Introduction
Product Tour
The lens on the HDR-XR350V has one of the widest recording angles we've seen on a consumer camcorder. It records at an even wider angle than the Sony HDR-CX550V, which previously held the crown for having the widest-angle lens we've tested (66.5° compared to 68° on the XR350V). Now, having a lens with that big of a recording angle can be good, as it does allow you to capture more within the frame, but it also means you have to use more zoom and you may run into some fish-eye distortion when you are shooting very close to a subject (the edges of the frame appear to bend and warp). It's also easy to accidentally catch parts of your fingers or hand wandering into the frame while you're shooting, mainly because the recording angle is so large.
In contrast, the CMOS sensor on the HDR-XR350V is nothing special. The sensor is the same 1/4-inch size that you'll find on most mid-range camcorders like the Canon HF M31, Panasonic HDC-HS60, Samsung HMX-H200, and the JVC GZ-HD620.
Color & Noise Performance
There's no doubt that the HDR-XR350V is capable of producing vivid, pleasing colors in bright light conditions, but the camcorder only produced average results in terms of color accuracy. The XR350V registered a color error of 4.36 and a saturation level of 94.11% in our bright light test, which are decent results, but are definitely not top-notch numbers. (More on how we test color.)
Take a look at the Color Error Map above and you'll see the camcorder produced certain tones, mainly blues and purples, with exceptional accuracy. It was greens, yellows, and browns, however, that gave the HDR-XR350V trouble. One of the downsides of the camcorder is its lack of any manual color modes or controls, which means you're essentially stuck with the saturation levels and color tones you get in auto mode (an example of which you can see below).
All of the camcorders shown below were in the same range when it came to color accuracy performance. The saturation level produced by each model also fell somewhere between 85% and 95%. The difference, however, is that all the other models shown below (besides the XR350V) have some sort of color controls or settings that allow you to manually adjust colors slightly to your liking.
Even though the HDR-XR350V doesn't have the best color accuracy, we like the way its colors looked in our bright light test. Tones were deep and strong without appearing oversaturated or too dark. Take a look at our variety of sample images and comparisons to judge for yourself as to which model produced the best colors in this test.
The HDR-XR350 managed a strong performance in our noise test. The camcorder averaged 0.3825% noise in our bright light testing, which is slightly less noise than we measured on its higher-end cousin model, the Sony HDR-CX550V. (More on how we test noise.)
Looking at the cropped images above, you can see that the Sony HDR-XR350V didn't produce an image that looked quite as sharp as the competition. Although the camcorder didn't do a terrible job capturing detail, it simply was a few steps behind the rest of the pack in this category. You can read the full details of our sharpness test by clicking here or heading onto the next section of this review.
Motion & Sharpness Performance
The Sony HDR-XR350V records HD video using a 60i frame rate and the camcorder does not have a 24p or 30p record mode. There is a 240 frames per second option on the camcorder called Smooth Slow Record, but it only records a few seconds of video and the quality isn't very good. Still, it is a useful slow motion setting that can be fun to play around with. (More on how we test motion.)
Overall, the Sony HDR-XR350V captured motion very well for a mid-range HD camcorder. Its image wasn't as sharp as its high-end cousin, the HDR-CX550V, but its motion video looked nearly as good. The Canon HF M31 does have an advantage over the HDR-XR350V, however, because of its PF24 and PF30 frame rate options. Panasonic has a 24p mode on its high-end models (along with a 60p mode as well), but the HDC-HS60 only records 60i.
The Sony HDR-XR350V measured a horizontal sharpness of 700 lw/ph and a vertical sharpness of 600 lw/ph in our video testing. These are decent scores for a consumer HD camcorder, but unfortunately for Sony they are also slightly worse than the competition. Since the HDR-XR350V is one of the most expensive mid-range camcorders on the market, we're somewhat disappointed with this sharpness score. (More on how we test video sharpness.)
Low Light Performance
**Low Light Sensitivity***(3.34)*
The HDR-XR350V offered mixed results in our low light sensitivity test, mainly due to a problem associated with the camcorder's wide angle lens. When we tested the camcorder normally, by using optical zoom to frame our test chart, the XR350V required 28 lux of light to register 50 IRE on our waveform monitor. This mediocre score is somewhat inaccurate, however, as the camcorder's aperture was forced to close down quite a bit as we zoomed in (because of the extreme wide angle lens). Most camcorders don't have this problem because the aperture doesn't need to close as much when we record a target that is just a few feet away. (More on how we test low light sensitivity.)
To accommodate for this problem, we also tested the HDR-XR350V without using any zoom (by framing our chart with the camcorder just a few inches away). Doing so resulted in a much better low light sensitivity, with the camcorder needing just 11 lux of light to reach the same levels on the waveform monitor. The lens records at such a wide angle, however, that it is unlikely most of your shots will be framed without any use of zoom. (Getting the camcorder really close to your subject also results in some fish-eye distortion at the edges of the frame.)
In the end, we took the average score from both of our low light sensitivity measurements with the camcorder in order to obtain a final score. We did the same thing with the Sony HDR-CX550V, which also has a lens with a very wide recording angle. Since we anticipate more camcorders with wide angle lenses hitting the market in the coming years, this issue is likely to come up again. We will update our testing rubric accordingly so we can compare the low light sensitivity of all camcorders on an even playing field.
The HDR-XR350V showed a significant drop in color accuracy and saturation level when we tested its low light image, but it maintained a relatively decent image. We measured the color error at 5.92 and the saturation level at 69.07%, both of which are average scores for a mid-range camcorder. (More on how we test low light color.)
Looking at the Error Map above you can see the XR350V had trouble rendering most colors accurately in low light, although greens and yellows gave the camcorder the most problems. Looking at the comparison images below, however, you can see the HDR-XR350V produced a brighter image than the Canon HF M31 (although the two had similar color error scores and saturation levels).
Much like we saw in our bright light testing, the Sony HDR-XR350V did very well in our low light noise test as well. The camcorder measured 1.0225% noise in this test, which was better than any of the camcorders we compared it to (the Sony HDR-CX550V was very close, though). (More on how we test low light noise.)
While the HDR-XR350V did have low noise levels in this test, it also had a more blurred image than the competition. Its low light crop image above looks okay, but it clearly isn't as sharp as what you get from the Canon HF M31. Still, the Canon shows a lot more noise in its low light image, as does the Panasonic HDC-HS60. The Sony HDR-CX550V had the best low light performance of the models in this set, but it's also the only flagship camcorder in this group.
Compression & Media
AVCHD compression is the most common system used on consumer HD camcorders and it is employed on the HDR-XR350V. We've talked a lot about AVCHD in previous reviews, so you can read more about the advantages and disadvantages of AVCHD here. When recording standard definition video, the HDR-XR530V uses MPEG-2 compression. In standard definition mode you can set the recording aspect ratio to either 16:9 (widescreen) or 4:3. Having an SD recording option is a very useful feature, as you may find yourself in a situation where HD recording is not the best option. Sony is one of the few manufacturers to offer a standard definition record mode on its HD models.
The table below lists all of the record options available on the camcorder. One thing you should notice is the fact that the camcorder has a 24Mbps recording option, which is a new feature on Sony's 2010 camcorders—last year's models maxed out with a 17Mbps bitrate.
The HDR-XR350V is an HDD camcorder, which means it has a built-in hard drive that is used to store video and photo recordings. The internal hard drive is quite large, coming in at 160GB, but it also adds a bit of bulk to the right side of the camcorder (and makes things a bit uncomfortable). If you don't like recording to the internal hard drive, or if 160GB of space isn't enough for you, you can also record to memory cards on the HDR-XR350V. One of the best features about the XR350V, along with most new Sony camcorders, is the fact that it is compatible with both Memory Stick PRO Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of internal hard drive camcorders here.
The 160GB internal hard drive will give you tons of record time—even at the highest quality setting. The table below breaks down how much video you can store on the internal hard drive with each record setting, along with the approximate record times when using a 4GB memory card.
Shipping with the HDR-XR350V is Sony's Picture Motion Browser version 5.0 software (PMB, for short). This is the same version of the same software that came with the HDR-CX550V and a number of other Sony camcorders that were released in 2010. For an overview of the software that ships with the Sony HDR-XR350V and other Sony camcorders, see our article: 'Video Editing Software For Your Camcorder'
The HDR-XR350V's in-camera editing features include the ability to divide clips, create playlists, copy media from the internal hard drive to a memory card, and capture still photos from recorded video. There's also the Highlight and Scenario playback settings that will automatically combine your recorded clips into short videos.
Manual Controls
Sony's Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode generally works well as a dedicated auto mode on the HDR-XR350V. Instead of locking you out from accessing the menu system like many dedicated auto modes do, Sony's iAuto mode simply deactivates itself if you select a manual control from the menu. We're not sure how we feel about this design, as it does make the camcorder a bit more difficult for beginners, but it is also less confusing for intermediate users who may want to switch back and forth between automatic and manual control.
Auto exposure and autofocus work quickly and accurately on the XR350V, but we found the auto white balance system to work a bit slow on occasion. Once the white balance eventually did calibrate, however, the color tones looked accurate. The camcorder has a good set of scene modes, and its spot focus and exposure options are a great use of the touchscreen system (you tap the part of the screen you want to bring into focus or expose properly). The camcorder does not have an AF/AE tracking feature like you'll find on the Canon HF M31 and Panasonic HDC-HS60.
The auto slow shutter feature on the HDR-XR350V is grouped in with the camcorder's Low Lux setting. It appears that the Low Lux option may also boost gain levels as well as allowing the camcorder to utilize a 1/30 of a second shutter speed, but since there's no way to choose one or the other, you get stuck with the camcorder automatically activating both when using Low Lux. We'd prefer if these options were kept separate, or, better yet, if the camcorder had offered manual shutter speed or gain control in addition to the Low Lux.
Zoom is controlled by using the top-mounted zoom toggle on the HDR-XR350V. This toggle has a very traditional design, so you'll probably be accustomed to it if you've used multiple camcorders in the past. There are no zoom speed controls on the camcorder, but using the toggle you can control zoom speed variably by applying more or less pressure to the toggle.
In addition to this toggle, there are also two touchscreen zoom buttons on the LCD. These buttons aren't great—they're too small, they don't offer variable speed control, and they require you to touch the screen while you're recording—but it is always good to have a secondary set of zoom controls (even if they aren't up to snuff).
The lens on the HDR-XR350V has a 12x optical zoom. This isn't that much for a mid-range camcorders, many of which offer optical zooms in the 15x - 25x range. So, if you want more zoom out of your HD camcorder then you should check out the Panasonic HDC-HS60 (25x zoom) or the JVC GZ-HD300 (20x zoom).
The Sony does also have a 160x digital zoom setting, but we recommend steering clear of this option because it can degrade the quality of your image when used.
You must use the touchscreen interface to set focus manually on the HDR-XR350V, and the system isn't very well designed. There's no focus assist, no focus dial, and the LCD is a bit too small for making precise focus adjustments. The camcorder does, at least, display up focal increments while you adjust the focus, and the spot focus option is also rather easy to use.
The HDR-XR350V has manual exposure control, but there is no numeric display of EV values on the camcorder while you are adjusting exposure. Instead, when you select manual exposure adjustment, a bar appears on the LCD and you tap buttons to increase or decrease the exposure levels. You can also use the spot exposure feature, which works just like the spot focus option. You simply tap the part of the screen you want to expose correctly and the camcorder will adjust brightness levels accordingly.
The HDR-XR350V has no manual aperture control.
There's no manual shutter speed control on the HDR-XR350V, but you can achieve slow shutter speeds by using certain scene modes or the camcorder's Low Lux setting. None of these modes allow you to set a specific shutter speed, however.
Sony only includes only two white balance presets on the HDR-XR350V: Outdoor and Indoor. These are the same two presets you'll find on most Sony camcorders, although the higher-end models also have a White Balance Shift feature (like the HDR-CX550V). Setting white balance manually is very easy on the XR350V, you just point the camcorder at a white object or screen and press the 'one-push' button to calibrate the white balance.
There's no manual gain control on the HDR-XR350V.
**Color & Image Controls***(2.0)*
**Other Manual Controls***(3.5)*
Still Features
The HDR-XR350V isn't exactly limited when it comes to photo capabilities, but it doesn't have an abundance of still features either. The camcorder's highest resolution for capturing still images is a its 7.1-megapixel setting that takes 3072 x 2304 photos. Unfortunately, this setting is interpolated because it far exceeds the HDR-XR350V's effective pixel count of 3.54 megapixels. The highest native resolution available on the camcorder is a dismal 1600 x 1200, which makes no sense at all. Why not offer a resolution in the 3-megapixel range like Canon does with its 2100 x 1575 setting on the HF M31? We're not saying the interpolated photos look terrible on the HDR-XR350V, we'd just rather have a native resolution setting that takes full advantage of the camcorder's effective pixel count.
Also strange is the fact that you cannot record photos during recording when you are shooting video in the highest quality setting on the HDR-XR350V. In the lower quality setting you can take photos during recording, albeit with a 3072 x 1728 resolution only. It bugs us that you can't take native 1920 x 1080 photos when the camcorder is in video mode (whether you are currently recording or not).
We do think Sony's smile shutter feature works well, and we like the fact that it offers three 'smile sensitivity' options for detecting smiles... but overall, we can't imagine anyone using this feature all that much. Is it really all that much work to press down on a shutter button when you see someone crack a smile instead of the camcorder doing it for you? Besides, we think the human eye is still a little better than the camcorder at detecting smiles—for now, at least.
The HDR-XR350V produced strong, accurate colors in our still image testing. The camcorder measured a color error of 2.77 and a saturation level of 105.2% in this test, both of which are better numbers than the camcorder scored in our video color testing. (More on how we test still color.)
In the Error Map above you can see that the XR350V rendered nearly all of the colors in our still image test accurately. Only a few blue and red tones gave the camcorder a bit of trouble. All of the camcorders shown below did quite well in this test, although the Sony HDR-XR350V was the only model in this set to have a color error below 3.0 (all the models had saturation levels around 100%).
Strangely, the HDR-XR350V produced high noise levels in our still image testing—levels that were much higher than the camcorder measured in our video testing. Still, the camcorder's 1.53% noise that we measured in this test wasn't all that much greater than what we saw from the Sony HDR-CX550V as well. (More on how we test still noise.)
Given the fact that the HDR-XR350V has an effective pixel count of 3.54 megapixels for still photos, we didn't have high expectations for the camcorder in our still sharpness test. To our surprise, however, the XR350V did quite well. The camcorder measured a horizontal sharpness of 1977 lw/ph with no oversharpening and a vertical sharpening of 1217 lw/ph with 13.2% undersharpening. These numbers aren't far off from what the Sony HDR-CX550V was capable of, and that camcorder has a much larger sensor and pixel count than the XR350V. (More on how we test still sharpness.)
Handling & Use
Playback & Connectivity
Playback mode on the HDR-XR350V is setup just like it is on most Sony Handycams. Clips are arranged as thumbnails and you tap the thumbnail icon to bring up a full-screen playback. Clips can be organized by date, map (if recorded with GPS active), film roll, or face (although the face index feature isn't all that accurate). During playback, VCR buttons are displayed onscreen and they clutter the LCD like crazy. It is very difficult to tap the correct playback control, particularly because there are so many of them covering the 2.7-inch screen.
The camcorder has a dedicated 'My Menu' screen in Playback mode that lists the most important playback controls. Here you can utilize the Highlight playback feature that automatically creates a edited collection of your clips—complete with music and transitions—that can be saved as a Scenario (another playback feature). Sony has included Highlight playback on its Handycams for a couple of years now and the feature can be fun to play around with. Also in the playback menu, there are options for dividing clips, adding videos to a playlist, and capturing a still image from a recorded video.
The HDR-XR350V has a few different connectivity ports located at various spots on the camcorder. Inside the LCD cavity you'll find the HDMI and USB ports hiding behind a small, flimsy panel that flips down. This is the weakest port cover on the camcorder, although it's also probably the least important. Even if this cover were to break, these two ports would still be protected by the LCD panel when it's closed.
On the right side of the XR350V is a thicker, sturdier port cover that conceals the DC-input and Sony's proprietary AV Terminal. This AV port works with the provided AV and Component cables, as well as being compatible with a variety of Sony-proprietary cables (like S-Video and LANC). You must purchase these proprietary cables separately, however, as they do not come with the camcorder.
There is a powered (hot) accessory shoe on the top of the camcorder that is also Sony-proprietary, which means you can only use Sony accessories with the shoe unless you purchase a third-party adapter. The cover for the shoe doesn't slide open like it does on other Sony models. Instead, you pop the cover open and it hangs out at a roughly 45-degree angle. We feel like this design may be more durable than a sliding mechanism, but it does make the cover a bit obstructive when you are attaching accessories.
Oops! We almost overlooked the memory card slot on the HDR-XR350V. That's because it is located on the bottom of the camcorder in a hard-to-find location. The card slot is right next to the battery release button, and we're sure there are some people out there who will accidentally push the battery release switch thinking it has something to do with opening the card slot door. It doesn't. You simply open the door by pulling on it, and it does have a fairly strong, flexible design. The door stays open at a slight angle, but you can open it farther by applying more pressure (a spring will bring it back to the angled position, however). We assume this is so you don't accidentally snap off the cover if you forget to close it and you put the camcorder down, so we like this design... although, we'd still prefer the memory card slot to be inside the LCD cavity instead of on the bottom of the camcorder.
Audio & Other Features
The HDR-XR350V is equipped with a built-in stereo microphone, but the camcorder has no external mic input or headphone jack. There's also no manual audio level control available, but the camcorder does have two microphone level options (Normal or Low). It's actually becoming quite difficult to find mic and headphone jacks on mid-range camcorders these days, although Canon does include these ports on all its models.
You can attach external microphones to the XR350V by using the hot accessory shoe, but you need to remember that the shoe only works with Sony accessories (unless you purchase a third-party adapter).
Golf Shot
Useful for analyzing a golf swing, this feature records two seconds of footage and splits it into individual frames that are recorded as a movie and photos.
Smooth Slow Record
Somewhat similar to the 'Golf Shot' setting, Smooth Slow Record captures 3 seconds of footage and turns it into 12 seconds of slow motion video. The camcorder records at 240 frames per second in order to create this slow motion effect. Be forewarned, however, the video captured in this mode doesn't look very good as compared to the camcorder's regular HD record mode.
Fader
You can add a black or white fade to your clips with this setting.
GPS
The HDR-XR350V is equipped with a built-in GPS system, which is included on most of Sony's new camcorders. This allows you to keep track of your videos by the location in which they were shot, and you can view or organize clips by location on a map. You turn GPS on and off by flipping a small switch inside the camcorder's LCD cavity. Having GPS activated may drain your battery a bit faster than normal, so keep that in mind.
Disc Burn
The disc burn button is located on the inside of the LCD cavity and it lets you burn video footage directly to a disc if you use a compatible DVD burner. Sony sells a few portable burners that work with the camcorder and connect via the USB terminal. Video shot using the highest quality setting (the 24Mbps FX mode) cannot be able to be burned onto a regular DVD.
Canon HF M31 Comparison
The Canon HF M31 offers a similar set of performance and features to the Sony HDR-XR350V, but there are also some significant differences. When it comes to video performance, the Sony holds the edge in stabilization, noise, and wide angle recording, while the Canon recorded a sharper picture with better motion (it also has its PF24 and PF30 alternate frame rate options). Overall, the two models put up equivalent numbers in our low light testing, so neither really has an advantage in that area.
The Canon HF M31 is lighter than the Sony HDR-XR350V, but that's mainly because it records to 32GB of internal flash memory instead of a bulky internal hard drive. The Canon also has a few more manual controls than the Sony, as well as including an external mic and headphone jack.
Honestly, it's tough to pick a winner between these two models, but the Canon HF M31 is the cheaper option. Keep in mind, however, that the difference in price is mostly a reflection on the available memory on the two models (160GB HDD on the Sony vs. 32GB of flash memory on the Canon). If you have a few extra SD/SDHC memory cards lying around, the Canon HF M31 is probably the better choice, and you'll save some cash in the process. However, if you like the idea of storing all your video on a big internal hard drive or you have a dire need for excellent image stabilization features, then the Sony HDR-XR350V is the better bet.
Neither of these two models are as good as the Panasonic HDC-HS60, though, so you should probably check out that comparison on the next page of this review.
Panasonic HDC-HS60 Comparison
With an MSRP of $699, the Panasonic HDC-HS60 is one of the best mid-range HD models for your money. Right now, Panasonic is even selling the HDC-HS60 at a slight discount for $630, and it is hard to find a better deal than that in the mid-range HD camcorder market. So, for a bit more than $300 less than the Sony HDR-XR350V, the Panasonic HDC-HS60 gets you similar performance, more manual controls, and a much lighter body design. The Panasonic also has a longer optical zoom (25x) than the Sony.
In the HDR-XR350V's defense, however, there are a few features that give the Sony and edge over the Panasonic. The XR350V has a slightly larger internal hard drive, a wider-angle lens, and it did better than the HS60 in our noise and stabilization tests. Still, the Panasonic HDC-HS60 compared very favorably with the Sony HDR-XR350V in most of our testing, so the difference in video performance for the two camcorders was not that significant.
We definitely recommend the HDC-HS60 if you're looking for a good mid-range HD model in the sub-$1000 price range. So, unless you can find a ridiculously good deal for the Sony HDR-XR350V, we're adamant that the Panasonic HDC-HS60 gives you far more bang for your buck.
Sony HDR-CX550V Comparison
The Sony HDR-CX550V is the higher-end cousin to the HDR-XR350V, and it is a better camcorder in every way except for portability. The HDR-CX550V retails for $200 more than the XR350V, but it has a larger sensor, records sharper video, and includes a 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD. It also has a fancy control dial for adjusting manual controls, which is a great feature for semi-pro videophiles. You should have good reason to make use of the control dial on the HDR-CX550V as well, considering the camcorder has a number of manual features (like aperture and shutter speed) that are not found on the HDR-XR350V.
As you can probably tell, we definitely feel the HDR-CX550V is a much better option than the HDR-XR350V. We probably wouldn't be so adamant about this if Sony would drop the price of the HDR-XR350V by a few hundred dollars. But, as it stands now, the $200 price difference between the two models isn't enough to make the HDR-XR350V a better value. The enhanced performance and features of the CX550V are definitely worth the extra cash. Besides, if price is a primary concern of yours, you should check out some of the cheaper mid-range models on the market instead of the XR350V (like the Panasonic HDC-HS60, for example).
Conclusion
Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings
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Meet the tester
Jeremy is the video expert of our imaging team and Reviewed.com's head of video production. Originally from Pennsylvania and upstate NY, he graduated from Bard college with a degree in film and electronic media. He has been living and working in New England since 2005.
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