The MX20's 34x zoom lens probably attracts a lot of interest, but like all budget camcorders, it unfortunately pairs a really long zoom with electronic (rather than optical) image stabilization. The navigation switch on the LCD is also just a bit too flat, making it difficult to press the right arrow without accidentally pressing the enter/OK button. Furthermore, the zoom switch is too sensitive, making it difficult to get an evenly paced zoom speed. I frequently thought my button press hadn't registered, beginning an endless cycle of inadvertent stops and starts. While it all seems straightforward, the controls actually feel a bit mushy and there's an annoying delay when stopping/starting recording.
(You can download/view the manual in PDF format if you'd like more detail.) Within the menus you get the standard scene presets, white balance, electronic image stabilization, digital effects, 16:9 wide recording, resolution options (TV Super Fine, TV Fine, TV Normal, Web, and Mobile), a wind filter, backlight compensation, an intervalometer (1 through 30 second increments till you fill up the card), a night mode which slows the shutter to 1/30 or 1/15 second, and some other minor features. The MX20 offers selectable shutter speed (although you can't drop below 1/60 second) in addition to basics such as exposure compensation and manual focus. On the bezel are a menu and secondary record button, plus the four-way-plus-OK navigation switch that doubles as a secondary zoom. The 2.7-inch LCD seems about par for its class-pretty coarse but usable.
There's a manual lens cover switch on the lens barrel. On the camcorder body when you open the LCD are three buttons-info/battery check, screen brightness, and Easy Q (full auto)-plus the speaker. The battery and SD card slot are on the bottom of the device, much like a camera, which makes card and battery swapping difficult if you're using a tripod. A zoom rocker sits on top with a movie/still mode toggle button to the rear a tethered plastic cover below it hides an AV out connector, USB connector, and power jack. You rest your back three fingers on a recess of rubberized material on top for additional stability.Įxcept for the plastic accents, the camcorder appears almost featureless the few buttons and switches are silver on silver, so you can't miss the big red dot indicating the record button on the back, just above the power switch.
Though it's relatively tubular in shape, which can sometimes pose usability problems, it has the neat rotating grip that debuted on the SC-HMX10 that lets you adjust the camcorder's height for comfort. It's about the same size as Canon's FS models of similar vintage, but, oddly, it looks larger neither camcorder is terribly tiny, but they are small enough to fit in a large jacket pocket. It comes in silver with black accents, red accents, blue accents, and all white. I have mixed thoughts about the MX20's design.
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