Sony HDR-CX500V

Lens & Imaging System

The Sony HDR-CX500V has a rather large, 1/2.88-inch CMOS sensor. This is the same sensor found on the Sony HDR-XR520V, HDR-XR500V, and HDR-CX520V—and all these camcorders utilize Sony’s new back-illuminated Exmor-R sensor system. According to Sony this new sensor system offers a cleaner low light image with less noise because the placement of the sensor has been changed. The HDR-CX500V is also equipped with a 12x optical zoom lens that has an automatic cover.

Lens
Filter Diameter	37.0mm
Focal Range	5.5–66.0mm
Focal Range (35mm equivalent)	43.0–516.0mm
Maximum Aperture	f/1.8–3.4
Optical Zoom	12x
Lab-Tested Wide Angle	47.0°	How we test wide angle

Sensor
Type	CMOS x 1
Size	1/2.88 inches
Pixel Count (Gross)	6.63 megapixels
Pixel Count (Effective)	4.15 megapixels (video) 6.0 megapixels (photo)

Zoom Ratio Examples
Wide Angle	Mid Zoom	12x Zoom

LCD (8.00)

At 3-inches in size, the HDR-CX500V has a larger than average LCD. The screen has a 230,400-pixel resolution, which also slightly higher than average. Most camcorders have a standard 2.7-inch screen, so the extra size on the HDR-CX500V is quite a blessing. The extra screen space really helps out, especially since you have to use the touchscreen system to do so many things on the camcorder. We applaud Sony for including a larger LCD screen on the CX500V, while most manufacturers seem afraid to crack the 2.7-inch barrier. Still, the HDR-CX500V’s screen is smaller than the 3.2-inch, 921,000-pixel LCD featured on Sony’s HDR-XR520V and HDR-XR500V.

The CX500V does not include an electronic viewfinder, which is something that is becoming less common to find—even on high-end consumer camcorders. So, the LCD screen is your only choice for framing your image. The LCD has manual brightness settings (with 32 increments), manual color controls (with 16 increments), and the backlight level can be set to either normal or bright. These settings can be useful for trying to combat glare or averse lighting conditions, but fiddling with them can reduce the battery life for the camcorder.

Feature	Sony HDR-CX500V	Panasonic HDC-TM300	Canon Vixia HF S11	JVC GZ-HM400
Display Size	3.0 in.	2.7 in.	2.7 in.	2.8 in.
Display Resolution	230400 pixels	230400 pixels	211000 pixels	207000 pixels
Touch Screen	✓	✓	✗	✗
Viewfinder	✗	✓	✗	✗

Connectivity (4.50)

Connection	Sony HDR-CX500V	Panasonic HDC-TM300	Canon Vixia HF S11	JVC GZ-HM400
A/V output	✓	✓	✓	✓
Component output	✓	✓	✓	✓
HDMI	✓	✓	✓	✓
USB	✓	✓	✓	✓
FireWire	✗	✗	✗	✗
Headphone jack	✗	✓	✓	✓
External microphone	✗	✓	✓	✓
Accessory Shoe	✓✓	✓	✓✓	✓
Accessory Shoe	✓✓	✓	✓✓	✓
Wireless Remote	✓	✓	✓	✓
DC Power	✓	✓	✓	✓
WiFi	✗	✗	✗	✗
GPS	✓	✗	✗	✗

The right side of the camcorder has one port—the combo AV-out and Component-out port. This terminal can also connect with Sony-proprietary LANC and S-video cables. The port is well protected by a thick, hard-plastic door that flips down from the camcorder. Unfortunately the port is located exactly where you place your palm when holding the camcorder, so you can’t really connect a cable to this terminal and strap the camcorder to your hand at the same time.

The HDMI terminal, USB port, and memory card slot.	The camcorder works with Sony-proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo cards.

The rest of the camcorder’s ports are located inside the LCD cavity, all tucked behind a large, pivoting door. This collection of ports include the HDMI terminal, USB port, and Memory Stick PRO Duo card slot. Since the door covering these ports doesn’t open very far, there isn’t a lot of room to connect cables here. Still, these ports are well protected by the thick, plastic door.

The combo AV-out and Component-out terminal.	DC input.

On the top of the camcorder is a hot accessory shoe that only fits Sony-proprietary accessories. The sliding cover that protects the shoe is the weakest door on the camcorder, and its sliding mechanism doesn’t feel very sturdy. There’s also the DC-input on the back side of the camcorder that is so well camouflaged it almost appears hidden. The port is covered by a rounded, sturdy door that takes the shape of the camcorder’s base in order to make the port less obtrusive.

Lastly, the HDR-CX500V contains a GPS feature, which is found on all Sony ‘V’ models this year. The GPS tool can be used to keep track of where you shot your videos or photos and so you can organize them by location later. We discuss this feature more in the Other Features section of this review. Below is a listing of all the connectivity features found on the CX500V and its comparison models. Notice the lack of audio connection ports on the Sony compared to what is offered on the competition.

Battery (6.50)

The CX500V does have an open-ended battery compartment, which means you can load larger battery packs into the camcorder for longer-lasting performance. Most high-end camcorders have this option, while numerous compact or mid-range models offer an enclosed battery compartment that cannot accommodate larger packs. Find out how the HDR-CX500V performed in our battery life test.

Media (8.52)

The Sony HDR-CX500V is loaded with 32GB of internal flash memory as well as a Memory Stick PRO Duo card slot. You can store quite a bit of video on the internal memory (3 hours and 45 minutes at the highest quality setting), but the memory card slot is good to have if you fill up the internal 32GB. If you want to switch between recording to memory card or internal memory you have to do so in the camcorder’s menu system—the CX500V won’t switch over automatically if one of them fills up.

32GB is a decent amount of internal memory for a camcorder, although there are some models out there that contain 64GB of internal memory (like the CX500V’s sister model, the Sony HDR-CX520V). We don’t like the fact that Sony uses a proprietary memory card format—the Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. These memory cards only work with Sony products and the CX500V is not compatible with regular SD/SDHC cards. So, if you don’t have any Memory Stick PRO Duo cards lying around, you should probably invest in a few before you purchase a Sony camcorder. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.