Sony HDR-XR520V

Sony's HD bad boy is here! The 240GB camcorder kicked some low light butt and looked hot while doing it. Read about the rest of its fierce features in our comprehensive Sony HDR-XR520V review with lots of image samples.

At the end of our journey with the Sony HDR-XR520V, we were conflicted, as if we had just watched Terms of Endearment and couldn’t discern between joy and sorrow anymore. The HDR-XR520V is one of those camcorders that nails a few key features home and then phones in the rest from a booth down the street. No other HD camcorder could match its low light performance, and that’s a huge part of the HDR-XR520V’s success. The HDR-XR520V also rocks the largest HDD capacity at 240GB, in addition to supporting Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. But isn’t 29 hours and 20 minutes of continuous recording time in the highest quality a little excessive? The HDR-XR520V is also the most expensive HD cam on the market at 1500 bucks, and $200 of that is all hard drive. The step-down Sony HDR-XR500V has a 120GB HDD, and that’s the only difference between the two. We loved the HDR-XR520V’s super sized LCD with VGA screen resolution, and the Cam Control dial made manual adjustment a breeze. However, the HDR-XR520V lacked some significant manual controls, making it far less viable for budget filmmakers and serious shooters. Both the Canon Vixia HF S10 and Panasonic HDC-HS300 offer a lot more in terms of shooting options, including different frame rates and independent Shutter Speed control. The Sony HDR-XR520V is our pick for the #1 tourist HD cam, and Sony has a lot of work to do in order to make the next generation XR compelling to the advanced crowd. Release: March 2009. Price: $1500.

Pros: Excellent low light performance. Great LCD resolution and size. Cam Control dial makes shooting easier. Cons: Inconsistent bright light performance. Limited manual controls compared to competition. Heavy and pricey.