Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: 5.1 Channel Surround Sound, New Wide Angle lens, includes lens hood, external mic input and headphone jack, works with SD cards but also has 96GB of built in storage
Cons: Very sensitive microphone
Overall: This is currently my favorite HD camcorder. I’d even consider trading in my Canon Vixia for this camera. Sony has done a great job putting a high quality camera for consumers into such a small form factor with reasonable price tag. The CX700V would definitely be a great buy for anyone looking for a consumer camcorder with high end features. This product definitely deserves our Editors’ Choice Award.

You can purchase this camera from 42nd Street Photo on their site for the current price of $999.

42nd Street Photo

Rating: 10 out of 10
Pros: Works as a two way radio, comes with 2 earpieces and wind sock.
Cons: High price
Overall: This is an excellent product and I would recommend it to any one who owns a Sony camcorder with a media shoe. The sound quality was outstanding and as illustrated in my demo, even from 300 feet away it’s still crystal clear.

You can purchase this product for the current price of $169.99 from 42nd Street Photo.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Small light weight, comes with fabric pouch, two settings: Zoom & Gun mode
Cons: It’s awkward to hold the camcorder when the mic is attached. Uses up the camera’s battery up faster
Overall: I really liked this microphone for Sony camcorders. It was very convenient to have when filming interviews at CES and not having to carry extra batteries to power it was very nice. I would definitely recommend owners of Sony camcorders with an active interface shoe to try out this mic, it will improve the over-all quality of your videos.

You can purchase this mic from 42nd Street Photo for $70.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Records excellent quality video, 12MP still camera built-in, GPS tagging, 64 GB of built in memory.
Cons: The manual focus scroll wheel is not very user friendly, no viewfinder.
Overall: This is an excellent camcorder. I wish it included a mic input, but I’ll settle for the accessory shoe which can be used with microphones, lights and even a Sony bluetooth wireless mic. This camcorder is not cheap, but I feel it’s worth every penny with the quality of video it shoots, and the small form factor.

HDR-CX520V has been replaced by the HDR-CX550V (which now accepts SD cards) and can be purchased from 42nd Street Photo for around $900.

Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Dual camera, High Definition, feels good in the hand, the 1010 is priced right at $319, easy to shoot video and photos, cold shoe for accessories, mic input, headphone jack, will accommodate up to 32GB SD Card
Cons: Dock is used to transfer video if you don’t want to keep taking out the SD Card and more often than not this transfer did not work and ended up corrupting the video being transferred.  When I used a card reader to transfer all was fine so I imagine it is a firmware issue.  This happened on both the 1010 and the 2000.  Poor image stabilization, poor low light shooting, poor tech support from Sanyo.
Overall: I had high hopes for both the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1010 and the VPC-HD2000 and was relatively happy with the performance considering the 1010 is a $319 price point, not so happy with the $499 priced 2000.  With all the things mentioned if you don’t mind taking out the card to transfer I think the 1010 is a deal and will do the job for most weekend consumers.  I just expect the data transfer to work as advertised and that was my major disappointment.  For the $499 that the 2000 is priced at, you can easily go with a proven winner like the Canon HF200, which I will be reviewing soon.

I buy my photography equipment from B&H Photo Video out of New York City and the customer service is superb and return policy liberal.  The prices are great and I save loads because I don’t pay sales tax considering I am out of state.  Go check out the folks at B&H Photo Video by checking out their website BHPhoto.com

Rating: 10 out of 10
Pros: Excellent quality video, external mic input, accessory shoe for additional lights and mics, option to use a memory stick for additional storage, GPS receiver for geo tagging footage and pics.
Cons: The zoom mic records excellent quality sound, but I noticed the levels were a little low at times so I had to adjust them in post production.
Overall: I love this camcorder. I was actually surprised that it worked so seamlessly with iMovie on my iMac. This camcorder has a small form factor and records beautifully crisp and vibrant HD footage. 42nd Street Photo is offering this camcorder for a special price of $944, but even if I had to pay the full price of $1,400, I would still consider saving up the money. I think the addition of an external mic input, accessory shoe and the assignable adjustmenet knob on the front makes this camcorder a top choice for the avid hobbyist or anyone that wants the highest level of flexibility on a consumer camcorder.

The HDR-XR500V has been replaced by the HDR-XR550V and can be purchase at 42nd Street Photo’s website for around $1,000.

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