Sony HDR-CX550

Overview

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 9 expert reviews

Excellent:

2
Good:

6
Average:

0
Bad:

1

7.2

User Score

Based on 48 reviews
as rated by Amazon users

Pros:

Exmor R CMOS sensor.
Full manual feature set for video.
Geotagging for video is fun.

Cons:

Annoying menu system.
No wind filter or meaningful audio controls.

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Last revision on October 5, 2015

Editors Liked

Exmor R CMOS sensor
Full manual feature set for video
Geotagging for video is fun
Autofocus system performs very well
Good quality video
Excellent display

Editors Didn't Like

Annoying menu system
No wind filter or meaningful audio controls
Relatively big and heavy
Expensive
Defaults to low resolution
Not-full-HD video quality
Cumbersome touch-screen interface
Records 1920 x 1080 video via a 4.5megapixel
Video is recorded in the AVCHD file format at a maximum bit rate of 24Mbps the highest bit rate supported by AVCHD

Expert reviews and ratings

By CNET Australia on November 01, 2010 79

Against the competition the CX550V fares well, though its video could be a bit sharper and the interface less...

By Macworld UK on October 20, 2010 60

Launched last January, the HDR-CX550 sits right at the top of Sony’s HD camcorder line-up, sharing its crown with the HDR-XR550, which packs a 240GB hard disk drive instead of this model’s 64GB flash memory. The CX550V’s spec is...

By TopTenREVIEWS on June 01, 2010 100

The large amount of memory and high-quality images makes this device hard to...

By cnet on May 26, 2010 79

The Sony Handycam HDR-CX550V fares well compared with the competition, though its video could be a bit sharper and the interface less cumbersome. Unless you absolutely need to store a lot of video on the camcorder--which I don't suggest--or if have...

By DigitalVersus on May 03, 2010 80

Golf Shot One of the things Sony is pushing hard on its camcorders this years is 'Golf Shot'. It pushes the CX550's framerate up to 200 fps, which it only starts saving when you press Record, leaving them in the cache the rest of the time....

By About.com on January 01, 2010 80

Pros: Good quality video, excellent display, good feature set

Cons: Pricey, difficult menu system, Video Quality, The CX550V records 1920 x 1080 video via a 4.5megapixel, 1/2.8inch Sony Exmor CMOS sensor. Video is recorded in the AVCHD file format at a maximum bit rate of 24Mbps the highest bit rate supported by AVCHD. Yo

By Game Boyz on July 10, 2010

What’s not to love about this camera? It’s light, easy to use and takes great HD video. The manual is relatively small and easy to read and it works great straight out of the box. If you’re in the market for an HD camcorder I would advise you to take a...

By Photography Bay on May 24, 2010

The Sony HDR-CX550V is a camcorder which features Full HD 1080 AVCHD video capture, 12MP still image capture and a 10x optical zoom. It fits the prosumer category and price range at around $1200. The CX550V features 64GB of internal flash memory,...

By CamcorderInfo on May 07, 2010

With the HDR-CX550V Sony finally began to break down some of its longstanding policies regarding its Handycam camcorders. For starters, the CX550V is the first Sony Handycam to offer 24Mbps AVCHD recording, and it is the first to enable the use of...

By Hifitest.de on August 13, 2010 100

Sonys Spitzenmodell hat ein Faible für natürliche Farbreproduktion. Für das Filmen auf Urlaubsreisen oder überhaupt an unterschiedlichen Drehorten erweisen sich der GPS-Empfänger und das integrierte Kartenmaterial als hilfreich...

By CNET.de on June 14, 2010 79

Mit Anschaffungskosten von 1100 Euro bietet der Sony Handycam HDR-CX550 ein besseres Preisleistungsverhältnis als sein 100 Euro teurerer HDD-Bruder XR550. Im Großen und Ganzen überzeugt der CX550, doch die Videos könnten etwas...

By Les Numériques on April 28, 2010 80

Promesses à moitié tenues sur ce CX550 dont le piqué d'image déçoit. Heureusement, le grand-angle et l'écran LCD fournissent un confort indéniable en prises de...

By slashCAM on April 14, 2010

Der pragmatische Weitwinkel, der sich bei aktivem Bildstabilisator gegenüber der Konkurrenz jedoch noch etwas relativiert, dürfte für manchen Anwender das Killerargument für Sony sein. Auch im Low-Light liegt die Kamera noch etwas vor der Konkurrenz,...

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