I purchased the MHS-TS10 from Walmart. I’ve used a Flip and a Kodak Pulse Touch, both of which are small handheld video cameras roughly the size of the Sony Bloggie. I knew I wanted something small, durable and easy to use.
I did some reviews and then went to Walmart.com to check my local store. Luckily, they had the MHS-TS10. Every other Sony Bloggie camera was “Not Sold in Stores.” The price was $139, which was totally in my budget for a camera. (I can’t believe how affordable camcorders are these days.) I checked my local stores to make sure they had it in stock and then I set out.
The electronics section in Walmart just beckons you back to it with all those bright TVs and shelves and shelves of gadets…well it does for me anyway. So I looked around to make sure this was what I wanted. I like the way the Flip software works, though I would like more control of the editing. I really don’t like the Kodak Pulse Touch. It feels cheap and is really not very user friendly. Sony Bloggie it is.
Uh, two issues.
First of all, I wanted to see it/touch it/ see what the screen looked like. No dice. The battery was dead. But I didn’t take it personally because the batteries in all the handheld camcorders were dead. I wasn’t trying anything.
Second. The price.
$179.
Now, I know that prices could vary in stores. But $40? Really? I could have used the Walmart “Ship to Site” and gotten for $139 and not paid shipping. Or I could have ordered it and paid shipping, which would have been less than $40. That’s the price I pay for having it right then and there I guess.
I got it home, opened it up and admired the beautiful, sleek silver camera that lay before me. I really hoped the battery was at least a little charged because I was ready to make some movies! Luckily for me, it was.
I took a couple videos of my daughter running around, my dogs taking off after a squirrel in the backyard and other stuff like that…I know, real exciting stuff.
The thing I love about the Bloggie? The battery. First of all, I know where my battery life stands. Secondly, it charges when it’s connected to my laptop through the USB. I don’t have to carry around a bunch of AA batteries in case my camera just as I’m heading out to my friend’s surprise birthday party.
Second thing I love about the Bloggie? The GIANT, crystal clear display! It’s so pretty. I could see every detail of the stuff I was filming. I could zoom in and out just by touching the screen and I could adjust a bunch of settings with a click. Not to mention, it doubles as a digital camera, so I can snap shots if I’m out and about. Two-in-one….how efficient.
There were some issues though.
I tried twice to load the software. Each time I got a local host unavailable error. I Googled it. I removed the software and started again. I rebooted. I had no idea. Then I decided to remove Google Chrome as my default browser and instead Internet Explorer and the default. Problem solved. It installed a few updates on itself and I was up and running in no time.
Having used the Flip and Kodak Touch Pulse, I was expecting some video editing features. It has none. I can create an album and upload it to my choice of video sharing sites: YouTube, Flickr, Facebook. And the photos can go to Flickr, Picasa or Facebook. It’s all very easy and user friendly. But I like to string my videos together and even throw a song over it from time to time, like I do with the Flip.
So I decided to open the videos in Windows Live Movie Maker. Only I couldn’t find the videos. I couldn’t figure out where they imported too or where they were saved on the camera. After searching around, I finally found them in the folder inside the MP-Root folder. I was able to copy them over to Windows Live Movie Maker and do my necessary editing.
This was fine for me. As I stated above, I’m a gadget girl. I don’t mind tinkering and trying to find exactly what I need, but others may not. They may want it right away with a push of a button.
When I published to Facebook that I bought this Bloggie, one of my friends responded that she had one and loves it. I asked her how she edits video. She said she doesn’t, she just uploads them to Facebook. For people like her, this is a great. For people who want more control, it can be a little frustrating, especially if you are used to Flip software. However, the Sony Bloggie does allow you to directly import the video to Windows Live Movie Maker, which the Flip cam doesn’t allow. So in that respect, I love it.
The Sony Bloggie MHS-TS10 is a great little camcorder and I’m so glad I have it. I look forward to creating and editing lots of video.
For more on my shopping experience, check out my Whrrl.
Disclaimer: I was compensated by Collective Bias for this review. However the words and opinions expressed here are my own.
