Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Finaly after long analys i end up with 520v...after my DCR-HC42E...
Video Quality is very good (even in night) other things are still exploring....But 5.1 sound recording is not that much aquirate...Good image stabilization....tried for running shot for steady shot..its ok too.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Awesome product. Takes beyond amazing still pictures, despite some of the negative comments I've found here. HD Video quality is great, though the sound could be slightly better (I might recommend an extra microphone). In general, great bang for the buck, even though it is quite expensive for an amateur camera.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

First camcorder I bought since 02'(Hi-8mm). Had it for only a couple of weeks so far. No comparison to the dinosaur that I've been using. Hopefully I will be able to figure out "some" of the electronic gadgets and gizmos on this one in this lifetime. Slow go so far but impressed with the advances in technology and designs since 02'. Most of the features that used to be mechanical are now electronic which makes reading the manual cover to cover imperative. Does not film in dark indoor settings (Scene selection:Snow)as well as I would like so far. Hopefully I will figure it out soon. Wish me Luck.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

It takes wonderful pictures, and its amazing for recording!

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Easy to use, large built in memory. User-friendly touchscreen.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Excellent video quality using HD or SD. A few granularity reported in low light condition or when taking pictures while recording video (cool feature by the way). Good sound quality so far.
Excellent for beginners since it will work out of the box very well but some advanced users may miss more accurate video control features (aperture and shutter control as an example).
The only critical thing missing here is the software support for platforms other than MS Windows/PC. Using Linux PC or Apple MacOS (either PowerPC or Intel) may be difficult.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

The first time I used this product was to video a wedding for a friend! It worked beautifully!! I'm so thrilled with this camera. It takes great shots and I don't have to worry about running out of disc space because I have so much on the harddrive!! Our older camera was one that used mini-dvd's and we were forever running out of space! The picture quality on the HD camera is magnificent! Everyone needs one of these

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I use the Sony HDR-XR520V for shooting fast-motion sports. The camcorder has impeccable image stabilization with extremely clear HD video. It does a great job with low light as well. When I capture the video to the computer it's simply amazing the quality picture I get. I would like to see a little better body construction because this camcorder can easily give you professional results.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Got this camcorder about three weeks ago and have used it to record my cousin's son's skateboarding activities and my cousin's radio-controlled helicopter flights, birthday party and pets. Great picture and video quality - indoors or out, bright light or low light. Both LCD and viewfinder have clear images. It's my third Sony camcorder - earlier ones were D8 and MiniDV standard-def models, and I have one Kodak Zi6 that's hi-def but has rolling shutter issue. The XR520V has no rolling shutter issue and wonderful optical image stabilization. Easily recognized and imports into iMovie 09 and AVCHD has reached a level of maturity.

Only disappointment is in the limited slo-mo feature, as it extends a 3 sec scene into a 12 sec scene. It does downgrade the video quality. Sony does alert you to this in the quick start booklet - but since you'd have to buy it to find that out I thought I'd mention it. The video quality downgrade on slo-mo also happens in iMovie, so it may be an AVCHD limitation or ceiling.

Battery life is acceptable, but it's good to have charged back-up batteries on longer shooting sessions.

I also like the build quality of this camcorder. The interface on the LCD takes a little getting used to, but it's fine once you do - or you can customize it.

The Quick-on feature was very handy in catching spontaneous moments that would've otherwise been lost.

Overall, a great camcorder.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I bought the Sony HDR-XR520v to film both family and pet videos, and also to make goofy videos with my friends. I've been wanting a camera for years and I finally decided on this unit after reading a few very positive reviews and trying out different brands in the store. I'm very happy.When used outside, during the day, this camera takes superb HD footage, it's very detailed and colorful. Nighttime footage isn't as detailed, but I still find the low level lighting performance to be very acceptable because of the lack of noise in the picture which I saw a lot of on competing brands. This is the main reason I haven't bought a camera the past few years, the low light performance. Indoors, all the videos I have taken have turned out very well even with normal household lighting. The LCD touchscreen is very, very nice. It has a very high resolution so the PQ is very good when reviewing what you are filming, or what you've already filmed. The touchscreen responds very well too. The menu layout has taken some getting used to for more in-depth operations, like changing the recorded resolution settings, turing the zoom mic on and off, etc. But, for normal record, zoom, and playback controls, the menus and contorls are very easy to use. And right now I'm just a point and shoot guy, so this camera is perfect for me. I just have to hold it, hit start with my thumb and shoot away. The camera's start-up time is super fast, it's pretty much ready to go the instant you open the LCD screen, or pull out the viewfinder. (I can't comment on the viewfinder as I have never bothered with it.) The sound quality of the mic is very good as well, I'm impressed with how the surround sound recording works, which I figured was going to be a gimmick, but nope, it does a pretty decent job of capturing the sounds around you. The only time I've had problems with wind noise so far was filming out of my sunroof on my car, which is to be expected. The HDD is 240 Gigs big and I can't imagine ever needing more space than that when you can easily back up everything onto the HDD of your PC with the included PMB software. However, I do wish that you could do at least some Windows Movie Maker level editing with the AVCHD files the camera produces. If you want to do anything other than cutting minutes from the beginning or end of a clip, you need to look elsewhere. For instance, I wanted to put a couple of clips together as one clip, not happening with PMB. I think with the high price of the camera, some basic editing software should be included. Keep this in mind if you don't already have a program that edits AVCHD files natively. One way around this is to record is SD mode, where the camera still performs very well, just not in high-def which defeats the purpose of buying a high-def camera. The XR520 also takes still pictures, with its native 6 MP sensor. The specs say that pics can have up to 12 MP, but since the sensor is only 6 MP, the camera in doing interpolating, or some technical term like that. Camcorderinfo is a good site to find a better explanation of this. Regardless, the picture quality of still pics is a mixed bag. Outside in the daylight, the PQ is terrific. Inside, there's a lot of noise in the photo unless you use a flash, but I think the flash is too bright to take normal close up shots like someone on the couch in front of you, etc. So, don't buy this camera thinking your getting a nice 2-in-1 device. The stills are OK, but you're going to get much better with a dedicated still camera. A couple of nice features: the camera can take stills while shooting video, it has built-in GPS for adding location info to your vids (so if you want to search for those Paris vids you shot last year, you can search by location), a slow-mation mode (where it films 3 seconds of footage and spreads it out to 12 seconds, pretty neat), a slide-show feature (where it goes through highlights of the videos you have on the HDD played to a soundtrack, also pretty neat), and my favorite feature, the optical stabilization. The optical stablization on this camera is absolutely superb, the best I've seen on a camera in this price range or lower. Your videos will turn out very smoothly because of this. Oh, and the battery life lasts about 90 minutes on a charge so I'd recommend picking up an extra battery eventually. Those 90 minutes will disappear faster than you realize, time flies when you're having fun. ;)Although I'd like better software to edit, and I think the still picture quality is only average when indoors, as a video camera the Sony HDR-XR520v is a fantastic machine and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a simple to use device that shoots extra-ordinary high-def footage. I don't regret making this purchase one bit. I have posted a couple of vids using this camera on Youtube, [...]. The video is compressed down to 1280 X 720 and you'll only get a general idea of the PQ, the real life footage is actually much better than what you see, with better detail and a smoother framerate. However, you can get a good idea of low level light performance in one vid shot in my hallway with only a 60W light bulb, and there's a vid of me driving down a brick road (the one in the rain)for a good example of the OIS. The Hitman vid was shot in SD mode so I could edit, but the beginning is outside at night and looks pretty darn good. As I said, Youtube compresses the vid so the real quality is better than what you see. I also recommend searching for more Sony HDR-XR520v vids on Youtube and Vimeo, a lot of good stuff out there that helped me decide this camera was right for me.Sorry if this review is too long! :)HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Great quality video and sound in a well-made, easy to use package. Touch screen hi-res LCD is first rate. Compared it side-by-side with Canon HF S10 in a local store, and liked the Sony so much better. I followed up with a lot of research on-line, and bought the Sony at B&H. Very happy with it.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I bought this camcorder to use for what most call "home movies." I have had it a little less than a month and it has been great. I put poor battery life in the cons because I guess it's less than what I expected. I am coming off a camera with a much larger battery, so I guess size does matter. I picked up the extra battery with the "70" in the name. I didn't go for the "100" one as I didn't really want it sticking out too far but I would guess that it would improve battery life quite a bit.Most everything about this camera has been great. It has a bit of manual control that is appropriate for a handycam. It is also great in full auto. [@]It lives up to most of what the marketing and descriptions say. Can you use it for critical work where you need a lot of control and a broadcast level image? Well, maybe not. But as a consumer handycam it works very very well. The new stabilization is very effective as is the back lit sensor for low(er) light situations. The smile shutter works pretty well and while the 520 doesn't take great stills like a proper DSLR camera it's still nice to get little grabs while it's doing video. The still in camera mode (with flash if needed) remind me of a so-so point and shoot little camera. I use a larger DSLR for stills so I am rather biased there as far as image quality.This camera overall is working out very well for its intended use.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I purchased this camcorder to replace a previous Sony recorder. I always had trouble with downloading to my Mac. This recorder downloads beautifully and the video is extremely clear. I love it and would recommend it highly to Mac users.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Amazing camera
Low light conditions without noise. Eve when compare to 4-5K cameras quality is better.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

Great for taking video and still pictures.

Comments about Sony HDR-XR520V 240GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder:

I USE THE CAMCORDER FOR WORK AND TRAVEL. IT IS VERY EASY TO USE, IT MAKES EXCELLENT MOVIES. GPS FEATURE IS VERY NICE WHEN YOU TRAVEL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS CAMCORDER TO ANYONE.