Sony HDR-CX560V High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) - Camcorder Review

I want to start off by saying this is an excellent camcorder. I absolutely love the video and audio quality that is produced. The setup is pretty straight forward but I find myself referring to the manual when I want to do special things like change the scene. It’s supposed to do this automatically but I have yet to see my device change its setting from default automatically. The software guys did an excellent job with separating out all of the different functions. You can almost get away without ever using the user manual if you just want to do simple things. I am also very impressed with the Optical steadyshot feature. If you’re going to be walking around or recording a live sporting game then this is a must have feature.

A few of the things I didn’t like about this camcorder is that sometimes the touch screen can be unresponsive at time. I find myself pushing the same button a few times before the camcorder register it. This is not a major concern but it does happen from time to time. When shooting in very low light situations, I was not impressed with the Back-illuminated “Exmor R” CMOS sensor. Maybe I was expecting to capture footage beyond 8 feet but it works great if your subject is less than 8 feet away. I’m new to the camcorder world so maybe 8 feet is excellent. I don’t know.

A word of caution for Mac users, you will be hard pressed using this device. As you know, the CD that comes with this camcorder is not compatible with a Mac. Furthermore, the certain video formats is not compatible with imovie either. You would need another program to convert these files if you want to use/view them in imovie. However, this is such an excellent camcorder that overcoming these drawbacks is well worth the superior video footage you get.

Overall, this is a top notch product. Anyone wanting to record their own events would be happy with this device. Items that I wish were included would be a Mini HDMI cable. Without this cable you will be forced to use the component video for playback on HDTV sets. If recording in 24p is not something you really need, then I would suggest going with the HDR-CX550

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comments (4)

I purchased the Sony HDR-CX560v on March 30th and received it April 1st. When I got it, I started using it immediately to film some home movies of our new child (6 weeks old). I did tons of research on cameras before purchasing and I made the decision between this, the Canon Vixia HF21, and the Panasonic HDC-TM700K.

I wanted the following attributes in a new camera: HD, low lux capabilities, ease of use, shake reduction and large amount of flash memory.

Mostly all of my videos so far have been indoors. Our home tends to be dimly lit in most of the rooms and the camcorder has done exceedingly well in those conditions. Playback on our 56″ bigscreen in HD looks brilliant. It captures sound wonderfully and it files the vidoes nicely for playback. The camera is also quite easy to use. I am by no means a professional videographer and I can point and shoot wonderful vidoes with just a push of the “record” button. I also love the built-in USB. It makes is easy to hook up to my computer and transfer the vidoes. Also, I tend to be quite shaky while filming and the vibration reduction in this camera is wonderful.

Some cons of this camcorder are: The screen can be a little touchy to use. I have smaller hands and even I sometimes have to push on the screen icons a few times to get them to “select”. Also, I wish this model, like the 550v would have the view finder. The screen can be hard to see in the glare. Also, I would highly recommend purchasing a larger battery. The FV50 does not last an extremely long amount of time. I am averaging about 2.5 hours of HD record time with it – and this is considering it is brand spanking new.

Overall, I rate this camera a 4 star. I knocked it a little due to the screen, the view finder and the stock battery. To do over, I will still purchase this camera in spite of those cons.

With your purchase I highly recommend a larger battery, a case, an HDMI Cable with ethernet A-C type (this enables you to easily hook up the camcorder and play it back on your HD devices and is NOT included in the box from the factory) and the sony Shooting Grip (once again, I have small hands and am shaky and it helps out tremendously).

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comments (2)

I got the camcorder 1 week ago.

The video quality is amazing. I played it on my 52″ 1080p Sharp and the quality is stunning.

It is an upgrade to me fro 7 year old Sony DV and Flip HD. So I haven’t compared it with the latest models from the leading brands.

I have decided to get this one as the wide angle is very important for shooting videos inside the home (which is what I mostly do).

I use Mac and there are some tradeoffs with how Mac handles 1080 60p. With 1080i or 24p iMovie works well. For 1080 60p I use Toast.

Overall the material quality of the camcorder, the LCD screen and the ease of use are superb.

I don’t plan on using it for still shots, but one caveat is that you can’t do stills with 1080p and you’ll need to switch to lower video mode. That wasn’t an issue for me.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comments (2)