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

 Top HD Camcorders Comparison - Aug 18, 2010

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2HT2BCVQE9JFQ My beginning with camcorders was 10 years ago with the Sony DCRTRV17 MiniDV Camcorder and I had it for over five years with acceptable success. Then I stayed away from camcorders until the introduction of the Panasonic HDC-TM300 Twin Media HD Camcorder (Black) early 2009, latter I got the Panasonic HDC-TM350 Twin Media HD Camcorder (Limited Edition) then Panasonic HDC-TM700K Hi-Def Camcorder with Pro Control System & 32GB Flash (Black) and most recently the Canon VIXIA HF S21 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder - 2010 MODEL but there were something on the back of my head saying "go back to Sony" so I did it 2 weeks ago. Since my experiences using this model is somehow limited I will not make any judgment jet, I will limited this review to my first impressions and you will be able to see for yourself how this Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder compare with some of the mayor rivals.

The designer of this camera is stunning, it's very portable, all ports and buttons are very well located, the included battery is just acceptable (over one hour) and the LCD is huge with good resolution, also the touch screen is very responsive (far superior to the Canon's & Panasonic's models) and Image Stabilization (STEADY-SHOT) works fine.

After I see the attached VIDEO REVIEW on my Sony Bravia XBR KDL-46XBR6 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV & Sony BDP-S550 1080p Blu-ray Player and do some other test like low light and movement subjects I'll continue upgrading my impressions.

 One of the best camcorders on the market today-great wide angle! - Aug 10, 2010

I had a Canon HFS200. I returned it. Great overal camcorder, but one deal killer. No wide angle lens. I was constantly backing up, and telling my kids to back up, so I could get them in the frame, and I still missed a bunch of shots. With the Canon, a wide angle adapter would have been an essential tool, and I just wasn't willing to incur the extra expense and weight.

I looked at the Panasonic TM700 as an alternative. I was intrigued, but right or wrong, the fan noise issue scared me off (see reviews), as well as the fact that the files are apparently difficult to edit (also see reviews). I know that there are many people that swear the fan noise is no big deal, and swear that you can work with the files, and swear that the Panasonic is the best camcorder on the market, but.....

I opted to go with the Sony primarily because of the wide angle lens. The Sony has the equivalent of a 29mm wide angle, the Panasonic was 35mm, and the Canon was 43mm. Since alot of the video I shoot is of the family, inside my house, I wanted the widest angle possible. Right now, the Sony is it.

Things that I like about the Sony:

-Wide angle lens....probably the #1 reason to buy this camcorder
-Excellent picture quality
-Excellent low light capability in general, with 2 additional low light modes (night mode and low lux mode)
-Excellent stabilization....nice for shooting walk around videos
-Large (3.5"), bright, high image quality LCD
-EVF (not the best, but at least there is one, which is important if you are shooting outdoors in bright sun)
-Nice menu system....like the look and feel much better than the Canon HFS200. (This is probably more of a personal preference)
-Nice ergonomics....feels good in your hands (at least for me and I have large hands)
-64gb flash memory.....unless you shoot several hours of video a day, and shoot for days on end without downloading to your computer, you should be able to get by without ever having to use SD cards (unless of course you want to).
-Easy to get files out of the camcorder and into your computer for editing with the supplied Sony software.

Things I don't like about the Sony:

-Only 10x zoom.....15x would have been nice. Heck, even 12x would have been better than 10x.
-The wide angle is a blessing and a curse. Wide open it is excellent in virtually all lighting situations. Zoomed in, in even moderately low light situations, you lose ALOT of light, and the zoom becomes essentially unuseable since the images become VERY dark. For me, this is a minor tradeoff. I just know not to zoom in very much in low light situations. Not a big deal for me, but it might be for you.
- No wind screen. Outdoor videos in moderate wind produce a noticeable sound. I'm planning to buy an aftermarket wind guard myself for about $20, so I'm not anticipating that this will be a major problem for me.
-Supplied Sony software is great for getting the video out of the camcorder and into the computer, but that's about it. Strongly suggest you use a separate editing program. I use Cyberlink PowerDirector and am having good results with the video that I've shot with the Sony. There are many other editing programs, but that is for another review.
-Price.....prices flucuate dramatically, but generally The Sony doesn't stray from around $1000-$1050 anywhere. I've seen the Panasonic and the Canon pop into the mid to high $700's here on Amazon, so on any give day the Sony can be about $200-$250 more than either of them. That's a pretty substantial price premium (around 20%), so if you're on a budget, or if you don't really care about the wide angle lens of the Sony, this may not be the camcorder for you.
-I would say the Photo quality is good to very good, but not excellent. In my opinion, the photos that came out of the Canon were noticably better. If you are looking to carry only one piece of equipment for videos and photos, just something to consider. Personally, I don't plan on taking very many photos with my camcorder. The ones I did shoot with the Sony, with a little editing in Photshop Elements, were fine.

Overall, I am really liking my new camcorder. I didn't give it a 5 star rating for the negatives noted above, but definitely a solid 4 star. Again, Canon and Panasonic produce some excellent camcorders, so the main reason to buy the Sony in my opinion is the wide angle lens. That is by far the most distinguishing characterstic. To me, it has made a HUGE difference. Coupled with the fact that overall video quality is excellent in all lighting conditions, excellent stabilization, and the files are easy to edit on your computer, I would highly recommend this camcorder.

Note: In other reviews, you may see people mentioning confusion because 3 files are generated when you download the video to your computer (.m2ts, .modd, .moff). I was confused myself until I researched it. I can safely tell you to ignore the confusion. The m2ts is the file that contains the video and the audio, and is easily handled by any of the current crop of video editing software. The other 2 files are nothing but marker files used by the Sony software to keep track of the video clips in the organizer, and store data about the clips. If you re not planning on using the Sony software to organize and edit your videos, then you do not need to concern yourself at all with these files. Even if you are, they have absolutely nothing to do with the video and audio itself, and thus you will never need to do anything with them.

 Great HD camera just a bit expensive - Jul 17, 2010

Have had this camera for 2 weeks and really like it so far. Great quality build and feels very comfortable when using it, the hand strap is large enough to give plenty of support when hand holding while shooting. The quality HD is fantastic as well as the still photos. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the wide angle and the zoom lens is, much better than I anticipated. The flash works well when shooting photos in low light and not to far away from your subjects. Stabilization works better than any other Sony movie camera I have owned. It didn't take me long to get used to where all the buttons and controls are, I'm still learning the menu for functions but it seems pretty logical and very descriptive. I use the Sony PMB supplied software that comes with the camera and works well for transferring recordings to my computer as well as creating a DVD, learning to use the PMB software was very easy.
The large LCD screen is very good and lots of information displayed. The EVF is for me a must in bright Sunlight and is really sharp I only wished it extended out further when using larger batteries. The largest battery I would recommend is the NP-FV70, the NP-FV100 battery just sticks out to far with the EVF on this camera. I have no regrets purchasing this camera, Sony did a great job with this one.

 Excellent buy! - Jul 13, 2010

I hate to spend so much on a camcorder but I figured if I go "big" (meaning higher price) I won't have to update for years to come. I usually update my camcorder and camera every other year but with this one - there will be no need to do so. And man, am I loving this one. The low light capability, night shot, steady shot, video quality, picture quality, size and every other feature on this baby are out of this world and well worth the $1000 or so. You can't go wrong with this purchase - just do it!

The only thing I would like to let you know b/c I did not realize this when I was shopping for a great camcorder is that the highest quality of video from this camcorder is put on a DVD and only able to play on a Blu-Ray player. That's right - Blu-Ray quality videos of your best memories!!! Now, I just need to buy a Blu-Ray player...

 Fantastic - Jul 10, 2010

The Sony HDR CX550V is the best camcorder i have ever owned. It takes stunning videos, amazing still pictures and has excellent low light performance. It also has one of the best designs for a camcorder I have seen in awhile. Don't hesitate to buy this camcorder, you won't be disappointed.

 Beware of this Sony CX 550V - Jun 26, 2010

I am using Sony Camcorders for last 10 years. What sets SONY apart from other companies is Carl Zeiss Lens.
I purchased this camera seeing its review & specification on sony site.

[...]

It has - Video Actual (Pixel) : 4150K Pixels (16:9), 3110K Pixels (4:3)
This is really great. But when I purchased this camera, I was really disapponited by it's lacklustre image quality. It has all pixels & details. But it lacks something !! Finally I realized it's nothing but lens. This camera has some sony G lens.

Please shoot same location with even older SONY camera ( with Carl Zeiss Lens ) and then shoot with this 12 MEGA PIXEL cx 550 V camera. Then compare the results. You will understand what I am saying.

Hope SONY reverts back to Carl Zeiss lens in upcoming releases ..

 Best overall Camcorder in its class. Most bang for Buck - Jun 17, 2010

Best overall Camcorder in its class. Most bang for Buck

The best features, ranked in order of what I thought was best for my needs.
1. The wide angle lens (29.8-298mm).
2. large 3.5 inch screen
3. Very good Low Light / IR Night Mode
4. 64 GB Flash Memory
5. EVF at high quality
6. 5.1 Stereo Mic

Features I wished the Sony had:
1. 8 or 12 Megapixel CMOS instead of the 6 Megapixel. HD still looks amazing though
2. 12x or 15x zoom I like the wide angle more so not a big deal to give up big zooms.
3. No wind screen
4. Dont find GPS useful

I was looking for a camera that had the most features, for the best price. I ended up looking at Panasonic HDC-TM700, Canon Vixia HF S20 and Sony HDR-CX550V. I actually went to a store that had all 3 models so I could compare.

All were around $1000-1100 in price, but I found the Sony to be the most comfortable, and had the best overall features. The features that sold me on the Sony was the wide angle lens (29.8-298mm), the good low light/night shot IR mode, 3.5 inch screen, 64 GB Flash memory, EVF, and Comfort in my hand.

Zoom/Lens
The Canon has a 43-435mm zoom, not wide enough for my taste, but good zoom for distance. Anything beyond 200mm does not interest me as I am rarely that far away to make that matter.

Touch Screen / EVF
The large 3.5 inch screen was amazing, sharp and easy to use for my fat fingers, compared to the Panasonic and Canon. Panasonic being the worst of the 3 for size, and the Canon touch screen was hard to use I thought.
EVF is a must, Panasonic had it but the Sony looked sharper and cleaner. Canon only has it on the S21 model for $300 more

Low Light
I tested the low light option by having the sales guy take all 3 cameras into a back stock room and shut off the lights, then recorded some footage, then turned on my cell phone as a low light source in the room, and shot some more footage. The Sony did the best overall with this test. Sharp clear well lit images compared to the other two, but the Panasonic did a decent job as well.
Autofocus was great on the Sony, and image stabilization worked better than I expected.

I cannot speak to the quality of the pictures from the Canon/Panasonic on my home TV, but on a 42" HDTV the Sony playback looks amazing. Sharp, clean, and clear.

Audio
I also liked the 5.1 audio, which the Panasonic had, but Canon did not. Outside the Sony does pickup wind if it is a particularly windy day (20+mph winds) The Panasonic seems to have a wind screen feature that the Sony Lacks.

Optical SteadyShot image stabilization w/ Active Mode

Storage
64GB on the Sony, 32 on the Panasonic and 32 for Canon unless you go with the HF S21 but that model is $300 more, and not worth that price for only 32 more GB and nothing else that I could see.

All of them take still photos while recording, which is also nice.

To re-cap, I went with the Sony cx550V because in every category that I could see, Sony tied or exceeded the other camcorders in the same price range. And my number one feature was the extra wide angle lens and built in light and night mode ability. For me these are most important. 64GB is more than enough, but I have a 8gb backup chip in the camcorder. It was the most comfortable in my hand as well, and feels like a solid camera. Hope this review helps you out, as you will not be disappointed with the Sony CX550V if you have ~$1100 or so to spend.

 Worthy choice for those willing to pay the price - Jun 05, 2010

Built in viewfinder, high amount of internal memory, large high resolution flip out screen, and extremely sharp accurate color balanced video are positives. Location of still picture button and high price are negatives. .

Combination of built in color viewfinder and 64 Gb of internal memory made the CX550V a logical choice for me. I prefer using a viewfinder when outside in bright light and there were not many other camcorders on the market with viewfinders other than much more expensive and bulky pro level units. Also high on my wish list was having enough storage capacity for a full vacation. Combination of large internal flash memory and ability to store extra on SDHC cards fit the bill. With a 32 Gb SDHC card in addition to internal memory I should have 9 hours of recording capacity even at the highest resolution. At FH setting (17 Mb/sec vs. 24 Mb/sec) there is 11 hour 25 minutes recording capacity with the SDHC card and internal memory.

Effective street price was about 15% less expensive than Canon HF S21 I also considered. While the CX550V does not have Canon's unique dual SDHC card slots, otherwise they seemed quite similar. At least now Sony is providing the option of SDHC cards rather than only their own more expensive memory chips. The camcorder cost savings helped finance some accessories. Nevertheless it is disappointing that there are not less expensive options for those who feel that an eye level viewfinder is important. Anyone who shoots outside in bright light should consider the viewfinder important.

Videos are extremely detailed - at least equal in both sharpness and detail compared to the highest resolution of what is on cable and more detailed than most. Also, results have been comparable in sharpness to most commercial Blu-ray discs. Color also seems well saturated and natural. Skin tones, in particular, are very natural with default color balance settings. The iAuto setting seems to do a very intuitive job of keeping focus and exposure adjusted quickly and correctly for most video. SteadyShot function also does a very effective job of smoothing out video when hand holding the camcorder while shooting.

The 3.5" flip out LCD provides a large, very sharp view. The touch screen simplifies the amount of buttons, but the menu list requires a lot of scrolling to get to some functions. Fingerprints can build up quickly. I was concerned about cleaning the LCD because it is touch sensitive, but there is a power button that will shut off the LCD while cleaning it so that no settings will be inadvertently changed.

The color eye level viewfinder provides a bright image regardless of outside light conditions. It should also provide slightly better battery life than when using the flip out screen. Pulling out the viewfinder turns on the camcorder. It would be nice if the viewfinder pulled out farther than it does when using a larger than standard, long life battery. Compared to my previous camcorder that had a black and white viewfinder, the image seems smaller and more distant. Viewfinder image is also not as bright as my previous camcorder. Still the viewfinder offers a solid alternate to a washed out view on the LCD screen when taking video in bright sunlight.

The built in GPS seems more of a novelty than something all that much useful. However one potential benefit is automatic adjustment of time zone so that video is tagged with the proper date and time for local location. Otherwise, location tagging is only available while video is in camera or when using the included PMB software. The operating manual indicates there is a CX550 model that would appear to not include GPS, but that model does not seem available in the states. It could have provided a more economical alternate to those who wanted the primary features of this camcorder. Given a choice, I would rather have a viewfinder than the GPS feature.

PMB software that comes with the camcorder is useful for moving video from the camcorder to a computer, but otherwise is lame compared to most commercial HD video authoring software available.

One of the few things I do not like about the physical design is the location of the still picture button. It is too close to the zoom control. It is not locked out when taking videos, except when shooting at the highest 24 Mb/sec recording setting. While that can permit taking stills while shooting video, inadvertently pressing the button that can easily happen will create an unwanted picture. That has already happened many times while shooting, but perhaps in time my finger will remember the zoom button location. I would also prefer for camcorders to ship without a battery included, giving the buyer a choice of a longer life battery without paying for one that will seldom be used.

While there are a couple of things I might like to change, the features and spectacular video make this camcorder a worthwhile choice for anyone willing to consider buying one in a flagship price range.

 Bill Weir's (ABC News) HDR-CX550V in the Amazon - May 25, 2010

I'm been using miniDV tapes to shoot my expedition Walking the Amazon and recently Bill Weir came out from ABC News to do a feature. Bill only used an HDR-CX550V and said that the results are outstanding and easily broadcast quality. See the piece at [...]

I was very impressed - a true alternative to professional cameras.

 A camera for MAC users - the Sony HDR-CX550V - Apr 28, 2010

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)

 Solid camera - excellent quality - Apr 05, 2010

This camera was my 4th attempt at a camcorder in a reasonable price range. I've tried Canon, Panasonic, and a different Sony. Ether the software was inadequate, or there was some other issue with the quality. This camera produces great quatlity for the price, has reasonable software. Good enough to extract content for use in Premiere at any rate. The form factor is good with intuitive menu options. The only downside is that the sofware periodically throws an unhandled error and shuts down.

 worth careful consideration - Apr 01, 2010

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.

 Camera is fine, disregard the "blue dot" post above - Apr 01, 2010

Im a pro photographer. The blue dot the person above is refering to is NORMAL for shooting into direct sunlight. It's called flare and my 9000,00 Nikon 400 2.8 VR lens has it as well as MOST every lens on the market. No one shoots directly into the sun shooting video and for stills we use flash. Please do some homework before giving a product a bad review.

 Blue Dot Appears When Filming In Sunlight - Mar 31, 2010

Be aware there is a possible problem with this model. Please visit AVS forums and do a search for 'BLUE DOT'.
Users are reporting an annoying blue dot appears on the screen when recording in sunlight. I can verify this with my model. Videos have also been posted on YouTube demonstrating the Blue Dot. Indoors, the video is excellent, but outdoors, in sunlight, users are reporting this problem.

 Don't overlook this Sony! - Mar 26, 2010

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.