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Introduction
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01.Product Tour
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02.Colour & Noise Performance
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03.Motion & Sharpness Performance
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04.Low Light Performance
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05.Compression & Media
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06.Manual Controls
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07.Still Features
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08.Handling & Use
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09.Playback & Connectivity
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10.Audio & Other Features
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11.Panasonic HDC-TM700 Comparison
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12.Canon HF S21 Comparison
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13.JVC GZ-HM1 Comparison
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14.Conclusion
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15.Specs and Ratings
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16.Comments
Sony HDR-CX550VE
Previous: Part 2
Colour & Noise PerformanceNext: Part 4
Low Light Performance
| | | | | _Canon HF S21_ _click here for large HD version_ _JVC GZ-HM1_ _click here for large HD version_ |
Motion & Sharpness Performance Summary
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• The camcorder only has one frame rate for recording HD video: 1080/50i. • Sony's slow motion mode (smooth slow record) record very low-quality video at high-speed frame rates. • Video was sharp, but not quite as good as the competition. |
Colour & Noise Performance
(Page 4 of 17)
Low Light Performance
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| Sony HDR-CX550V | Panasonic HDC-TM700 | Canon HF S21 | JVC GZ-HM1 | | Frame Rate(s) | 50i | 50p, 50i, 25p Digital Cinema Mode | 50i, PF30, PF24, 25p (native) | 50i | | Artefacting | Slightly more artefacting than the other cams in this set, but very good overall. | Almost no artefacting noticeable in 1080/50p mode, but 50isettings show some artefacting. | Minimal artefacting; one of the best consumer camcorders in this category | Very little artefacting—on par with the Panasonic HDC-TM700's 50p mode. | | Smoothness | Video was usually smooth, but we saw some choppiness every now and then during playback. | Extremely smooth video, particularly when using 50p mode. | Motion video was very smooth, although not as good as the HDC-TM700's 50p setting. | Video looked incredibly smooth, just like what we saw from the HDC-TM700. | | Trailing | Trailing wasn't much of an issue in our motion test. | Trailing was noticeable in all shooting modes. | Some trailing was present, but it wasn't a big problem. | There was some trailing in our test video, but not much. | | Frequency Interference | The random bits of choppiness were noticeable during playback. | We noticed some interference in the black and white pin-wheel in our test. | Some minor interference with tight vertical and horizontal lines. | The camcorder's motion test showed no major problems with interference. | | Slow Motion Mode(s) | Smooth Slow Record | Time Lapse Record | None | 120fps, 300fps, 600fps low-quality modes | | p. p. All of these high-end models did very well in our motion test, with the Panasonic HDC-TM700 and its 50p mode probably doing the best overall. Still, the differences between these four models when it comes to motion are very minor. The main thing to note is that the Sony HDR-CX550V only has one frame rate option for recording HD video (50i), while the Canon and Panasonic models offer alternate frame rates. Sony's Smooth Slow Record feature is a slow motion mode that records at a very high frame rate (around 240fps), but it captures video at an extremely low-quality (just like JVC's high-speed recording options). p.
| | | _Sony HDR-CX550V_ _click here for large HD version_ | _Panasonic HDC-TM700_ _click here for large HD version_ | | p. p. *Video Sharpness* _(11.32)_
| Video Sharpness Score Comparison |
| Compare the Sony HDR-CX550V to the Panasonic HDC-TM700 | |
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| Compare the Sony HDR-CX550V to the Canon HF S21 | |
Shop for the Sony HDR-CX550VE
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