Sony HDR CX440 Review - [ Features , Pros & Cons ]

Sony HDR CX440 Review – For Memories In High-Definition

Who doesn’t like to see their memories captured into brilliant 4k videos? But if you wanted to shoot them you will need to buy a 4k camcorder that simply only costs you a leg and an arm.

But don’t think it’s the end of the world. Some professionals and high-definition junkies with a lot of money may need to buy them. For the rest of us, there are equally impressive Handycam with a lot of features some of those that even come at very affordable price tags.

If you are wondering how you can find such Handycam from the plethora of products on the market, then look no further. We have handpicked one such camcorder, the Sony HDR CX440, which is chock full of features for its price point giving cheap camcorders a run for their money.

Read our review below on this cost-effective but high-quality camcorder from the house of Sony, whose name is synonymous with quality electronics.

Sony HDR CX440 Specs

30x Optical zoom and a Clear image zoom of 60x
A powerful 26.8 mm Zeiss Lens

High-quality 2.7” LCD display
SteadyShot image stabilization for shake-free pictures
Wi-Fi and NFC wireless connectivity

Live-streaming option with Ustream4
Dual recording mode for both AVCHD and MP4 recordings

Is The Sony HDR CX440 The Most Affordable Handycam on The Market?

The Sony HDR CX440 looks like any other mid-range Handycam at first look. But when you look at the number of features it offers you will be amazed at how it was possible to fit it into such a small price tag.

From high-definition videos to instant sharing over Wi-Fi to Live streaming the HDR CX440 is high on features making it worth your every penny. Below we tease the features of the Sony HDR CX440 so that you can decide if it meets your requirements.

Full HD

When even flagship smartphone models have come with high-definition video capabilities, it only makes sense that your Handycam is Full HD too. The HDR CX440 lets you capture all your happy and fun moments in full HD as it has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and can be shot at 60p or 30p. Even your images are frozen as high-quality 9.2 Megapixel memories.

Zeiss Lens

Source: zeiss.com

The camera has a 26.8mm wide-angle lens that fits everything you want into your videos and images. The lens also comes with an optical zoom of 30x which is further increased to a 60x magnification by the Clear Image digital Zoom.

The best part of the zoom is that even when you use the maximum magnification, there is hardly any distortion. The Clear Image digital zoom mimics adjacent pixels to create new pixels that result in highly sharp pictures even at maximum zoom.

So whether it is beautiful landscape scenes that you love or up close portraits, the HDR CX440 will let you capture them all with ease.

Sensor

Most handycams can do away with good videos and images when the light conditions are ideal. But only a few like the HDR CX440 can work equally well even when the ambient light conditions are not favorable.

This is because the HDR CX440 is equipped with a back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor which means that you can shoot grain-free and high-clarity videos even in poor light conditions.

Image Stabilization

Camera shake during recording can happen even to the most experienced users especially while using the zoom feature. But this is not a problem with the HDR CX440 as it employs Steady Shot Image Stabilization technology that gives you shake-free videos and pictures whether you take wide-angle or zoomed-in videos.

Adding to the technology is the 3-way shake canceling features which further improves the video quality and gives you extremely smooth and distortion-free videos.

Intelligent Auto

If you are completely new to handycams or are just not in the mood to manually select camera settings, you can use the Intelligent Auto mode. When you choose this mode the Handycam will automatically choose the required camera settings including the right scene selection from the 10 different modes based on ambient conditions.

LCD Display

The Handycam comes with a foldable 2.7” LCD display that lets you see what is being shot with great clarity. As it gives a fair representation of the final output, you can change settings accordingly and the get the best out of your Handycam. The display is bright enough to be easily visible even in broad daylight. So you won’t have to squint your eyes to see your recording.

Wireless Connectivity

The Sony HDR CX440 comes Wi-Fi enabled which means once you shoot your videos or pictures you can instantly share them to your smartphone or tablets. The only other thing you will need to do is download Sony’s Play-Memories free Mobile app. With this app, you can even trigger remote shooting from your smartphone. However, you will need to mount your camcorder on a tripod for best results.

Another wireless feature of the HDR CX440 is the NFC or Near Field Communication. This is available in a number of smartphones including Android-powered ones. Simply tap your smartphone to the HDR CX440 and pair them instantly for wireless connectivity. It doesn’t get easier than this.

Ustream 4

Source: ustream.tv

Are you shooting a birthday party that your friend could not make it too? Don’t worry. Now your friend can watch it from a remote location as you share it with the UStream 4 feature on the HDR CX440. All they need to do is log into the UStream website or watch it on your social networking account if you have shared a link there.

Storage

You will want to try out taking videos and images as soon as you get your new Handycam. The people at Sony know this very well and hence the HDR CX440 comes with an inbuilt storage of 8GB for shooting right out of the box.

But there is also a separate memory card slot which can be used for SD cards. You can get a 64 GB card and shoot hours of high-quality videos using Sony’s new codec which is the XAVC S. Using this mode you can record videos with a resolution of 1080p at 60p and a speed of up to 50 Mbps.

Dual Recording Technology

When you want to quickly share your videos on social media you want it to be in an easily shareable format like mp4 and not have a bulky file that you need to edit first. That is why the HDR CX440 comes with the Dual recording technology that allows you to store your videos as both AVCHD and MP4 files.

Choose the dual recording mode to capture your special moments. So when you want to enjoy high-definition viewing on a large screen such as your computer or TV, you can use the AVCHD file. At the same time, you can quickly share your video with friends on social media using the MP4 format.

Multi-Camera Control

Speaking of expandability with handycams. Yes! You heard that right. Firstly, the HDR CX440 is so affordable and handy that you can even have a couple of them in your home. Secondly, when you have more than one of these handycams, you can connect them all through Wi-Fi and control them from your smartphone using the Play-Memories mobile app.

Now you can start recording videos or take shots of your happy moments or even a nature scene from multiple angles for professional quality videos and pictures.

Battery Life

The HDR CX440 comes with an inbuilt battery that once charged lets you shoot videos continuously up to 115 minutes. The convenient built-in USB 2.0 cable can be used to charge your Handycam. Even if you run out of battery power completely you can quickly resume recording by just charging it for an hour. You will then be able to record videos up to 30 minutes.

Price

The HDR CX440 may not have all the bells and whistles of a 4k camcorder but it lets you do so much for an under $300 Handycam. The price is almost one-third or less of a 4k camcorder which means it gives you more value for your money. This also means that you can buy more than one Sony HDR CX440 and use the Multi-Camera control for excellent videos.

Pros

High-definition videos and pictures
Image stabilization for shake-free videos

Automatic highlight MP4 video for instant sharing
Advanced features like face detection and noise enhancement
Wi-Fi and Social media-ready

Easy to use

Cons

No touchscreen option for changing setting as you shoot

Conclusion

Sony is a top name as far as quality electronics are concerned. So you don’t even have to think twice buying from such a name brand. Nevertheless, as individual requirements may vary, you will need to choose the one that works for you.We hope our review above has given you a clear idea of what you can expect from the HDR CX440.

Don’t just shoot your important moments with your smartphone. Turn them into high-definition 1080p videos that you can cherish for life with the Sony HDR CX440 Handycam. Don’t just take our word for it as you can read the excellent customer reviews it has got which stand proof to its performance. Go ahead and get one yourself. We are sure you will be shooting videos like crazy.

You might also like our articles Canon Vixia HF R700 reviews, Baofeng BF-F9 V2+ Review and Benq GL2460HM.

Resources

https://www.sony.com/electronics/handycam-camcorders/hdr-cx440

The Great Device

Sony HDR CX440 Review – [ Features , Pros & Cons ]

Sony HDR CX440 Review – For Memories In High-Definition