Product ReviewsSony DCR-IP55E Camcorder (UK)

Classic MicroMV.

All connections, including firewire, fuction perfectly.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Sold by: thebargainbin2009

Sony Handycam® DCR-IP55E Micro MV Camcorder

Nice little camera only let down by the format (Micro MV), at first glance the camcorder seems like the standard DV type and you automatically assume it supports the DV standards for editing and transfer, but only then do you realise its a whole different ballgame once you get to the transfer and editing stage.

Overall the camera is nicely designed and very easy to use and is sturdily built, it has some nice features too, such as the pop up xenon flash, 0 lux night shot, hologram AF (laser focusing system) and the ability to email images and surf the web via the Bluetooth wireless interface.

The only drawbacks is the ability to edit transfer with standard off the shelf software such as uLead, Cyberlink Power Director, Adobe Premier, although I have found iMovie 08 on the Mac supports it out of the box its a shame the format wasn't standardised. There is also no hot shoe support neither for mics or lamps, but this camcorder is more of the spur of the moment type design. The size of the camcorder is very manageable and mainly the only reason for having one, the tapes are not as widely available as the miniDV type and can be quite expensive compared to the miniDV (if going on holiday make sure you stock up).

Overall it’s a nice camera let down by a few quirks (no DV support), but great as a spur of the moment recorder.Read full review...

Sony DCR-IP55E; smallest tape camera ever!

Love the small size and touch screen. Top quality video, but in MPEG2 format, and still pictures from 1 Megapixel+ sensor, Carl Zeiss lens. Slips easily into a small pocket ( but you must be careful it doesn't slip out unnoticed if said pocket has no zip!).
Don't love the Sony software, so I use Pinnacle Studio 9.2 to capture from camera and burn DVDs. The tapes are miniscule, but are £5 on ebay, compared with £1 for MiniDV tapes.Read full review...

nice piece of kit

I love the size, weight, layout of the controls, flip-down handle, remote control.
The i.Link output is utterly useless, no streaming through it, no drivers available for it. In fact all you can use the i.Link for is transfer files to the pc, but the Sony movieshaker application is very buggy.
Thank God they've left in the USB connectivity, which works flawless as it does in all other Sony cameras I have owned.
Untill Sony gets its act together regarding microMV compatability, i will stick to the slightly bulkier miniDV cameras.
All-in-all it's a good camera if you're not worried about the microMV format/tapes.Read full review...