Sony Ax2000

All You Need to Know About the Sony AX2000

Sony is known for quality in the design and manufacture of dozens of different products, including phones, computers, cameras, and camcorders. The Sony HDR-AX2000 Handycam camcorder has all the technology and features a filmmaker might need, and they're available at a range of price points on eBay.

The affordable HDR-AX2000 Handycam was Sony's first AVCHD camera for the prosumer market. It can be used by anyone, but it was designed for people who use video cameras for professional or semi-professional purposes, and it marks a clear improvement over the previous HDR-FX1000. It comes equipped with optical image-stabilization, steady shot with active mode, and 3 1/3-inch CMOS optical sensors. Here are some of the other highlights of the AX2000:

• Video - AVCHD capture at 24Mbps, 1080/50i, 1.037 MP effective resolution
• Display - 3.2-inch LCD Xtra Fine
• Video Recording Modes - FH, HQ, FX, LP
• Outputs - S-video, HDMI, video/audio composite
• Zoom - Manual focus and zoom, 20x optical zoom, 30x digital zoom

This camera shipped from the manufacturer with the InfoLITHIUM Rechargeable Battery, model NP-F570. Other battery packs that will work with the system include the NP-F770 and the NP-F970.

• NP-F570 battery pack: 260 minutes full charge time; up to 130 minutes of continuous HD recording on one charge
• NP-F770 battery pack: 370 minutes full charge time; up to 285 minutes of continuous HD recording on one charge
• NP-F970 battery pack: 485 minutes full charge time; up to 425 minutes of continuous HD recording on one charge

They are actually the same camera, with two small differences. The "E" on the end of the Sony AX2000E indicates that the camera was manufactured for sale in Europe. Because the AX2000E is for the European market, it is designed to record in European video formats, such as PAL.

It's simple and straightforward to connect a new or preowned AX2000 to your computer using the Content Management Utility, which should be installed on the relevant computer prior to connecting the camcorder. It will work with computers running Windows XP or Windows 7, as well as with newer systems. Minimum requirements:

• Windows XP - 512MB RAM or more
• Windows 7 - 1GB RAM or more
• Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz CPU or faster

Each computer may have a slightly different procedure, so refer to the manufacturer's instructions for details.