Introduction

There are some downsides that consumers of every ilk will have to weigh for themselves: no manual aperture/shutter control, mediocre low light performance, the lack of 24p or 30p frame rates, and an intimidating array of buttons, switches, and layered menus. It's not the ideal camcorder for a first-time user, nor does it offer every bell and whistle that the experienced videographer could want. It does have some intuitive features and excellent video performance: a combination that might be just what some consumers are looking for.

Update: The Panasonic HDC-TM300 was ultimately selected as our 2009 Camcorder of the Year. To see why we selected it and read about our other awards, check out the 2009 CamcorderInfo.com Select Awards.

Front

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Back

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Left

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Right

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Top

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Bottom

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Size & Weight Comparison

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In the Box

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Color

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The Sony HDR-XR520V provides the impressive color performance that we come to expect from a top-of-the-line camcorder. The color error is just 4.79 and the saturation is a healthy 80.8%. The most notable color discrepancies come from the green and pink ranges, which are heavily skewed in bright light and low light conditions. You might also notice that the XR520V's processing seems to darken the image. This is probably just the automatic controls kicking in to dampen the 3000-lux lighting conditions. In the real world, the dimmer image could prevent overblown highlights. Unfortunately, it could also limit the effective dynamic range of the camcorder. If you're shooting in an area with a mixture of bright and dark lighting, the darkened image might cause you to lose information in the shadows. Manual exposure control can correct this, but a lot of consumers shoot exclusively in auto mode—even on a camcorder like the XR520. More on how we test color.

The XR520 offers very little in the way of alternate color modes. There is no vivid/neutral setting, as you'll find on the top models from Canon and JVC, and no soft skin mode, saturation controls, etc. There is, however, a white balance shift tool, which allows you to manually tweak the white balance. This is an unusual setting for a consumer camcorder, so we shot some footage with the white balance shifted to ±4 (below).

The bold, vivid colors are impressive when compared to most camcorders on the market; the XR520 is a worthy flagship model for Sony's 2009 lineup. However, the XR520 does not come out ahead when compared to top models from other manufacturers. For the most accurate color performance, you'll want to consider the surprising JVC GZ-HD300, which had mediocre sharpness and low light performance, but an exceptional color accuracy of 2.13. Combined with a saturation of 98.41%, this might be the best color performance we've seen in a consumer camcorder. The JVC has some other elite company, however: top-of-the-line models from Canon, Panasonic, and Sanyo also outperformed the Sony HDR-XR520V. All three recorded a color error around 3.5 and superior saturation to that produced on the XR520.

The charts above, all shot at 3000 lux, will give you an idea of the color performance when compared to top models from Canon, Panasonic, and Sanyo. Again, all four camcorders produce excellent images in bright light; the Sony is just a bit less accurate and less saturated than the competition. In the crops below, you can especially see how the XR520 image is darker than the others. Luminance does not impact color error—a camcorder can produce an accurate hue, but have a darker or brighter image—but it does impact what your footage will ultimately look like.

As you can see from the crops above and the score comparison chart below, the Sony HDR-XR520V has good color performance, but can't quite keep up with the Canon HF S100, Panasonic HDC-TM300, or the Sanyo VPC-HD2000.

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Low Light Color

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The Sony HDR-XR520V has good color performance in low lighting conditions, particularly considering the poor sensitivity and lack of a 24p or 30p frame rate option. The overall darkness of the image has a negative impact on color accuracy, but the camcorder fares better than the Canon HF S100, which had a similarly dark image in our low light tests. According to Imatest, the XR520 had a color error of 4.89 and a saturation of 77.11%. As in bright light, the XR520 skews greens and pinks the most. In low light, however, the range of hues affected is much wider than in bright light. More on how we test low light color.

As you can see in the crops below, the XR520 is far less vibrant than the impressive Sanyo VPC-HD2000. The Sanyo has better color performance in low light than just about any camcorder we've tested—largely due to the superior sensitivity. The image below was taken from the Sanyo's 60p frame rate, which is so good that it almost rivals the camcorder's 30p mode. The Sanyo's color error in low light was just 2.84, while the saturation measured 104.9%.

While the Sony can't quite keep up with the Sanyo for low light performance, there are few that can. The excellent Panasonic HDC-TM300 had superior sensitivity to the XR520, but the color accuracy was actually about the same. Remember, however, that we score camcorders based on their 60i performance. The Panasonic has better sensitivity and better color accuracy when shooting in 24p mode—an option that is not available on the Sony HDR-XR520V. The Canon HF S100, which had worse color accuracy and an image about as dark as the Sony, also has 24p and 30p shooting modes. The ability to shoot at these slower frame rates really improves a camcorder's versatility in low light—a versatility that the XR520 could really use, given its mediocre low light performance.

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Noise

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While the Sony was not able to produce colors with the vibrancy and accuracy of the competition, it did take a victory in the noise department. The picture is one of the clearest we've seen yet, registering just 0.37% noise. This is an impressive performance, especially for a camcorder with such a sharp image. We found that many of the camcorders with very high sharpness were also registering high noise levels, since blurrier images tend to obscure fine noise. The HDR-XR520V manages to excel in high sharpness and low noise—perhaps a result of the new back-illuminated Exmor-R sensor. More on how we test noise.

When you're comparing the best of the best, there's little difference between bright light performers. The XR520 does produce slightly lower noise levels than the Panasonic and the Sanyo, but the difference is hard to see with the naked eye. The Canon HF S100, however, has visibly higher noise levels, especially near the busier parts of the chart. Though the Sony and the Canon have great, clear, video, the Canon registered nearly three times the amount of noise in our testing lab.

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Low Light Sensitivity

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The Sony HDR-XR520V is part of the 2009 trend toward higher resolution sensors and decreased low light sensitivity. In our lab test, the XR520 required a whopping 16 lux in order to output 50 IRE. In truth, this isn't much worse than the 14 lux required by last year's Sony HDR-SR12. We expect that the new back-illuminated Exmor-R sensor enabled Sony to squeeze a little more sensitivity out of a slightly higher resolution sensor—the two essentially canceled each other out. The even better news for Sony is that there isn't much competition. The top models from Canon have significantly worse low light sensitivity this year. More on how we test low light sensitivity.

The XR520 has a distinct disadvantage, however, in not offering a 24p or 30p shooting mode. Many consumers shoot in these slower frame rates in order to boost low light sensitivity—the Canon HF S100 can output 50 IRE at just 6 lux when shooting in its 24p mode, while the Panasonic HDC-TM300 requires just 8 lux. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 already has incredibly good low light sensitivity, reaching 50 IRE with just 9 lux when you shoot in the default 60p mode. If you plan to shoot in a lot of dim lighting conditions, the Panasonic and the Sanyo offer a lot more versatility, offering excellent sensitivity no matter what your chosen frame rate. If you don't mind the slow, film-like aesthetic of 24p video, the Canon performs well as long as it's not shooting in 60i. As for the Sony HDR-XR520V... unfortunately, the sensitivity at 60i isn't very good and there are no alternate frame rates available to improve this performance.

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Low Light Noise

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Low light noise is one area in which the Sony is able to surpass much of the competition. As was the case in bright light, the HDR-XR520V does an excellent job of producing a clear, nearly noise-free image. This is especially impressive given the mediocre sensitivity in low light. It's possible that the darker image simply masked a lot of the noise, but we think the camcorder is producing a genuinely clear image, given the XR520's performance in bright light. Again, this may be a result of Sony's new Exmor-R sensor. More on how we test low light noise.

As you can see from the crops above, the Canon HF S100 is really the worst of the lot, producing a splotchy, dark image. The Sony has a good, clear image with very little noise. What noise is there is of a fine grain and and less discolored than that of the Panasonic HDC-TM300, the Sony's nearest competition in the noise department.

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Low Light Color

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The Sony HDR-XR520V has good color performance in low lighting conditions, particularly considering the poor sensitivity and lack of a 24p or 30p frame rate option. The overall darkness of the image has a negative impact on color accuracy, but the camcorder fares better than the Canon HF S100, which had a similarly dark image in our low light tests. According to Imatest, the XR520 had a color error of 4.89 and a saturation of 77.11%. As in bright light, the XR520 skews greens and pinks the most. In low light, however, the range of hues affected is much wider than in bright light. More on how we test low light color.

As you can see in the crops below, the XR520 is far less vibrant than the impressive Sanyo VPC-HD2000. The Sanyo has better color performance in low light than just about any camcorder we've tested—largely due to the superior sensitivity. The image below was taken from the Sanyo's 60p frame rate, which is so good that it almost rivals the camcorder's 30p mode. The Sanyo's color error in low light was just 2.84, while the saturation measured 104.9%.

While the Sony can't quite keep up with the Sanyo for low light performance, there are few that can. The excellent Panasonic HDC-TM300 had superior sensitivity to the XR520, but the color accuracy was actually about the same. Remember, however, that we score camcorders based on their 60i performance. The Panasonic has better sensitivity and better color accuracy when shooting in 24p mode—an option that is not available on the Sony HDR-XR520V. The Canon HF S100, which had worse color accuracy and an image about as dark as the Sony, also has 24p and 30p shooting modes. The ability to shoot at these slower frame rates really improves a camcorder's versatility in low light—a versatility that the XR520 could really use, given its mediocre low light performance.

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Motion

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Determining how good a camcorder can capture motion is a very difficult task. We look at artifacting, trailing, smoothness, and interference to come up with our motion score—but still, a large part about judging a camcorder's motion quality is based on personal preference. The Sony HDR-XR520V showed very good motion, comparable to the best performers in the consumer HD market. Keep in mind, the YouTube videos below have been heavily compressed. Click on the HD links to watch higher-quality versions. More on how we test motion.

Video Sharpness

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Being Sony's top-of-the-line camcorder, it shouldn't be a surprise that the HDR-XR520V has very good video sharpness. The camcorder measured 650 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) horizontal and 700 lw/ph vertical. These are both strong scores and are significantly better than last year's HDR-SR12 from Sony (625 lw/ph horizontal, 600 lw/ph vertical). The Sony HDR-XR520V had the same horizontal and vertical sharpness scores as the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and its numbers were only slightly lower than the Panasonic HDC-TM300. The Canon HF S100 had the best video sharpness of this set, but even it wasn't that far ahead of the pack. All four of these camcorders have excellent video sharpness and capture a very detailed image. More on how we test video sharpness.

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Testing Samples

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Ease of Use

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One of the main reasons that Sony remains popular is the small Easy button located within the LCD cavity. This button engages the XR520's autopilot mode, which not only disables several menu options, but also enlarges the text and icons on the touch screen to make them easier to navigate. Some might think that this is a shallow attempt at giving the illusion of ease of use, but Sony actually delivers. The XR520 is easy to use in Easy mode and has good automatic controls to take the burden away from the user.

If all you ever want to do is turn on the camera and record, the Sony will certainly get the job done. The playback interface has a couple of quirks that might cause a novice to stumble, but recording, watching, and transferring footage is very easy. What can be difficult is navigating the half-scrolling, half-tabbed dual menu system. Even in Easy mode, the user is greeted by a number of mysterious icons. Getting anything done on the Sony feels more like trial and error than intuition. We have a lot of experience with a lot of different camcorders and we still made a number of wrong turns before arriving at our intended destinations. Fortunately, the XR520 does offer some vague tool tips on about half of the options featured in the menus. There is also an optional Help feature, which activates a little pop-up every time you tap something in the Home menu.

As for less experienced videographers that might want to dabble in more advanced manual image controls, thankfully, Sony has placed most of these options in a single place. Most users will have no problem discovering the Option menu and trying out manual exposure or white balance.

There is one final detail that may hamper ease of use: the unusual clutter of buttons crammed onto the body of the camcorder. Even experienced users don't always like to see an array of buttons and switches jammed onto their personal electronics. The Sony HDR-XR520V is, indeed, a clutter. There are just too many controls stuck inside that cavity: most of them assigned to options or features that are not accessible through the camcorder's menus. Just looking at that array would be enough to send first-time users scurrying in another direction.

There are two distinct menus on the Sony XR520V: the Home menu and the Option menu. There is an icon for each on the main screen of the LCD and both have some features that can be changed while recording. All menu options can be accessed when the camcorder is in standby. Whenever options are spread across two separate menus, manufacturers seems to just follow their own logic on what goes where. The two menus on the XR520 are intuitively organized, but not intuitively designed. Sometimes, you have to scroll down for a couple pages of options; other times, you have to cycle through a number of tabs. There is a toolbox icon in both menus, but the options you'll find are different in each.

The Option menu contains most of the manual image adjustments, such as exposure, focus, AE shift, WB shift, white balance, scene modes, and spot metering. This is also where you change the recording mode and the scant microphone controls available. There is no page scrolling on this menu; five different tabs hold all the options. Sony is also kind enough to provide the user with tool tips, which describe many of the manual adjustment tools in the Option menu. Unfortunately, these tool tips are not available for every feature, nor are they available for many of the settings present in the Home menu.

The Home menu is more like the main administrative menu found on most camcorders. It features a combination of scrollable pages and tabs, plus some submenus nested inside this menu. Confusingly, some features are duplicated here (like AE and WB shift), but others are missing. So, you'll have to remember where certain options are found. Fortunately, the structure is not nearly as confusing as Canon's three-tiered menu system. The problem with the organization is that sometimes you have to dig deep to find the setting you want the most. For instance, the cam control dial can support one of four different functions, but you have to tap the screen five times in order to arrive at the destination where you can change the dial's assigned function. You're much better off pushing in on the control dial and changing the dial's function that way.

Activating Easy mode on the camcorder will gray out many of the menu options, while also increasing the size of the text and icons within the menus. The North American version of the XR520V can be set to display in English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese.

Auto Mode

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With so many delicious manual controls to choose from, it seems a shame to rely on the camcorder's automatic adjustments to do all the heavy lifting. We also think that the Sony HDR-XR520V is a bit intimidating for beginning users that will rely entirely upon the automatic controls. However, there are certainly times when you want to shoot in cruise control; fortunately, the Sony does a good job automatically adjusting to a variety of tricky shooting conditions.

The auto exposure is the best of the bunch, taking an average of one to two seconds to adjust for most conditions. For yet another year, we were impressed with Sony’s ability to produce extremely gradual transitions when making slow pans across high contrast areas. The competition simply cannot match it.

Helping out with auto exposure is a backlight compensation feature that can be turned on and off. This adjusts exposure to bring out shadowed subjects in the foreground without drastically overexposing a bright background. If you don't like the way the AE is working, there's also a handy AE Shift tool, which allows you to under- or overexpose the image. This is an uncommon feature on consumer camcorders, but a useful one. Just make sure you don't accidentally leave the AE boosted or dampened, or you could ruin future footage. AE Shift is one of the four possible features you can assign to the Manual dial. There are nine possible increments.

Auto white balance works surprisingly well, even in some challenging situations. When there are multiple lighting sources (like indoor fluorescents and bright outdoor light coming through a window), the camcorder simply picks one and goes with it. Sometimes, the choice isn't the best for your situation. Of course, there's no real reason to rely on auto white balance when the manual white balance is so easy and works so well.

The real weakness of the XR520 is its autofocus, which sometimes took a painfully long time to adjust. Focus is often slow in low lighting situations, but the Sony sometimes took five or more seconds to settle on the appropriate focus—even in easy, brightly lit environments. This is much too long when you're trying to capture spontaneous moments. Five seconds is enough time to capture a blurry baby's first steps or the chorus dancing behind your son's twenty-second solo. Once it finds its bearings, the focus is crisp and accurate, but it sometimes can snap into action suddenly. As with the Canon Instant AF feature, you can't reliably get a smooth focal transition without performing a manual focus. However, Canon allows you to turn Instant AF off if you don’t like the snapping effect; Sony does not.

The HDR-XR520V would hardly qualify as a modern digital imaging device if it didn't have its share of gimmicky auto features. Sony offers the face detection and smile shutter features popular on so many digital cameras and camcorders, but ups the ante by offering some manual control over these features. Face detection can be set to on and off, while you can also choose whether to display the face detection frames on the LCD. Smile shutter comes with a host of options, including dual capture, which automatically captures still images when a smile is detected during video recording. There are also three levels of 'smile sensitivity' to choose from (high, medium, and low), and an option to prioritize adult smiles or child smiles.

Low Light Modes - There are no alternate frame rates available to boost low light performance, but there are a couple of separate modes for shooting in low lighting conditions. Low Lux mode is like an auto slow shutter mode—the shutter speed will be lowered to 1/30th second. There is also a Nightshot infrared mode, which also seems to slow the shutter to 1/30, while using a built-in infrared light to help illuminate subjects. The latter mode will make all your videos look like the grainy footage in the Discovery Channel specials about searching for Bigfoot.

Scene Modes - The XR520 has the usual array of scene modes for helping the automatic image adjustments do their thing. Options include: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, and Snow.

Other Auto Features

Handling

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The Sony HDR-XR520V is larger in the hand than a lot of the flash memory camcorders from the competition. The added bulk of the hard drive has an excellent gripping texture and the protrusion on top gives your fingers something extra to grasp. Even so, the camcorder is not overly comfortable in the hand. The leather hand strap is a nice size, but could use some extra padding or softness.

We already mentioned the flurry of buttons inside the LCD cavity, but it bears mentioning one more time. Not only is their cluttered presence intimidating, but the buttons and switches themselves are not easy to activate. The buttons are small and just recessed enough to be difficult. The low light modes switch is particularly finicky—not a feature you want to have on a switch you have to operate in the dark. This is also true of the tiny buttons on the LCD panel, which thick-thumbed videophiles might find to be a nuisance.

An obvious highlight of the XR520's operation is the buttery smooth Manual dial, which can be set to control focus, exposure, white balance shift, or AE shift. Unlike Canon's new dial, the Sony dials can switch operation on the fly, simply by pushing in on the front of the dial and holding down for a couple of seconds. This makes the dial a much more alluring feature, allowing users to get more out of their dial without navigating a maze of menus.

Experienced camcorder users will also enjoy the flexibility of multiple shooting methods offered by the XR520. You can hold the camcorder upright and shoot with one hand, while using the LCD to frame your shot. You can also flip your hand grip and shoot from the hip, while your left hand operates the secondary Record button and zoom buttons on the LCD panel. And, of course, you can extend the camcorder's viewfinder, close the LCD, and hold the XR520 up to your eye—a traditional method that's great for sunny days or making precise manual image adjustments.

Portability

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Even though the HDR-XR520V may appear quite large compared to the ultra-compact camcorders being churned out by manufacturers, it is actually slightly smaller than last year's HDR-SR12. Frankly, this is quite a feat, considering the XR520V has double the storage capacity of last year's HDR-SR12 (240GB to 120GB). Sony kept the weight around 590g, about the same as last year's model, and most of the camcorder's bulk does come from the aforementioned 240GB hard drive.

Speaking of the internal hard drive, 240GB is enough space to store roughly 30 hours of footage at the highest quality. If you switch over to the lower quality settings, you'll likely be able to capture your entire vacation from start to finish—even recording while you sleep! Seriously, though, 240GB is a lot of storage space. In fact, it is more space than what's available on most laptop computers. All this internal storage definitely says something about the HDR-XR520V's portability. Never again do you need to worry about packing a tape, DVD, or memory card when you leave for vacation. The camcorder does offer a Memory Stick Pro Duo card slot for backup (in case you fill up the hard drive), or if you want to move files from the hard drive to a memory card.

Considering all the internal storage space, the HDR-XR520V may actually be one of the most portable camcorders on the market. Yes, it is larger than most models, but along with the camcorder you get 30 hours of maximum-quality record time (the equivalent of fifteen 16GB memory cards). All that storage space could be a bit dangerous, however, as internal hard drives are prone to corruption and data loss. One big drop of the camcorder and you could end up losing years of collected footage. It's a good idea to always back up your footage, even if you haven't come close to filling up the camcorder.

Battery Life

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The HDR-XR520V lasted 91 minutes and 57 seconds in our battery life test. This is a fairly average score for a high-end HD camcorder, although it's the shortest battery life among the camcorders we tested in this set. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 lasted the longest (going for roughly 111 minutes), but that camcorder has an enclosed battery compartment, which means you can't upgrade to a larger, longer-lasting battery. The rest of the camcorders in this group, including the HDR-XR520V have open battery compartments and each manufacturer offers a range of larger batteries with longer-lasting performance. More on how we test battery life.

A handy Battery Info tool will show you detailed information on the remaining battery life, including how much time remains using both the LCD and the viewfinder. Speaking of which... don't forget that you can close the LCD and record with just the viewfinder if you want to save battery life.

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LCD & Viewfinder

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The LCD screen on the Sony HDR-XR520V is 3.2-inches diagonal and offers a 921,000-pixel color display. This is roughly half an inch larger than the 2.7-inch screens featured on the Canon HF S100, Panasonic HDC-TM300, and Sanyo VPC-HD2000. The larger LCD is definitely worth it, especially considering Sony uses a touchscreen system for accessing menus and controls. The extra space makes it much easier to select an option, adjust manual controls, and finely tune your image. On the left side of the LCD panel is an extra column of buttons. The first accesses the camcorder's home menu, the middle two are for zooming, and the last is another start/stop record button. Frankly, these buttons are too small and don't work very well, but they can be useful for people who like to use two hands while recording.

Brightness can be adjusted on the LCD (with 31 increments) and the screen's backlight level can be set to normal or bright. Lowering the brightness or backlight level should improve the camcorder's battery life. The LCD also offers color adjustment with 16 increments of control. At the lowest color setting, the LCD image is almost black and white, which may make it easier for some users to adjust focus or exposure. Changing the color setting of the LCD does not alter the recorded image, but it can give you a skewed perception of what your final footage will look like. Always use care when adjusting the brightness or color of your LCD.

It is getting somewhat rare to find an electronic viewfinder on a consumer camcorder these days, but, low and behold, Sony includes one on the HDR-XR520V. The viewfinder can extend and pivot, although it doesn't offer much in the way of angular adjustment. It also isn't the most comfortable design. The eyepiece is made of hard plastic and has no give whatsoever, which means it is tough to get a good seal around the viewfinder—especially if you're wearing glasses. There is a diopter adjustment on the underside of the viewfinder, however, and the you'll be pleased to have the viewfinder as an option when you encounter harsh glare while filming at the beach. The Panasonic HDC-TM300 also features an electronic viewfinder, but the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and Canon HF S100 do not.

The HDR-XR520V does not have an option that allows you to use the viewfinder and LCD screen simultaneously. To activate one, the other must be closed or pushed in. This means you can't access menus with the LCD touchscreen while you're using the viewfinder. You can still make adjustments with the control dial on the front of the camcorder, but everything else is off limits.

Stabilization

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The Sony HDR-XR520V is equipped with an excellent optical image stabilization system (OIS). OIS is common in top-of-the line HD camcorders, but Sony plays its trump card by offering two different levels: Active and Standard. Interestingly, we noticed very little difference between the two modes in our testing.

With our low shake test, the HDR-XR520V reduced 68% of the shake when using either standard or active OIS. In our high shake test the camcorder reduced 86% with standard OIS, but only 85% in active mode. So, the active mode didn't really help reduce the shakiness of the image any more than standard OIS on the camcorder. Nevertheless, these results are very good—which means Sony is at the top of the list when it comes to optical image stabilization performance. More on how we test stabilization.

Manual Focus

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Manual Exposure

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Miscellaneous Controls

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Guideframe

A set of white lines breaks the screen up into 9 sections (like a tic-tac-toe board). These lines are for framing assistance only, and they won't end up in the recorded footage.

Wide Select

You can switch between recording in 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios with this setting.

Conversion Lens

When using a wide-angle or tele-photo conversion lens with the camcorder, these settings will optimize the image stabilization and auto focus system to work correctly.

Tele Macro

Adjusts the focal range for shooting objects that are very close to the lens. In Tele Macro mode, the subject is highlighted and the background blurred.

Audio Controls

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The Sony HDR-XR520V has the two most essential audio features for a consumer camcorder—an external mic jack and a headphone output. Both are located near the back of the camcorder behind a protective door-covering. Other than that, there aren't too many extra audio capabilities on the camcorder. There is no audio level control, which means if you connect an external microphone you won't be able to raise or lower the audio gain control. The built-in microphone can be slightly adjusted, however, with settings for normal or low recording. You can also switch between 5.1 channel surround sound recording and 2-channel stereo (in case you're trying to trim down those beefy AVCHD files). The zoom mic feature for the built-in microphone enables the camcorder to 'focus-in' the audio recording on subjects as you zoom in on them. It doesn't work perfectly, and it can pick up a bit of hiss when you're zoomed in far, but it could be a useful feature for some users.

The placement of the built-in microphone on the XR520V is a bit problematic. The mic is located on the top-front of the camcorder, in an area that is prone to rubs and bumps from pinkies or other wandering fingers (especially if you have larger hands). Behind the on-board mic is a sliding compartment that houses a hot accessory shoe. External microphones (as well as lights or flashes) can be mounted here, but the shoe is only compatible with Sony-brand accessories (due to its proprietary design).

Editing

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Editing AVCHD footage has gotten much easier since its inception, as more software manufacturers are introducing AVCHD editing solutions. However, you’ll still need a powerful computer to work with these dense files. Even middle-of-the-road computers purchased within the last couple of years create a maddeningly slow workflow.

The HDR-XR520V ships with Picture Motion Browser Ver. 4.2.00, software that allows you to import clips, piece together simple movies, and export them to the media of your choice for sharing. For very basic home use on PCs—the software is not Mac-compatible—this will suffice. Just don't expect to do much more than the basics. If you're working on a Mac, you'll have to look elsewhere for your basic editing needs. For an overview of the software that ships with this and other camcorders, see our article: Video Editing Software For Your Camcorder{{product.brand.name}}-Included-Software.htm.

Features

Compression

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The Sony HDR-XR520V can record high definition AVCHD files in one of four different quality settings. Each setting is associated with a different bitrate, with the fastest bitrate being 16Mbps. A lot has been made in the videophile community of Sony's failure to upgrade their products to the 24Mbps bitrate. (Several other manufacturers have already begun producing camcorders that can record at 24Mbps, the ceiling bitrate of the AVCHD codec.) Honestly, we're not yet convinced that consumer cams are really ready to take advantage of the increased bitrate. We saw very little difference between last year's Canon HF10 and Canon HF11. However, 16Mbps is even lower than the 17Mbps cap on the top-tier Panasonics. And surely the competition is going to continue to improve; if Sony doesn't catch up they might be left in the 16Mbps dust.

The Sony HDR-XR520V has the rare ability to shoot both high definition and standard definition video. We think it's almost always preferable to shoot in the highest quality setting possible, since you can always compress videos further, but you can never uncompress in retrospect. However, AVCHD files can certainly be a bear to edit, especially if your hardware is limited. If you're caught in a tight spot and need to record some quick and dirty MPEG-2 files, consider using the XR520's standard definition modes. You can even choose a 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio. Not a lot of consumer camcorders offer so much flexibility. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various high definition compression types.

Media

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The Sony HDR-XR520V has a whopping 240GB hard drive. That's enough to hold nearly thirty hours of footage at the highest quality setting. But don't say goodbye to memory cards and PC backups just yet. Hard drives are less stable than flash memory and you should never count on an HDD's moving parts to store and protect your most valuable memories. Always back up your footage, even if you're far from reaching the hard drive's capacity.

Fortunately, the XR520 also comes equipped with a card slot for recording onto Sony's propriety memory cards, the Memory Stick Pro Duo. It's too bad that Sony insists on making you purchase their own memory cards, instead of utilizing a more universal media type, like SD/SDHC cards. The Sony HDR-XR520V includes an easy-to-use feature for dubbing footage from one media type to another. If you record to Memory Stick and want to move your footage onto the hard drive, or back up your HDD footage onto Memory Sticks, you can do this easily from within the Home menu. You just have to dig around the menus a little the find the feature. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Slow Motion Modes

Still Features

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Sony bills the HDR-XR520V as having 12-megapixel still image capability, but that is not exactly accurate. While it is true the camcorder can capture 4000 x 3000 still photos, the XR520V's gross pixel count is only 6.6-megapixels—which means everything that exceeds that resolution is interpolated. The 6.2-megapixel size setting is really the highest resolution option for still photos on the camcorder. The 12-megapixel and 9-megapixel settings offer a larger-sized picture, but the same amount of pixels are going into the image, so the sharpness won't increase.

The HDR-XR520V has a small mode button on the right side of the camcorder that switches between photo and video modes. The shutter button on the top of the camcorder (just behind the zoom toggle) allows you to take still photos. Most of the manual controls that are available while shooting video also function while taking still photos. Spot focus and spot meter are still an option, as are adjustments to exposure, focus, WB shift, and AE shift. Image stabilization can be turned on and off, although the active mode is not available for still photos. A 10-second self-timer can also be activated in photo mode.

Tucked next to the lens on the front of the camcorder is a small flash that can be set to auto, on, and off. The flash is equipped with a red-eye reduction feature that can be turned on or off, plus the intensity of the flash can be set to normal, high, or low. You can also use the nightshot light for still photography, by turning it on in the Photo Settings menu.

The HDR-XR520V has a dual record feature that allows you to capture still photos and record video simultaneously. While actively recording, you can hold down the shutter button to snap a photo. Still images obtained using this method are automatically set to a resolution of 3840 x 2160 and a 16:9 aspect ratio. During playback, still images can be digitally magnified up to 5x by using the zoom toggle. You can also use the camcorder's smile shutter feature to automatically capture still images whenever a smile is detected during video recording. Or, you can go back into already recorded footage and capture low resolution stills in retrospect.

The Sony HDR-XR520V rendered colors very accurately in our still color testing. In fact, the camcorder's color error of 3.2 and saturation level of 91.66% are slightly better than its scores in our video color test. This is a strong showing for the Sony HDR-XR520V and it speaks highly of its ability as a hybrid video/photo device.

In our still photo comparison below, the Sony HDR-XR520V looks very good. All the camcorders in this set take decent still photos, each producing fairly accurate colors and strong image sharpness. With these new, high-end HD camcorders that are loaded with effective pixels, camcorders are beginning to approach the same image quality you'd get from a dedicated still camera. Of course, a good digital camera will still be able to run circles around these camcorders as far as overall still image performance is concerned, but this is a promising showing for video/photo hybrids.

We measured roughly 1.0725% noise in our still noise test with the HDR-XR520V. This is a bit higher than we'd like to see from an HD camcorder, especially one that has such good color accuracy and sharpness in its photos. Both the Panasonic HDC-TM300 (0.79% noise) and the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 (0.77% noise) measured lower noise levels in their still image testing. The Canon HF S100 was slightly higher than the HDR-XR520V, averaging 1.15% noise.

The Sony HDR-XR520V did very well in our still sharpness test. The camcorder measured a horizontal sharpness of 1961 lw/ph (line widths per picture height) with 8% undersharpening and a vertical resolution of 1680 lw/ph with 13.6% undersharpening. These are very good scores, and they are only exceeded by camcorders with higher effective pixel counts—like the Canon HF S100, which can take 8-megapixel still images.

Lens & Imaging System

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Sony put a lot of effort into revamping the lens and imaging system on this year's flagship lineup. The star of the show is the new 1/2.88-inch back-illuminated Exmor-R CMOS sensor, which Sony is featuring in its top two models, the HDR-XR500 and HDR-XR520. The new sensor design moves the photodiode from beneath the circuitry wires to above; presumably less interference will mean improved and less noise. Sony has also taken its six-blade aperture G-lens from their prosumer line and brought it to the consumer models, including the XR520.

LCD & Viewfinder

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The LCD screen on the Sony HDR-XR520V is 3.2-inches diagonal and offers a 921,000-pixel color display. This is roughly half an inch larger than the 2.7-inch screens featured on the Canon HF S100, Panasonic HDC-TM300, and Sanyo VPC-HD2000. The larger LCD is definitely worth it, especially considering Sony uses a touchscreen system for accessing menus and controls. The extra space makes it much easier to select an option, adjust manual controls, and finely tune your image. On the left side of the LCD panel is an extra column of buttons. The first accesses the camcorder's home menu, the middle two are for zooming, and the last is another start/stop record button. Frankly, these buttons are too small and don't work very well, but they can be useful for people who like to use two hands while recording.

Brightness can be adjusted on the LCD (with 31 increments) and the screen's backlight level can be set to normal or bright. Lowering the brightness or backlight level should improve the camcorder's battery life. The LCD also offers color adjustment with 16 increments of control. At the lowest color setting, the LCD image is almost black and white, which may make it easier for some users to adjust focus or exposure. Changing the color setting of the LCD does not alter the recorded image, but it can give you a skewed perception of what your final footage will look like. Always use care when adjusting the brightness or color of your LCD.

It is getting somewhat rare to find an electronic viewfinder on a consumer camcorder these days, but, low and behold, Sony includes one on the HDR-XR520V. The viewfinder can extend and pivot, although it doesn't offer much in the way of angular adjustment. It also isn't the most comfortable design. The eyepiece is made of hard plastic and has no give whatsoever, which means it is tough to get a good seal around the viewfinder—especially if you're wearing glasses. There is a diopter adjustment on the underside of the viewfinder, however, and the you'll be pleased to have the viewfinder as an option when you encounter harsh glare while filming at the beach. The Panasonic HDC-TM300 also features an electronic viewfinder, but the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and Canon HF S100 do not.

The HDR-XR520V does not have an option that allows you to use the viewfinder and LCD screen simultaneously. To activate one, the other must be closed or pushed in. This means you can't access menus with the LCD touchscreen while you're using the viewfinder. You can still make adjustments with the control dial on the front of the camcorder, but everything else is off limits.

Connectivity

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The Sony HDR-XR520V has a good amount of connectivity features, although numerous ports use Sony's proprietary-fit design. The hot accessory shoe on the top of the camcorder is well placed behind the built-in microphone. Unfortunately, it is protected by a flimsy sliding cover that feels easily breakable. The shoe is also only compatible with Sony-brand accessories, due to its proprietary design. There are third-party adapters available, but we don't have a good idea of how well they'll work with the HDR-XR520V.

On the back side of the camcorder is the DC-input, which is protected by plastic flip-down door. The door is a bit weak, but it protects the port well and is relatively out of the way. Inside the camcorder's LCD cavity is the Memory Stick Pro Duo card slot. The slot is protected by a hard-plastic door that feels strong and sturdy. This means you shouldn't have to worry about your memory card being accidentally ejected while you're shooting.

The rest of the camcorder's ports are all located on the right side. A sliding door near the front of the camcorder covers the AV/Component-out, USB, and HDMI ports. The AV/Component-out port uses Sony's proprietary design, which is why it works as both the AV and Component-output. This port can also be used for S-Video or a wired LANC controller, but the camcorder does not come with either of these cables. The sliding cover the protects this collection of ports is well-designed and mostly out of the way. Canon made a major design flaw on the HF S100 this year by placing the ports directly in the way of the right-side hand strap. Near the back of the camcorder, behind a small, flexible door, are the headphone and mic jacks. The ports are color-coded (headphone is green and microphone is red) and are well placed for easy access.

Battery

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A handy Battery Info tool will show you detailed information on the remaining battery life, including how much time remains using both the LCD and the viewfinder. Speaking of which... don't forget that you can close the LCD and record with just the viewfinder if you want to save battery life. Find out how the product:model/product:model performed in our battery life test.

Media

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The Sony HDR-XR520V has a whopping 240GB hard drive. That's enough to hold nearly thirty hours of footage at the highest quality setting. But don't say goodbye to memory cards and PC backups just yet. Hard drives are less stable than flash memory and you should never count on an HDD's moving parts to store and protect your most valuable memories. Always back up your footage, even if you're far from reaching the hard drive's capacity.

Fortunately, the XR520 also comes equipped with a card slot for recording onto Sony's propriety memory cards, the Memory Stick Pro Duo. It's too bad that Sony insists on making you purchase their own memory cards, instead of utilizing a more universal media type, like SD/SDHC cards. The Sony HDR-XR520V includes an easy-to-use feature for dubbing footage from one media type to another. If you record to Memory Stick and want to move your footage onto the hard drive, or back up your HDD footage onto Memory Sticks, you can do this easily from within the Home menu. You just have to dig around the menus a little the find the feature. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Still Features

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Sony bills the HDR-XR520V as having 12-megapixel still image capability, but that is not exactly accurate. While it is true the camcorder can capture 4000 x 3000 still photos, the XR520V's gross pixel count is only 6.6-megapixels—which means everything that exceeds that resolution is interpolated. The 6.2-megapixel size setting is really the highest resolution option for still photos on the camcorder. The 12-megapixel and 9-megapixel settings offer a larger-sized picture, but the same amount of pixels are going into the image, so the sharpness won't increase.

The HDR-XR520V has a small mode button on the right side of the camcorder that switches between photo and video modes. The shutter button on the top of the camcorder (just behind the zoom toggle) allows you to take still photos. Most of the manual controls that are available while shooting video also function while taking still photos. Spot focus and spot meter are still an option, as are adjustments to exposure, focus, WB shift, and AE shift. Image stabilization can be turned on and off, although the active mode is not available for still photos. A 10-second self-timer can also be activated in photo mode.

Tucked next to the lens on the front of the camcorder is a small flash that can be set to auto, on, and off. The flash is equipped with a red-eye reduction feature that can be turned on or off, plus the intensity of the flash can be set to normal, high, or low. You can also use the nightshot light for still photography, by turning it on in the Photo Settings menu.

The HDR-XR520V has a dual record feature that allows you to capture still photos and record video simultaneously. While actively recording, you can hold down the shutter button to snap a photo. Still images obtained using this method are automatically set to a resolution of 3840 x 2160 and a 16:9 aspect ratio. During playback, still images can be digitally magnified up to 5x by using the zoom toggle. You can also use the camcorder's smile shutter feature to automatically capture still images whenever a smile is detected during video recording. Or, you can go back into already recorded footage and capture low resolution stills in retrospect.

The Sony HDR-XR520V rendered colors very accurately in our still color testing. In fact, the camcorder's color error of 3.2 and saturation level of 91.66% are slightly better than its scores in our video color test. This is a strong showing for the Sony HDR-XR520V and it speaks highly of its ability as a hybrid video/photo device.

In our still photo comparison below, the Sony HDR-XR520V looks very good. All the camcorders in this set take decent still photos, each producing fairly accurate colors and strong image sharpness. With these new, high-end HD camcorders that are loaded with effective pixels, camcorders are beginning to approach the same image quality you'd get from a dedicated still camera. Of course, a good digital camera will still be able to run circles around these camcorders as far as overall still image performance is concerned, but this is a promising showing for video/photo hybrids.

We measured roughly 1.0725% noise in our still noise test with the HDR-XR520V. This is a bit higher than we'd like to see from an HD camcorder, especially one that has such good color accuracy and sharpness in its photos. Both the Panasonic HDC-TM300 (0.79% noise) and the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 (0.77% noise) measured lower noise levels in their still image testing. The Canon HF S100 was slightly higher than the HDR-XR520V, averaging 1.15% noise.

The Sony HDR-XR520V did very well in our still sharpness test. The camcorder measured a horizontal sharpness of 1961 lw/ph (line widths per picture height) with 8% undersharpening and a vertical resolution of 1680 lw/ph with 13.6% undersharpening. These are very good scores, and they are only exceeded by camcorders with higher effective pixel counts—like the Canon HF S100, which can take 8-megapixel still images.

Other Features

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Nightshot Light

The front of the camcorder comes equipped with an infrared light, which can be manually switched on and off from within the Home menu. The light certainly helps with low light scenarios, but your subjects won't exactly look natural. And it will never look as good as a mounted video light or the 'getting up to turn on the light switch' lowlight mode.

Remaining Set, Battery Info

The Remaining Set feature displays the remaining time available for recording. We're not sure why this is an independent feature in the menus and not part of the normal display info toggle. There is also a detailed Battery Info screen, which will tell you the precise time remaining on a battery, depending on whether you use the LCD or viewfinder.

Drop Sensor

The Sony HDR-XR520V has a drop sensor, which is essentially like lifting the needle from a record player to protect the disc. This protects the hard drive from damage in the event of a sudden tumble down the stairs. It also means that you should record to memory card if you plan on taking a particularly bumpy ride or sharp fall. And remember: drop sensor doesn't make your hard drive indestructable; HDDs are still more prone to damage than solid state memory.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

TBA (testing in progress)

Smooth Slow Recording

The XR520's slow motion feature. This takes about three seconds of motion and turns it into a 12-second clip of slow motion.

Fader

Just lets you add a black or white fade to the beginning and end of your clips. This is usually better done in post-production, but the option is there in-camera if you need it.

Panasonic HDC-TM300 Comparison

The Canon has the slight edge in performance, outmatching the XR520 in motion, sharpness, and color. They are about equal in low light performance, but the Canon also offers 30p and 24p recording, which can really help in dim light. The one performance area where the Sony beat out the Canon was in noise; the new sensor on the XR520 produces beautifully clear images. Other than that, the Canon is probably a better choice for beginners, as it's a bit simpler to use and is a decent entry for less experienced consumers that might want to dabble in manual controls. The Sony, on the other hand, is probably the camcorder of choice for manual control enthusiasts: the dial is more versatile and more convenient, there's a viewfinder for more precise image adjustment, and there's still a healthy selection of manual controls.

Sanyo VPC-HD2000 Comparison

The Panasonic HDC-TM300 is a tough camcorder to beat. In video performance alone, the Panasonic outstrips the Sony in everything but noise. Color accuracy and sharpness are particularly impressive. It's also a clear winner in low light performance, producing much higher sensitivity and the option of recording in 24p to further improve shooting. While the Sony's optical image stabilization is superior, the Panasonic's stabilization is also quite good (both of these camcorders are head and shoulders above the rest). Still image performance is a bit better on the Sony, but that isn't a very compelling reason to purchase a high definition camcorder these days.

For manual control users, the Panasonic offers quite a few options, including independent aperture, shutter speed, and gain control—three features conspicuously absent on the XR520. There's also a viewfinder for more accurate image adjustment and a great big manual control lens ring to make focus a dream (especially when paired with a basic focus assist tool). The one disappointment is that the ring can only be used for zoom and focus when the LCD panel is closed. Other features are only available when you're using the viewfinder. That makes the Sony's control dial a bit more versatile.

The Sony does offer some features that make operation simpler, such as the slick touch screen spot metering and spot focus. But with Panasonic's move to the touch screen, you can do spot metering/focus and take advantage of all the iA features Panasonic has to offer, such as AF/AE tracking. Finally, the Panasonic is a lot more accessible to beginners, with more intuitively organized menus and tools to help guide the first-time camcorder user.

Unless there are specific details about the Sony that really capture your attention (like GPS, a 240GB hard drive, or standard definition compression options), the Panasonic seems to be a clear winner.

Update: The Panasonic HDC-TM300 was ultimately selected as our 2009 Camcorder of the Year. To see why we selected it and read about our other awards, check out the 2009 CamcorderInfo.com Select Awards.

COMP 3

The Sony HDR-XR520V and the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 are an unlikely coupling: one the flagship camcorder from a major manufacturer with 240 GB of internal hard drive capacity and the other a strange little dark horse worth half the price of its powerful competitor. In terms of video performance, the Sanyo actually has superior color and just about the same sharpness. The Sony once again wins in noise—as it does compared to just about every camcorder this year. And while the Sony's motion looks very good, it's difficult to compete with the 60p video offered on the Sanyo.

The biggest surprise this year has been the Sanyo's superb low light performance, which is among the best camcorders we've tested so far this year. Low light footage is crisp, clear, and vibrant, especially compared to the Sony's relatively dark image. The Sanyo also offers a 30p mode, which further improves performance, though it's hard to top the already stellar 60p results.

Where the Sony really pulls ahead, however, is in manual controls. The dial and viewfinder are essential tools that the Sanyo lacks. You get lots of flexibility with the Sanyo's independent aperture, shutter speed, and ISO controls, but it's all done with a joystick and LCD. Plus, the Sony has an impressive optical image stabilization, compared to the Sanyo's abysmal digital stabilization. If stabilization is important to you, the Sony might be a better choice. However, if you shoot a lot in low light, the Sanyo is an excellent choice. Plus, the money you save could be used to invest in a monopod for improving stabilization.

Conclusion

The Sony HDR-XR520V (MSRP $1499.99) is a camcorder that will please some, disappoint others, and make still others feel a little wary. Sure, most camcorders can't please every kind of user, but the XR520 is particularly divisive: its viewfinder and control dial are alluring to videophiles, while the touchscreen, GPS, and 240GB hard drive will catch the eye of many a beginner. Unfortunately, there are key ingredients missing: experienced users might bemoan the missing aperture and shutter control or focus assist tools and first-time users could easily be intimidated by the jumble of buttons and layered menus.

That leaves video performance. In bright light, color accuracy isn't quite up to snuff, but the noise levels are impressively low. Motion can compete with the other top camcorders and sharpness is an improvement over last year's Sony HDR-SR12. Unfortunately, it's not a powerhouse in low light, giving a mediocre performance at 60i and not offering any alternative frame rates like 24p or 30p. If low light is a priority for you, you're better off looking at the Panasonic HDC-TM300 or the Sanyo VPC-HD2000.

It's up to the individual consumer whether the XR520 has the right ingredients for their preferred camcorder. If the majority of your shooting is done in brighter conditions and you like the viewfinder and dial, despite some unintuitive operational quirks, the Sony HDR-XR520V is a compelling choice in 2009.

Photo Gallery

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