Not that this changes my view of the VG20 - it's still piece of crap - but the creative styles were not on the VG20s at the Sony stand and yet Sony told me at the IFA these were the final cameras. Yes it looks possible that the camera had a pre-release firmware but it doesn't really change a lot for me anyway. It's still a piece of marked-up old baloney and that jog dial rubbish. Prefer the dial on the 5N and that costs $600.

Sure I can get small things wrong due to misunderstandings, who doesn't? What human being on planet Earth is always 100% perfect? Vladimir Putin maybe? But far better to get the broad picture than the details. I few of you could learn that on this forum.

@Vitaliy_Kiselev I spent a good deal more time and effort than a slap-dash 2 minutes at a stand on the test. If you can't have a good word to say about me, probably better not to say it all.

If there is one thing I've learned Vitaliy, it is not to stop by here any more, it just isn't worth the abuse.

Given my resources at IFA I think I did a good job of getting to grips with the cameras in a short time for the first time and giving the details and opinions in the review. All this fuss about details really annoys me on forums. Blogging is never 'final', situations are dynamic and they change. A book is a static source. A scientific paper is final. A hands-on review isn't a dissertation and I'm not publishing peer reviewed scientific papers. If I did this you'd have 2 reviews a year and it would be 6 months late :)

It's an extreme conclusion on the VG20 because I believe, genuinely, that it isn't a good option for aspiring filmmakers. It doesn't handle well. It feels cheap. It gives you barely any advantages over the 5N for the vast amount of extra cash and the one good point it does have - manual audio - the GH2 does for less money and with better handling.

It isn't acceptable for me to get smeared by you Vitaliy time and again. If I felt I deserved it, maybe I wouldn't have such a strong opinion and defence in response. 'Bunch of inaccurate facts and articles'. I mean WTF - am I meant to take that as a compliment? I am entitled to defend myself against rude attitudes like this, I don't care who from.

Hey I was reading the specs on the NEX VG20 and I noticed that the crop is much more than I thought it was. It's 1.8x in video mode, instead of the 1.5x it is in photo mode. The 18-200mm lens has a real world view of 27-300mm in photo but only 32.4-360mm in video mode.

Is this different in the 5N?

Do all of the new Sony cameras force the same crop factor?

What's your usual sequence of operations from power up to power down on a scene?

Power on. Then which buttons? wheels? menu options?

This is true, I saw a comparison video on a forum between the VG10 and the VG20 in low light. The person doing the testing noticed that the field of view was wider on the vg20 than it was on the VG10. From this I'll assume that the crop is the same as the 5n which has a lower crop factor than the Nex-5 in video mode. Also in case anyone was wondering, the low light performance is improved over the VG10 and is able to handle higher gain levels with much less noise.

I no longer read anything Andrew writes.

LOL.

Considering camera, I agree that you did smart thing.

More notes

Jog dial (not "loose" but smooth so you dont hear clicks in your videos) can be assigned to Gain,iso,shutter speed by holding the manual button. two presses. same as 5n basically.

Expanded focus can be used while recording video which just like peaking is handy when going manual.

Peaking function in one setting only (5n has low,med,high) Peaking looks like medium on VG20.

Photo button can be pressed by accident (and locks fuction while pressed) bit annoying.

Took me a little while to get used to layout. will try to do total video overview when I get some free time.

@Xenogears

Yes it had Moire and alaising...show me a single APSC sensor cam that does not. Ive yet to see one. Even on camcorders you get some wierd artifacting anyway.

I myself have become able to use the awful and dumb buttons with intuition. All it takes is practice. This is true for any camera when given a chance.

The VG20 does autofocus. The VG20 has a couple of lenses to be had with stablisation (18-55mm O.S.S,18-200MM O.S.S, 50MM O.S.S) all work very well.

Powerzoom is a missing thing I agree. But fixed? Then it removes the ability to use multiple lenses which is what the VG camera is about.

Agree with the EVF but its far from terrible. Much worse on similar priced cameras.

The handycam line can be anything from consumer to prosumer. The vg20 isnt a professional spec cam. Its a high end consumer camera for those who want the DSLR image in a different form factor. The larger sensor has its benefits.

The XA10 is nice camcorder and I did consider it but felt the XA10 results gives a more video-ish image not so hot in lowlight conditions. Ive been there before...this is why I moved away from camcorders years back to dslr and m4/3 and nex.

Also I have Nex lenses anyway and had a max budget of £1000. XA10 was over that. I also was happy with the Nex 5n image,wanted 50p but pissed off with the overheating.

It really depends what you want from a camcorder. Be it pro enthusiastic or average Joe.

I myself wanted a camcorder that gives me great results that I can get from a dslr but without the fuss. So the VG20 gives me both these things.

Theres always room for improvement...but that can be said for ANY camera.