When my son was born, we received one of those small handheld camcorders and it has been great for shooting quick videos on the go. It worked well for us and I didn’t see a need to have a bigger camcorder until I had the opportunity to review the Sony HDRPJ260V Handycam Full HD Camcorder with built-in projector.

I was excited to have the opportunity to try the Sony Handycam after reading about all of the amazing features it has to offer. They include:

• Built-in Projector that turns any room into an instant home movie theater!
• Low-light sensitivity with improved image clarity that is designed to help you have better results in low lighting which is great for evening family get-togethers!
• Optical SteadyShot™ with Active Mode that compensates for more camera shake to help you achieve smoother videos!
• Wide Angle Lens and zoom that helps capture all of the action!

Based on those features, I was pretty sure that I would have success taking some great videos of W even though I don’t have much experience with camcorders! I was not disappointed at all!

The Sony Handycam was so easy to use right out of the box! I will admit that I didn’t take time to read any of the user manual when the camcorder arrived. I was too excited and wanted to play with it. Luckily, the camcorder was extremely easy to use and I was up and running in just a few minutes!

With a simple flip of the LCD screen, I was ready to go. The display was that user-friendly. Once I chased W down, I pressed the record button on the LCD screen and we were making movies! After a few days I realized that we probably didn’t need video of every single thing that W did and I did manage to calm down. I had definitely turned into that parent for a few days but I couldn’t help it! I love my son and I love trying great technology!

The feature I was looking forward to the most was the built-in projector. One thing that is annoying about many cameras and camcorders is that I have to find the time to sit down and upload all of my files before I can share them with family and friends. This is not the case with the Sony Handycam! Once you’ve recorded a video, you can easily share it with everyone by pressing the projector button! All I had to do was adjust the focus and everyone could watch! It was so simple that I was even more impressed!

Yes, I took photos holding my camera in one hand and the handycam in the other hand to show you the navigation screen that comes up when using the projector. I’m able to choose a video by date and I love the thumbnails from each video because after a few days, I have no idea what I might have been recording but seeing my son’s outfit or what we were doing is a great reminder. You can also take still photos with the Sony Handycam and I ended up taking a few of those without meaning too when I was first playing with the camcorder.

The Sony Handycam makes it easy to share your memories with friends and family using the built-in projector!

While I love the projector feature and have used it to show the entire family almost every video that I’ve recorded so far, I eventually had to sit down and upload my videos. The Sony Handycam is on loan to me (and I may have to buy one for myself after this experience because it is one of my favorite recent discoveries as a parent) so all of the memories I catch on video must be saved before I return the camera. Well, I did do some reading in the manual on how to transfer my videos and that is when I discovered my second favorite feature — a built-in USB cable!

I am always telling J that I wish my camera had a retractable cord or was wireless so I didn’t have to go hunting for the cord when it’s time to upload my photos. Well the Sony Handycam has come to the rescue by including a short USB cable that stays on the camera. The camcorder also comes with a USB extension in case the shorter cord isn’t long enough for you. It proved to be the perfect length for plugging into my laptop to transfer my videos. I think I’m in love!

I would suggest that you take some to read through the user manual because it has some great tips on using the camera and saving your videos and images to your computer, an external device, or burning a DVD! It also has tips for getting the best recording that you can depending on the situation you’re in! I cannot wait to use the Sony Handycam on our trip to San Antonio in June! There are going to be some incredible memories to capture and I have already enjoyed catching so many of the small moments with W!

It’s going to be a great summer catching all of our #SonyMemories with the Sony Handycam and huge congrats go out to Sony because the Sony Handycam is a PTPA award winner! I have had the opportunity to review a number of PTPA award winners and I’m proud to share yet another one with you! They are all products you can count on as a parent!

You can learn more about the 2012 Sony Handycam best-selling camcorders here. You can also follow all of the great things coming from Sony by following @Sony_Canada on Twitter and using the hashtag #SonyMemories!

Do you like to capture memories with a camcorder? Have you tried a Sony Handycam? What is your favorite feature?

Formula Mom Disclosure: As part of the PTPA Sony Canada Brand Ambassador program, I will be compensated for 3 official posts in addition to other program perks. All opinions and experiences shared are 100% my own.