The Sony HXR-MC50U Ultra Compact Pro AVCHD Camcorder packs professional quality features into a highly portable unit. The HXR-MC50U captures 1920 x 1080 video at 24Mbps, which is the maximum possible bit rate in the AVCHD format. While lots of handheld camcorders capture HD, many of them compromise audio quality. But not the HXR-MC50U; the HXR-MC50U features an ECM shotgun microphone that captures high-quality stereo sound. The camcorder also features a large lens hood and a high-capacity battery that won’t cut out on you before your work is done. 

The HXR-MC50U has a wide variety of automatic settings, but professional videographers often prefer to use manual settings. That’s why this camcorder also allows manual control over focus, exposure, white balance, iris and shutter speed. Adjusting the iris lets you control depth of field, while adjusting the shutter speed lets you control motion blur. 

The HXR-MC50U is built around a very sensitive 1/2.88” back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor which helps to reduce image noise while providing good low-light performance. A powerful BIONZ processor can apply Sony's Dynamic Range Optimizer to both video and still image capture, and also allows the camcorder to capture 8.3-megapixel still images while recording video. The camera can capture 12-megapixel still images when not shooting video.