Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 6 x 4.5 inches ; 2.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0031RGL1G
• Item model number: HDR-CX550V
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #271 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)

  #47 in

  Camera & Photo > Camcorders

• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 6, 2010

Product Description

Product Description

Capture stunning 1920 x 1080 high-definition video and 12 Megapixel still images with the HDR-CX550V, which employs an "Exmor R" CMOS sensor for superior low-light performance and 64GB of embedded flash memory. Optical SteadyShot image stabilization with Active Mode and 3-way Shake Canceling enables you to capture remarkably smooth video from wide angle to full telephoto shooting.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't overlook this Sony!, March 26, 2010

By	Po "pofoto" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)

Okay, so I'm about to be a dad due April 12th, and while I was looking for a camcorder wide enough for the delivery room, I was struggling with the Canon VIXIA HF-S21 that is due to be released on April 15th. However, let me state the highlights of the Sony HDR-CX550V which swayed my decision why I went for the Sony to suit my own preference:

Compact and Lightweight (something my wife wants over holding my Canon 5D2 and lenses)
Wide Angle 26.3mm Photo
Wide Angle 29.8 mm Video to 298mm (On the Canon it is 35mm equivalent 43.5-435mm which is longer)
12 Mega Pixels still images
10x Optical Zoom
Stabilization which works really well
Takes both SD-HC (this is great) and Sony memory sticks (I don't use them)
Built-in 64GB Flash memory.
Excellent low light shooting
Includes GPS geotagging (which I haven't used yet, I keep it turned off for now)
3.5" LCD (921K)
Dolby Digital 5.1ch recording with Built-in Zoom Mic, which I haven't really tested to say how good the results really are, but off-the-bat the results are very acceptable.

It is also very easy to set up and operate, not a lot of digging for menus to get it recording right! You simply either swing open the LCD or pull out the viewfinder (having one is plus for me) and it turns on and after a few second, you can hit the record button. Vice-versa to turn-off.

Shoots in HD and records in 1080/60i and this equates to it being 24p or 30p via software when editing, this is argued extensively on forums, but the HDR-CX550V does not let you specify, which may be a good or bad thing depending on your own preferences. Having said that don't let the 1080/60i put you off, since this is the same with all other camcorders I have seen including professional camcorders. The 24p or 30p on the Canon HF-S21 also records at 60i.

I think ultimately making a choice on either the Sony or the Canon, you won't be disappointed, however, to me the main highlights are that this is a very compact camcorder with excellent touch screen (this one works!) and shoots wide to long instead of normal to long, and has excellent low light results as well as support for SD-HC flash media and a wonderfully sized LCD display.

I ended up buying the BC-TRV Travel charger and the NP-FV100 battery, although is larger than the supplied battery it is still small enough that it shouldn't bother you when you require the extra juice for extended shooting which is about 15 hours at High-quality HD mode.

Image results are great for such a small system, very satisfied.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A camera for MAC users - the Sony HDR-CX550V, April 27, 2010

By	Ryberg (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)

After comparing many camcorders and recording technologies I picked this camcorder for the following reasons:

1. I decided on flash memory because you do not have the sound of a tape drive or a hard drive and the camera is more compact. 64GB gives you hours of recording time without the need to change miniDV tapes or buying extra memory cards. Copying the highly compressed video files to a MAC or PC takes minutes for hours of video. Compare this to miniDV tapes - hour for hour.

2. Quality low light performance is great on this model and far exceeds my old Sony HC-1.

3. This camcorder has a wider angle lens than most camcorders which to me is more desirable. The drawback is that such a 10x lens cannot zoom in as close which is fine unless you go on a safari.

4. The image stabilization is phenomenal. You could have a tremor and the picture is rock solid. You can walk with the camera and the picture is smooth. If you make a sudden movement you can see the picture lag and move less abruptly.

5. The touch screen menus take some exploring. You can customize "My settings" with buttons you wish to have at your finger tips. The only wish I have would be another recording button for one handed operation when you do not use the wrist strap.

Best accessory: the under water housing

7. Finally, this camcorder works great with MACs. Image Capture and iMovie recognize the camcorder and you can work with these applications as usual. Final Cut Pro works equally well, but instead of Log and Capture you have to use Log and Transfer (Shift Cmd 8)

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars worth careful consideration, April 1, 2010

By	J. Beale (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Electronics)

The HDR-CX550V is a useful improvement with a significantly wider angle lens than the previous 500/520 version from 2009. It is as if you put a 0.7x wide adaptor on the lens of the earlier version, which is a very welcome feature. The zoom is now 10x instead of 12x, but for indoor use I had little use for the long end of the zoom. (However, people shooting wildlife may want a tele-adaptor.)

If you record outdoors with the sun in or near the frame edge, and you are at full-wide or within 5% of the zoom range of full wide, you may observe a surprisingly bright, sharp "blue dot" (search YouTube for examples) which is unlike the typical and expected circular or iris-shaped lens flares I've seen in 12 years of serious amateur photo/video, and 4 years of professional video and photography work. Some users cannot reproduce the phenomenon. Individual users may or may not find this a concern; check the examples online to see if it bothers you. I would expect the appropriate sized lens hood to prevent the problem if the sun or light is far enough out of the frame, although a hood cannot help if the sun is in-frame.