I bought this as a nice example of a vintage camcorder. Recording onto DVD is obsolete by today's standards. But it is a really nice camcorder with a lot of nice features. The one I got was still 100% functional, can shoot in 1080i which is better than DVD quality (essentially Blu-ray quality) and battery still holds a charge. It can also shoot stills onto a memory stick duo card up to 4 megapixels. Which is not super high by today's standards but the addition of a flash makes then decent stills for casual use. The DVDs can be finalized and played in most computers and somr DVD players. Best is to connect up the USB cable and copy directly to a computer. Since HD camcorders are nearly extinct in general this is a fine example of a dying breed.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Like most of you. I desired to break into the high-def era. But I didn't want to spend a lot of money for and I did not want to buy a piece of junk. After careful research I decided on the Sony HDR-UX5 and was fortunate to find one on Ebay for a great price. What an excellent camera! Although the UX5 debut in Feb 2007 for $1100 it has all the bells and whistles the average user will need. Right now on Dec 01, 2010 this camera sells new for over $700. Check Amazon if do not believe me! No CCD sensor on this baby! It boast a CMOS sensor just like the big boys with the professional broadcast cameras! This is a high-definition camera! It is capable of standard and 1080i (1430 x 1080) resolution. Do not be fooled by 1080i vs 1080p. Trust me you cannot distinguish the difference. The UX5 also takes 2.3 megapixel photos and saves them to a memory stick . I have a Sandisk 4gb memory stick duo pro in mine. So there is no need to lug a still camera along. Keep in mind this camera records to mini-DVD in AVCHD format (Advanced Video Coding High-Definition). When recording in high-def you will get approx 15 minutes recording time on a single disc or 30 minutes on a dual-layer disc. Some have complained about the disc recording time but this is plenty of time to record your memories. (2) mini-DVD disc will render you an hour of viewing. Of course your time will increase if you record in standard definition. Personally I like mini-DVD better than tape or hard-drive systems. The disc are cheap, they last forever, the camera requires less mechanical parts, and you record, transfer, and copy over +RW discs. You will need a Blu-Ray player to watch your recordings in high-definition. Or you can plug the camera directly into your HDTV via a standard HDMI cable. Or you can use an editing program and covert to standard definition. Then burn to a standard DVD and watch on any standard DVD player. Or upload your video to YouTube, Facebook, etc. Microsoft Movie Maker 2011 is free and it can convert AVCHD to standard definition. I think Cyberlink PowerDirector 8 Ultra is the best AVCHD video editing software. But there are other great programs like Adobe Elements 9, Sony Vegas, etc. Pros: 1. Sony build and quality (very dependable) 2. no noise! (camera is very quiet) including the zoom function 3. records to mini-DVD (their cheap and last forever) 4. 1/3” CMOS sensor (awesome detail and clarity) 5. Carl Zeiss lens with tele-macro mode and 80X digital zoom (optics are top notch) 6. active hot-shoe (for flash or video lighting) 7. digital stabilization system (reduces camera shake) 8. built in camera flash 9. variable scene modes (plus an easy button) 10. auto and manual zoom 11. onboard HDMI (standard HDMI cable. Not mini) 12. 12 second slow motion function 13. lithium battery life adequate (upgrade to the NP-FH70 or FH100 for longer recording) 14. 2.7 inch touch LCD (it works great!) 15. low light recordings looks great 16. digital color viewfinder (a plus for macro recording) 17. fader and video effects UPDATE: Dec 02, 2010-The free version of Windows Live Movie Maker 2011 will handle AVCHD files and covert to high-definition, and record to a standard DVD for viewing. So if you already have a HD-DVD player (the old HD format that lost out to blu ray), it will play. Therefore, you don't have to worry about purchasing a Blu-Ray player to watch in high-def. This was not the case in the past.Read full review
This is an amazing camera for its ebay price. Won the auction for $252 because its a year old and bottom of the HD line. But the camera is amazing. HD looks and sounds wonderful. Not too many features on the camera but the 3 second slow motion burst mode is super fun. Also telemacro looks great. A vid cam with manual focus too!! Cannot beat this camera for the price. Fanominal. BUY IT!
I bought the New Sony Handycam a months ago and i take out the tag already but was used "only once time". It has 2.1-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor, 2.7" wide touch-panel LCD and 10x optical zoom. There's only the one my complain is my brother also bought the same handycam for me. That's why i selling one.
I loved it. Since I'm new to use a video camera, I got used to it so quick and just got easier for me to use. It has a high quality camera picture. 4 MegaPixel is pretty great quality picture.
It's very compact for the options that it has. It is very easy to use. It has superb picture quality that surpases any personal camcorder that I've owned to date. I would have preferred a larger screen, but the one that it has is definately sufficient.
I like the compact size, how easy the product is to use and how well the quality is for something so small.
First of all I liked this HDR_UX5 it impressed me. what I liked about this camera is its small its HD since I bought it I never have problem I still use it. I will recommend other buyers not to miss this wonderful mini HD camera it will impress you the way it impressed me I hope you'll enjoy it.I liked it
This camcorder has been superb in all areas for me and it is a shame that they have discontinued this model because as far as i can tell,it is one of the best!. The only gripe i have is that i cannot hook up to my mac.It is not mac friendly.Buy one if you can find someone that has them in stock yet.The price will be between 300 and 500.00 when they first came out you paid 1,000.00. Super camera.
It is very good camcorder. Has Sony exprienced quality. easy to use with touch lcd screen. I like this function.
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