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from Ellwood City, PA on 11/7/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
I would recommend this to people who want to make a life in cinematography. This is the best camera to start out with.
from Northern Virginia on 11/7/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
This camera is easy to use out of the box. It only took a few minutes to figure out the important stuff and about an hour for the rest. The LCD screen works great. The HD quality videos are impressive and even records in total darkness. I researched camcorders for a few weeks before picking the Sony CX550V and don't regret it. The factory battery could last longer, but I bought a stronger back up and it's not an issue. The 64G flash memory is plenty for me. This is the perfect family camcorder and it is probably better than most people really need.
from Bloomington, IL on 11/1/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
I use the camera for outdoor railroad photography and movies. The quality of the still pictures is very good, to the point I usually don't take my D-SLR with me when I take this camera. I also use it for family events and the quality of the indoor movies and sound is very high. I like this camera and recommend it to anyone who is interested in high quality pictures or movies at a reasonable price.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Philadelphia, PA on 10/29/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
Had a great shoot with the CX550V in Mexico--love the results! Wish they'd included a full spectrum of mic sensitivity controls, but love everything else about it!
from San Francisco Bay Area, CA on 10/28/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
The Sony CX550V 64GB camcorder has a compact form factor and good build quality. The EVF could be bigger with a rubber eyeguard to shield off ambient light. The LCD does not work well in bright sunlight. However, there are two shortcomings that require a customer workaround.1. Focused lens flare appears as a blue dot when shooting against a bright sky at the widest zoom. I have posted a workaround on YouTube: [@]. The camera does not come with a wind cut feature. The wind noise can be instrusive when recording on a breezy day. Using a DIY windscreen made from the acoustic foam of a Shure A58WS can significantly reduced the wind noise. This workaround is posted on YouTube: [@]All consumer camcorders has some shortcomings in one way or another, at least there are easy workarounds to bypass the Sony's limitations.eagle3x8
Sony CX550V Camcorder Wind Noise Reduction
Tags: For, Camcorder, HDR-CX550V, Wind, Sony, HDR-CX550, Reduce, Dot, Technique, Lens, Windscreen, Noise, CX550V, Flare, Recording, Focused, Blue, Video
Sony CX550V Camcorder Blue Dot Workaround
Tags: Made with Product, Recording, Blue, Reduce, Using Product, Sony, Video, Dot, Lens, CX550V, Flare, Technique, Focused, Picture of Product, Camcorder
from Rochester, MN on 10/18/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
I am a semi-pro videographer and a student going into film school. This camera is a beautiful piece of technology that can be used very easily for home movies or short films. The display is gorgeous and the HD is great as well. Auto controls are some of the best I've seen in consumer grade camcorders and the manual dial in the front allows for excellent manual control as well. It can provide a great shallow depth of field and when all the way zoomed out, it provides a small fish-eye effect which is really cool, but not distracting. Zooming in just a little offsets this. The only thing is if you're serious about filmmaking, buy a separate mic because the omni-directional one that's built into it is not great quality for movies. But it's fine for home movies of kids and such.
Overall, I absolutely love this camera. After a lot of research, I'm very glad that I chose this camera. Very satisfying! And Abes of Maine had the best price I could find.
If you're thinking about getting this, do it! It's a fantastic camera.
from Irvine, CA on 10/17/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
Awesome video and pretty good still images. Writes still images a bit slowly, especially to internal drive. Zoom range could be a bit longer. Camcorder body well shaped but wish it was a little larger to get a better grip.
from Chicago IL on 10/13/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
I am a fan of Sony products. I btried Canon and Panasonic camcorders but Sony is the best. Unfortunately this camera had issue with focussing at close objects. It has very short zoom capability. It is not compatibale with 64 bits Windows 7 OS or Windows 7 starter. Have to use supplied software to download pictutes/video, which I am not used. I returned the product. [...]One can shop with FULL confidence.
from Queens,NY on 10/13/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
Great product. No regret.
from Boston ma on 10/12/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
Very easy to use. Excellent HD quality
from Tri-Cities, Washington on 10/12/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
The battery is just fine for general use; they try to sell an extended battery, but I've found the battery included will easily do an hour of recording over a full day of off and on with plenty of battery to spare. The low light is fantastic, and the IR capture is very clear at quite a distance, 10-15 feet or so. The kids love the super slow mo capture, but it is lame that it only allows for slow capture for one set amount of time. Also, nice feature is being able to adjust the recording quality ... but I got it for HD, so I keep it at the highest quality that is AVCHD editable (don't know anything about the highest setting and why it's not editable - ask a videographer guru). Overall, fantastic camera and worth the price!
from Chicopee MA on 10/4/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
I take both digital and videos as much as possible Poor eyesight in one eye, the large screen is excellent.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Michigan on 9/23/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
Used for shooting product video to show to potential customers.
from Maryland on 9/18/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
I have been looking for quite a while for a Camcorder that had HD, Flash memory, viewfinder, image stabilization, common recording formats (for editing) and easy usage (meaning everyone in the family could use it without training). This one works perfectly. Plus, it is a great still camera. And I am still shocked by the battery life - it goes a long way. I am using it to record life events - and the results have been great.
There are plenty of options to off-load the memory - although I primarily just dump to one of my PCs for editing.
This is a perfect versatile unit to capture quality long term memories.
from Las Vegas, NV on 9/2/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
Sony quality is wonderful, and it just keeps getting better. the built-in GPS works great with Iphoto places too
from san ysidro ca on 8/12/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
the best so far
light weight a great quality image
hi recommended .....
from Killingworth, Ct. on 8/10/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
Takes great stills!
from Cashton, WI on 7/22/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
The large resolution display is incredible... 921k pixels. Image stabilization is the best I've seen. On a down side, the wide angle lens does distort like a fish eye (slightly) when fully zoomed out. The IR light could be more powerful for night vision. Overall, it's a solid camera. I'm glad I stuck with Sony. The last camera I still use, the first Sony HD camcorder (HC-1). The new one focuses faster, adjusts to light changes faster, takes pictures while video taping, and even can be set to focus on the face, a definite plus.
from Atlanta Ga on 7/18/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
Reading the manual is a little challenging. Thank God there are videos out there ie Youtube that able to show and explain how to make the most/use the Sony HDR CX 550V. Still trying to find the best way to copy our recording into HD/Blue ray DVD. Other than that this could be the most user friendly and best HD quality camcorder that you could own. Watching the HD video on our TVs is amazing even on our 720p HD resolution tv. 64G memory is more than enough unless you are planning to make the sequel to the movie Avatar or the 4th installation of Lord Of the Ring....
from Virgina Beach, VA on 6/28/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
I wanted a high quality camcorder to take when we go on vacation for video and for when we have indoor sports. Plus I wanted something that would take good still images when I needed. I am more than happy with the video. I think the still images are amazing. Just playing around with the camcorder, I love it. The zoom is great. I love the play back slide show with the music. It was so easy to download the videos and the pictures. The only draw back, I wish it was smaller, but it is still smaller than my old camcorder.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from San Diego, CA on 6/13/2010
Comments about Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB HD Handycam Camcorder:
I use this to film my grandson's football and basketball games. The image quality is outstanding and the stabilazation makes me look like a pro. The somewhat limited telephoto zoom, however, causes me to miss some otherwise great closeups. The viewfinder is OK and the LCD is great except when outdoors in bright sunlight.