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Gear / Sony HDR-CX405

Cameras · Current

Sony HDR-CX405

A small 1080p camcorder with a 30x zoom whose power adapter and HDMI cable both come in the box.

Micro HDMI (Type D), output · Built-in USB cable in the hand strap

Before you choose it
Sony documents no USB webcam mode, so it needs a capture card, and does not say whether its on-screen icons go out over HDMI: check the picture in OBS before going live. Set Power Save and Demo Mode to Off, or it turns off after about 2 minutes or plays its demo movie on mains power.

View at Sony ↗Check it can stay live

What else you need to use it

HDR-CX405
An HDMI capture card
An HDMI cable
A mains socket nearby
A tripod or mount

Worked out from Sony’s own specifications and box contents for this model.

You need

  • An HDMI capture card. Its picture reaches the computer through its HDMI output; the maker documents no USB webcam mode. Capture cards

Check first

In the box

  • An HDMI cable. It is in the box, with a micro HDMI plug at the camera end.
  • A mains socket nearby. The AC Adaptor in the box, through the USB connection support cable, with the battery inside. Auto power-off: after about 2 minutes without use, unless Power Save is set to Off. On mains power with Demo Mode on (the default), an idle camcorder plays its demonstration movie.

When this model makes sense

  • Send its HDMI output to a capture card, because the maker documents no USB webcam mode.
  • Zoom and frame the shot from across the room, where a webcam’s fixed wide lens can’t.
  • Run it from mains power and turn off its on-screen information, then rehearse for the full length of your stream.

The Webcam versus camera guide weighs it against the other ways to fill the same role.

Connections and specs

Full name
Sony HDR-CX405
Still sold
Yes, a current model
Type
Cameras
Connection
Connector shape
Micro HDMI (Type D), output; Built-in USB cable in the hand strap
Video outputs
HDMI: 1080p, 1080i or 720p
Power input
The AC Adaptor in the box, through the USB connection support cable, with the battery inside
HDMI output
Yes
Auto power-off
After about 2 minutes without use, unless Power Save is set to Off. On mains power with Demo Mode on (the default), an idle camcorder plays its demonstration movie
Sensor
Exmor R CMOS
Lens
30x optical zoom, ZEISS Vario-Tessar
In the box
Included parts
HDR-CX405 camcorder; AC Adaptor; HDMI cable (micro HDMI to HDMI); USB connection support cable; NP-BX1 battery; Operating Guide

Check these conditions first

Not yet confirmed from Sony’s documents: USB webcam mode, clean HDMI picture. We leave them out rather than guess.

For a camera, test the whole chain for as long as you stream: its HDMI or USB output into OBS, with the on-screen information turned off and the camera running from mains power. A camera made for recording can still switch itself off, overheat or stop its output partway through, and only a full-length rehearsal shows it.

What is included, and what may be missing

  • HDR-CX405 camcorder
  • AC Adaptor
  • HDMI cable (micro HDMI to HDMI)
  • USB connection support cable
  • NP-BX1 battery
  • Operating Guide

Place it in the complete setup

Your signal pathFrom my PC
HDMI cameraHDMI out
Capture deviceHDMI in · USB out
MicrophoneUSB audio out
Streaming computerUSB inputs · OBS
HeadphonesWhat you hear
Power supplyPower for each device
Router and platformEthernet · upload
HDMIUSB dataUSB audio3.5 / 6.3 mmEthernetPower
HDMI cameraHDMI out
Capture deviceHDMI in · USB out
MicrophoneUSB audio out
Streaming computerUSB inputs · OBS
HeadphonesWhat you hear
Power supplyPower for each device
Router and platformEthernet · upload
HDMIUSB dataUSB audio3.5 / 6.3 mmEthernetPower
━━ Video┄┄ Audio··· Network┄ Power
Every connection
  1. Camera HDMI outHDMI cable → capture card HDMI in; capture card USB out → A USB port on your computer
  2. Microphone USB outUSB cable → A USB port on your computer
  3. Microphone / interface headphone out3.5 mm or 6.3 mm headphone connection → Headphones (what you hear)
  4. Computer Ethernet portEthernet cable → router; your upload → Platform (check the stream preview)
  5. Wall socketThe maker’s power supply, or USB power → Computer and devices that need their own power

The diagram shows a camera’s HDMI output going through a capture card into the computer. The camera capture checker asks what decides whether the HDR-CX405 stays live for a whole stream: a clean output, its power and any automatic power-off. The pre-stream checklist covers the rehearsal once it is wired.

Guides and setups that use it

Sources

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