This camcorder does capture good shots. But the main drawback is that it records to DVD. Initially its nice and easy to capture video and watch it on DVD instantly. It gives you instant gratification. But after capturing 4 or 5 hours of video, you will notice that your videos aren't so great as you expect it to be. Its not the fault with your camcorder. Its because all of us shoot extra footage, unwanted scenes, shakes, etc which we want to edit. You may want to add a title or two, add transitions, add backgroud music, combine your photos with the video, etc. Basically you may want to edit your footage. Its here when you find the major drawback of this camcorder. The DVD that you used to capture is non-editable. Therefore you need to download it to your computer and use a program like Pinnacle 9.0 to edit it. But the original picture quality is so bad that you won't have sufficient bandwidth to edit the video. As you know, DVD videos are compressed in MPEG2 format. This is a lossy compression that is good enough to watch the video on TV but not good enough to edit. When you edit these videos, add some transitions or special effects, increase/decrease brigthness or noise, etc, the newly edited video loses further clarity and thus makes your video look ugly and pixelated.
br /
br /In summary please don't buy this camcorder if you are serious about your videos and would like to edit them. But if you are not bothered about editing and want to watch your "RAW" unedited footage forever, then go for it.
br /
br /That said, if you still think you want to go for this camcorder, please read the review on its other features:
br /
br /Feature new to this camcorder: Superb slow motion. You can shoot in 240 frames per second and play back at regular speed thus achieving superb slow motion effects. This is one feature that you will fall in love with.
br /
br /Features that are not new:
br /1. Super NightShot Infrared System: Not a useful feature. Its amazining to initially see how this camcorder is able to "see" using infrared light. But the moment you shoot your wife or kid using infrared light, you never want to shoot again as they will appear like devils when shot using this infrared light. Remember infrared footage appears in black-and-white and not color. And the subject's eyes really look like devil.
br /
br /2. 2.7-inch wide SwivelScreen LCD display with touch panel capabilities: Good feature if you always want to shoot in widescreen. In fact I would suggest you to shoot in widescreen only as all future TVs and current LCD/Plasma TVs are widescreen. You can future proof your video by shooting widescreen
br /
br /3. Digital still photos: Please don't rely on this feature. The best photos from this camcorder as as good as the worst photos from any popular digital camera. Technology has still not matured to the point where a camcorder can shoot as good as a digital camera and vice versa.
br /
br /4. 10x optical/120x digital zoom: Optical zoom is good enough. Any more zoom requires the use of a tripod. You can manage without a tripod upto 10X only. Hence its good enough. Don't use the digital zoom feature. Turn it off. As mentioned above, MPEG2 compression already makes the video bad in quality. The digital zoom further makes it worst.
br /
br /5. Progressive shutter system: Sony tries to mislead you into thinking that the camcorder is progressive. Not its not. Video is still interlaced only. Only digital photos are progressive which obviously they must be. Its no big deal. Forget about this feature.
br /
br /6. Professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens: Yes its good. The image quality is truly great till it gets compressed into MPEG2 format for storing onto DVD.
br /
br /7. Super SteadyShot picture stabilization system: Good enough to avoid small vibrations caused when going on a ship for example. But not good enough for the shakes encountered when walking with the camcorder. Don't expect to get great footage in such conditions. For great footage, you must still rely on a steady hand or a tripod.
br /
br /8. Dolby Digital 5.1-channel recording: Not a big deal. If you have a 5.1 home theatre, you may get some good results. But if you are watching your video on ordinary TV, you will actually lose some audio as your DVD player downsizes the 5.1 audio into 2 channel audio. All professional Hollywood DVDs actually have at least two seperate audio information. One for 5.1 systems and one for ordinary stereo. The DVD produced by this camcorder has only one track for 5.1. So if you watch on an ordinary Tv, you may lose some audio information. I would suggest not to rely on this feature and instead shoot in stereo only as its more than enough for everyday regular home videos.
br /
br /9. On-screen zoom and record buttons: Not an useful feature. The camcorder tends to shake more when you use these zoom buttons on the LCD because the LCD is always projecting outside when shooting video. Hence you shake the camcorder more when you touch the LCD than when you touch the camcorder's body.
br /
br /10. USB 2.0 interface: NOt a useful feature. Its easier to remove the DVD and place it on your DVD ROM drive on your computer, than to connect the camcorder using USB cables. The USB interface is useful if you want to burn DVDs using the camcorder's DVD burning feature. But remember, this camcorder can burn only miniature sized DVDs and not the regular DVDs. Moreover its cheaper and more convenient to use the computer's internal DVD writer or external DVD writer than to use this camcorder as a DVD burner. You don't want to decrease the life of the camcorder's DVD writer as the camcorder is far expensive than an ordinary DVD burner.
br /
br /11. One-touch wide-angle shooting: Useless feature. You tend to always shoot in wideangle or letterbox. Who would want to switch constantly between these modes? Also as suggested earlier, better to shoot in wideangle only and future proof your videos.
br /
br /12. Picture Package software: Very useless software. The free Picasa software from Google is far better in organizning your videos and pictures than the software that comes with this camera. Forget about this software.
br /
br /13. DVD-R/RW and +RW Compatible: The camcorder is somewhat slow and non-responsive when you use DVDRW. This may be because DVDRW always have slower burn speeds compared to DVDR. So this is not a very useful feature unless you are planning to shoot still photos only. The slow speed problem occurs when shooting video only.
br /
br /14. Active interface shoe: You can use this to connect external flash or mic. Not a very useful feature as any external device spoils the compactness of this camera.
br /
br /15. InfoLithium battery with AccuPower meter system: Great battery life. I could shoot for upto 1 hour 20 minutes with one battery. Remember we always don't shoot continously in everyday life. We turn the camcorder on and off repeatedly when shooting. This battery last for 1 hour 20 minutes during normal shooting as explained above. If you shoot continously you may get longer battery life.
br /
br /Overall summary. Buy this camcorder only if you are not serious about editing the videos. Its a good buy for point-and-shoot-and-view viewing pleasure.

I just bought this today and had 5 minutes to learn how to use it for my daughter's Chorus concert. It is unbelievable! It is very easy to use, and takes great video even with the wierd dark amature lighting of a school concert. This is my first digital camcorder. My old VHS-C was just too bulky that I tended not to take it anywhere or use it. This is very small, and there is no hassle with tapes. Simply pop in a mini DVD and you are done! The picture quality is incredible. My old camera would have never been able to capture the video in low light like this camera. I was having a tough time deciding between this and the Sony 405. With about a $200 price difference, all forums, literature etc. said the only difference between the two was the 505 has a better still camera built in (which I didn't care about). THIS IS NOT TRUE. The bigger 3.5 Vs. 2.7 LCD screen makes all the difference in the world. Since that's what you are looking at 99% of the time while you are shooting, that would have been enough for me to by the 505. Also, this camera comes with software which allows you to transfer your old videos on to DVD's. The only thing I did not realize about this camera before I bought it that I do not like is the fact that you cannot adjust the recording time of SHQ, HQ and Low Quality to allow for more time on the DVD when you are recording it. Sony basically has an optimizer or something like that to automatically adjust time for the best picture quality. I got 27 minutes on the DVD. An extra 2 minutes would have allowed me to tape the whole program. 30 minutes goes awfully fast when recording because this camera is so easy to use. I can see I'm going to pay a fortune for disks. However, overall, I would not consider another camera. I can't wait to take my time and really learn how to use this baby.

After reviewing DVD Camcorders, between owner reviews and professional reviews I have decided that the DVD505 camcorder is the best unit out there. Apparently PC Magazine agrees, as they have given the DVD505 its coveted Editor's choice award.
br /
br /They said "The DVD505 is a pricey camcorder that could have better digital-still-image features. Nonetheless, its exceptional touch screen LCD, fine video quality, and ease-of-use features make it a shoo-in as our Editors' Choice for a DVD camcorder."
br /
br /Pros from PC Magazine: Great video quality. Very good sound. Excellent 3.5-inch-wide touch panel. Articulating LCD. Pivoting viewfinder.
br /
br /The miniDVD format for camcorders is becoming increasingly popular with each passing year for one main reason: convenience. Consumers can record video, then play it back on the same 8cm DVD disc, right on their DVD player.
br /
br /The 3.5-inch LCD touch screen (which also articulates) is larger than most camcorders. The quality of the LCD is excellent (high resolution).
br /
br /PC magazine also liked its low light performance.
br /"The Sony DVD505 excelled in Nightshot mode. Other camcorders provide this feature, but end up with streaky, almost surreal footage. That's cool if you want to create an avant-garde dream sequence, but not for capturing details. The DVD505 does an exquisite job of filming in low light or at night. The digital or electronic image stabilization also worked pretty well, even in low light."
br /
br /PC Mag Video Quality: "tests revealed video footage that nears the quality of miniDV camcorders. My "talking head" footage had just the right amount of color saturation and contrast. I was definitely impressed with the skin tones. I also found the audio was quite good; it stood out from the other camcorders I tested. There were no color casts or artifacts in the video. And in low light, the camcorder performed quite well, enabling me to see details in shadow areas."

The camera itself is great. I had some question about grainy picture in low light. I called SONY Service and they explained how to adjust the camera for low light filming without using the "green" Super Night Shot. A small adjustment using the menu system and I was back in business with great low light pictures.
br /
br /I have no problems with the camera. The software is not as good as it could be but allows you to do some editing and copy the DVD for distribution. If you want to do extensive editing, you can use any of the DVD authoring programs with the video from this camera.
br /
br /I am looking forward to many years of quality pictures.

This is an outstanding camera. Very easy to use and pretty good battery life. I picked up the Sony accessory kit at the same time and even the "back up" battery in the kit lasts 90 minutes on a full charge. This camera has all the best available features (night shot, good image stabilization, and functional touch-screen menus, to name a few). The video quality in LP mode is not very good, so don't expect to get more than 30 minutes of shooting out of a miniDVD. However, the SP mode provides really good quality, so you don't have to worry about cutting your time down to 20 minutes (which is the time you get out of one DVD in the highest quality mode).
br /
br /What I'd warn potential buyers about has to do with DVD Camcorders in general, rather than any problem with the camera. As someone who was not intimately familiar with the wide variety of camcorders (and who was tired of my Panasonic DV camcorder not recording properly), I considered the MiniDVD option to be ideal. However, I learned two things after finishing my first DVD.
br /
br /1. You need special software (DVD video editing software or DVD copy software or both) to do anything other than copy from one miniDVD to another miniDVD. Additionally, software like Roxio's MyDVD doesn't work well with the VOB file format used by the camcorder. All video on the miniDVD is saved into a single file. This means that video editors will have to know how (and have the patience) to trim down the video to make different chapters. The chapters show up on the finalized DVD from the camera, but DVD copy software won't reproduce the menu for you, either.
br /
br /2. If you want to play back your videos on something other than the camcorder, make sure your DVD player is relatively new. Ours was 6 years old and didn't recognize the DVD-R as a valid disk. Now that I know, this seems pretty logical, but when I popped my first disk into my player, expecting to see my daughters playing, I was sorely disappointed to find that the player wouldn't do anything with the disk. However, there are some fairly inexpensive players out there now that recognize all DVD formats, so this isn't a huge problem. It's just something you need to be aware of.
br /
br /In all, the DVD505 is a great camera. Those seriously interested in DVD editing, unless you really know what you're doing, you may want to consider sticking with DV tapes for awhile.

If you plan to use the camcorder to strictly make DVDs without having to use a computer for editing, this one is for you. Media costs might add up though.
br /
br /Things I hated about this camcorder ...
br /(1) Multi second message every time you start the camcorder "Sony Disc Recommended" ... I could understand if this message was to come up 1st time after a non-sony DVD disc was loaded. You might start the camcorder to capture a unique moment and ... Sony will want you to know that you should use discs made by them so that they can make more money.
br /
br /(2) If you plan to use a DVD RW disc to make videos and move contents to a computer to burn regular DVDs, you will need to buy your own software for editing. Software that comes with the camcorder will allow you to stream video files to the computer. ALSO last few clips had unreliable audio transfer.
br /
br /(3) If you are planning to use this camcorder with the A/V input to stream your older videos to a computer to burn DVDs, you will have to burn miniDVDs on the camcorder then move contents of the miniDVD to the computer. This camcorder will not allow you to connect a Hi8 camcorder on A/V IN and USB/Firewire OUT to the computer directly like DV camcorders.
br /
br /(4)Only 20-30 minutes of good quality recording on a disc. I knew this while buying the camcorder....because of other problems this issue got exasperated.
br /
br /I have returned the camcorder with a 10% restocking fee, yet I feel happy.

I purchased mine at best buy and paid over 200.00 more for mine.
br /I absolutely love this camera it's easy to use and the pictures and video are just beautiful! Best part there is no delay in the shutter it will stop action not blur or miss it. It is so much easier having an all in one -it's so small. I am really impressed. I have had just a point and shoot 2mp for years it was time to update I was little nervous over the price but it is cheaper than buying 2 seperate cameras which was what i was looking at.
br /I can say it was worth the money when i can finally get some wicked good portrait quality pictures.
br /i can't wait to take it on vacation.
br /
br /If your looking for a 2 in one this is the ticket.

The "Easycam" makes this camcorder easy. Just turn it on and record. So far the only negatives I find is that the zoom button is too close to where the fingers lie and occasionally it will be pushed without me knowing, so that when I turn the camera to record, it is blurry and I have to stop, erase and then go back to record. By that time, I may have missed something I wanted to record. The other negative would be the slow time it takes to get to recording. Once you turn it on, you have to wait for it to download for recording. Many times I missed the quick things I wanted recorded. It can be irksome to be recording, run out of time and have to replace with a new DVD. The DVD has to be formatted which means you have to place the camera in a steady place with no vibrations. The DVD is 30 minutes long, so this can happen pretty often. Hard when you're on a tour or walking around.
br /
br /The software is pretty useless. Also, Nero 6 software was suppose to have been included in the box and it was not.
br /
br /Overall, it is a great camcorder and compact enough to put in a carry-on and very easy to carry around.

This camera was so great that I ended up buying another one as a gift. It's a all in one. There are tons of attachments and it's great that I can have a video and digital camera all in one. If I run out of disks, I can always through the pictures or video on my memory chip. Amazon has the lowest price on it by far.

Very good product. Excellent picture. I use JVC DVD-RW and performance is outstanding. I down load to my computer and use Nerovision express 3 to convert to DVD.

The 505 is so easy to use. I like the special dual still shot and video capability (shooting a still photo while shooting video simultaneously). It is great to be able to take quality photos and video on one machine. The touch sensitive screen is nice too. The only hassle is having to switch DVD's during a longer session such as a class. But, Great job Sony!

This camera burns dirctly to DVD. Can finalize and unfinalize disks to allow adding pictures or video. Touch screen features allow editing with camera, itself. Very useful for quick editing, including dividing scenes for deletion of parts of scene. Very happy I bought this camera!

Definitely agree with other posts that the DCR-DVD505 is one of the best cameras around. However, if you are like me and would like to use a computer create feature length DVDs from those little discs you need to be a little computer savvy.
br /
br /Sony could have done better to help, but is apparently not quite a software company like Apple...
br /
br /If you have Windows Vista, forget it...your handycam driver will simply not work. Need to download a much more reduced feature-set driver from Sony (the import takes hours). Even if you have Windows XP, make sure that your flash version is circa ancient...i.e. version 6 or before otherwise even the XP driver. Here is my "protocol":
br /
br /Step 1: Downgrade Flash to Version 6
br /-------------------------------------
br /
br /1. First Uninstall the current Flash (using uninstall_flash_player.exe)
br /2. Next simply run fp_6.0.21_activex.exe
br /
br /(Need to get both from Adobe site...just google for the exe files)
br /
br /Step 2: Get all MPEGs from camera
br /----------------------------------
br /
br /1. Connect Camera to Power Source.
br /2. Connect Camera to Computer.
br /3. Turn on the camera (just like getting to stand-by mode when shooting)
br /4. Press the right arrow "Play" key on screen.
br /5. Select Computer (disc).
br /6. You will see "Preparing" on camera.
br /7. Cancel any native Windows pop-up Prompts
br /8. Launch Picture Package (if did not start already).
br /9 From Picture Package Menu, select Viewing and Handling Pictures
br /9. Click on DVD tab after selecting Video Handling (in "DVD Viewer")
br /10. Click on DVD Handycam on left hand side menu.
br /11. Select Movies.
br /12. Confirm the folder choices, if prompted.
br /13. Select ALL clips and click on Copy to hard disk.
br /14. Wait until copying is done.
br /15. Finally! Now you have all the content in mpeg format to do what you wish with.
br /
br /Step 3: Use the various mpegs to generate movies
br /------------------------------------------------
br /
br /(Using NERO, Pinnacle etc)
br /
br /1. Basically, using burn menu, join all the mpegs
br / in any sequence to capture the DVD menu chapters.
br / DO NOT use any third party stuff like movie joiner etc.
br /
br /2. Now set the menu titles, background music etc.
br /
br /3. Burn.
br /
br /4. Create a DVD/jacket cover.
br /
br /5. Done.
br /
br /
br /
br /

we looked at every differnet camera out there and this seemed the best for what we wanted. its small and lightweight, very easy to use and i think the digital pictures came out pretty well. pretty decent clarity. we really didn't have to bring our digital camera with us. this seems to be an all in one camera. the discs were also easy to use and format. we used cnet to check out alot and actually ordered off amazon with next day shipping and it was still cheaper than best buy. ordered at 8 pm and had it next day at noon. overall- great camera!

I have a 5 year old Sony DV camcorder that was damaged and I bought the DVD camcorder as a replacement. I was excited about recording images onto DVD directly. However, I was very disappointed by the image quality. The image resolution was not as sharp as my older DV camcorder and tends to blur often when I move the camera. Even though it was much more convenient to store the image directly onto a disc that can be played in a regular DVD player, I was so unhappy with the image quality that I returned it. I am going to go back to another DV camcorder.

This is my first camcorder ever and I wanted to do it right. Buying the Sony 505 was a great choice. The large 3 inch touch screen is really nice and all of the controls are extremely easy to use. Within minutes I was recording my kids playing. I also love the fact that you can record on DVDs as well as a memory card. You really get what you pay for when it comes to this camcorder. Well worth it!!

Very easy to use. Menuing is extremely intuitive. Don't forget to order spare disks, 30 mins goes by quick.

This camcorder is super easy to use. We set it to take wide screen movies (16:9), so when we are done recording, we simply remove the disk and place it right into the dvd player to watch it on TV. My kids love the instant viewing of their movies. This camcorder will also allow you to take still pictures captured on a memory stick. This function saves you from carrying a camera and a camcorder. We have only had this camcorder for one month, but we took it on vacation and have been very happy with it.

I just wanted to post a review that I would have liked to be aware of before buying this camera. I bought this camera in March 2006. It has worked perfectly since that time and I have been very happy with it.
br /
br /One week ago the buttons on the touch screen became unresponsive, making the camera completely useless, as all menu applications are controlled through the touch screen. You are unable to finalize a disc meaning you can no longer record video.
br /
br /I did not get any kind of extended warranty so I am completely out of luck. I called and it will cost $211.00 flat fee to repair the camera, no matter what the problem.
br /
br /So here I am, my second son is 6 months old and I have no camcorder. I called the service line and of course they are completely unsympathetic, and the $211.00 fee applies no matter the problem.
br /
br /So I guess when budgeting for the camera make sure you add repair cost or at the very least buy the extended warranty.
br /
br /I am very disappointed because I really enjoyed the camcorder, but I can't see spending $211.00 on a "used" camcorder that will come with a 90 warranty after repair. So sadly I have to shell out for a new camera.

What a wonderful small camcorder! I love it! The price from Amazon is lower than any other place I have shopped, and believe me, I shop the internet and local stores and nobody even comes close to Amazon's pricing! The camera films the most beautiful colors and I love being able to chose full screen mode or wide screen modes. It also has a built in 4MP still camera that takes wonderful still shots. I use the Program AE when at the beach and it corrects the bright sunlight so that the film is beautiful. I highly recommend this product.

great camera nice picture quality suggest you purchase an extra battery for entended use

I gave the camcorder as a gift to my son who just loves it, he videotaped me too, I loved the quality of the tape on the big TV. I would recommend it to a friend.

Please think before you spend your money on this unit. I have one that is just over a year old and is now dead because of touch screen that no longer works. I cannot believe that Sony built such a weak system for this unit. I will put the 211.00 towards a new Canon.

My camcorder worked pretty good app. 18 months. Suddenly I got unresponsive touch screen. Camcorder become useless - ($1,000!) only 18 months! I use to buy only Sony electronics - not any more...

I bought this camcorder 15 days ago. The quality of recording is very good. The camcorder has a touch screen this is a cool way of setting various features while recording.

I haven't utilized all of the features yet, but what I have has produced both high quality pics as well as video.

I have never written a review, but I am writing this one because I had such a bad experience. The picture quality of this camera is good, but the customer service could not be WORSE. I have spent over 5 hours on the phone with difficult to understand service representatives (I really tried to understand them). Day 1 - I talked to a supervisor after two conversations with representatives. She said that my problem would require level 2 support and they were closed. She said that if I provided my event id that I would be transferred to the level 2 support. Day 2 - I called back the next night and tried 3 times to reach the level 2 support. The first person claimed to be level 2 support, but lied. Person 1 took me through the same things I had done the day before. The next person hung up and finally I gave up after the third person tried to walk through the same procedures. I also tried the chat option on their website. After 15 minutes I gave up trying to use this method. It took 3-5 minutes between questions from the person on the other end.

I don't know what the last couple of people were smoking, but 5 stars and then talking bad about the camera? ok. And the guy having problems with 2 different cameras -- he must not know what he was doing.
br /
br /I purchased this camera a few weeks ago for Amazon and have loved it. I just had a baby and have been filming her with no problems. The picture quality is great and the camera is just awesome.
br /
br /I don't know much about editing so I haven't attempted any yet. I just watch the DVDs in my DVD player.
br /
br /There are a lot of neat features on the camera and its very well made. I would reccomend it to anyone looking for a really nice dvd camcorder.

This is a remarkable camera for the beginner because it has an Easy button that automatically configures all the settings and you can manually adjust them also for the seasoned veteran movie maker. There are a multitude of reasonably priced accessories available. The BEST perk of this unit is that it records directly to a mini dvd disc. All you have to do is shoot some footage and pop it into a dvd player and watch your work. It's great fun especially at a party.

I love my camcorder, I havenot found this model in the store. Everyone that has meet me on my vacation loves my camcorder. I is little light weight easy to travel with. It takes nice pictures.

The camera is very nice, the still images quality is very high.
br /The software is not so good, it can not get a normal DVD for support the videos.
br /I paid a two days service because I needed my camera, but after two days I did not receive the package, I contacted UPS office and I had to go to UPS offices three times, and in third I got my package, Terrible service.

I love this DVD505 very easey to take photo and i got the sony DVD record VRD-MC3 you dont need a TV are computer just Direct to the 505 all DV but ram it sales about 249.00 at circuit city very good set up jim

Since Sony moved their assembly and manufacturing companies out of Japan to China and other low income countries they changed the spelling of there name Sony to Junk Which reflect more of their product quality and durability. There customer support has followed suit by offering you people who can not speak the English language. I purchased this DVD camera from the local Wal-Mart and ran 10 Sony Dvd's through it in two days. The sound was garbled and the picture quality was poor. The Movie was jerky and would go into a pause for one second every 3 or 4 minutes. I called customer support and talked to individual who had extremely poor English pronunciation. After three or four minutes of asking the customer support and trying to understand his words or at least speak slower. He said call back later and hung up on me. I took the camera back to Wal-Mart claiming the camera must be defective. A few days later I saw the same camera on Amazon at a great saving with free shipping and a free Bluetooth wireless microphone as a rebate. I purchased the camera and the first DVD worked although a lot of the movie was very dark and it was difficult to tell if I was filming in daylight or night the sound was garbled and had wind noise. The Bluetooth arrived a few weeks later and maybe it works if the sun and the moon are in the correct position. But this Bluetooth was worst that the installed mic. I took a trip across the country and burned 20 DVD. Every one of them was junk. This DVD Camera is worst that the one I returned to Wal-Mart. Every 15 seconds the picture stops like your pressing pause then continues only to stop again in 15 seconds. Even when the camera was set on a desk where there was no movement it still when into a pause every 15 seconds. As you move the camera slowly the picture turns from bright normal colors to black, then it takes a few seconds for the camera lens to catch up and adjust the color back from black to normal. Maybe I just got two lemons in a roll or maybe Sony had really dropped the ball on quality since there having their product are now made by people who make less than a dollar for a 12 hour day work.