Sony NEX-VG20H Interchangeable Lens HD Handycam Camcorder with 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Lens

by Sony

• Interchangeable Lens Full HD Camcorder
• 16.1 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor for cinematic HD video
• Full HD 1920x1080 up to 24Mbps
• CinemaTone presets and 24p native recording for cinematic quality video
• High resolution 16.1MP RAW & JPEG still image capture @ 6fps

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 3.6 x 5.1 inches ; 1.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 16.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B005JWIZC4
• Item model number: NEXVG20H
• Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,379 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 30, 2011

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Unleash your creativity with Sony's new interchangeable lens Handycam camcorder. Featuring a 16.1-megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor for gorgeous depth of field, this camcorder is in a class of its own. Record 1920x1080/24p AVCHD video with smoother motion, capture DSLR-like photos in RAW and JPG, and capture 5.1-channel audio with the Quad Capsule Spatial Array microphone. To add even more creativity, choose from numerous A- and E-mount lens attachments. For easy framing of your subjects and simple control, the VG20 features a 3-inch touch-panel LCD with TruBlacktechnology for superb contrast and reduced glare.

Interchangeable lenses
The NEX-VG20 is compatible with Sony's E-mount series of smaller, lighter lenses which are optimized for video shooting with silent operation and AF as well as Sony/Minolta A-mount lenses (via optional LA-EA2 A-mount adapter) to open up a world of creative options.

Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor
The same sensor format that Sony builds into the standard size α DSLRs. With approximately 19.5 times the surface area of conventional camcorders, the Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor makes getting cinematic video with a shallow depth of field video a breeze.

Up to 24Mbps AVCHD 2.0 video
The NEX-VG20 can capture video in full 1920x1080 high definition at up to 24Mbps for amazing clarity and detail, ideal for recording on to Blu-ray Disc media since the AVCHD 2.0 codec is highly compatible with the Blu-ray Disc format.

CinemaTone presets and 24p recording for cinematic quality video
For extra control over image expression, CinemaTone technology is used to deepen the color and recreate film-like color tones. Combined with 24p recording, you’ll have some of the tools you need to fulfill your need for cinematic expression.

16.1MP RAW Still Images at up to 6fps
Enjoy incredible DSLR-quality detail and clarity with 16.1MP RAW still images and even catch fast action sequences with a continuous burst rate of up to 6fps.

E-mount SEL18200mm OSS zoom lens
The Sony E-mount 18-200mm OSS lens provides an 11x zoom ratio for superior versatility. Made to shoot video, it also includes a silent auto-focus system coupled with Optical Steadyshot image stabilization with Active Mode, giving you the flexibility of a removable lens with the ergonomics and operability of a Handycam camcorder.

Quad Capsule Spatial Array Stereo Microphone
High quality video requires high quality audio. The Quad Capsule Spatial Array stereo microphone contains four precision placed microphone capsules that are perfectly angled at 45 degrees to provide exceptional front-side directivity and stereo separation.

Mic/Headphone jacks
Dedicated mic and headphone inputs allow for attachment of external microphones (like shotgun microphone ECM-CG50 for pin point sound recording) and headphones to monitor sound.

Optical SteadyShot w/ Active Mode
Optical SteadyShot image stabilization with Active Mode built-in supplied lens compensates for greater degrees of camera shake to deliver stunningly smooth video.

Accepts α DSLR A- and E-mount lenses
Using the LA-EA2 adaptor (sold separately), you can attach the full selection of α A- an E-mount system lenses, which includes 27 current models, dozens of Minolta A-mount lenses, and an installed base of millions of lenses worldwide. Operational restrictions apply.

3.0-inch Xtra Fine LCD 270 swivel display (921k pixels)
TruBlack technology brings remarkably higher contrast and brightness to the camcorders 3.0” Xtra Fine LCD Touch Screen display, delivering more natural, realistic colors and easier viewing in bright conditions by reducing glare. The swivel display also allows for easy viewing of the LCD in different shooting positions.

Full Manual Control
With full manual control of Iris, Shutter Speed, Gain, White Balance , Recording Volume, via convenient hot keys and jog dial, you will be able to adapt to almost any lighting condition to get the best shot.

Advanced controls with expanded focus, zebra, and peaking
The NEX-VG20 provides advanced capture and control features that are often considered the domain of professional cameras including expanded focus for precise manual focus control, zebra and peaking for precision focus and exposure adjustments.

Dual Accessory Shoes (Alpha Hot/ Universal Cold)
The dual accessory shoes open the door to many accessories for both still and video photography, including shotgun microphones and external flash lighting.

Six Creative Style settings
Control how the camera processes your images with six finishing styles: Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset and B&W. You can even fine-tune contrast, saturation, and sharpness to your personal taste.

Eight White Balance Modes
These help you get the shot by optimizing the camera for specific shooting situations. Select from Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, and Custom modes.

Auto HDR (Photo Mode)
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography captures more scene contrast than a single exposure can handle by taking three consecutive shots very quickly with different exposure values, then combining the best highlight/shadow detail from them for one incredible shot. Ideal for situations where severe backlighting is present and other high-contrast scenes. (Recommended for still subjects.)
OR
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography captures best highlight detail from three shots and combines them for one incredible shot.

Anti Motion Blur (Photo Mode)
Perfect for situations with poor lighting or when using a telephoto lens, Anti Motion Blur mode will take 6 consecutive shots in a split second, taking the best of each individual image, and creating a single image with superb clarity and detail. Ideal for minimizing subject movement in low lighting conditions.

Handheld Twilight (Photo Mode)
Great for shots in the evening or times with little available light, Handheld Twilight mode will reduce the effect of camera shake when shooting a stationary subject by taking 6 consecutive shots then combining them all to create an image that you would have been almost impossible otherwise.

Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO)
Dynamic Range Optimizer improves results with backlit subjects and recovers details hidden in shadows while maintaining highlight detail. Settings include Auto, Level with a choice of five operating levels and Off.

25-point Auto Focus
Twenty five AF points cover a very wide area of the scene, for accurate focusing even when the subject is far from the center of the frame.

AF/MF switch for creative control
Whether you’re shooting video or still images, the included 18-200mm lens will auto focus quietly and quickly, however if you want to utilize MF, this simple switch will put you in the driver’s seat.

HDMI output for HD viewing
Enjoy HD movies and stunning still images on a compatible HDTV via the camera's HDMI output (HDMI cable not included)
Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Included free of charge via download, Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 allows you to easily add video effects, background music, titles, text, transitions, and much more. Everything you need to create dramatic HD movies like a pro. Share your creations via DVD, Blu-ray Disc media, or upload to the web – all from one easy to use program.

Anti-Dust Technology
Anti-Dust Technology helps keep the CMOS sensor clean, resulting in consistently clear pictures. First a static-free coating on the sensor's low-pass filter helps repel dust. Then vibration automatically dislodges dust from the sensor, especially when you're changing lenses in-between video sessions.

Removable Flash Media slot
For convenient storage and sharing of your images and videos, the media card slot accepts Memory Stick Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo / Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo media and SD/SDHC/SDXC media (all sold separately).


 

	NP-FV50 InfoLITHIUM® V-Series Rechargeable Battery 6.8V typ. 7.0Wh (1030mAh)	NP-FV70 InfoLITHIUM V-Series Rechargeable Battery 6.8V typ. 14.0Wh (2060mAh)	NP-FV100 InfoLITHIUM V-Series Rechargeable Battery 6.8V typ. 26.5Wh (3900mAh)
	NP-FV50	NP-FV70	NP-FV100
HDR-SX45
HDR-SX85
HDR-XR260V
HDR-CX190
HDR-CX200
HDR-CX210
HDR-CX260V
HDR-CX580V
HDR-CX760V
HDR-PJ200
HDR-PJ260V
HDR-PJ580V
HDR-PJ710V
HDR-PJ760V
HDR-TD20V
HDR-VG20H

Product Description

Unleash your creativity with Sony's new interchangeable lens Handycam camcorder. Featuring a 16.1-megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor for gorgeous depth of field, this camcorder is in a class of its own. Record 1920x1080/24p AVCHD video with smoother motion, capture DSLR-like photos in RAW and JPG, and capture 5.1-channel audio with the Quad Capsule Spatial Array microphone. To add even more creativity, choose from numerous A- and E-mount lens attachments. For easy framing of your subjects and simple control, the VG20 features a 3" touch-panel LCD with TruBlack technology for superb contrast and reduced glare.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fills a gap between PRO and "pro"sumer camcorders December 4, 2011

By b.Christopher

I've now used this camera for a couple weeks and have been very pleased with it.
I was watching the NEX-VG10 for some time and was very interested in seeing what the VG20 would be like.
After visiting a Sony Store and learning that I could buy the camera and try it with the ability to later return it (holiday season), I figured I had nothing to lose and gave it a go. Honestly, I'd say when I bought it, I felt like there might have been a 25% chance of me keeping it, mainly because of the steep price with the lens ($2300 + tax). But now using it for 2 weeks, I'm figuring out ways to justify the expense.

I think it should first be said that if you're a pro (or "more than a pro" as some might say) and shooting high-budget commercials, movies, or whatever and you expect a PRO camera, buy/rent a pro camera - at the end of the day, this is still a Sony Handycam.
At $1600 for the camcorder itself (without a lens), I am coming to feel like this is a more fair price. Still a little steep, but as others have pointed out, there's really no competition right now.

I'll speak from my own experience and how I've come to appreciate this camera. As I mentioned, if I'm on a commercial job, I'm renting a camera and not using equipment that I own myself, so I'm writing this review more from a consumer perspective, who also happens to work professionally.
Before this camera I switched between my Panasonic HDC-TM700, my Nikon D7000 (with attached Zoom H4N) , and my Panasonic DMC-GF2.

The GF2 was handy in that it was so small and had a nice 14mm lens on it, and I could put my Nikon lens' on it as well, but certainly wasn't the leader in video picture quality. I found I used that camera less and less.

The TM700 was and is great for a small camcorder. The 1080p60 video is impressive and it was convenient carrying the camera around anywhere since it is so small. However, with that built in lens you're just not going to get a nice depth of field look. It was convenient when I just wanted to grab the quickest camera to capture video, but if I had a little bit more time I found I often reached for one of my other cameras with a more sophisticated lens.

I love my Nikon D7000 for still photography, and it's shot some great looking footage. The big disadvantage here was just the opposite of the TM700 camcorder - the setup was so much more complicated that it wasn't good for quick captures. My footage was always shaky even with the VR lens' that I used, so I got a nice monopod to help. That helped, but the audio also was poor, so I got the Zoom H4N and a hot shoe mount.
But then there I was, DSLR connected to a monopod with a big H4N audio recorder attached to the top, all to get a shot at my nieces birthday party. Not an ideal setup, even if the footage/audio did turn out nice.

So in comes the NEX-VG20. For me, it has the quality I was aiming for with my DSRL camera, but in a much more convenient package. The microphone also is quite good so I don't have to worry about capturing separate audio with my H4N and syncing it to the footage later.
The optical image stabilization does a very good job, and of course the top "pro style" grip also aids in smoother shots as well.
I've found while the camera+lens is quite a bit larger than other camcorders, like my TM700, it's not too large to carry around casually and also breaks down nicely when you take the lens off the body.
The colors are great, and as many have pointed out, this camera does very well in low light conditions.
Having options between 1080p24 and 60 is great.
And finally, the stills that I've gotten from the camera are also pretty good if it's the only camera I'm carrying at the moment and want to get a picture. My only gripe right now is that the raw image format isn't recognized by Adobe Lightroom or CameraRAW. In time I'm sure.

True the user manual isn't great - you kind of have to just use the camera a bunch and figure out all its characteristics. Kind of like when hitting the Auto A/E button and you get a message about brightness on the screen. I too thought this was a bug. It's not, it's actually just telling you that it's setting it to auto in a less than intuitive way. But these few quirks for me do not take away from what the camera can actually do.
I've been extremely pleased working with the footage that I've gotten from it. So again, I wouldn't bring this camera onto set suggesting that we use it for a commercial shoot, but by golly, I'm getting the best looking footage from it for my own personal recordings and am thrilled with it.

Nice move Sony. I thought I'd buy your expensive camera, use it over the holidays with the assurance that I could return it if I wasn't totally sold on it, but you've clearly won in the prosumer camcorder market and I'm keeping the NEX-VG20H.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great low light abilities and decent colors November 23, 2011

By Tim

After playing with the camera for 10 days and two lenses (stock and pancake 16F28) I must say it gives great resolution, perfekt low light shots and decent colours.

The most important thing here to consider is the following: Where else do you get a camera with lens exchange, a full APS-C sensor and 50/60p frame set, all of that good for great film look, for that price? As a matter of fact, the VG20 is without any competitor in this field currently.

OK, maybe the price might be 500 bucks less to be really fair, but as there is no real alternative choice, that's what we need to cope with.

I also tested the camera in comparison to my 3 year old Panasonic HDC-SD100, which has 3 small CMOS sensors, one for each color. The latter one couldn't keep up with the VG20 at all anymore.
The new Sony has 12 db more gain (!) but due to the huge sensor much less grain, and definitely the better Full HD resolution.
Together with the additonal lenses with wide aperture size (2.8 and below) you get some kind of night owl with magnificent bokeh :-)

It seems to me that my previous speaker had some kind of bad luck , and expected some things on the camera to be in video mode even though they are actually available in photo mode only.
About 'missing features' previously complained on, they are there but for the photo function. And by the way, you also get a really great photo camera with 16 megapixels on the VG20.
So these features might be badly advertised by Sony marketing before so that some misunderstandings occurred.
Anyway, I don't need several style or white balance sets with that camera. When I use Auto or Manual for white balance, I always get great results without frazzled colours (the cinematone they could have dumped, I won't use that).

So actually I don't know what most of the complaints are about. Sure, such a big sensor gives you some moiré in critical situations, but first, any advanced video operator can handle/fix that, and secondly, it occurs rarely.

About the camera 'jams' previously mentioned: I also saw them, but they occur only in critical (e.g. low) light conditions. I'm quite sure that will be tackled with the next firmware update.
And when you switch to Auto A/E the camera just wants to tell you which previous manual settings will now be reverted to Auto, maybe bad English, but that's actually a good feature ;-)

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It is what it is and I love it. December 27, 2011

By Emil

Amazon Verified Purchase

Here's a short review of mine.

This is not a professional camera, it is something in between your typical HD camcorder and a professional camera (with a bunch of inputs and dials that is too much to deal with for an average person like me). This camera is made for amateur videographers who enjoy making videos and realise that good video isn't just about resolution. This camera is basically a DSLR camera that was redesigned into a Handycam body that is more suitable for taking videos. As you may already know, DSLRs take stunning videos with their large CMOS sensors, but they were not designed for taking videos and have some limitations that make them unsuitable for using it as your primary video camera. Some have video length limit, some overheat after 10 min of video recording, most have a poor built-in microphone, etc. This camera has a large CMOS sensor of a DSLR (20 times larger than a typical camcorder), 5.1 Surround Sound microphone and interchangeable lenses of DSLRs. There are plenty of other "pro" features of this camera, which you can find in the description.

The camera itself is made in Japan and has a nice build quality, it doesn't feel cheap as most of it's body is made out of metal. It is actually pretty heavy with the lens that comes with it. I feel like it's a very good investment and can last a long time and despite of introduction of 3D consumer cameras - it will still be a decent camera to use five, maybe even ten years from now. It has enough "pro" settings, features and configurations (lenses, filters, etc) to keep me busy for years. I don't regret buying it and highly recommend it.

The promotional video for the previous year's model (NEX-VG10) has the following phrase in it that I think explains the purpose of this camera very well: "Reinvent Your Creativity, Discover Your Passion".