Sony HDR-CX550V

Amidst Sony’s 2010 Handycam range, the HDR-CX550V (together with sibling model HDR-XR550V) is undoubtedly the crown jewel, mooted as the premier model of the new lineup. With new features and improvements on previous models like the wider angled G lens, the “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, as well as the return of a dedicated intelligent automatic (iAuto) mode to allow fuss-free shooting in high-definition, it is hard to argue otherwise.

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Sony HDR-CX550V

Design & Features

For a camcorder not short on features, the CX550V also adds portability to its many virtues, with its body amassing all of 490 grams (17 ounces). While it would not fit in the pockets of your pants like a Flip would just yet, it retains that lightweight quality that bears no hindrance to carrying it around while awaiting shooting opportunities. This is in no small part down to its smaller built-in memory (64 GB flash) as compared to the 240GB of HDD on the XR550V. This equates to a smaller gripping area on the CX550V, yet ergonomics have never been a concern with Sony camcorders. The large hand strap allows you to maintain a firm yet comfortable hold on the device. Even so, the camcorder remains confidently solid in built, definitely able to withstand its fair share of hard knocks.

The HDR-CX550V comes with the much-touted wide-angle G lens. First introduced in 2009’s lineup of Handycams, the 6-blade G lens returns, this time increasing its angle-capturing capabilities to an impressive 66.5°, nearly a 20° hike from its CX500V predecessor. The 10x optical zoom on offer is also substantiated by a digital zoom maxing out at 120x, showing little distortion, if any, when zoomed. There is a built-in flash above the lens although there is no video light. The lens protector is automatically tuned-in with the camcorder’s power-saving functions along with the LCD display. As the LCD display is opened or closed, the electronic lens cover is triggered to protect the lens.

The excellent display on the 3.5″ LCD touchscreen provides for a delightful viewing option. Enhanced brightness and contrast displays are made possible by TruBlack technology, rendering visibility under direct sunlight plausible. The visuals are also accentuated by the high-resolution 921,000 pixel display. An alternative to keeping tabs on shooting through the screen is the extendable 0.27” Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). The color EVF is almost increasingly phased out in this age of digital LCD displays and it makes little impact of note on the CX550V, lacking in size and magnification to do so. It will make up for situations where an excess of glare limits visibility on the LCD screen though.

The iAuto mode on the CX550V is pretty much straightforward enough for beginner users to point-and-shoot. The Intelligent Auto button is push-ready to trigger the camcorder shooting options into the dedicated iAuto mode. Unlike other Intelligent Auto modes, the CX550V does not lock you out of making changes to any manual controls. Instead, altering any of the shooting options automatically exits the camcorder out of the iAuto mode. More adroit or experienced users can also change the settings to their preferences, with a control dial below the lens that can be used to set focus, aperture, shutter speed, the white balance shift and auto exposure shift.

On the inside of the LCD cavity is a number of featured controls that can be activated with a push of a button. The Night Shot mode uses infrared technology that allows for recording in pitch black darkness, akin to looking through night vision goggles. But as with the goggles, subjects captured in the dark will turn out bright green.

In line with most of the Handycam range, the CX550V comes equipped with a built-in GPS receiver to tag captured images or video by location. Licensed Navteq Class 4 maps information is embedded into the device for such geo-tagging functions. The GPS tagging appears to be in its early stages of development however, as it does not particularly provide a structured way to use and categorize the information, a shortcoming made all the more apparent when the videos are transferred to your PC.

Performance

The shooting performance of the CX550V is exceptionally good, nothing more than you would expect from a top-of-the-line camcorder. Shooting in the HQ AVCHD format is supported up to the maximum bitrate of 24Mbps, in line with Blu-ray formats in the market. Picture quality was sharp and crisp, a result which was equally pleasing when viewing on a HD monitor or TV. The steadiness of motion capture is reinforced by the Optical SteadyShot image stabilizer to eliminate camera shake movements caused by unstable handling.

The CX550V’s capabilities really come to light in low-light environments, owing much to the equipped back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor. The sensor affords higher sensitivity in dimly-lit scenes with an outstanding autofocus system that correctly ascertains the intended subject-in-focus more often than not. The CX550V uses a higher gamma setting and more gain even before it invokes a Low Lux mode designated for such low-light shooting. Indeed, video images were reasonably bright and accurate in color capture, with the BIONZ Image Processor keeping scenes recorded in colors as close to their true nature as is possible.

Here’s a short footage of the HDR-CX550V’s low light performance:

A minor peeve with the Sony Handycams however, is the decision to confine users to a single default frame rate mode (1080/60i) as compared to other models offering multiple frame rates (720p, 1080/60p etc.). This calculated approach is understandable as mid-range computers are yet to adequately support the higher progressive rate (problems with lag and file sizes) and further improvements to maximize user options could be seen in upgrades to future models. Additionally, the absence of a wind filter or wind noise canceler may provide another minor irritation.

Successes with Sony’s Cyber-shot digital cameras have also been transplanted to the Handycam range in the form of useful features like the Face Detection and Smile Shutter technologies. Face Detection allocates more pixels to the detected faces (up to 8) in the AVCHD encoding process, ensuring optimal face naturalization. The Smile Shutter is particularly innovative when taking still pictures. By scanning the facial expressions of one intended subject, the shutter will be automatically triggered when the person smiles. Not essential requirements of a high-end camcorder by any means, but nevertheless nifty to have.

These features add considerably to the CX550V’s adeptness to double up at taking still images. In fact, the camera interpolates images in scaling up the images to a 12-megapixel resolution. 8.3-megapixel still images can also be taken on-demand while recording, with the ‘photo’ shutter button strategically placed at the top of the camcorder for ease of reach with your index finger. There is also a ‘Mode’ button at the top of the camcorder that allows you to switch between video and photo capture modes.

Audio capture is enhanced with the built-in mic that can record 5.1 channel surround sounds. Recording levels can be switched between the ‘Normal’ or ‘Low’ levels. There is also an external headphone jack along with a mic that only accepts Sony-proprietary microphones.

Files from the CX550V are easily transferable to PCs with the provided Picture Motion Browser software. Mac support is unavailable with the PMB software, however, with compatibility limited to Windows operating systems.

In a bid to even the playing field against competing camcorder brands, Sony has decidedly given up on limiting users to their proprietary memory format where external storage is concerned. Coming in line with this latest series, the HDR-CX550V will not be restricted to capturing to the Memory Stick PRO Duo cards but also the more commonly-used SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards. The increased compatibility can only increase user options along with the already substantial 64 GB of embedded flash memory, capable of storing up to 26 hours of high-definition footage. Battery life is weak and said to last around an hour’s worth of shooting, thus making the need for replacements or higher-capacity batteries to be used in tandem with the one provided.

Conclusion

The HDR-CX550V delivers on video capture performance and rightly so, as the flagship model of Sony’s lineup this year. The video recording in the AVCHD format easily leaves it among the best in the market in terms of image quality and resolution. Among the two higher-end models in the range this year, The CX550V comes at a RRP of $1199. Its similarities with the XR550V stop at memory capacity though. So unless you’re looking at an altogether heavier package, the CX550V almost certainly takes the cake as the value-for-money pick, given that the $200 price difference means you’re essentially paying for hard disk space. At the top of the line, the Sony CX550V is as good as they come, blurring the lines between professional and consumer models.

Average User Rating:
More user reviews:

• “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.” – E.Simonson (CA,USA)

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“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.

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. 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.” – Bob S. (IL,USA)

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