Review: Sony's HDR-UX1 Camcorder

I have a feeling high-definition gear will be hot items this coming year. I've been enjoying HD programming on my HDTV, but I'm really ecstatic about watching movies on the Xbox 360 HD-DVD, even if this means I'll eventually have to upgrade my DVD collection. If you're an HD hound, you'll also want to upgrade your other entertainment devices such as your DVD player, your TiVo, and your camcorder. As HD camcorders take over the scene, you'll find yourself gravitating toward them in stores—just as I have. I got my hands on Sony's latest high-definition camcorder, the HDR-UX1, to bring you this review.

I was really looking forward to a quick hands-on with the Sony's HDR-UX1, one of the few consumer-friendly high-definition camcorders currently in the market. As you can see from the image above, this camcorder looks pretty ordinary, except it has the ability to capture video in full HD or standard resolution.

I took the camcorder with me as I headed to one of San Francisco's most visited spots: Twin Peaks. The first thing I did was try out the 10x optical/80x digital zoom, and I was speechless. Being able to see traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge from Twin Peaks was pretty impressive, especially since the picture remained so clear on video. Everyone who watched the video had the same reaction I did and couldn't believe such a small camcorder could be so powerful.

There's only a few buttons on the camera itself, since most of the settings are adjusted through an extralarge 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD. I found the touchscreen navigation system to be extremely simple and intuitive compared with standard menu buttons or joysticks. You'll get a few smudges on the screen, but I don't remember it becoming a problem. The power and zoom button were in the right place, ports (HDMI Out, A/V Out, Component Out and FireWire) were all protected by sliding jack covers, and the camera itself fit perfectly in my hand. An expansion slot is readily available to store still images on a Memory Stick too.

Though I was smitten with its high-definition capabilities, I did note shortcomings, which brought me back to reality in a flash. On several night shots, I had to wait about a minute before it decided to focus on a subject. It may not sound like a huge problem, but it can be very frustrating when you're trying to capture the moment. Night scenes were not as clear as day scenes, but I'd hate to see how night shots look on a regular video camera. On the bright side, the camcorder had superb image stability, an infrared system, and recorded audio in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. A DVD model didn't exactly suit me since I prefer Mini DV or hard-drive cameras, so I was glad this model is also available (HDR-SR1) with a built-in 30GB hard drive.

My major gripe, and probably the deal breaker for me, was not being able to watch my high-definition DVDs on just any player. I had to install the accompanying software so I could make copies of the video for a non-HD DVD player because I don't own a Blu-ray player. Unless you have a PlayStation 3 or a stand-alone Blu-ray player, there's absolutely no point in upgrading to an HD camcorder just yet. I had to plug the camera into the TV via HDMI outputs just to watch my videos in HD—something I wouldn't want to do all the time.

The camera has a lot of great features, but with it comes a $1,400 price tag. I recommend you wait until you own a Blu-ray player or a PS3; otherwise I advise you to weigh the pros and cons of Blu-ray vs HD-DVD before deciding.

Recommended:

Blu-ray and HD-DVD: What You Need to Know
Xbox 360's HD-DVD Versus PlayStation 3's Blu-ray
Hands-on with the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive