My 2009 Sony HDR-XR500V has shipped from B&H

[Kadath]

I've been thinking about a new HD camcorder for a while, and decided to wait till CES 2009 to see what would pop up. Both the new Sonys and the Canons looked very interesting. I bit on the Sony for a number of reasons:
-Hard Disk storage in addition to removable cards
-GPS
-5.1 Audio

Believe it or not but one of the biggest factors was that it is shipping now and the Canons won't be for another 6 weeks and I have a wedding to attend I want to be ready for.

The downside to the Sony is that it isn't quite as flexible on progressive modes and tops out at 17MB bandwidth while the Canons can go full AVS-HD high profile at 24MB. Both models have improved sensors and should have great low light performance. The Canon also has some 'zebra striping' to show clipping which could be helpful.

Been watching B&H and they put these guys up as in stock yesterday, so after hemming and hawing a bit, I pushed go. It shipped today and will be here Monday.

Which, just so you know, guarantees that a flock of new DSLRs with video modes will be announced this weekend pre-PMA which get rid of all of the major downsides to the first gen (5dm2, D90) downsides like limited clip length, rolling shutter and an inability to accurately lock ISO/Aperture etc. =)


Offering all of the latest advancements in Handycam camcorder technology, the HDR-XR500V camcorder is ideal for capturing the moment in high definition (HD). Record breathtaking 1920 x 1080 HD video and 12.1 megapixel still images directly to the internal 120GB hard drive. In addition to a professional-quality Sony G lens, this camcorder features a new, larger 1/3.15" ClearVid CMOS image sensor with Exmor-R technology, which delivers superior low-light performance. Additional features include Face Detection and Smile Shutter technology, a built-in GPS receiver, stunning image stabilization and flexible playback and transfer options.
Key Features

• Camera

* 1/2.88" ClearVid CMOS image sensor with Exmor R technology
* 120GB hard disk drive
* Back-illuminated Exmore R CMOS
* 3.2" wide touch panel Xtra Fine LCD display
* Sony G Lens
* 12X Optical zoom
* Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization
* Face Detection
* Smile Shutter
* Geotagging with built-in GPS receiver

* BRAVIA Sync
* HDMI connection
* Adjustable 0.27" color viewfinder
* Active Interface Shoe
* Power On by opening LCD
* Map Index function
* Dedicated Mic and Headphone jacks
* Dual record with 8.3Mp still image capture
* Assignable Dial
* Adjustable 0.27" color viewfinder

• Video Recording

* 1920 x 1080 HD
* Highlight Playback
* Dolby digital 5.1 channel recording
* Smooth Slow Record
* Film Roll Index

• Still Image Capture

* 12.1Mp Images
* Built-in intelligent flash

• Storage

* Hybrid recording of video and still image to the 120GB HDD or Memory Stick PRO Duo Media


http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/10041.html
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-HDR-XR520V-Handycam-First-Impressions-Camcorder-Review.htm
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/10015.html
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/10026.html

Will do an unboxing and first impressions on Monday.

[changal]

Considering getting the 500V as well. Look forward to reading your review!

[Kadath]

Full Unboxing Flickr Set is here at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kadath/sets/72157614709169036/

Will be blogging my tests at:
http://www.navesink.net/2009/03/sony-hdr-xr500vunboxing-and-testing.html

Will post Videos at:
http://www.eaholaula.com

Battery is charging now, so vids soon! Yay for Snow days!

Sam

[vipcharlie]

Hey i just checked out your page! The snow and ice looked very detailed and clear! Can you post a few in darker scenes? I use to own the sr12! I sold it because i didnt like how it performed in darker lighting. In good light and outside on a sunny day the quality was impressive but the darker scenes made me sell it. So if you get a chance post some clips in darker light..If i'm impressed i'll buy one:)

[Kadath]

Will see what I can do Vipc, probably not today tho =) As you noted tho, the first vid is up now at http://www.eaholaula.com.

It will be of dubious help for folks trying to judge the capabilities of this camera.

-Only changes I made to the out of box settings was to select full HD recording, and yes it seems to cap at 16MB.
-I'm not sure if the IS was on or not. I havent read the book yet and the menus were somewhat obtuse. I'm hping it wasnt cause it looks like it could use some stabilization.
-It was shot at Dusk
-I only have iMovie 08, which resizes all files to a max of 920 wide or something stupid like that.
-I'm a total noob with iMovie
-It was shot at dusk
-After iMovie resized it, Smugmug resized it again.

I'm uploading the same file to Flickr to see how that looks. Smugmug makes it look very 'jumpy'.

I'm also going to hook it up to my lcd flat panel later, but that's only a 720p set...

Sam

[MDJAK]

Sounds sweet, Sam. YOu bringing it on Sunday?

[Kadath]

The full size iMovie version is now up here:
http://www.navesink.net/2009/03/sonyhdr-xr500v-icicletest-film.html

[Kadath]

Yes, if I can make Sunday work I will bring it.

[Kadath]

Tried hooking it up to my flat panel last night only to discover it has a MINI-HDMI connector and not a full sized one. WTF, wasn't this the reason HDMI was invented so we didn't have all these different cable standards?

Now to figure out if BestBuy even carries a converter at a humane price or if I need to go to Monoprice....

[MDJAK]

I'd be shocked if Worst -- uh, ahem, I mean Best Buy would stock that.

Get it from B&H. They surely have it at the best price.

You coming on Sunday?

me

[Kadath]

Ordered it from Amazon along with a second (monster sized) battery, travel charger and neoprene case.

Sunday is looking good but I won't know for sure till Thursday.

[Riley Craven]

I hope it was an H series battery, the camera wont accept anything but.

At least when I plugged a battery that fit the camera, the thing turned on, gave me a warning about the battery type and promptly shut down.

[Riley Craven]

Have you had issues with the autofocus?

I've noticed on several shots that the focus will go out when moving around. Its not huge on shots that arent close ups, but it is noticable.

I also have a problem with objects up close. For example if you zoom in on an object say 6 inches away that was completely in focus at max zoomed out will go completely out of focus and will never recover.

I'm trying to figure out if this is just an issue with all of them or just with mine.

[Kadath]

No issues like that with my 500V.

This is the charger and H series battery i bought:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-NPFH100-Actiforce-InfoLithium-Camcorders/dp/B000MEDWJA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237493329&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BCTRP-Battery-Charger-Camcorders/dp/B0001GRTK2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237493329&sr=8-4

Folks might be interested to know that the 520V is the cover story for this month's videographer Mag.

Sam

[AlphaChicken]

I see some pretty bad tearing when you pan in the snow video. Is it an encoding problem?

[Kadath]

Yes. iMovie is at fault. See better examples here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1109300

This vid is a little better:
Birds (www.navesink.net/public_html/Birds - Large.m4v)

[AlphaChicken]

Yes. iMovie is at fault. See better examples here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1109300

This vid is a little better:
Birds (http://www.navesink.net/public_html/Birds%20-%20Large.m4v)

That's a relief. :) I was hoping it wasn't your new cam. :)

[Kadath]

An extensive review is now up at:
http://www.infosyncworld.com/reviews/camcorders/sony-hdr-xr520v/10187.html

[Kadath]

Apparently iMovie has been patched to fix that nasty combing effect I was experiencing on output:
http://db.tidbits.com/article/10173