Bloggie Duo review by a road trip travel junkie

If you self record, then the Bloggie Duo is the camcorder that you need. I ordered mine at the end of the year for just over $100.  Reviews on the Bloggie Duo sounded promising for travel and I liked the quirky violet color. It a little thicker than my cell phone and slides into my purse or backpack just fine. (Exact dimensions and current prices are on this Sony Bloggie Duo link.)

 Creek in Cades Cove 

The big surprise of the Bloggie Duo camcorder is the versatility. It grabs stills while shooting video or can be used as a simple point-and-shoot. In other words, it is the ideal for my travel needs.

What gave this little gadget the name is the placement of screens on both the front and the back side of the Bloggie Duo. Self-recording is a snap because you can easily see the display. The screen the back of the camcorder allows you to record video in the regular manner.

The HD image quality is better than expected. It is designed for online viewing via You Tube or other sites and performs well. While I would not try to project my travel videos on a big screen, the Bloggie Duo does do well for online viewing.

Cades Cove native grasses

The shots that you see are from my last road trip to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains. The photos that you see here were taken with the camcorder and will open in a larger window when clicked. As you can see, the detail is crisp and clear.

Granted, the Bloggie Duo does not replace a larger camera. Taking photos that can be enlarged requires either my Fujifilm 18X Superzoom or Hubby's Nikon D90.

No camcorder or camera is perfect. There are a couple of areas where the Bloggie Duo fades. Indoor quality is questionable. The LED is bright but isn't far reaching. Outdoor quality absolutely pops. Landscapes and outdoor vacation videos from a road trip are outstanding.

Charging is only on a computer. Getting to my netbook can be a real pain on a road trip or any other type of travel.

Theoretically, the Bloggie Duo can record two hours of video but will actually record for up to 30 minutes at a time. This is not a problem for road trips. Most travel videos are only a few minutes but it will not film my daughter's wedding.

There are more pros than cons. My camcorder has quickly become my go-to piece of equipment for traveling. I just keep the other cameras within reach for those rare road trip moments when a telephoto lens is needed. Otherwise, the Bloggie  Duo serves my purposes for just about everything else.

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Scale model of Ocoee River and mobile blogging