Sony HDR-CX550VE

Colour (6.96)

The HDR-CX550V did as well as Sony camcorders usually do in our colour test: decent, but not fantastic. The camcorder managed a colour error of 4.53 and a saturation level of 88.25%. These numbers aren't that much different than what we saw from the Canon HF S21, but both the Panasonic HDC-TM700 and JVC GZ-HM1 put up stronger numbers in this test. (More on how we test colour.)

Colour Accuracy Performance
Colour Test Chart (above), Colour Error Map (right)
The Sony HDR-CX550V produced a colour error of 4.53 and a saturation level of 88.25% in our bright light colour testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the colour error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular colour.)

The colour error map shown above tells us that the Sony HDR-CX550V rendered blue tones with impeccable accuracy. Yellows and certain greens, however, gave the camcorder more trouble. The CX550V doesn't have any pre-set colour modes, but it does have a white balance shift option that can be used to alter the colour tones. Setting WB shift to positive values gives the image a redder tone, while negative values create a cooler, bluer image (see samples below).

Sony HDR-CX550V Colour Modes
Auto	100% Crop
WB Shift -4 (blue)	100% Crop
WB Shift +4 (red)	100% Crop

Despite the fact that the Sony HDR-CX550V didn't produce the most accurate colours in our testing, the camcorder still produced a very pleasing image. Sure, it's colours weren't as vivid as what you get from the Panasonic HDC-TM700 (as you can see below), but it still produced some very deep blue tones—which should translate into very colourful skyline images when you shoot outdoors.

Sony HDR-CX550V Colour Comparisons
Sony HDR-CX550V	Panasonic HDC-TM700
Canon HF S21	JVC GZ-HM1

	Close-Up Colour Comparisons
	Ideal	Sony HDR-CX550V	Panasonic HDC-TM700	Canon HF S21	JVC GZ-HM1
Red
	Ideal	Sony HDR-CX550V	Panasonic HDC-TM700	Canon HF S21	JVC GZ-HM1
Green
	Ideal	Sony HDR-CX550V	Panasonic HDC-TM700	Canon HF S21	JVC GZ-HM1
Blue
	Ideal	Sony HDR-CX550V	Panasonic HDC-TM700	Canon HF S21	JVC GZ-HM1
Skin Tone 1
	Ideal	Sony HDR-CX550V	Panasonic HDC-TM700	Canon HF S21	JVC GZ-HM1
Skin Tone 2

Colour Score Comparison		Compare the Sony HDR-CX550V to the Panasonic HDC-TM700
		Compare the Sony HDR-CX550V to the Canon HF S21
		Compare the Sony HDR-CX550V to the JVC GZ-HM1

Noise (10.78)

The Sony HDR-CX550V averaged 0.4475% noise in our bright light testing. This is a strong score and it matches quite closely to the amount of noise we measured on the Panasonic HDC-TM700 and JVC GZ-HM1. The Canon HF S21, however, couldn't keep its noise levels as low as the other camcorders in this set. (More on how we test noise.)

Noise Comparisons
Sony HDR-CX550V 100% Crop	Panasonic HDC-TM700 100% Crop	Canon HF S21 100% Crop	JVC GZ-HM1 100% Crop

The crops above do a good job showing each camcorder's ability when it comes to sharpness. The Panasonic HDC-TM700 produced the crispest image, although the other camcorders in this set were not far behind by any means. All of these flagship models are capable of capturing a very sharp and detailed image in bright light.

Noise Score Comparison		Compare the Sony HDR-CX550V to the Panasonic HDC-TM700
		Compare the Sony HDR-CX550V to the Canon HF S21
		Compare the Sony HDR-CX550V to the JVC GZ-HM1