In what's probably the most interesting development in consumer camcorders thus far in 2009, Sony serves up the Handycam HDR-XR500 series, a pair of hard-disk-based AVCHD camcorders that integrate the dual firsts of built-in GPS and a new Exmor-R back-illuminated CMOS sensor.

First-rate video quality and performance; geotagging videos is fun, if limited

Annoying menu system; no wind filter; no manual shutter-speed, iris, or audio controls; relatively big and heavy; expensive

Sony HDR-XR520V review: The Sony HDR-XR520V handycam with built-in harddrive also offers an inbuilt GPS receiver so that you can tag your home movies with a geographical location.

240GB Harddrive; Geo-tagging via inbuilt GPS; Fully HD Capable; 12 megapixel Image capture

A little bulky

The Sony HDR-XR520V (MSRP $1499.99) packs a lot of punch-and a lot of hard drive capacity-into a relatively small consumer camcorder. The retractable viewfinder and the return of last year's excellent manual control dial are just a couple of the features that will intrigue proficient camcorder...

Very easy to use, picture quality is fantastic and it holds almost 30 hrs of HD-FH on the hard disc. The GPS works great outdoors but not so good indoors. The smile shutter takes some fantastic photos while recording.

No camcorder purchase decision should be made without considering what Sony has to offer. But unfortunately we haven't seen anything new from the company since the . Now the drought is over, and we have in our hands Sony's current consumer flagship, the HDR-XR520.

A Full HD camcorder with easy–to–use functionality and features to make you coo

Stunning HD pics; huge hard drive and raft of great features

Geotagging not yet fully up to speed

The Sony HDR-XR520 is a rock-solid HDD video camera that improves on its predecessors in nearly every way. On the other hand, it's unlikely that many consumers will be able to afford it at its current price point.

Good video quality; excellent stills mode; 240GB hard drive

Video quality slightly below Canon HF S10; depressingly unaffordable