Sony Handycam HDR-XR520

263 reviews

Dec, 2024

Positive
usability (109)
image quality (50)
portability (39)
size (39)
design (15)

Negative
price (32)
battery (19)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 263 reviews of Sony Handycam HDR-XR520. The average rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average rating of 4.0/5 for other Camcorders for all reviews. People are impressed by the design and size. The image quality and portability also get good views. Many are negative about the battery and price.

usability, portability, image quality, size, design

price, battery

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Camcorders the Sony Handycam HDR-XR520 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 90/100 = Excellent quality.

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Review analysis

(Based on 263 reviews)

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User Reviews

Review Ratings

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Features

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image quality
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Showing 181 review(s)

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Showing 1 - 71 of 181 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (82)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Sony Handycam HDR-XR520

alaTest has collected and analyzed 14 user reviews of Sony Handycam HDR-XR520 from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.7/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.co.uk. Reviewers are impressed by the battery and design. The image quality and portability also get good opinions. Some have doubts about the price and size.

usability, portability, image quality, design, battery

size, price

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Dec, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sony Handycam HDR-XR520

alaTest has collected and analyzed 47 user reviews of Sony Handycam HDR-XR520 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.9/5 for other Camcorders on Amazon.com. People are impressed by the zoom and portability. The price and usability also get good feedback.

image quality, usability, price, portability, zoom

100% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Dec, 2024

Expert review by : Rob Mead (pcworld.com)

Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V

Massive storage capacity, good manual control placement, optical viewfinder

Tricky user interface, heavy, short battery life, unremarkable HD video performance

Nov, 2009

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Expert review by : Lori Grunin (cnet.com)

Sony Handycam XR500V review: Sony Handycam XR500V

First-rate video quality and performance; geotagging videos is fun, if limited.

Annoying menu system; no wind filter; no manual shutter-speed, iris, or audio controls; relatively big and heavy; expensive.

Though their geotagging capabilities are mostly novelty and their interfaces could use a complete overhaul, the top-notch video quality, performance, and consumer-friendly feature sets of the Sony Handycam HDR-XR500V and HDR-XR520V make them worthy...

Jul, 2009

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Expert review by (electronicsme.com)

Sony HDR-XR520V

Handheld cameras are coming down in price, making the newer versions more affordable for anyone looking to enter the market. Despite is bulky appearance, the 240GB HDR-XR520V is a fully capable High Def handycam that can accomplish your image capture...

240GB HarddriveGeo-tagging via inbuilt GPSFully HD Capable12 megapixel Image capture

A little bulky

The Sony HDR-XR520V handycam with built-in harddrive also offers an inbuilt

Nov, 2010

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Kaitlyn Chantry (camcorderinfo.com)

Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V Camcorder Review

The Sony HDR-XR520V (MSRP $1499.99) packs a lot of punch-and a lot of hard drive capacity-into a relatively small consumer camcorder. The retractable viewfinder and the return of last year's excellent manual control dial are just a couple of the...

The Sony HDR-XR520V (MSRP $1499.99) is a camcorder that will please some, disappoint others, and make still others feel a little wary. Sure, most camcorders can't please every kind of user, but the XR520 is particularly divisive: its viewfinder and...

Apr, 2009

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Expert review by : Jeremy Stamas (camcorderinfo.com)

Sony HDR-XR520V Handycam First Impressions Camcorder Review

The HDR-XR520V is the new top-dog HD camcorder from Sony. It packs a 240GB internal hard drive into a fairly compact frame and offers new Exmor R technology on a 1/2.88-inch CMOS sensor. The new sensor as well as improved processing is designed to...

The HDR-XR520V has a lot riding on its new Exmor R sensor technology. How much work Sony truly put into improving the imager will be revealed once we get a model into our testing labs. If things have really improved as much as Sony says they have, then...

Jan, 2009

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Expert review by : Rob Mead (macworld.com)

Review: Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V HD camcorder

Sony's Handycam HDR-XR520V is a monster when it comes to storage capacity, with a 240GB hard drive.

In the hand, the HDR-XR520V looks and feels pretty portly, too, although its bulk makes it easy to hold. Strangely, its zoom toggle button is narrower and trickier to access comfortably than the HDR-CX520V, and you’ll find your fingers and thumbs...

Nov, 2009

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Expert review by (consumersearch.com)

Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V Review

Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V reviewed by ConsumerSearch, which notes pros and cons, along with reviews and ratings for the Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V and comparisons to other HD Camcorders

29-hour best-quality recording time; Low-light video virtually free of noise; Limits hand shake better than others; Easy to use

Expensive; Overall video quality lags behind Canon; Lacks some common manual controls

Oct, 2009

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Expert review by : Kaitlyn Chantry (washingtonpost.com)

Sony HDR-XR520V

The Sony HDR-XR520V (MSRP $1499.99) is a camcorder that will delight some and disappoint others. Sure, most camcorders can't please every kind of user, but the XR520 is particularly divisive: its viewfinder and control dial are alluring to videophiles,...

Let's start with the features that might be an irresistable siren song for beginners. The built-in GPS lets you add a geo-tag to your video clip so you can keep track of exactly where you were at the time of filming. Most of the XR520's controls are...

May, 2009

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Expert review by : Kaitlyn Chantry (reviewed.com)

Sony HDR-XR520V

Great features, low noise, smooth motion, and a gigantic 240 GB internal drive

240 gigabytes of internal memory; Excellent motion and sharpness; A great lens ring for fine control

Menus and buttons a jumbled mess

Apr, 2009

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Expert review by : Brent Holland (videomaker.com)

AVCHD Camcorder Review: Sony HDR-XR520V AVCHD Camcorder

Looking for the ultimate HD camcorder? With full HD 1920x1080 resolution, an improved CMOS sensor and loads of other features, Sony's new HDR-XR520V just may be the solution you've been waiting for

Improved low light Massive storage Smooth slow motion Image stabilization

Battery life Limited footage for smooth slow motion

With loads of features, ease of use and quality to back it all up, the Sony HDR-XR520V is a powerful consumer-grade camcorder.

Apr, 2009

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