Todays Market Special Price

“Exmor R” CMOS sensor for stunning low-light performance

The Sony HDR-XR520V Handycam employs an advanced Exmor R CMOS sensor to capture stunning, 1920 x 1080 high definition video and 12.1-megapixel still images to its internal 240 GB hard disk drive. In addition, the built-in GPS receiver helps you keep track of your current location, and even remembers where you shot your videos. 1920 x 1080 high definition resolution lets you record your memories in exceptional Sony Full High Definition quality, and 12.1-megapixel still image capture lets you take stunning, high resolution digital photos. The built-in 240GB hard disk drive can record and store up to 101 hours of high-definition video footage in long play mode (HD LP, 2ch Dolby mode), while HDD Smart Protection gives you peace of mind by helping to prevent any recorded video and images from being lost if the camcorder is accidentally dropped.

Pros:

• *Great low light *Outstanding video quality *Instant on by just opening the LCD screen
• *Index thumbnails grouped by date (even my kids like this since they can pick out their favorites instantly!)
• *Much better controls on the camera (record, zoom are also on the LCD screen, so big fingers dont have to squeeze into the hand strap and then find the zoom)
• *Nice optical stabilization and zoom (be warned that in full HD mode, it will track every shake and although not jittery, it is noticable).Zoom is very smooth and doesnt “jerk” like older models if you moved it too fast.
• *Touchscreen menus are much better than previous models
• *37mm filter diameter, so I can keep most of my lenses from the last 2 camcorders (again, keep in mind that with HD, you will need to upgrade wide angle or zoom lenses due to resolution, but UV should be fine).
• *Nice, compact size. Im not carrying a large bag with me everywhere we go.

Cons:

• *You should budget spending at least another $300-400 for accessories.
• *The included battery is functional, but you may get caught short on a long trip without some way to keep it charged in the car.

You will also need software to be able to convert the video to HD due to the AVCHD compression (Sony Vegas seems to be the best for this at about $80 on Amazon); a good UV filter to protect the lens; HDMI cable; new case (as I would lose this camcorder in my current case for the HC85) and a 1TB hard drive to save video (to start!). Blu-Ray will be a much later purchase for us.

• *No HDMI cable included.
• *Using the HDMI cable, it appears the camcorder will only output a 1080i signal max. Not sure I understand that one, but in the setup of the camera, it doesnt give an option for 1080p output throught HDMI.

What gives?

• *GPS is nice, but I have to go outside to get a satellite to get my location. I think it will be a novelty for me as I get tired of doing this and just quit bothering. Maybe if I am on family vacation somewhere and I want to tag it, otherwise, I will spend a lot of time chasing satellites.