The Sony HDR-XR500V and XR520V Owners thread - Page 56

How about it, has anyone tried the Sony ECM-HQP1 with the HDR-XR520? I'd go for this option over the Wind Cutter solution if it works with our camera.

The 520 already has surround sound so you shouldn't need that mic. It's only 4 channel prologic i believe isn't it?

I have the sony hw2 center channel mic which works quite well and would probably be a better bet for you

It's a wireless blue tooth mic that works up to 300 feet from the cam. It takes the place of the center channel on your 5.1 cam while the on-board surround mics continue to operate. The audio quality is quite good on it, and it also has 2 way communication on it (the mic on the subject and the receiver on the cam have a jack for an ear piece). The subject and cam operator can speak to each other from greater distances.

Here's a sample of the sound waves while using the center channel mic:



This sample is about a second long and you can tell by looking at each track that they are slightly different (indicating that each mic is picking up something a bit different). The center channel mic was about 60 feet away from the cam at the time.

It's a good mic... it's dolby digital... and I think it's a better solution than the one you're looking at.

Just a bit of a warning. Wireless Bluetooth mic might have interference issues with other bluetooth devices in the area.

A Subject we where interviewing had turned on his bluetooth earbud, and as soon as he did, our mic went in and out of audio. It delivers great audio, but you always want to have a wired mic handy...

How do these cameras compare to the Advanced Amateur series models? Besides the cost difference, what are these models lacking from say the HDR-FX1000 or the HDR-FX7? Better yet compared to the HVR-HD100U?

All eyes are on Sony's imminent product launch of the NEX-VG10. It's a steal at $2,000, and even bests the models you mentioned in terms of sensor size and lens quality. It lacks a few features such as XLR audio inputs (though it has a superior boom microphone) and 24p (which can't die soon enough as an amateur's magic remedy for cinematic artistry), but it's literally a revolution.

More information here: http://www.nexvg10.info

Hi guys.

Im working on application for my uni assessment and i need some help
Its going to be a simple app showing on the map gps coordinates where videos were taken. My cam does not include gps stamps so i would like to ask someone who owns a SOny cam with GPS to share a bdmv structure from camera (it may be zipped). I would need a whole BDMV structure with one or two very short clips inside (it can be 5-10sec long) with GPS timestamps.

Im sorry for this request but i dont know anyone with cam with gps
Thanks in advance.

Kate

Go to Vimeo, search for videos shot using a XR500V/XR520V, look for a download link at the bottom right of the video page, and see if it's in the raw MT2S or whatever format. There's always a good chance that the video was shot with GPS enabled.

Unfortunately, i need more data, i need whole BDMV structure :/

Then you'll just need to build a BD from a raw file. It's not hard. Look around for some time-limited, full-featured trial software (e.g., Adobe Encore CS5) if you don't want to spend any money.

Hi,

I've owned the 520VE for almost a year now but only just found this forum and thread so slowly reading every page!!

I noticed a few posts earlier on where people have recommended switching on 'x.v colour' and commented on how it improves the vibrancy of the colours etc.

Well having done a few tests myself the 'x.v colour' seems to have the oppostie effect for me. It is quite clear on the camcorders screen and also my LCD panel that any footage recorded with x.v colour switched looks worse than with it off. As i toggle between it off and on i can see that the colours on the camcorders screen look less bright and almost desaturated. It makes the footage look very bland.

I have turned it off altogether now because it makes the footage look horrible.

I will add that my LCD panel has the xvycc option switched on also.

Could it be a fault with my camera?

Many thanks!

Folks,

Would appreciate if any expert can point me in right direction.
I have recently bought XR500V and i am planning to buy wide 37mm lens, the sony ones are way too expensive given the fact i have already spent good money on the camcorder.

I am not a pro, just a casual user, shall i go for any no name wide lenses posted at ebay or do you know anything cheap one that does well + do u think its worth it.

Would appreciate your response..

Kind Regards,

Take a look at what Raynox has to offer in extra lenses. I have their 2.2X telextender lens for my Sony camcorder with a 37mm mounting thread and it is very high quality for the money. For a high-definition camcorder, you will be disappointed with what you get with any Brand-X add-on lenses. Raynox has an excellent website that tells you the straight information about which lens is best for any camera or camcorder.

@Steve, thank you very much.
I have looked into Raynox but they are way too expensive, yet to find anything less than $100 Still Confused, anything else you recommend that is bit more cheap from price perspective.

Thanks

The small amount of specific advice you've gotten is maybe part of a more general phrase you'll hear periodically on this topic: cheap glass means poor video, don't buy cheap glass. The quality of the lens can have a decisive negative effect on your footage if you try to save more money than is reasonable.

I personally don't know what price point is simply too low. But if no one comes up with a specific low-cost lens they champion, you may just have to cough up a bit more money to get the right blend of price and quality.

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_u...&v=YFKMWblI4kw

I posted a video review of my Sony wide angle lens on Youtube, I think it was worth the money.

Amazon had a really good price at the time I bought it. More than what you are talking about, but I'm really glad I bought it. I film more with it than without it.

@Tom, you are right i have been reading quiet a lot about those wide angle lens and almost everybody shares the same opinion that you posted, lower price less quality and it kinda sucks to have a HD camcorder and thn you have a low quality lens whats the point of me buying an HD camcorder if i have to put a cheap lens on top of it.. so yes i give up the idea of cheap lens... that will screw up things..

@geo, Thanks i have gone through with/without lens videos posted at youtube, and couldn't find any difference in terms of quality.. so you are recommending Sony VCL-HGA07 ... but thanks again for sharing i will keep an eye on that lens.. PS, i like your home theater setup too...

Kind Regards,
Sam

Just wanted to jump in here and add that I bought the Sony VCL-HGA07 about a year ago and have been very happy with it. I'm a casual user like you, just shooting family stuff now and then. I have not noticed any drop in HD video quality compared to the native lens of my XR-500V.

Hello Folks,

I am back again, have taken few pictures through my camcorder and i actually i am not impressed with the result (there is lots of brightness)... i will post the pictures shortly. I apologize in advance this topic might have been posted ...

Can you please suggest what the recommended settings should be?

Thank you very much

With most Sony cameras and camcorders, when you're shooting in daylight, you often need to lower the exposure by one click or 1/3-stop.

Sony has a new 5" clip-on LCD monitor available as of this month. It is meant to physically mount to the shoe of a DSLR or HD camcorder and then connect via HDMI.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...95823#features

Although most of the product literature talks about using it on a DSLR, the product description says it is compatible with many DSLR's and HD camcorders. Some descriptions mention it mounts in any DSLR or HD camcorder with a "locking accessory shoe". The XR550V has an accessory shoe, but I'm not sure whether it fits the description of "locking". Does anyone know?

This seems like it would be very useful when the camcorder is mounted on a tripod. Mount the 5" monitor to the accessory shoe, connect via HDMI, and get a much larger monitor than the built-in one. I think it would make critical focusing and setting of exposure easier.

But will it work with the XR-500V? The two questions seem to be: 1) the ability to physically mount it in the shoe, and 2) the ability of the camcorder to transmit real-time images to the monitor over the HDMI connection while shooting. I sent these questions to Sony support over a week ago, but got no response (at least yet).

I don't have the answer, but you may want to ask the person/group that posted this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCXTwKmbnno

Well, the wind noise bugs me at times, so I just bought a "windcutter" stick-on for my 520v. It was only $14.95 with free shipping. I'll do some tests and let you guys know how it works out!
http://www.thewindcutter.com/shop/in...dex&cPath=1_80

I'm interested in your results, Shield. I posted about this at last July, wondering if anyone had tried it. Just scroll back a page and see.

I assume it's just got some sort of adhesive on it; so it's probably going to be a one-time type of test (I'm probably not going to remove it afterwards assuming it works). Tell you what - I'll take a drive around the neighborhood with the camcorder out of the sunroof; then apply the windcutter and try to replicate the first test. Then I'll post a link to the results. I'll try to convert just the video down for smaller files and leave the 5.1 intact.

Shawn

Actually, unless my personal results aren't great, this test should suffice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXZ8rdopnos

This is the stick-on windcutter, like I ordered, on a Panny 700...

Shawn,

Thanks for that link, I sometimes forget about looking things up on youtube. Looks like the ticket for me. I wouldn't mind seeing your results also if it's not a bother.

Geo

I just got my HDRXR500V back from Sony after 2 months in the repair shop (hard drive died, apparently it takes 2 months to order in new ones?). Anyway, things seem to be working again but whenever I try to do anything GPS-related I get a flashing error code (E:96:00) that sticks around until I reset the camera. I think that when they installed the new hard drive they forgot to install the GPS maps... Does anyone know of a way to install or update the built-in maps that doesn't involve sending this thing back to Sony?

Also, make sure you're backing up your footage. Apparently, rescuing the data from the dead hard drive is going to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of a grand

I have a Sony HD-shooting photo camera that has a terrible wind-noise problem. Rather than pay for a commercial furpiece, I went to a 2nd-hand store and paid 50 cents for a small stuffed poodle with long black fur. I cut out a piece 1/4-inch larger all around than the mike openings and carefully attached those margins with shoe goo (plumber's goop). It kills about 90% of the wind noise and has stayed in place without a problem. See photo link below. It looks like I have a shrunken head attached to the camera, but it works.

To attach a mounting shoe for a small monitor or a non-hotshoe mike, on a camera without one, I use Superglue. I cut out a piece of thick black rubber strapping to act as a buffer and glue it first to the right spot on the camera and then glue the shoe on top of that. I've stuck shoes on cameras this way and they've remained attached for years. I use fine sandpaper and lightly rough-up all the surfaces before gluing. The thicker, gel-type Superglue works better. The best place to find a shoe is a music supply store.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/...483452d2_b.jpg

Hi guys & gals...new owner here. I wanted to shoot some fireworks, so I was going to use the 'fireworks' setting in the 'scene selections' menue. When I hit 'Options' & attempt to set a scene selection, the button to go to the 'scene selections' menu is grayed out. This is the button next to 'White Balance'. Any idea as to why that is? tia

I used Scene Selection/Fireworks mode a couple days ago on my XR-500V, so it does work. As far as why yours is grayed out, I can only guess that some other setting is incompatible with allowing selection of a scene, but I don't know all the settings that make Scene mode unavailable.

One I know of is on the first settings screen (the left-most tab) -- if TeleMacro is on, Scene Selection will be grayed out. There may be other settings that also make Scene Selection unavailable. You could try checking all your other settings.