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| Price | $1,799.00 | $1,169.00 to $7,500.00 | $446.29 to $479.99 | $1,859.09 | $1,399.95 |
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| Release date | March 01, 2009 | March 15, 2011 | March 15, 2011 | March 15, 2010 | September 01, 2009 |
| The Bottom Line | Though their geotagging capabilities are mostly novelty and their interfaces could use a complete overhaul, the top-notch video quality, performance, and consumer-friendly feature sets of the Sony Handycam HDR-XR500V and HDR-XR520V make them worthy camcorder options. Both are overpriced, but since 14 hours of recording time is plenty--especially if supplemented with flash media--the HDR-XR500V is the better deal of the two. | While it's got a great shooter feature set and good video quality, the Canon Vixia HF G10 still feels a bit expensive for what it offers. | Typical for their price class, the no-frills Sony Handycam HDR-CX130, CX160, and XR160 produce generally subpar HD video, but if you're not picky you'll probably be fine. The CX130 is the best buy of the three, as long as you go cheap on the memory card. | The Sony Handycam HDR-CX550V fares well compared with the competition, though its video could be a bit sharper and the interface less cumbersome. Unless you absolutely need to store a lot of video on the camcorder--which I don't suggest--or if have large hands that could benefit from the extra grip that the hard drive provides, the CX550V is a better deal than its hard-disk-based sibling. | The geotagging capability remains mostly a novelty, but the top-notch video quality of the Sony Handycam HDR-CX500V and HDR-CX520V make them worthy options. Because internal memory is overpriced, the HDR-XR500V is the better deal of the two, though you may want to opt for a 2010 model that supports SD cards rather than Sony's Memory Stick. |
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| Features | |||||
| Video input type | Camcorder | Camcorder | Camcorder | Camcorder | Camcorder |
| Digital zoom | 150 x | 200 x | 350 x | 120 x | 150 x |
| Optical zoom | 12 x | 10 x | 30 x | 10 x | 12 x |
| Optical sensor type | Exmor R CMOS | HD CMOS Pro | Exmor R CMOS | Exmor R CMOS | Exmor R CMOS |
| Image stabilizer | Optical (Steady Shot) | Optical (Dynamic SuperRange) | Optical (Steady Shot with Active Mode) | Optical (Steady Shot with Active Mode) | Optical (Steady Shot) |
| Flash type | Built-in flash | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Built-in flash | Built-in flash |
| Lens aperture | F/1.8-3.4 | F/1.8-2.8 | F/1.8-3.4 | F/1.8-3.4 | F/1.8-3.4 |
| Manual focus | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic | Manual Automatic |
| Media type | Hard disk drive Flash card | Flash card | Flash card | Flash card | Flash card |
| Weight | 18 oz | 19.2 oz | 8.8 oz | 15.5 oz | 13 oz |
| Battery technology | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Lithium ion | Lithium ion |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices | | | | | |
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Sony Handycam HDR-XR500V compare
