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

Wildlife videos from a car and kayak are dramatically improved by the new active image stabilization, and the 240 GB hard drive allows a huge amount of highest-fidelity video without dumping to a computer. Minimal cut & copy-to-memory-card editing allow trimming of junk and backup of crucial clips on the fly to memory cards with nothing more than the camera itself.

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

I love the touch screen even with the fingerprints problem. Turns on and off with viewfinder and screen opening. Helps save battery and forgetting to turn off. Easy to learn and confortable to hold.

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

Got this a few weeks ago. Overall it's been a good vid camera. Some negatives:

* If you put a lens filter on, it DISABLES THE FLASH, which seems insane. The manual doesn't say this, I found it on an Australian sony site. The unit has an automatic lens cover when not in use, but some people actually WANT to keep the lens covered when in use too. Would like to know the sony bonehead who thought of doing this.

* When in video mode, pictures appear much brighter than when in photo mode.

* When recording at highest video rate and then pausing, you have to wait 5 or more seconds before you can switch to photo mode while the camera writes the remaining video data to disk. Annoying if you want to switch quickly to take a hi-res picture.

* GPS works occasionally, don't count on it much as it can't get the signal a lot of times inside a building.

* video editing software is worthless -- why didn't they include Vegas or pinacle studio?

* battery charge is lousy and is usually 70% of advertised charge.

* filming outside at 90 degress, the unit gets very warm on the hard drive side.

* touch screen is archaic compared to canon

Video picture is good for what i've used it for, if they could fix the above issues then the vid camera would be great.

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

great camera! very easy to use....not sure of gps feature...still learning

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

HOW I USE THIS CAMCORDER
I bought this camcorder, to film my wedding at sunset. My videographer's camcorder did decent with excellent light, but the lowlight HD recording was horrible at best. After looking at the comparible prosumer camcorders from Canon and Panasonic, I decided on the HDR-XR500V originally (going with the HDR-XR520V when purchasing for the extra recording space).

For the wedding I also bought the Sony ECM-HW2 100 meter range wireless microphone. This works great with this camcorder, injecting it's wireless feed into the camcorders 5.1 center channel. The other accessory I bought to do the wedding was the Sony VCT-80AV tripod with remote control. This has really added another level of professional recording to the XR520V with fluid pan/tilt/zooming. The third thing I would recommend is the NP-FH100 battery. The NP-FH60 battery that comes with the XR520V will give you about an hour of recording at best, so having at least another fully charged battery is a must and the NP-FH100 gives you anywhere from 5 to 8 hours, depending on use.

THINGS THAT ARE GREAT ABOUT IT
The picture quality is AMAZING! I have the 52" Sony XBR LCD tv which has Sony's 10bit color (x.v.Color) and when I hook this camcorder into my receiver's HDMI port (sending the Dolby 5.1 audio to my amp/speakers and the HD video to my TV, it is literally like a blue-ray). You won't see any HD tv or upscaled DVD's look as crisp as this image or sound. The video colors and detail are awesome and the audio is very impressive. It's nice to know that you can record so much top quality HD and have plenty of space to do it. As I backup, I have a couple of Mark2 8GB memory chips that I keep in the camcorder in case.

The low light HD recording on this camcorder is the best I have seen in this class. The others will be catching up on this ability for the next year or so I'm sure. Even in low light, it seems to capture the colors and shadows correctly and the details needed for HD is accurate and missing the graininess that so many others have. That Sony G lense is a good compliment to the new CMOS design that undoubtedly contributes to this low light capability. The night shot is cool and works good, but wasn't a feature I had to have.

This camcorder is well built and has doors and construction that feels like it will last a lot of abuse (the only exception to that quality build would be the top active shoe door, kind of odd). The 3.2" wide LCD touch panel is nice, but getting high pixel count is the real magic here (921k pixels) also in 10bit color. This allows you to review footage at high quality. The optical stabilization will simply impress you, as they have come a long way from the first attempts at this. At the end of a pan or tilt it also helps to smooth out the video. I like little stuff too like the adjustable 124k viewfinder, the audio ports for mic and headphones, 12 MP still images or 8.3 MP dual mode for recording stills while also recording video. Though I keep mine at the ~6MP range to keep the images within the non-interpolated range as it is only a 6.6 MP CMOS. The GPS is another cool feature, not sure if I'll use it much (wasn't the a feature I needed).

THINGS THAT AREN'T SO GREAT
Well, I have many Sony products and have gotten use to their menu systems. So this camcorder was intuitive for me to make most changes as needed. Though, it does seem they could have designed the GUI a little better to support how people need to make changes. I like the assignable manual dial on the front, except I wish it was the whole size of the outer lens ring where it would be more comfy and practical. Another negative for a prosumer camcorder in this range is that you don't have as many manual options as other similar camcorders, but I will admit, there is a LOT less you have to do on this camcorder to create great footage. The cost is higher than others in this range, though arguably they don't have the same feature set. And in typical Sony style, you have to buy Sony proprietary this and that, which I'm used to, but it does add additional after costs as you add things (though the argument would be better compatibility and functioning).

Though the low light capability is amazing, I have noticed that the focusing starts to suffer as the light conditions get worse. It still works, but it adds time to getting it to focus as it gets darker. Either switch to manual focus in these conditions or work around but learning the time it needs (goes from sub second in bright light to a couple seconds to focus in darker light). I guess the last negative thing I would mention is battery life. I guess the 240GB HDD and bigger CMOS need more juice, who knows. But get bigger batteries and keep one or two charged up if you will not be near A/C for more than an hour or you may run out of power. And at that point it doesn't matter how good this thing can record ;-)

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

I HAVE USED THE CAMERA OUTSIDE AND INSIDE. CAMERA WORKS GREAT IN PLACES WITH LOW LIGHT. ALSO I LIKE MANUAL FOCUS AND TOUCH SCREEN.

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

easy for everyone can use, and cary to any where

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

I use this camera for family videos, my kids' sporting events and when on vacation. Has all the latest features. Besides being a tad on the heavy side, it is well worth the money!

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

Alot of outdoor acti,family campping,beach
hd picture or movies were good and very easy to used

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

I got this camcorder after considerable research. The plusses are:
.) excellent performance in low light
.) HD video
.) surround sound
.) files are stored as .mds files on the hard drive for easy transfer.
.) tons of storage (160g is over 30 hours of footage at the highest quality).
.) the design of the camera is very well thought-out : the automatic shutter door, the easy-to-access panels for cables...

The only complaint so far is that the battery that it comes with lasts under an hour. There is a Sony replacement available that gives you 6 hours - beware of the clones, which I understand lie about their time remaining.

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

It's a very nice camcorder. Image quality is high and operation is easy. The price is high, but if you can afford it, it is worthy. In the beginning the GPS calibration is poor, and sent me to 500 miles north. It took me outside the building to calibrate it for some times, then it works well. Although the operation is easy, you need to read the manual carefully since several important features are not in the panels or first level of settings. When it's hurry to shoot video or image, you may be confused by switching back and forth if you are not familiar with the locations of the buttons. The included battery runs out sooner than I expect, so get a back up for good. Anyhow, it is a very sweet product.

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

My son just turned two and there is just so much that he is doing! It's awesome how I can capture great moments of his life and ours. I also used to want to capture the gorgeous sunsets where I live, but never could do it with an ordinary camera until now! I can capture awesome sunsets and nature in video or camera mode! This makes me so very HAPPY!! Thank you so much for making the greatest camera ever!!

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

It is another great product from Sony. Visual and sound quality are outstanding.

Ability to start using the camcorder as soon as the screen is open is a definite plus.

The only thing I wish they included would be a stylus for the touch screen.

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

No cons here. Sony is over priced but i did my research and this is the best.

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

With apologies t my iPhone, his camera is the best gadget I have ever purchased. While I am not a videographer by any stretch, I have owned Sony Handycams in the past and this latest model makes those others look like toys.

The more expert aficianados will be able to provide details on the technical specs of the camera, but in my laymen's terms I can say:

- it's basic functionality and menu navigation is incredibly simple to use
- it's tiny and light
- the HD video quality is superb
- the 12 meg stills are outstanding
- the face/smile recognition has produced some great shots already
- the Optical Steady shot helps
- the battery life is as expected, but with a back-up it's not a problem

I am really excited about this camera and I highly recommend it.

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

We just had twin babies and needed something to capture all the memories to come. Ease of use is amazing w/simple controls even a novice like myself can quickly learn. The ability to focus on up to 8 faces is great...and even more so, the way it seamlessly takes photos while using video by detecting smiles. And lastly...the huge 240gb hard drive will accomodate even the most heavy duty user.

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

I took the camcorder out of its box and onto location and was blown away with its ease of use and image quality. There are lot of options and settings, but what struck me was that to start it didn't put any barriers in your way. But once you get going, it offers lots of good ways to improve your shots. I like the GPS features and I love the macro and zoom capabilities. As an Apple user, I have not used the software, but integration with iMovie, iPhote, and Final Cut is flawless.

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

SD is useless, but HD is impressive. Sound quality is bad, as expected with built-in camera. The problem is, Sony only has one mic that works with the hot shoe, and it is not a shotgun. What's worse, they have a proprietary shoe, so other equipment won't fit on it either. You have to get a bracket to hold a light or small shotgun, which gets in the way of the strap. Very inconvenient.

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

I've used this camcorder in several times. The pictures and video came out great. I love this camcorder.

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

This is the best camcorder I have ever had. Simple and easy to use and great results. I have been using it for various events.

What I like most is the steady-shot feature. Especially when you zoom in, the picture is still steady and smooth without a tripod.

The smile detection feature is loved by the kids. They can make various funny faces and triggers the camera. The giggling just can't stop. What's cool is that even you are video taping, it still can quietly take pictures whenever a smile is detected.

The super large hard disk is also a plus. It's worry free when taking videos. I had left it running all night to tape my own sleeping so I can figure out why I always feel tired every morning. I am also planning to set it up taping my backyard all night to see how many deer coming to eat up my pear tree.

The slow-mo is also a fun feature. The kids enjoy seeing themselves floating in the air. Although it can only take 3 seconds of action, we still feel it's very useful.

Anyways, I am glad I bought this product. Will be a loved toy for the family for many years.

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

image in low light is amazing!

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

After a few test shoots of our kittens around the house, we took our new camera to the Great Pyramid and Sphinx in Egypt this weekend. We already knew the picture quality was good (it's HD, after all), but I really appreciated the quality of both the video and the still shots that you can take seamlessly while recording. The sound quality was great (since it records in 5.1, my commentary was coming from behind the viewer), and once I learned where things were in the controls (such as turning off the flash when we went inside a museum), it was easy to use. For the majority of situations, it's simply point-and-shoot, if you want it to be. The hard drive was great, we filmed off and on over about 5 hours, but barely made a dent in it, at highest quality and including several dozen still photos. We purchased an extended-life battery for it (NPH100), and it lasted for about 4.5 hours of intermittent recording (though the camera was on almost the whole time). I appreciated being able to use either the touchscreen display or the smaller viewfinder display, as this made it much easier to handle, and the viewfinder was easier to see in the bright sunlight.
Overall, we're very pleased with the camera (especially at Abe's price), and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a top-of-the-line consumer camcorder.

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

This is a great camcorder the steady cam is wonderful and very easy to use

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

This is a great camera in a small package, It's easy to use right out of the box it's light the controls are exactly where I would have put them if I designed it. The image stablizer is essential for distance shooting. Picture quality is as good as any HD camera out there. Works great in low light and the super night shot for no light shooting.

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

+Face shots are great
+12MP stills are superb (-but not in video mode)
+HD Video is superb
+Optical "Steady Shot" is superb
+Can be carried in pocket
-No LANC is huge deficiency
-No flash with filters/extenders mounted
-No way to redirect flash
-No video gain control
-No audio gain control
-No S-video or DVI cables included
-No provision for transcoding AVCHD