Customer Ratings & Reviews

Love this product. It is simple to use. It is light in weight. It is very convenient. The resolution is amazing and the quality of the videos are amazing.

My husband and I are vloggers and chose this camera over the G7x, because of the amazing zoom, the stereo sound, the wide aperture for improved low light shots, and the digital AND physical video stabilization. All of those features are fantastic on this camera. It is a little bigger than most vlogging cameras, but I would chose it again. I feel like this camera is very versital and a bang for your buck. People often ask us what kind of camera we have. The camera is also very easy to use and is great for capturing family videos as well. The camera is good enough to even be used for some professional video projects, in my opinion. If I could improve the camera, I would make a way for the physical stabilization (moving lense) to be turned off if needed. Sometimes, it can be a little jumpy during zoom shots. I would also make a way to insert/ remove the SD card without having to turn on the camera ( opening the panel to access the SD card reader turns on the camera). I would also make a switch on the outside for depth of field adjustment. You have to access the menu to adjust it. (I know this improves with their more expensive camcorders, but this camera would be just about perfect if there was better control of that.) Overall, I would definitely recommend this camera. It is wonderful, and we are thankful that we own one. It has been great for us.

The Sony AX53 has a lot to offer. For me, however, it's too complex to select the desired settings in the menus. The manual doesn't address nearly all its features. I learn how online but forget sometimes and, when in run and gun mode, I don't haver the right setting and get blurry results. One thing I've had a hard time is focus. The camera will focus on something other than what I wanted it to. For example, the clip was ruined when two children sitting beside each other were out of focus when the camera focused on the distance background between their faces. The screen is so small that I didn't notice that until playback...then I missed the moment. On the plus side, the video quality is awesome. The small size and light weight are great. The touch screen is also nice. I would recommend it with reservation, considering Best Buy has a great return policy.

Compared to the six year old 1080p Sony camera I am replacing, the image quality, ease of operating and manual override controls (for focus, iris or zoom) are all significant with this 4K model and worth the upgrade. The only areas I'm disappointed are the audio quality (though this can be improved with a separate or shoe attached microphone) and the stabilization is sometimes too aggressive, introducing shakes or a sense of floating past the point where I intend a pan to stop, as it over compensates for intentional camera movements. The image stabilization has several intensity levels in the settings and I am still playing with it to get the right level given the amount of camera movement a particular scene needs. This takes some getting used to. I have a pretty steady hand or I will sometimes use a tripod even when moving the cam, so the over-reacting stabilization can be frustrating at times. I expect I will get used to it and overall I'm pleased with the upgrade.

I purchased this Sony Handycam for a trip to Africa. I have used Sony Handycams over the years and as usual I was not disappointed. Easy to use, great pictures, excellent stabilization, and much more. I was very careful before purchasing and read the reviews, including the negative ones. Camera worked great and I got some exciting pictures of animals and birds and scenery. I highly recommend this camera.

It's a great camera, but I did have to return the first one i got after it began to malfunction after a couple of weeks. It would constantly reboot everytime I tried record. Best Buy did replace it for me and we will see how well this one goes. Other than that, I love the quality of the video and ease of downloading.

I bought this camcorder for my 6 month assignment in Europe. I wanted the best possible video and pics. I liked that the size, while bigger then traditional camcorders, is smaller than all other 4K camcorders I found. Except the more expensive next Sony step up model. The other feature that attracted me is the additional color view finder - since flipout view finders can be totally washed out in strong sun. I have used the camera for two months now and the quality of the video and pics are outstanding. I am not sure that the image stabilization is actually helping though - I have a very steady hand for taking videos and don't see a difference. I don't care for the Sony Playhome Memories software, prefer to do my own organizing and editing. Also, when you try to delete files on the camera via a computer, it leaves artifacts on the camera so that when you go back to the Playback function on the camera you get an image reference but no thumbnail. I found a workaround to delete these on camera, but involves extra steps. All in all a great camcorder.

I bought this as a gift for my wife and she loves it. Now able to record every moment in 4K, she loves the picture and microphone quality, the ease of accessing and watching pics/ videos and how compact the camcorder is. Highly recommend this product to all!

I bought the AX53 shortly after the birth of our first child, wanting something that was better for video than my phone (Pixel 3xl). I have zero regrets with this purchase as it's allowed my to effortlessly capture hours and hours of memories in surprisingly high quality. When picking a camcorder, picture and sound quality, and ease of use were the only important criteria. I knew 4K was going to be a must, and contemplated spending more, up to 2.5x more, for HDR (looking at Sony's AX100 and 700 cams, as well as those from Canon and Panasonic). I also was interested in trying to find a camcorder that would shoot in 5.1 surround while in 4k mode, but this wasn't possible inside the price range I was considering. I've owned other Sony imaging products, with my main camera being an a6300, so having a common hot shoe interface was definitely a plus, and I knew Sony sensors are among the best for imagine quality which is what drove me here. After hours of comparison videos on YouTube and reviews and forum posts, I finally landed on the AX53 primarily for one reason: the absurdly amazing optical image stabilization. They describe it as having what is essentially an internal gimbal, and after hours of usage in a variety of scenarios (walking around, zooming in, etc) I can say without a doubt that this is the greatest feature of this camera. Generally, if you're not using a tripod, your videos are going to be annoyingly shaky. This simply isn't an issue in the vast majority of scenarios with the AX53. It's the reason I chose this one over the slightly superior imagine quality of the 1" sensor on the AX100, which is relatively close in cost. That one has no optical stabilization, so the trade-off in image quality was easily worth it. That being said, I'm also very satisfied with how great the videos look. Watching them using the included HDMI cable on both a 55" 4K TV and a 4K projector on a 93" screen, I'm very, very pleased with how good they turn out. The only really semi downside, which would've been better on the AX100, is that sometimes low light videos look less than stellar, especially when compared to what this thing does in daylight. Overall, great video quality though when using the 4K 100mbps setting. Usability with the AX53, like others on the market I suspect, is what I'd consider comparable to a point and shoot camera. You flip the screen open, that turns it on, and you're immediately ready to start taking videos. When you're done, close the screen and it's off. This couldn't be any simpler. Changing shooting modes and settings is also simple, with most of the options being configurable from a button on the main display. One additional option that I didn't think I'd use, but that I'm really glad to have, is the dual shooting mode, where you can record videos simultaneously in full quality, as well as in lesser quality .MP4 files. This enables quick sharing without the need to down convert in situations where you just want to quickly share a video to social media or via text. Great feature. The main downside I've seen discussed with the AX53 is the manual image setting controls. While you can technically set most of the aspects of the image, you can only set one thing at a time, meaning you don't REALLY have manual control over the image. For me, this isn't really that much of an issue, given the cam's auto mode does a pretty great job of getting things right in the vast majority of scenes. This may be a huge sticking point for those who desire complete control over things like aperture, focus, and WB, though. Overall, I am completely satisfied with the AX53. It does it's job very well with no nagging issues. Even though it's a couple years old at this point, the image quality is very good. I would highly recommend this one.

Sony Handycam AX53 4K is an exceptional piece of technology! The clarity of the 4K resolution is unparalleled, providing crisp and vivid footage. Its advanced stabilization feature ensures smooth and steady shots, even in dynamic environments. The intuitive controls make it easy to use for both beginners and experienced videographers. I highly recommend this camera for anyone looking to capture professional-quality videos.

This is a great camera for the price. I love the feel of it and it is very easy for my kids to use and take great pictures. It’s light but durable and I recommend it to anyone. I take it to all of my kids sporting events. I also shot a wedding with it last week and everyone was really amazed at the quality so it made me feel like a professional.

Camera has great tracking for capturing faces. The interface is pretty easy to use. Stabilization works great when you are moving. 4k video does not take up as much memory as other high quality cameras. The in camera settings and effects save time for certain situations. Great for commercial use and making high quality projects.

Very good camcorder. It does 4K as well as HD. It has vibration stability to help make good handheld shots. There are many settings that are useful for interesting shots. It has connections for external mike and earphones. Very good images. Easy to use.

I have an older Mini-DV HD camcorder, and recently purchased a mid-level professional 4K camcorder. This one shoots with ease right off the truck seat with no guesswork at what settings to use, and is much friendlier to use than the pro level Sony PXW-Z100 for a fraction of the cost. Admittedly, I have not learned all about the Z100, but it definitely requires more setup to get it going. Digital zoom to 250x is still digital zoom, but I was able to record a group of about 1,600 elk 4 miles away and could still see them well enough to count individual elk (hand held!!! - can't wait to see how it does on a tripod!!!). Once I found the Active mode for image stabilization, the jumpiness while panning all but disappeared. Output in .MP4 files works well with most PCs, although some codec prevented it playing in Windows Media Player on at least one PC.

I really enjoy this camera. It makes great videos. It's pretty sweet. Great color and HD quality. Battery life last quite a long time. Very compact. It came with no case which I think is completely cheap. I have never bought a camera with no case. Not sure what the deal is with that but for that reason. I would not recommend this camera to a friend.

I love this camera. It takes amazing videos especially with the balanced optical steady shot (BOSS) and I have not even used the 4k mode yet. It has a great zoom range and is great is low light situations. Its not too big or too small.Its just the right size. Glad I purchased this.

I love looking back at videos while I was young and I want to do the same for my kids as well with better quality video! This camera has crazy amount of zoom and clarity and the added gimbal steady shot helps tremendously!

Extremely impressed with the quality of this camera! It's very easy to use and produces very clear video. The zoom feature is very helpful.

I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking to start recording in 4K format. The camera has a great quality from a reputable brand and the speed and ease of use on the LCD is superior to other models. The best feature is the image stabilization. Thumbs up!

I purchased this video camera for my wife to replace our older Sony HDR-SR11 which we enjoyed for years. We like having a separate camcorder vs using phone or ipads, The quality is better. I was not able to look at the AX53 as our local store did not have one on display. I ordered on line and took a chance. Upon unboxing I was disappointed. The build quality and feel were not close to the old AX53. The view finder protrudes from the body. When you add the battery that comes with it sticks way out and is not protected. I wonder how long it will be before it breaks. I was disappointed to find no hard drive only memory cards. It is not a big deal but the AX53 has both. I was not able to discuss the camera with an associate b/c they did not have one and they looked at me like I had 2 heads for wanting to purchase one. Having said this, the picture quality and ease of use is OUTSTANDING! it is FAR superior to our old AX53. My wife loves it. which is reason enough to buy it.