Sony HDR-XR550V 240GB Review

Seize stunning 1920 x 1080 high-definition video and 12 Megapixel still images with the HDR-XR550V, which employs an “Exmor R” CMOS sensor for premium low-light show and a 240GB internal hard disk drive. 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.

The Sony HDR-XR550V 240GB represents the more significant upgrade, with many features that last year’s XR500V lacked…Both new models will carry over the familiar cam control dial for making precise manual focus adjustments.

The Sony HDR-XR550v Camcorder offers a stunning quality of camcorder. The Sony HDR-XR550v Camcorder provides fantastic performance for both HD video and stills.

A built-in 240GB hard disk drive can record and store up to 100 hours of high definition video footage in long play mode (HD LP mode). In gain, “HDD Smart Protection” gives you peace of cognition by serving to forbid any filmed video and images from being unregenerated if the camcorder is unexpectedly dropped.

Customer Reviews About Sony HDR-XR550V

Pros:
* High quality video
* Can use MemoryStick Pro Duo or SD memory cards
* Small size
* Internal hard disk drive, means no switching tapes
* Manual focus knob
* High quality still photos

Cons:
* The stupid thing is Sony took the time to include a Mac version of the Product Registration but NOT the software on the disk included with this camera.
* Doesn’t include an HTMI cable, these things are cheap enough to supply one of Sony wanted to. I can buy an HTMI cable online for around $2-$3.
* The GPS geotagging is limited to working only with the Sony software, which does NOT work with Mac. Geotagged photos are NOT recognized by iPhoto’s “places” flick. Sony should have used real geotagging technology, instead of their proprietary geotagging which requires their proprietary software!

* LCD touch screen still could use improvement
* I don’t like that it turns on the moment you open the LCD panel
* No Firewire port, USB is much slower than Firewire for data transfer

Overall, the video quality is good, but it leaves room for improvement.