---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20529 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sony
• Model: HDRXR200VE.CEH
• Released on: 2009-01-11
• Dimensions: .86 pounds

Manufacturer's Description

When quality matters, the XR200 delivers. It comes with a powerful 15x optical zoom from renowned optical specialists Carl Zeiss, pulling distant scenes closer. Full HD 1080 recording means your videos are packed with detail, while colours look more lifelike than ever, thanks to x.v.Colour technology almost doubling the standard colour palette. Sony has achieved a world first by introducing GPS technology to a select number of camcorders, including the XR200. Geotagged images enrich your viewing experience, letting you retrace your memories as interactive online maps. Smart functions help you make the most of every recording opportunity. If you’re on the move, Optical SteadyShot Active Mode will reduce the effects of camera shake by up to ten times more than standard optical stabilisation systems. If faces are in your frame, select Face Detection for natural–looking skin tones. And now there’s no need to pack your stills camera, the XR200 is ready to take photos too, even when you’re recording movie footage.

With up to 50 hours’ HD recording capacity on the 120GB hard disk drive, just flip open the LCD touchscreen and you’re ready to start filming.

Zoom in on crisp, natural results
Great images start with a great lens. The XR200 is fitted with a Vario–Sonnar T* lens by Carl Zeiss. These premium lenses are highly rated by photographers for their colour precision, superb contrast and extremely low distortion levels at all focal lengths. Add to this an optical zoom that extends to 15x magnification and you have the capability to shoot with amazing detail even when the subject is at a distance. If you need to go even closer you have a digital zoom of up to 180x, though optical zoom is generally considered superior because it physically moves the lens rather than moving in on the image.

High–speed Exmor processing technology reduces noise so you can enjoy even better picture quality View larger

Great results whatever the conditions
The XR200’s powerful lens is complemented by the Exmor CMOS sensor which improves picture quality with a 2x increase in sensitivity. Working with the BIONZ high–speed processor, it reduces noise in low–light conditions, and enables a faster shooting response. Filming in dark interiors or when you’re on the move can result in camera shake ruining what was otherwise a great clip. The XR200 comes with Optical SteadyShot Active Mode which is always on, boosting anti–shake performance by up to ten times compared to conventional optical stabilisation systems.

Keep shooting for longer
The XR200 comes with a built-in 120GB hard disk drive which offers you 50 hours of HD recording time. No need now to worry about running out of space, or to stop and change discs or tapes, just flip open the LCD screen and you’re ready to start recording. If you’ve got a long holiday planned, why not pack an optional Memory Stick™ for even more recording time, or extra storage? With the optional DVD burner you can transfer videos straight from camcorder to DVD with one touch disc burn. Or save your footage to PC with super–fast USB 2.0 connection.

Smile Shutter automatically shoots still photos whenever your subjects smile, without interrupting your recording View larger

High quality photos too
The XR200 isn’t just about great moving pictures, you can take photos on it too. Press the shutter and catch all the action in 4 megapixel resolution; the XR200 will capture stills even while you’re recording movie footage. If you’re at a party or special event, select Smile Shutter and it’ll automatically shoot still photos whenever your subjects smile, without interrupting your recording.

Colour and sound taken care of
The detail delivered by recording in full HD is enhanced by x.v.Colour technology, which almost doubles the range of colours that can be accurately reproduced on screen. Playback on any HD ready TV or PC, and you’ll see how closely your clips match real life. That goes for sound, too: 5.1 surround sound recording with zoom microphone captures crisp, clear audio, adding an extra dimension of realism to your videos.

Smart automatic functions
Now you can make sure that even the trickiest scenes look great in playback, thanks to auto functions which take the guesswork out of matching settings to subject. Take sun–drenched backlit scenes: the D-range Optimiser adjusts exposure and contrast to counter the effects of high–contrast conditions, so you can clearly see faces in the foreground. And when faces are your focus, Face Detection will help make sure everyone looks their best, adjusting the camera’s settings to deliver clear, natural skin tones.

Long–lasting power
Great action can come and go in a moment. QuickStart means you’re ready to begin filming within seconds of flipping open the LCD screen. You can record continuously for up to 6 hours on one charge of the optional InfoLithium battery. Then, when you’re in standby mode, power consumption is ultra–low, so you’re all set to catch that memorable moment.

See the exact location of your clips and still images with GPS mapping View larger

Mapping your memories
The sensitive GPS receiver inside the XR200 makes it perfect for taking on your travels. If you’re on the move it’ll track your position and geotag your clips and still photos. Then when you finish shooting, you can see the exact locations of your videos and stills with maps on the LCD screen. Back home, PMB (Picture Motion Browser) software means you can retrace your memories across online maps and find all your favourite places again.

The big screen
Framing and playback are that bit clearer thanks to the higher resolution and increased contrasts of the Clear Photo LCD Plus screen. With the screen measuring 2.7", it’s big enough to be viewed by more than one person, so you can share the fun. Because it’s a touchscreen, menus and settings are just a tap away, while innovative technologies index your clips and arrange them as thumbnails, for easy searches.

Easy sharing and quality viewing
Managing your growing video collection is simplified by PMB (Picture Motion Browser) software, included with the XR200. Install it on your PC and it provides a perfect archive for your videos which are all just a click or two away. You can arrange them by date, by person, and search through them quickly. From here you can burn them to disc, send them to friends or upload them to sites.

If you connect your XR200 or computer directly to an HD Ready TV you can view your video in spectacular HD on the big screen. If your TV is a BRAVIA which supports PhotoTV HD, you’ll be able to experience even more lifelike HD images, bursting with detail and colours. And with BRAVIA Sync you’ll be able to use the TV remote to navigate through all the clips and photos stored on your XR200.

‘Sony’, ‘BRAVIA’ and their logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. All other trademarks acknowledged.

Box Contains

Sony XR200 Handycam Camcorder

AC Adaptor AC-L200

AV Cable

Multi (No S-cable)

Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-FH60

USB Cable

USB Driver

Editing Software Picture Motion Browser

Wireless Remote Commander RMT-835

---

Customer Reviews

Great Cam Poor Software
Not sure what the previous buyer was on about,I tend to not agree on a few points.

The editing software is not up to the job at all, but that is no problem there is lots of software on the market that can edit AVCHD.

I am just back from 3 weeks in Florida and used the HandyCam every day,and found the feature that takes pics when you smile a bonus and very good quality.

The HandyCam is a joy to carry,and on full HD will give you about 30 Hours of recording time,and high 70 mins battery life with the supplied NPFH 60 battery.

I was looking at buying the 520VE but to be honest for an extra £300 i think it isn't worth it.

The sound is superb with Dolby 5.1 as standard

Anyhow i think the best thing is to view the videos i shot on Youtube that may help you decide, type in mrj2k8 that is my username and check out the tests i have of the camcorder in action

V. Good , could be better
Overall a good HD camera and easy to use. Here are some of the things to consider when buying this model having now used it for a good few hours and on local trips.
- battery life is about 60-80mins, not bad but could be better and upgrade it if you need it
-GPS, works well but does take a few minutes to figure out where you are and by that time you might have done your shots
-auto smiling shots, this is v.poor. This is where while recording the camera picks up a smile and take a picture automatically. This is good function but quality is VERY poor
-switch over to taking pictures 4MB, very reasonable quality and pictures are usable.
-pc/mac transfer. For PCs , you must install the Sony software to import. very good software and interface to find vidoes. Minus point is i would have liked to import direct to Windows Movie Maker but can't. You need to import using SOny then export. FOr Mac user,,,great...direct import into iLife09 and start editing!!
--zoom function very good, sound wise ok except for the wind interference
-handling, very good feels good in the hand and small
-recording, beware default setting is not on high quality, but with 120GB who cares max it up! Plenty of space.
For picture quality is is very good, but cavaet that HD i was expecting super sharp pictures but maybe i have an old TV. But picture is very good and you need all your equipment to be HD to get full experience.
hope this helps

Great camera.
I have been using this camera now for 3 months and am extremely happy with the purchase.

During daylight conditions the picture quality is excellent when played back on a HD TV, and it is worth recording on the highest quality setting. However in poor light conditions the camera, like all others I have ever used, produces good, but not great results. It makes no sense using the highest quality mode when light conditions don't permit as you end up using a lot of the Hard disk space without any gain.

I have not used the GPS/map functionality yet - maybe this will come in useful later.

I use the camera in conjuction with a Play Station 3. I save my recording onto a NAS and play them back through the PS3. The PS3 can play the native file format from the camera directly. This is a nice function. After 3 months of usage I still have not deleted any files from the 120 GB HD as it is still only 50% used. It really makes such a difference having all of your films with you without have to carry around a bag full of tapes.

I bought the Sony ACC-FH60 Handycam Accessory Kit for the Camcorder which contained another H-60 Series Battery and the LCS-SRA Carry Case itself. This is a must - don't think about it just buy it. The bag is perfect for this model and having another battery is a bonus. Incidentally one H60 battery lasts for a good 1.5 hours, if not more.

As an aside, on the day I bought the camera I set it up to monitor the garden as something/someone had been taking my golf balls. The camera ran for 13 hours overnight using the built-in Infra Red light and night vision mode. At 2am the camera recorded a fox coming up to the house and stealing anything we had left out - including golf balls! The moral of this story: Night vision mode can save fights with the neighbours!

Conclusion: Very nice camera with many functions (too many to write about here) and excellent quality on daylight conditions but struggles in poor light conditions. I gave it only 4 starts because of the issue in poor light conditions, however most cameras suffer from this and only going high-end (i.e. throwing money at the problem) will solve it. I was orignally looking at the SR12e camera, but this model appears to offer everything from the SR12e apart from the manual focus functionality so I went with this model instead.