Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V Camcorder Review

Handling & Use Summary
• Easy mode is true cruise control • Multiple, layered menus can make navigation confusing for first-timers • Excellent optical image stabilization, outperforms the competition • Lackluster battery life means you'll want a spare, especially considering the long recording times possible with a 240GB hard drive • Manual control enthusiasts can rejoice over the presence of a retractable viewfinder
	Still Features	(Page 9 of 17)	Playback & Connectivity

Ease of Use (5.25)

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.

Handling (6.5)

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.

The Sony HDR-XR520V has a lot of buttons and switches in the LCD cavity.

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.

The Sony HDR-XR520V isn't as small as competing flash memory camcorders

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.

Stabilization (10.82)

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. (More on how we test stabilization.)

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. 

Portability (3.51)

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 (4.6)

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.)

Battery Life Comparisons

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.

The open battery cavity can accommodate a larger battery—good news considering the unimpressive battery life of the HDR-XR520V.

LCD & Viewfinder (12.22)

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.

The 3.2-inch, 921,000-pixel 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.

The viewfinder extends and pivots for more comfortable camcorder operation.

Menus (4.0)

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 Home, or administrative menu		The Option, or image settings menu

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 Movie Settings submenu		The Photo Setting submenu

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.

The Video Playback menu		The Photo Playback menu