Product Reviews

I purchased this handycam 4 years ago and during this time had no issue with its quality.

The product has issues with the focus, and its not easy to fix.

Simply not worth the £600+ I paid for this camcorder

I have used this camera for just over a week now and very happy with the 4K video quality. The one minor improvement would be an image window that could be more easily seen in bright daylight.

This is my sixth Sony camcorder. Each time I upgrade to better than the last

So happy with the product and the crystal output of the recordings

I have used Sony video gear in the past and really liked it. but 3 months after my warrantee ran out the shutter quit closing when I close the display. An online basic repair was for over $350, more than half the cost of a new camera. I think this might be a ploy to sell more video equipment.

Bought this recently despite the fact that the A43 is out. Good to have this for travel. Functions and features are good for this price (promotion). Recommend to use this for travel and gift for your children.

I use mine to do presentations on channel 4. The camcorder does everything I want and so much more. Great camera that is a handful. Only thing missing is a coffee pot recepticial (Grin)

USED CAMERA FOR SKIING WHILE MOVING, WHILE SAILING, BACKPACKING AND TRAVELLING THROUGH EUROPE. TERRIFIC QUALITY. AS NORMAL IT'S HEAVIER THAN MY GOPRO BUT MORE VERSITAL FOR VIDEO.

I bought this used a week ago and am still learning the many features. Setting up wifi is not very difficult. The touchscreen seemed balky at first but it takes a different touch than any smart phone. The battery stays charged long enough so I'm looking forward to recording band rehearsals and concerts. Many features to explore with this.

Didn’t realise that there was internal memory built-in

I use this product for almost all the occasions. So far all I can suggest is that the features are great. Especially the in built 5.1sound recording system

having had my old sony camcorder for nearly 20 years and yes its still working.it was time for a new one.having done a music test and wow was i impressed,the sound was sharp clear from trebble to bass,the picture quality is excellent even in low light.i would highly recommend it.not being a brand snob just have always had sony camcorders,from the hi8 tape version to hard drive and now 4k

great colours, like real, good features, negativity is comes in after sunset, image become sandy and no flash for pictures either. apart from that great cam

The AX33 is a huge step-up from my old Sony camcorder, and as an avid home-video hobbyist I always knew I wanted more out of the picture quality. As many reviews state, the AX33 really does deliver on this, and even though I've not tested it in many situations yet, I can clearly see the improved colour saturation and sharpness. It's easy to start with the basics of the camcorder, but there are certainly a lot of extra features that I didn't have before, like focus peaking and zebra lines. I would of preferred a more in-depth manual or tutorials on-line from Sony, as knowing this is probably aimed at the amateur wishing to take their work further - like many others I have not had years in the field learning what all the features mean and techniques. I have been researching online videos from other users to learn a lot of these,and I would recommend anyone else who is not familiar to do the same. You will want to learn these features for sure. The obvious benefit of the AX33 is the Balanced Optical Steady Shot feature, which physically helps stabilise your footage (with digital assist if needed), which makes a huge difference when on the move. The best way I can describe it, is that the lens 'floats' inside the unit, allowing for multiple-axis movement. I've always had to rely on digital stabilisation in the editing software when shooting days out with the family which drastically reduced the output quality (which wasn't great to start). This was one of the main factors that I wanted this camcorder and it really paid off. The 10x optical zoom is a little on the short side, but since the image quality is so good you can add some digital zoom in there no problem, and it's enough for most applications. The only issue with the moving lens is that I worry when I'm carrying the camcorder I can hear it knocking around the inside of the unit. Not sure if Sony built it to accept that, but I hope so. Other features that are on here but seldom mentioned is the ability to stream live footage with the right PC software, connect via Wi-fi to your smartphone or computer, and link up multiple cameras from the Sony range to give multiple angles (to name a few). The only other issue I have is that the front protective lens cover seems thin and flimsy, and opens when the camcorder turns on. I would recommend buying a UV filter or similar (at 52mm) to protect not only the lens, but also the internal unit, as the balanced optical steady shot does mean there is a gap around the lens. You'll need an SD card that writes as close to 100mb/s or more if you are wanting to film 4K. On a more technical note, you can manually adjust most features on this camcorder, but when it comes to the exposure, the iris and the shutter speed - you can only adjust one at a time, which makes it very hard when you're setting up for specific shots that require precision in the lighting (potentially special effects or using for stop-motion etc.) which is a shame for a camera that does so much for stepping into the more semi-pro market. A minor thing that most people will not notice, but something I've learnt post-purchase. Overall I know that I'll be using the AX33 for some time to come, with it's breadth of features and high-quality imaging, it's going to be used for a wide-variety of projects around the home. A good price, for people looking for that step-up their video projects.

We wanted a good quality camcorder to take on a special holiday. Picture quality is great. Easy to use. Zoom is smooth. I like the night mode. Not explored the other functions yet. Really pleased with the camcorder. I am hoping it will last for years to come

I use this for my YouTube channel for 4k quality. This has great features too.

I bought this camera in November and it has been superb. I love it. The features are great. I've used it to capture weddings, photo sessions, church services and even basketball games. So glad I purchased it!

Happy with purchase, using this to record soccer games.

I bought this on Cyber Monday at an excellent price

The camera is good and works well. No issues. It does not blow me away but works as expected. The wifi feature is a joke though. Very misleading but I researched and knew this before the purchase. The big problem is the software. PlayMemories is a complete mess. My MAC freezes and the new updates don't support it. My PC operating software also has issues.

Received as a gift. Not really sure why this product exists given we all have 4K video recording in our phones these days. In comparison, its very big and bulky. The addition of image stabilisation and ability to record for longer and optical zoom are the only features I can see that are better than a phone video, but not sure how many times I need that in a video I would shoot, remain to be convinced of its place in my life. Other than that it seems a quality piece of kit.

I bought last year and I am satisfied to had this item.

Purchased mostly for taking out in the field for videos. The 10X optical zoom was a concern since past camcorders had more magnification, so far it has not been an issue but I think it will be a draw back at times in the future. Sill photos are better than expected, especially indoors under poor lighting. Video quality is excellent for hosting on computer and websites, I have not burned any to disk to play on TV yet, but the quality on small screen makes me think it will be fine when saved in higher resolution. I'm not a fan of Play Memories yet, maybe I will figure it out and it will be fine, but I just purchased another video editor that will handle the 4K to try instead. Not a reflection on the camera itself, just the software.

I bought this camera as an upgrade to my old Sony Hi-8 cassette cameras. While I still have some use for the older camcorders, I wanted something that had a better quality picture and I'm very happy about my purchase.

This cam recorder made excellent videos in full HD, the sharp and brightness are so spectacular and vivid, I use for my you tube channel and works smooth and easy to operate.

I am very pleased with the product so much fun to play

Great camcorder replacing my old well used Sony camcorder

I bought this model because my earlier (non-Sony) camcorder lacked a separate microphone input, something I needed when shooting drama/comedy films at my local videomaking club, and missing on so many other non-professional cameras. The lovely picture quality has been commented on by club members - and that's not even using the 4K setting! Plus you can customise so many of the settings - and the SteadyShot feature is great for outdoor hand-held shooting.

I received this product for my birthday so I would have a better camera to film on YouTube with, and I love it. The features are great and the quality is so much better than my phone. The internal microphone is also really good. I used this camera at the beach and I could hear my family's voices over the waves and other people. The stabilization feature is super cool too. I really recommend this product to anyone considering. There are always better cameras for thousands of dollars, so you can't compare this to those, but even so, this camera is great. The picture quality is amazing outside.

I bought this product recently and used it for my daughter's wedding. A great buy, easy to use, lots of features.

I wanted to move up to the world of 4K not just viewing videos but making them. Now I have. Will work on editing and burning and expect excellent results.

For the price, you get all that's expected. I'm on quite a budget right now tbh, but I love filming and editing so much I had to try this out. I've tried quite a few others quoted a bit less than this, yet none satisfied. This completed me and gave me absolute gratification. If you want implied professionalism, intertwined with simplistic quality for every film; this is the product for you:)

i bought this camera for personal use and vlogging and it is a perfect starting camcorder.

Im so happy ,excellent videos,beauty pics.easy to use

I had it for less then two years and the stabilizer went bad.

I brought the FDR-AX33 and I am please so far. I needed a upgrade for my small sports media company, this will help me bring the professionism I am looking for.

I was recommended by a friend to buy AX53 and when I compared the features, I went for AX33. I used it to make a video of our annual gathering and I just set it up and left it unattended for some time. I giot goos results. Pleased with my purchase of AX33.

I recently bought this video Camera to film my model planes for YouTube I am very pleased with the video quality and how easy the camera is to use. It has a great battery which lasts a long time before charging and the Wifi feature and ability to control with your smart phone is a great feature.

Great 4KUHD PICTURE QUALITY . Ease of use straight forward instructions

I bought this camcorder a month ago and after viewing some online tutorials, feel that I have more than basic understanding of its' operation. I've used it primarily to make videos of my grandson's lacrosse games. The picture quality is excellent on playback. The mechanical stabilization is very effective. It has 10x optical zoom and while this is pretty good, I wish it had higher than that. The only negative I've encountered is that sometimes it is slow to focus. I'm going to have to look into what may be causing the slow focus as it does not happen all the time. I was looking for a camcorder that had an actual viewfinder because taking videos outside in the sun does not work well with my old Cannon camcorder that has only the LCD display to see what you are recording. All-in-all I'm glad that I bought this unit and recommend it.

I am left handed so I do have to think like a right handed person. It would be great if it was made to work for both left and right handed people. Also the hand strap is too small. Have a hard time getting my hand in to operate it.

I used the camera two times and now it’s a brick. No power is getting to the camera. My spare battery is also not working to power up the camera. I’m on a trip to Costa Rica and it is very disappointing to not have our video camera working on this trip. Fortunately we have our phones and other devices but not our AX-33. I bought this video camera because our other Sony HD tape casette camera failed...and now this.

Finally I made the purchase of the product I was needing a long time and even with two days of use I am very satisfied

I like this model's market placement (who it's aimed at) and I feel it's targeted right. 4K, good battery life, it's fast at most all features it performs (a little slower focusing than I prefer but not a deal breaker). It's easy to use, looks good, feels solid. The touchscreen is much better than I read it would be (I'm satisfied with it). The video reproduction and color accuracy are spot-on. My biggest concern was the low light performance which I'd researched was not that good. However compared to what I researched, my expectation was exceeded. This product just makes me "feel good" (happy) and I can't say that about many electronic products.

Purchesed to replace camrecorder that was no longer working, we had had that camrecorder for 8 years with no problems.

Just bought this camcorder after much research. I found it easy to set up, user friendly and produces good quality videos.

I 'm a beginner to be fair Ive been making docs but other people were filming so i decided to get my own camera . A friend set it on automatic to film as a novice and the quality is good ,even when i'm filming while moving the pic is not wobbly . I bought a mic to add to the camera for outside filming but the quality as been good outside with out the mic ,but it was a nice day and no traffic

A bit more money that i wanted to spend but worth it

Not familiar with shooting movies or editing and was asked to shoot a friends wedding. After some practice I created a pretty decent movie. The camera shined in its picture quality and, in time, I'll be shining too. Great equipment inspires me!

It has been 3 years since I bought a camera. Previously, I had gone for DSLRs but needed something that could record longer than 29.95 minutes. The AX33 allowed me to continually

My shutter broke within the first month. It opens halfway or not at all. I have to force it open when it opens halfway. Sony won’t replace because I don’t have a receipt. This was gifted to me so all I have is the box. I will be moving on from Sony to Panasonic.