Sony HDR-UX20 First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby Alfredo PadillaPublished on Jan 10, 2008 3:35 PM 
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Other Features
Smooth Slow Record - This allows you to get a slow motion effect by recording 240 frames per second for a three second period. Once nice addition compared to last year is that you can record audio at the same time. This is found in the Home Menu under the first tab.
Super Nightshot - If you find yourself shooting in total darkness this feature will allow you to shoot up to ten feet away, but expect your shots to look a little green. There’s a switch for this found in the LCD Cavity.
Picture Effects - If you want to apply that special Sepa, Black and White or Pastel effect this is it. You can find these in the fourth tab of the Camera Menu.
Faders - To fee like a real videographer without much hassle you can apple a fade in/out effect automatically by activating this function found on the fourth tab of the Camera Menu. You can choose from a black or white fade.
Conclusion
As the top of the line of Sony’s DVD camcorders you’d expect the Sony HDR-UX20 (Review, Specs, Recent News, ) to provide a high-end consumer experience, and in this it delivers, with a few notable exceptions. The Sony HDR-UX20 packs all of Sony’s newest features including a new processor, new CMOS imager, and Face Detection. That last feature doesn’t pick up as many faces as Sony claims, but does provide you with a nice index of captured faces to make finding that particular clip that much easier. The resolution has been upped to full HD at 1920 x 1080 at 16Mbps. One of the fundamental problems of DVD camcorders has also been addressed with Sony’s Hybrid+ scheme. This basically means that you can record to 8GB of internal memory as well as a MemoryStick, providing you with nice backup options when that DVD inevitably runs out of space.
On the not so good side is the loss of the Cam Control compared to last year’s Sony HDR-UX7 (Review, Specs, $0.00). We understand that DVD camcorders are consumer focused, but even consumers might like the ability to make some manual adjustments without smudging their LCD. Throw in the fact that the LCD has been shrunken to 2.7 inches and there’s not much to like about it this display, especially when comparing it the great 3.2-inch, 921,000 pixel LCD on the new HDD-based HDR-SR12 (Review, Specs, $0.00).
DVD camcorders are loved because there supposed to be very easy to use. Record your video, finalize the DVD, and throw it in a player. But the combination of the inability to record at the highest quality to a DVD and the fact that any high definition content you do record to a DVD requires a Blu-Ray player or specially equipped laptop tends to blunt much of that convenience. The industry seems to be moving towards HDD and flash memory camcorders and that trend seems to be borne out by the Sony HDR-SR12’s ability to record to flash memory. Of course that leads us to ask: why would you even buy a DVD camcorder?