Sony HDR-CX240 Handycam

In April 2022 I purchased a refurbished Sony HDR-CX240 Handycam® from BestDeals on Lazada for $194.99.

I love it!!!! Here are the reasons why:

27x optical zoom is incredible

Moon, craters visible

It blows my mind everytime I zoom into the moon and see the craters. THE TYCHO CRATER IS RIGHT THERE! 🤯

Nictitating membrane

I never knew that birds had a third transparent eyelid called the nictitating membrane until I captured them on my Handycam®.

Images are beautiful

Shadows of leaves on a large leafBirdCatBee in a water lilyLionBaby chickAnimated GIF of ice cream dispensedSunrise view over a beachShrimpAnimated GIF of a flowerBaby monkey holding onto mommyBlue sky with white and orange cloudsCatSunDramatic sky with sunset colors

9.2 megapixels are actually plenty.

Design is so good

The Handycam® fits perfectly in the palm. It’s also incredibly light (approx. 200g). I’ve never gotten tired holding it. Flipping the screen open and close turns the device on and off respectively. CHEF’S KISS. mUA MUA MUA MUA. 💋 It makes perfect sense! And eliminates the need for a power button! Isn’t that just very GOOD?? It might be my favourite thing about the Handycam®.

Handycam in palm

I love how intuitive everything is. The record button is located at where the thumb naturally rests, and the zoom rocker falls perfectly under the index finger. I haven’t had to consult the instruction manual once. (I lied. I did, but only to look at SD card compatability.) The ergonomics are excellent. The zoom rocker also has the perfect spring/tension.

If I had to nitpick, I’d say it’s not left-hand-friendly and that the lens cover is manually operated.

I was just looking at some promo material for a newer 4K Handycam® model. I was surprised to see it mounted on a shooting tripod / hand grip:

Play

WHY?? That looks so unwieldy. Even more so because this newer model is over twice as heavy, approx. 500-600g depending on the battery type. A nice thing about the Handycam® is that it just rests in your palm. The hand strap keeps it snug, so you can let your whole arm relax at your side when you’re not shooting. The Handycam® doesn’t feel held so much as worn. With the tripod you’ll constantly be propping it up, and even if you let your arm rest at your side, you’ll still have to keep gripping—actually, actively, gripping the tripod—which mega sucks! All this to say that I believe the Handycam® is perfect, and possesses quintessence.

Holding the Sony HDR CX240 loosely Its Forme has literally peaked

In a GQ interview, Jerry Seinfeld describes quintessence as something that is perfectly itself. You can’t add or subtract anything to it without ruining it.

Sony HDR CX240 with articulating screen flipped open

There’s nothing I can add or subtract from the Sony HDR CX240. 10/10.