description

Returned item because-1. The spare battery that came jn the bundle does not work with the camera.2. The SD card came in the bundle was standard size.... This camera needs a micro sd