Sony Handycam HDR-XR520VE

The Sony HDR-XR520VE and the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 are an unlikely coupling: one the flagship camcorder from a major manufacturer with 240 GB of internal hard drive capacity and the other a strange little dark horse worth half the price of its powerful competitor. In terms of video performance, the Sanyo actually has superior colour and just about the same sharpness. The Sony once again wins in noise—as it does compared to just about every camcorder this year. And while the Sony's motion looks very good, it's difficult to compete with the 60p video offered on the Sanyo.

The biggest surprise this year has been the Sanyo's superb low light performance, which is among the best camcorders we have tested so far. Low light footage is crisp, clear, and vibrant, especially compared to the Sony's relatively dark image. The Sanyo also offers a 30p mode, which further improves performance, though it is hard to top the already stellar 60p results.

Where the Sony really pulls ahead, however, is in manual controls. The dial and viewfinder are essential tools that the Sanyo lacks. You get lots of flexibility with the Sanyo's independent aperture, shutter speed, and ISO controls, but it's all done with a joystick and LCD. Plus, the Sony has an impressive optical image stabilisation, compared to the Sanyo's abysmal digital stabilisation. If stabilisation is important to you, the Sony might be a better choice. However, if you shoot a lot in low light, the Sanyo is an excellent choice. Plus, the money you save could be used to invest in a monopod for improving stabilisation.

	Comparison Specs
	Sony HDR-XR520VE	Sanyo VPC-HD2000
Price	£1,199.99	£449
Primary Recording Media	240GB internal hard drive	SD/SDHC Memory Card
Secondary Recording Media	Memory Stick Pro Duo card	None
Image Sensor	1/2.88-inch CMOS	1/2.5-inch CMOS
Effective Pixel Count	4.15-megapixels (video) 6-megapixels (stills)	5.31-megapixels (video) 8.0-megapixels (stills)
Mic Input	Yes, 3.5mm	Yes, 3.5
LCD	3.2-inch with 921,000-pixel resolution	2.7-inch with 230,000-pixel resolution
Viewfinder	Yes	No
Weight	590g (including battery)	311g (including battery)
Dimensions	71 x 75 x 137	90 x 112.6 x 54.5mm
HD	Yes	Yes
Frame Rates	1080/50i	HD: 1080/60p, 1080/50i, 1080/30p, 720/30p SD: 240fps (448 x 336), 600fps (192 x 108)
Compression	AVCHD	MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Maximum Bitrate	16Mbps	24Mbps
Optical Zoom	12x	10x
Stabilisation	Optical (with two settings: standard and active)	Digital

Low Light Comparison
Sony HDR-XR520VE	Sanyo VPC-HD2000

Stabilisation Score Comparisons