Sony Handycam Hdr Cx160 User Manual
View and Download Sony HANDYCAM HDR-CX150 user manual online. Digital HD video camera recorder. HANDYCAM HDR-CX150 Camcorder pdf manual download. Also for: Handycam hdr-cx110, Hdr-cx110/l, Hdr-cx110/r, Hdr-cx150/li5, Hdr-cx150/r, Hdr-xr150, Handycam hdr-xr150. Find support information for Camcorders. Downloads ending for the Sony Raw Driver and some versions of PlayMemories Home, Action Cam Movie Creator, and MVR Studio. Jul 29, 2018 Free Download Sony HDR-CX160 Full HD Camcorder User's Manual Guide / Instructions / Owner's Manual (PDF) here. This light & smart Sony HDR-CX160 (HDR-CX160E) Full HD Camcorder features an Exmor R Back-illuminated CMOS sensor for superior low-light performance and wide angle Sony G lens, plus 42X extended zoom feature for getting you. “Handycam” Handbook HDR-CX130/CX160/CX180 2011 Sony Corporation 4-271-478-11(1) Table of Contents Enjoy Useful Functions. Read the “Handycam” Handbook in addition to the Operating Guide (a separate. In this manual, the internal memory (HDR-CX160/CX180) and the memory card are called.
View and Download Sony Handycam HDR-CX160 operating manual online. Digital HD video camera recorder. Handycam HDR-CX160 Camcorder pdf manual download. Also for: Handycam hdr-cx130, Handycam hdr-cx180. The Handycam HDR-CX160 bests its predecessor with a 1080/60p record mode, a 30x optical zoom lens, and a 3-inch touchscreen LCD. Hit enter to search. Popular Search.
The CX160 is a worthy successor, thanks to its moderate hardware improvements, but our tests showed no significant steps forward in terms of performance.
Stabilization results were reliable, battery life results were excellent, and handling flaws were few.
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It's hard to find a budget camcorder that doesn't have serious handling flaws, but the HDR-CX160 did a fine job avoiding common design mishaps. The camcorder is well-equipped and durable, and it even has a fairly stylish design. The hand strap could have been a bit more comfortable, I'll admit that, but most of this discomfort came from the fact that the strap doubles as a housing for the CX160's built-in USB arm. Maybe next year Sony can find a better place to put the USB cable, so it doesn't impact the comfort of the hand strap.
Using the touchscreen on the HDR-CX160 wasn’t all that bad either, especially considering the increase in screen size over last year’s CX150. The extra space garnered from the 3-inch screen made menus easier to navigate, controls easier to adjust—heck, it helped with just about everything. The speed of the CX160’s processor was also decent. This camcorder won't be slogging away with slow controls and entry-level response times (I'm thinking specifically of the JVC GZ-HM450 and the Samsung HMX-H300 here). This Sony is easy to use, thanks to its simple auto modes and intuitive controls, but the dedicated button for auto mode should be more prominent on a camcorder like this. First-time users who only want to use the CX160 in auto mode should be able to find this option immediately, but Sony makes it surprisingly hard to find.
The CX160 gets carried away with gimmicky features like Sony's signature 'golf shot.'
Find support information for HDR-CX160. Downloads ending for the Sony Raw Driver and some versions of PlayMemories Home, Action Cam Movie Creator, and MVR Studio.
First of all, manual controls on the HDR-CX160 are limited, since Sony instead put its energy into making the CX160's automatic features more reliable. The auto exposure system was particularly nice, working quickly and smoothly even when switching from light to dark scenes. Autofocus didn’t work quite as well as we've seen on other Sony camcorders, though, and that may have something to do with the CX160’s long 30x zoom lens. For example, the focus worked quickly when using a minor amount of zoom, but constant changes in zoom length, particularly in the far end of the spectrum, proved difficult for the autofocus system.
The most prominent new feature on the CX160 is one that many users will struggle to understand. It's the camcorder's 1080/60p record mode, which, for the layman, is essentially a higher-quality mode than anything found on the previous HDR-CX150. The camcorder also has a few miscellaneous features, including a limited slow motion function (smooth slow record), a setting for analyzing your golf swing (golf shot), a low light mode (called low lux), a 3.5mm external mic jack, and 16GB of internal memory. Additionally, the Sony CX160 can capture 3-megapixel still images and it will even snap a photo automatically when it detects individuals smiling within the frame. These still image functions may sound cool, but the camcorder's photos won't look much better than what your average cellphone camera is capable of.
Other than awesome battery life, the CX160 offers little improvement over its predecessor.
Sony made more than enough updates to the HDR-CX160, but there's one important aspect where the camcorder failed to improve over its predecessor: video performance. The CX160 consistently performed in-line with its predecessor, but it rarely showed any signs of improvement. Sony's new 1080/60p record mode should have—in theory—produced a more detailed image, yet testing revealed no marked improvement over last year's model. But while sharpness barely budged, at least the new record mode captured smoother motion.
This doesn't mean the HDR-CX160 is a lowly performer. It still put up average numbers for an entry-level model, and its battery life results were killer. The CX160 was able to record almost twice as long as the Canon HF R21 on a single charge. If only the camcorder's video performance results were this fantastic.
The updated features on the HDR-CX160 are great, but because Sony didn't make enough effort to improve performance, we recommend comparison shopping.
The HDR-CX160's new hardware components are its most impressive additions. How can you not love the camcorder's larger LCD, longer zoom lens, expanded connectivity (external mic jack and built-in USB!), and slicker menu system? The 1080/60p mode is great in theory, but it's likely that most beginners will be afraid to fiddle with this hard-to-understand feature.
Overall, despite its hardware updates and its extra features, the HDR-CX160 fails to outperform last year's HDR-CX150—and that is the ultimate weakness. Worse still, without its annual increase in video performance, the CX160 also falls behind the Canon HF R21. The two camcorders were very close in our testing, but the Canon's video simply looked better than the Sony's. Since the CX160 ($499 MSRP) is on the upper end of the price range for an entry-level model, we'd also recommend looking at cheap mid-range HD alternatives like the Panasonic HDC-TM90. The slight extra cost of a camcorder like the TM90 goes a long way, and it delivers much better performance in our video tests as result.
If you've used last year's HDR-CX150 from Sony, then you've seen what the HDR-CX160 is capable of. Sony's new camcorder was a very similar performer to its predecessor, which is to say, it did a decent job in our tests. Bright light video looked nice, but the camcorder wasn't the best at capturing a sharp, detailed image. In low light, the CX160 kept noise levels down, but its colors weren't very accurate and it needed more light than the competition to record a usable image.
Sony's new 1080/60p record mode afforded some improvements to motion, but sharpness was identical to last year's CX150.
Thanks to its 60p record mode, the Sony CX160 came out ahead of last year’s HDR-CX150 in our motion test. The new mode was able to lower the amount of artifacting and produce less interference than the regular 60i mode, which was the only recording frame rate option on the HDR-CX150. The other models we compared the CX160 to also have extra frame rate options, in addition to 60i recording. The Canon HF R21 has its PF24 and PF30 frame rates (neither of which are native, like the 60p mode on the CX160), and the Panasonic HDC-TM90 has its 1080/60p mode that appears to be very similar, if not identical, to the one on the Sony CX160.
The point is this—1080/60p modes are very popular amongst video enthusiasts right now, and rightly so. They often produce smoother, sharper video, and allow camcorders to record at a higher bitrate (usually lowering the presence of artifacting in the process). The HDR-CX160’s 60p mode wasn’t as fantastic as the one on the Panasonic HDC-TM90, and we don't know exactly why that's the case, but it still gave the camcorder a bit of a boost in our motion test compared to its results with its 60i mode.
Video sharpness for the CX160 came to 650 LW/PH horizontal and 600 LW/PH vertical. This amounts to the same overall sharpness score as last year’s HDR-CX150, which is disappointing. The CX160's higher-bitrate 1080/60p mode should have given it a boost in this test, but it failed to do so.
The CX160's battery is better than what competitors offer.
Sony has done an astounding job with battery life this year, and the HDR-CX160 continued with that trend wholeheartedly. The camcorder managed to continuously record for 165 minutes (2 hours, 45 minutes) in our battery life test with its provided battery. This is an amazing performance for two reasons: this is roughly twice the amount of time that the Canon HF R21 was able to last, and it is 40 minutes longer than the (still great) battery life on last year’s HDR-CX150.
The Sony CX160 ships with an NP-FV50 battery pack, which fits into the battery compartment at the back of the camcorder. If you want to upgrade to a larger battery pack (for even longer performance), Sony has two options: the NP-FV70 and the NP-FV110. The downside to having a larger battery is that they make the camcorder significantly heavier.
Not the best low light camcorder in its class, but the CX160's results weren't awful
To be fair, low light sensitivity was one area where the CX160 outperformed its predecessor, but it wasn't a dramatic improvement. In our testing, the new Sony camcorder required 22 lux of light to reach 50 IRE on our waveform monitor when we used optical zoom to frame our test chart. Without using any zoom, which allows the camcorder to use its widest aperture setting, the CX160 needed 13 lux to reach the same light levels. These scores are passable for an entry-level HD camcorder, and, like we said, they are better than last year’s HDR-CX150. However, both the Canon HF R21 and the Panasonic HDC-TM90 put up superior numbers in this test, compared to the CX160.
Also, color accuracy was not the HDR-CX160’s strong suit in low light. Grindmaster 250 coffee grinder user manual. The camcorder measured a color error of 5.92, which is statistically identical to the 5.91 color error measured on last year's HDR-CX150. The CX160 had decent saturation levels in low light, measuring around 81.7%, but again, this doesn’t represent much improvement over the older HDR-CX150.
Meet the testers
Jeremy Stamas
Managing Editor, Video
@nematode9Jeremy is the video expert of our imaging team and Reviewed.com's head of video production. Originally from Pennsylvania and upstate NY, he graduated from Bard college with a degree in film and electronic media. User manual for 6 qt power cooker. He has been living and working in New England since 2005.
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Sony Handycam Hdr Cx160 User Manual Download
We use standardized and scientific testing methods to scrutinize every product and provide you with objectively accurate results. If you’ve found different results in your own research, email us and we’ll compare notes. If it looks substantial, we’ll gladly re-test a product to try and reproduce these results. After all, peer reviews are a critical part of any scientific process.
Shoot us an emailFree Download Sony Handycam HDR-CX380 Full HD Camcorder User's Manual Guide / Instructions / Owner's Manual (PDF) here.
Sony Handycam HDR-CX380 (HDR-CX380E) camcorder enables you to record in incredible 1080p full HD video and 8.9MP photos.
The back-illuminated Exmor CMOS sensor delivers excellent low-light performance. The Optical SteadyShot image stabilization ensures beautiful, blur-free footage even when shooting on the move, while impressive 55x digital zoom technology brings distance subjects into view.
The 3.0-inch Clear Photo touchscreen LCD displays sharp, bright images - so navigating settings, composing shots and reviewing footage is a breeze.
Sony Handycam HDR-CX380 (HDR-CX380E) Full HD Camcorder Key Features:
- 1920 x 1080 60p(50p@PAL) / 24p(25p@PAL) Full HD
- 16GB Internal Flash Memory
- Memory Stick Duo / SD Memory Card Slot
- 1/4' Exmor R CMOS Sensor
- BIONZ processor
- 26.8mm Wide Angle Sony G Lens
- 30x Optical Zoom
- 55x Extended Zoom
- Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode
- 3.0-inch 230k-dot wide Clear Photo Plus LCD touch screen
- Shoot high quality AVCHD or web optimized MP4 video
- Up to 8.9 Megapixel still photo
- Intelligent Auto mode
- Face Detection
- Wind noise reduction
- Microphone & Headphone Jacks
- Connect and charge with built-in USB cable
- Tracking Focus
- Highlight Playback
Free Download Sony Handycam HDR-CX380 (HDR-CX380E) Full HD Camcorder Operating Instruction Guide / Owner's Manual / User's Manual (PDF Format):
Sony Handycam HDR-CX380 (HDR-CX380E) User Manual (PDF) - Basic Operating Instructions, English