Sony HDR-AX2000 Handycam camcorder (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

it's the first time i used it . it performs flawlessly . stunning images. Editing is also simple Highly recommnended it. It records on SD card , there is no moving parts , it will last for a long time.

I am using every week it working perfect for my money.

slow focusing. Otherwise good camera. A decent upgrade from hdr fx1, uses same batteries as the hdr fx1. smaller viewfind screen. lots of external controls which today's cameras do not have.

Fair warning to anyone thinking of buying a Sony camcorder, especially the HDR-AX2000.I don't know if this is part of the design in all Sony camcorders or just some, but I've had two Sony Handycams and one professional camera, the HDR-AX2000, that have a jog wheel to make menu choices. The problem is that this wheel, after several months or maybe a year or two, gets worn out and becomes unusable. The moment you activate the menu the selection can start going up and down like crazy, as if you were rolling the wheel up and down but you're not touching it. Or, as it happens with my HDR-AX2000, it doesn't move the selection as long as you don't touch it, but as soon as you start scrolling up or down it will go berserk. Sometimes you will get to your selection and it will move one selection above or below. You keep trying to get it to the right selection but it always ends up in the wrong one. Sometimes you are rolling it upwards but the selection goes downwards. This makes that wheel completely useless, and I have to use the buttons on top of the camera for navigating the menu.I have googled this and I found many other users with the same problem, not just with this model, but with many other models that have a wheel like that.In the two Handycams, this problem developed after a couple of years. In the HDR-AX2000 it started shortly after I bought it in October 2010 and it became useless within a few months. Since I had to use the camera for work and I couldn't part with it for several weeks, I waited a while to make a warranty claim, so when I was going to make it, it was more than a year after I had bought it. And there came my next disappointment with Sony.Since this is a professional camera, I was under the impression that the warranty was good for three years. But Sony, even though this is a professional camera in every possible way, labeled this as a "consumer" camcorder. Please tell me what consumer is going to spend $3,500 in a camera that is much heavier than a typical consumer camera? What consumer needs two XLR inputs in their camera to shoot travel and family videos? What consumer needs separate wheels for focus, zoom and iris, and several other settings that only professional camera operators know what they mean? Even if you're wealthy and $3,500 is small change to you, would you even think of buying a camera with so many settings that you don't know what they're for unless you are skilled in videography? Would you think of buying a camera that is much bigger and heavier than a typical consumer camera?So because Sony labels this as a consumer camera, the warranty is only good for one year. ONE YEAR for a $3,500 professional camcorder. Absolutely outrageous.So now I'm left with a camera that I paid a fortune for, that has a design flaw that would cost me $500 to fix. I haven't used it for the past few years because if you know this camera, you know that shooting video and trying to operate the menu with the buttons above the camera is a pain, which is the reason why that jog wheel is on the side at the bottom.So either I sell it on eBay heavily discounted because the buyer will have to take it to a shop to fix this problem, or I spend $500 to fix it and then trying to sell it for a higher price.Then there's another huge design flaw. While this camera has a very good picture quality, the onboard microphone sounds terrible. And I mean really, really terrible, not like the typical difference you get between the camera's microphone and an external microphone, which will usually be better. I've had lots of camcorders, both consumer and professional, and I've never heard sound from a camera that sounds so awful. I'm not an audiophile that spends thousands of dollars on audio equipment, but I have a very decent home theater that sounds excellent for everything I throw at it, better than any other home theater I've ever heard. And to be honest, I'm happy with the sound from the onboard microphone in my other cameras, a semipro Panasonic and a professional Canon, especially the Canon XF-100.Granted, with this camera for most work situations you will use a mono shotgun microphone, which I have, but sometimes you want ambient sound, if there are no people talking or maybe you have another camera recording dialog from a wireless lavalier. With the HDR-AX2000, recording with the onboard microphone is useless because it has an EQ curve that is so messed up that at best you can fix it a little bit, but it will still sound far worse than any other recording device. This is a $3,500 camera and has a microphone that at least based on sound quality, must cost less than $10. Sure, you can spend about $400 in a stereo XLR mic, more if you can afford it, but then you would have to mount and unmount them all the time to switch between the mono mic and the stereo one, when it should be as simple as flipping a switch in the audio panel, like it is with my Canon XF100.So because of all this, when I had to buy other cameras, I bought a Panasonic and two Canons. After my horrible experience with the HDR-AX2000, I will never buy another Sony camcorder again.

This Sony camera is a nice addition to the Sony Line-up, somewhat of a replacement for the HVR-V1u, only shooting tapeless to MemoryStick and SD cards instead of tape. It was released around March of 2010, and competes mostly with the Panasonic HMC-150 which has similar features. Here are the pros as I see it:* Wider angled lens than many other cameras, which is nice for interiors, and filmmaking. But not much wider than the HMC-150.* 20x zoom, which is very nice to have. Only the Canons equal this. Sony's digital zoom is also quite good in a pinch.* Very fine quality LCD screen. You can argue about the placement.* Camera will shoot 1080, but also 480, if you want to shoot standard definition like the "old days".Here are some cons:* Camera will not shoot 720p, and will not overcrank (no slow motion).* AVCHD footage may not play nice with Final Cut Pro or some software, yielding large file sizes that may need converting.* Low light performance of 1.5lux is a bit of hype. The camera performs about as well as all the others in low light in this class.* Arguably overpriced, especially with the onslaught of incredible footage seen from DSLR cameras.* On board microphone is useless.Some other things to consider: Camera has CMOS chips, which are eventually going to be all that is made. This may be prone to some rolling shutter issues or vibration issues. I'll let you research this on your own. But CMOS does use less power than CCD chips. Chips are only 1/3", which will soon be a thing of the past.Bottom line - If you are a Sony user and have been waiting for a camera that shoots to SD cards in this price range, this will do it, and all you need. It would be very handy for events, sports, interviews, documentaries and some indie filmmaking. It doesn't have the interchangeable lenses that the Z5u or EX-3 have, but it's less expensive than those, and unlike the V1u, it is tapeless, and is probably a stop better in low light than the V1u. If you can live without the overcranking and have a good XLR microhone already, this may be the camera for you.

My experience level is not professional, just an avid amateur. I have used this camcorderin various lighting conditions and all of my videos look great. I really like usingthe super slow motion feature; it allows me to capture stunning slow motion video.Low light is fantastic.Macro shots are crisp and vivid.Manual focus couldn't be easier.Controls are placed within easy natural reach.LCD screen is in a perfect location for low angle shots"Steady Shot" in the "active" mode is rock steadyI upgraded from a Panasonic ag dvc30 and this is a huge leap in technology.Again I'm not a professional but my Sony HDR AX2000 makes my videos look like I am.

Not that impressed, problems filming fast paced action shots.Other than that performance is average. Short battery lifewith battery that comes with it.

Bought two of these for a live broadcast we produce each month. Great camera if you use it to record to tape but if you are trying to get a live analog composite S-Video or component feed out of this camera you will get an inconsistent, blurry and fuzzy picture every time. It has to do with the horrible proprietary "D" connector they put on this camera. Come on Sony, you can do better than that in this range of camera. After use of 3 hours a month for less than two years both of these cameras need repair. I'm looking elsewhere now.