Sony HDR-XR500V - Camcorder Handycam de Alta Definição e 120GB

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Awesome picture clarity. Works very good in low light situations.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Excellent camcorder with great features and picture quality is amazing.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

My first camcorder. Have owned it less than 3 weeks and have already used this camcorder twice to document weather and a family fire loss of property. Record and playback in HD is awesome.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

This camcorder is easy to take out of the box and get rolling. The touch screen technology makes it easy to move around. Take great stills along with great video. Has a lot of really cool features

Wish the instuction manual was a little more in depth or a DVD manual would be great to accompany this in order to be acquainted with the more technical features (i.e. GPS, editing on the fly).

Definately worth the money for the beginner or novice.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I am a film teacher specializing in film editing. I use this camera to make short films for class and personal use as well. I use an Apple MacBook Pro to edit. The only drawback to the camera is because I use Apple products, I have to do an extra step to get the footage ready to edit. I see it as a minor inconvenience. It stills works great and I like it.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

i used it and its very good

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

This is my first Camcorder and experiencing like a professional when taking videos and photos.

Easy to use and good for professionals.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Purchased this vidcam for storm chasing but it's still early in the season for that, so I have not fully field tested this camera. So far: Steadycam feature works well, camera feels very solid powers on very quickly, great audio quality.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I have been looking for a good camcorder for my family and yes this is the one. Geotagging capability sure is a plus. Other stuff that goes with it of course comes first. HD on this camcorder is just amazing. I have been looking for a really good camcorder and Sony has been one of my choice. i really have not immersed myself to learn all the features but this thing just takes it all. A lot of web reviews were helpful and the only thing that I have read as a complain was it was too expensive and no noise filter. It is now on clearance in most stores that I have seen. Even in Sony's own store. The noise will probably be fixed by an external mic. Option to go wide is another plus on this camcorder.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I bought this camera for the video quality and I am not disappointed. All my home videos before were plagued with noise and radiance during indoor filming and fast-moving action. I just recorded my daughter's school band concert in a horribly lighted multipurpose room. The XR500V compensated admirably for the ugly yellow tint and there was no picture noise to speak of!! The 5.1 surround sound microphone quality was also superb, it sounded like a professional had recorded the concert.

The low-lighting setting works very well, preserving much of the contrast and vivid colors. I have also used this camera to record amazing sunsets, fast-moving aikido competitions, photo shoots and the kids playing in the park. Every time I review my footage I am impressed by the video quality and overall performance of the camera.

Another fun feature is a smile recognition feature. While I am recording video, I like to have this feature turned on. When the camera sees someone smiling it will automatically snap a still-shot. This feature has caught many phenomenal photos I may not have found on my own. It at the very least saves a bunch of time in reviewing video to find that one shot you want to print!

My bone to pick with Sony is with their menu system. Things are too compartmentalized. Rather than having every menu option accessible from one menu, you must open the specific menu for the function you are attempting to change. This slows down the ability to change functions and can confuse you on what function is accessible from where.... but with some use you get faster at it. I would have liked to have more manual control over settings like the aperture and shutter at times, but it is an excellent point-and-shoot camera system!

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

After reading all of the reviews about how great this camera was in low light, I just had to try some night shooting when I first got it. I had high expectations and this camera exceeded them. I don't know how Sony does it, but the camera has great low light shooting with very little noise (in low lux mode). I was able to import to iMovie 09 and cut a short video very easily (encoding takes some time, but that's to be expected with 1080p). I am a hobbiest home video shooter and I think this camera suits that purpose very well. I haven't had a lot of time to play around with all of the settings, but all of the video I've taken so far looks great. One thing that I know I will end up getting is a shotgun microphone. I noticed that when recording someone talking if there is background noise it tends to overshadow the person speaking. The microphone is on top of the camera instead of at the front which is probably the cause of this issue. Even with that, I would not hesitate to recommend this camera to anyone.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I have owned Sony camcorders for 30 years. They make a great video camera. I travel alot so I want quality video as well as photos. The photos are great taken with the camera on the newXR500v. You do not need to take a separate camera and video this one will do it all which is why I bought it. The photos in the prior camcorders are not that great. This shoots a 12 megapixel photo. I video my grandkids alot at their events. This allows you to video and have a close up and then take a photo at the same time. This is impossible to do with a point and shoot camera. Not more I can say, I love the camcorder.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I use the camera to make my homemovies,and I use frequently the microphone external input, this is so great! But I think that no need an GPS integrated, because I never use it.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

This compact HD Handycam holds a lot of high definition photos and videos. Being a professional camera operator, I'm impressed at the quality of this little handheld. There are also great features such as GPS and I especially like the Slow-Mo for analyzing moments in time like a golf swing. Time lapsing sunsets and sunrises is simple with this small Sony. The photos are exceptional quality at 12 MP and it even has a built in flash. The menu system is somewhat tricky at first but once you get used to it you'll have no trouble. Amazing for home videos to capture tons of memories. Anyone can be a pro with this convenient cam.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

This camera is by far the best HD camera out. I watch numerous videos taken with camera and I got a say, amazing. Also B&H is a great online shop to purchase from as well.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

So, this is my first camcorder - so I'm by no means a pro. Just wanted a good camera to record my upcoming baby's first steps/words/everything!

Anyway, I've been having fun with it. It takes some superb video, with only a small bit of graininess when shooting indoors without any lights on. This should be expected, though, with any camera, but the picture is still great.

I did a "walkthrough" of my house with the camera, and the image was extremely smooth - little to no vibration - so I will say that the optical image stabilization is great. I've also turned off Sony's enhanced stabilization, which is supposed to further improve stabilization at the cost of slightly reduced picture quality. Not that I had any issues with this feature, but wanted to play with just the optical stabilization.

For other reviews which say that the menu system in the camera is hard to use...I'll have to disagree. If you've had a Sony camera, you'll be familiar with the menu layout. It's fairly similar to my Sony digital still camera. The touch screen does help a lot with navigating the menu, too. I haven't had any problems, other than figuring out what all of these options do!

My only 2 complaints with this camera:

- Slow-motion recording is limited to 3 seconds. This is a feature I have had a LOT of fun with, but sometimes wish I could record a bit longer. Essentially, takes 3 seconds of capture to create a 12 second video. It comes out nice and smooth, too. Just wish I could record a bit longer.

- The auto-focus can sometimes be a bit wonky and a bit slower than I'd like. Now, take this comment with a BIG grain of salt, understanding that I basically have no experience with other camcorders to know if this camera is better/worse than others. But, when I did my "walkthrough" mentioned above, there were 3-4 periods, especially during a pan, where everything would go blurry then come back into focus. Almost like the camera couldn't figure out what to focus on, had a hiccup, then woke up.

Other than that, I've been very pleased with my decision. For me, it was down to this camera or the Canon Vixia HFS-100. This camera won out because:

- Too many complaints on Canon's low-light performance
- HDD on this camera - For the price difference I could probably buy 32-64GB of memory cards for the Canon, but then have to remember to keep the cards with the camera - something I occasionally forget with my still camera. So having the onboard HDD is a plus for me.
- EVF - while I don't know how much I will use this over the LCD screen, it's nice to have the option.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

This is my first real video camera and I am using it underwater with the equinox housing. The picture is great and the whole thing is easy to use. The low light setting works great!!

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Looks better watchin it on hd tv than it does in real life. Unreal quality and takes great photos too, not fuzzy at all.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

This camcorder has excellent video quality even in very low light. It even has a infrared light for night recording. The audio quality is good.

All media files (videos, pictures) are tagged with GPS lat/long but may not be useful outside of the camera and the supplied software which can

It is very compact, not very heavy and fits in my hand. The hard disk size of 120 GB is plentiful and the memory stick can be used if you need more space.

The playback with component cables is at 1080i and the quality is good. The remote functionality is good enough for playback but leaves much to be desired if you plan to use if for recording.

The menu system needs a lot of time getting used to. The battery that comes with the camera has less than 90 minutes of recording time. I plan to get the Sony NPF-H70 battery which supposedly has a longer life.

The software supplied with the camcorder has very limited functionality.

Manual control is limited to only one function at any time (focus, exposure, etc.). I primarily use it for exposure especially for back-lit subjects.

Overall, I am very satisfied with this camcorder.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR500V 120GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I got this video camera to replace my old one, a sony DVD 405. The video quality is amazing when i show the recordings on my 52" Sony TV. low light recording is one of the best i seen. Burning disc is a piece of cake with the sofware that comes with it. Very nice camera, the price is little high end but you pay what you get. The only down side is the battery come with it does not last long, but always can get extra batteries.