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Sony Handycam HDR-UX1 DVD Digital Camcorder

Handycam HDR-UX1 DVD Digital Camcorder

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Most recent User Reviews for

Sony Handycam HDR-UX1 DVD Digital Camcorder

  • Reviewed by: ulticast

    06-27-07

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Great LCD, excellent HD quality, YES it can be played back on PS3 and BluRay players

    Weaknesses:AVCHD can be a little choppy on faster movements, but can be corrected in editing

    Overall Evaluation: Some people's common misconceptions about this camcorder: 1) It cannot be edited - WRONG! I've tested it with Ulead VS 11, Pinnacle Studio 11 plus, and Adobe Premiere Pro 3, as well as Sony Vegas 7.0d and works great with all of them. Pinnacle has smoothest import IMO, but all are fine.2) Have to use expensive disks to record or playback in BluRay --- WRONG! You can use the cheap 50 cent DVD-R discs and record at the highest quality for 15 minutes and play back in beautiful HD on your BluRay player. Yeah, 15 min isn't very much, but most true shooters can get a lot of good video on a 15 minute disc. To me it's worth the tradeoff.Things I like: It saves time and disc space. I love HDV, but it's a hard disc hog. And frankly, you don't get back in quality what you give up in disc space. Especially if you're burning down to DVD resolutions, why bother to shoot in HDV at all? If you're burning to BluRay, then maybe, but again to me AVCHD looks great on a BluRay player even after it's edited. It also imports very quickly with many of the AVCHD editing programs. No conversion needed. This is the wave of the future, folks.

  • Reviewed by: Sayage

    03-17-07

    Duration of ownership: 14 Days

    Strengths: Price now has really dropped. HD recording rules and is really easy to playback (on applicable hardware).

    Weaknesses:No Charger or AVCHD media included

    Overall Evaluation: This camcorder offers excellent value at the present time ($750 internet street price). The high definition quality is tremendous and even though the mini disks with AVCHD format are pricey, they record about 35 minutes per. You need a blu-ray player or PS3 or your computer (with the enclosed software) to playback the HD content. In standard definition just put in any old DVD-R(or similar media), record, finalize and put it in any DVD player. The features are great. However the audio is really annoying outdoors in windy weather. It picks up too much "whistling". I changed over from a Sony MINI DV camcorder and must say that I am very, very happy with this purchase. In addition to the camcorder, I spent about $40 for recording media, $40 for a sony memory stick, $20 on a charger, $30 for a 7 hour spare battery, $40 for a case, and $30 for a filter. So add those expenses to your budget but all in all I would say a very, very worthwhile purchase!

  • Reviewed by: realshopmaster

    02-28-07

    Duration of ownership: 2 Months

    Strengths: High Definition Camcorder at affordable price

    Weaknesses:Short recording time on MiniDVD; Noisy at low light; Eletronic Image Stabalization

    Overall Evaluation: Sony HDR-UX1 is a high definition (1920x1080 pixel=1080i) camcorder records in MiniDVD disks. Because it records in regular MinDVD discs, the video signal is highly compressed in the Sony proprietary format called AVCHD at a rate of 12Mbps, compared to 25 Mbps of HD video and 9 Mbps of standard definition DVD. The AVCHD?s current bit rates are strikingly low. Although there are a few AVCHD capable DVD players right now (Blueray players have this capability), you can playback the MiniDVD disk through the camcorder itself and hook it up to your high definition TV directly. The MiniDVD disks can be played on PC DVD drives with the bundled Sony AVCHD software or WMP (or others) with H264 codec installed. Despite the high compression of AVCHD format, the quality of the video shot outdoor in bright day is breath-taking when played on HDTV. However, there is some noise when shooting in low light conditions. One of the drawbacks of the UX1 is the short recording time in MiniDVD disks. A miniDVD-+R will only hold 13 Min in highest HD resolution or 30 Min. in LP mode. You can double the recording time with a much more expensive dual layer MiniDVD+R. Instead of dual layer MiniDVD+R disc, you can get the double side MiniDVD-R discs at much lower price if you don?t mind flipping the disc. half way in recording. The biggest strength of the UX1 is the price. The UX1, which can also record in standard definition (MEG-2) and play back the DVD on almost any DVD player, is only $100 more than the DCR-DVD505 camcorder, a standard definition camcorder. It is also loaded with a lot of features such as 10X optical zoom, electronic image stabilization, manual focus ring, 4MP still camera capability with flash light, night shot, Dolby 5.1 surround sound, and 3.5? LCD. One of the biggest drawbacks of the camcorder is its electronic Image Stabilization IS), which makes video choppy when playing. One really needs better IS like optical IS for HDV.

  • Reviewed by: birdsfishing

    01-20-07

    Duration of ownership: 25 Days

    Strengths: Super quality of images. Easy to play back. Scene selections are quick to find.

    Weaknesses:Battery life could be longer.

    Overall Evaluation: If you want to upgrade your older video camera, then I suggest you buy this on from Sony! I have. The use and functionality is a pleasure to work with. Super quality images will not be surpassed with this unit for awhile! If you have a plasma HD TV, then the true image quality you have with this Handycam may be appreciated. Took footage of the Grand Canyon, Sunrise Ski Resort, road shots while moving. and pregame activities in the parking lot at Glendal Stadium while in Arizona for the BCS Bowl. We played it back at home on the Sony BR2 Plasma TV and WOW it was so clear and detailed. Still shots are very good too. Nice experience.

  • Reviewed by: lilinanan

    01-10-07

    Duration of ownership: 16 Days

    Strengths: The good video quality because of the AVCHD standard.

    Weaknesses:Can not record on the MSPD card. Can not shut down the sound recording.

    Overall Evaluation: The HDR-UX1 is potentially great for the people who wants to get features like a large LCD screen, improved control, and more inputs and outputs that will allow them to make great videos. The HDR-UX1 is like a lower down Sony A1 with audio control and picture control that prople want.

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