Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119184 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Sony
• Model: IP55
• Released on: 2002-10-22
• Dimensions: 8.00 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• Sleek, 1-megapixel MicroMV camcorder and digital still camera
• 10x optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 120x) with Super SteadyShot image stabilizer
• 2.5-inch rotating precision SwivelScreen hybrid touch panel LCD
• Memory Stick slot, remote control, pop-up flash, and Super NightShot for shooting in low lighting
• NP-FF50 InfoLithium Rechargeable Battery

Amazon.com Product Description
Sony's FireWire-equipped DCR-IP55 MicroMV Handycam camcorder features a 1-megapixel CCD sensor and offers 520 lines of horizontal video resolution and still image resolution of 1,152 x 864. It also offers a foldout handle for use in shooting video on an angle, above a crowd, or when following fast-paced sports.

The DCR-IP55 boasts Carl Zeiss optics with an advanced multilayer coating. It features a 10x optical and 120x precision digital zoom, SteadyShot picture stabilization, and a super NightShot infrared system for recording in total darkness--new to MicroMV Handycam camcorders.

In addition to video, the DCR-IP55 offers enhanced digital still photo features, including intelligent pop-up flash and hologram AF--an autofocus feature designed to achieve accurate subject focus with minimal contrast in dark conditions. Through an MPEG movie AD mode, the DCR-IP55 also allows you to capture MPEG1 compressed video and audio for up to 60 seconds directly to Memory Stick media in four different quality modes: light, standard, fine, and super fine.

The MicroMV tape is 70 percent smaller than a MiniDV tape and provides up to 60 minutes of digital video footage. It has a 64K memory chip that allows for a multisearch function to access different recorded sections of the tape as one would a DVD, creating a thumbnail image of each recorded scene on the tape. Additionally, whenever a MicroMV cassette is inserted into the camcorder or the VCR mode is used, cassette information is automatically displayed on the LCD showing the first and last date of use, how much recording space remains, and titling capability so the user can title the videotape.

Connect to your PC or Mac via a superfast IEEE 1394 port (also called FireWire). You can also connect wirelessly to a Bluetooth-enabled PC.

Customer Reviews

Amazingly tiny and feature packed
I've had this camcorder for about 3 weeks now and have had numerous occasions to use it including downloading video to the PC.

The bottom line: The DCRIP55 is all it's cracked up to be.

I've taken stills and movies, both interior and exterior shots and found the quality of the video to be exceptional and the sound to be crisp and clear. That being said, here are the pros and cons based on 10 or so filming sessions including full use of MovieShaker to download and edit films:

Pros:

- Way smaller than the web pics make it appear
- High quality video and sound
- Very solid construction, everything is quite sturdy
- The touch screen makes using most features a breeze
- Incredibly convenient handle and good access to key controls near handle
- Virtually no compromise on standard camcorder features (steadyshot, nightshot, megapixel, etc.)
- LCD is very crisp and clear even in bright light
- Taking still pictures and making videos is easy and straightforward

Cons:

- No FireWire cable included so you have to spend [money] if you want that
- MovieShaker and one commercial product from Pinnacle are your only options for actually downloading. And no editing in other products *until* you convert the MMV files to something standard.
- Native MMV tape format is not in actual DVD MPEG format (it's actually higher quality!) but it's still MPEG. My QuickTime player had no problem playing the files directly downloaded from the camcorder.
- Conversion to regular MPEG files had minor quality and artifact issues, I was NOT pleased with this but it was acceptable.
- Bluetooth capabilities appear only to work with Sony Bluetooth hardware, could not find my laptop using two different Bluetooth transceivers
- LCD seems small, but what can you expect when the whole camcorder will fit in your pocket (pants pocket not shirt pocket).
- Sony put no money into the remote control, it's huge, bulky, and... . But so are they on all Sony models is what I find.

The bottom line is that this camcorder works as advertised. The biggest problem for most folks will be that the Firewire/i.Link port does not put out the standard Sony MiniDV format, it is a new proprietary format but I had no problems getting it to work.

Great Micro MV Camcorder by Sony at last !
After significant research, I finally bought this camcorder. I have been smiling ever since. It's a smart little device loaded with great features. Positives 1. I was pleasantly surprised to find it much smaller in size than I had imagined it to be (from the pics on the web). While it is certainly not pocketsize, it can comfortably slide into a handbag or those large cargo pant pockets! 2. The lens on this cam is definitely superior compared to its predecessors IP5 & IP7. 3. While the day shots are comparable to other cams, it truly stands out during night shots. 4. The "touch screen" LCD control is a very handy. 5. The foldable camcorder holder definitely makes up for lack of "grip string" in any of the Micro MV camcorders. This contributes to more stable shots compared to IP5 or IP7. 8. The digital still pics are acceptable for posting on the web, but do not expect to print great photos from them. If you own a Sony computer, you might have a memory slot that allows for easy transfer of files from the memory stick. 9. Along with an I-Link interface, it has USB & Bluetooth. Negatives 1. Recording on Micro MV tapes does leave gaps between scenes (attributed to MPEG2 coding). 2. Sony throws in a paltry 8Mb memory stick that quickly runs out. So plan on upgrading your memory stick if you are serious about using it as a digital still camera. Bottom line - Sony has sprung back with a winner especially after its double disappointments with IP5 & IP7 models.

Size versus video quality
In a nutshell, the major issue with the IP55 is the small trade-off of video quality versus size.

Mind you, you're getting by far one of the smallest video cameras on the market, with all the camcorder features you'd expect in a larger model. However, its only major limitation in my eyes is the video quality.

Regardless, it's still very impressive. In all my use of it, the only thing that bugs me is the slow autofocus. That's it. I can only tell the video quality issues when compared side by side with the TRV50, but after converting to DVD there's little difference between the two.

MicroMV isn't a hard format to handle once you get it converted to the MOV format. To do this you need Quicktime Pro 5 (Quicktime Pro 6 doesn't work), which Sony should've bundled with it. Simply open your MMV file in Quicktime, select Save As, and save it as a MOV. Load it into Premiere or whatever video editing software you like and away you go, no other issues to speak of. I've successfully edited my videos using a variety of programs, so don't let the MicroMV format put you off.

Quibbles aside, the best bit of owning the IP55 is when you pull it out of the case (which, incidently, is the size of a regular camera case, not a camcorder). You can't beat the wow factor.