I have a Panasonic SD-700 and I thought that this Sony Hanycam HDR-CX500V right here is its nemesis. They surely have similar same qualities, while one has the downside and the other has the upperside, and vice versa.
First thing first. Here's the technical details:
- 1920 x 1080 high definition video recording
- 12 megapixel still image capture
- 1/2.88" "Exmor R" CMOS sensor for superb low-light video
- Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization w/ Active Mode
- 1080/60p playback via HDMI™ and compatible HDTV
I have owned the camera since the day after it was released and have used it quite a bit. I will also continue to update this review as I spend more time with the camcorder.
Size / Comfort / Ergonomics
The camera is very compact, and one might be taken back by its small form factor. The hand strap is quite comfortable, adjustable, and secure. As expected the buttons to record, zoom, and swap between photo / videocamera mode are nicely placed for thumb and forefinger. I wonder, however, if someone with large hands may find the button manipulation a bit awkward - but that may be the case with most newer compact video cameras.
Camera / Image / Sound Quality
- I was impressed by the quality of the video, including the various HD options. Of course Standard Mode didn't look good on my HDTV, but it's nice to know that one can capture movies in lower quality if one is running low on memory. A min-HDMI cable can be used to view footage directly on a HDTV.
- There doesn't appear to be any distortion around the edges of the video footage.
- Low-light performance is spectacularly good, beating my expectations.
- The 12MP shots look crisp and even the 8.3MP pictures while shooting video look quite good. The flash is more powerful than most camcorders I considered.
- I would like to get a wide-screen lens but I'm unsure of which one to pick. Sony VCL-HGA07, Sony VCL-HGE07, or something else. Any recommendations?
- The zoom microphone is good and sensitive enough for home use.
Useful Features
- When I first showed my dad some freehand footage of my neighborhood, he thought I was using a tripod! That is how well the 3-way shake-cancellation feature performs. For novices, the 3-way feature operates in 3-dimensions (up and down, side to side, back and forth) and stabilizes any erratic, staccato movements. This feature becomes much less effective when fully zoomed in.
- The small wireless Remote Control is handy, but there isn't anything exceptional about it compared to other manufacturers.
- Instant start-up upon opening the LCD screen. Flash memory also makes the overall recording process very fast.
- The slow-motion capture allows a few seconds of video capture in, just that, "super slow motion." Makes sense for sporting / high speed events, where a parent can capture a child's new baseball swing or triple lutz in great detail
- "Face / Smile Detection" recognizes faces and even creates an index of faces on the LCD. Clicking on a person's face will take one directly to that person's scene in the video footage. Very nice when kids want to see themselves in a long video!
- "Face Priority" allows the user to prioritize a particular face with respect to focus / exposure. Haven't used it yet so can't comment further.
- GPS retains the geographic coordinates of the location (called "geotagging") where the picture / video was taken, and throws it onto a map viewable on the LCD or on your computer. It still feels a bit gimmicky but it can be quite useful for someone who travels a lot (especially on road-trips) and doesn't want to keep manual tabs on where the shots were taken.
- The Assignable Dial can be used to assign manual controls, and can be maniuplated by the right-hand thumb.
- One-touch disc burn requires a particular Sony DVD burner, which is an added expense.
- Haven't used the accessory shoe yet, but will update this review when I do.
Battery
The battery lasts about 90 minutes during continuous video capture from my experience, but this is, of course, dependent on all the features being used.
Software
The accompanying Picture Bridge software was quick and easy to install. It's not very useful beyond its most basic purpose - (1) to transfer content from camera to computer and (2) to convert video from AVCHD format (a compressed high def format that is Blu-ray compatible and has "m2ts" file extension) to more consumer-friendly formats like MPEG. Third-party video editing sofware (like Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere, etc.) will be for anything fancier. If I were a Sony Marketing exec, I would have included a trial version of Sony Vegas in the box (to perpetuate the media brand synergy) instead of peddling unessential advertising materials. Silly.
Other
- The camera's menu navigation isn't completely intuitive but it isn't nerve-wracking either.
- LCD screen icons are meaningful and can be turned off too.
- The touch-screen is not as sensitive as I would have liked, but it may be designed that way to reduce accidental touching of the LCD. Hence not a con.
- Night-vision is eerie but effective.
- The camera shell feels luxurious - nothing cheap about it.
- The dark gray gun-metal look is very attractive.
- The Sony HDR-CX520V Camcorder is identical to the CX500V with the exception of more memory - it has 64GB compared to 32GB for this model. For $100 - $200 more, it may be worth it to some.
Cons
- No viewfinder but I can live without it.
- Sony's Memory Cards can be quite pricey relative to the SD cards used in Canon video cameras. But as long as one keeps moving content off the camcorder and re-using the flash memory, it should not be an issue.
- Sony could have thrown in a basic camera case or a bloody Mini-HDMI cable for goodwill given the high price of this camera. Fret not though as there is a perfectly good cable on Amazon at a very fair price: Mediabridge HDMI to Mini-HDMI 10ft cable
- Sony Picture Bridge software isn't great, but I think it's better than Canon's Pixela suite. The process of transfering content to a computer still feels a bit cumbersome.
- LCD Screen stays on during content transfer (via included mini-USB), which is a waste of energy in my view.
- The operation tones used in the camera can either be on full-volume or switched off completely. Does anyone know how to manipulate its volume?
Decision to buy
I debated between the Sony HDR-CX500V, Canon VIXIA HFS100 HF S10, and Canon VIXIA HFS10. I chose the Sony model because of its HD image quality and powerful feature-set, including the 3" touch-screen LCD screen, 32GB of on-board flash memory, 12MP still camera shots, dual capture mode (video & 8MP still shots simultaneously), etc. I also wanted a camera that had built-in memory but not in the form of a hard-drive, tape or DVD - I've come to learn the hard way that the fewer the moving parts, the less likely my friends are to turn the device into a snazzy paper-weight. The 3-way shake-cancellation was the icing on the Sony cake.
Summary
The Sony HDR-CX500V video camera is a fine piece of work from Sony, and aside from the small set of cons, I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a solid family and "prosumer" video camera.
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