Rating: 
Summary: Great Micro MV Camcorder by Sony at last !
Review: After significant research, I finally bought this camcorder. I have been smiling ever since. It's a smart little device loaded with great features. Positives 1. I was pleasantly surprised to find it much smaller in size than I had imagined it to be (from the pics on the web). While it is certainly not pocketsize, it can comfortably slide into a handbag or those large cargo pant pockets! 2. The lens on this cam is definitely superior compared to its predecessors IP5 & IP7. 3. While the day shots are comparable to other cams, it truly stands out during night shots. 4. The "touch screen" LCD control is a very handy. 5. The foldable camcorder holder definitely makes up for lack of "grip string" in any of the Micro MV camcorders. This contributes to more stable shots compared to IP5 or IP7. 8. The digital still pics are acceptable for posting on the web, but do not expect to print great photos from them. If you own a Sony computer, you might have a memory slot that allows for easy transfer of files from the memory stick. 9. Along with an I-Link interface, it has USB & Bluetooth. Negatives 1. Recording on Micro MV tapes does leave gaps between scenes (attributed to MPEG2 coding). 2. Sony throws in a paltry 8Mb memory stick that quickly runs out. So plan on upgrading your memory stick if you are serious about using it as a digital still camera. Bottom line - Sony has sprung back with a winner especially after its double disappointments with IP5 & IP7 models.
Rating: 
Summary: Low megaplixes
Review: I belive that have low megaplixes for the high price it has
Rating:
Summary: Exactly what I was looking for.
Review: I wanted a digital-video camera and I did a *lot* of research. Here were my requirements:1) SMALL - I have an older Sony Hi-8 Camcorder. I had delusions that I would always be using it to tape family vacations, holidays, etc. Well, it was too big and always in the way. I like to travel light. The IP55 is CRAZY SMALL. Smaller than I thought possible for a camcorder. I still marvel at how small it is every time I open the case and pick it up. Yes, it rates a 10 out of 10 on my satisfaction on the size of the unit. 2) Reasonable battery time and recording time. Yup! The IP55 fits the bill here as well. The battery that comes with it FF-50, lasts about an hour if I don't go crazy and use the LCD all the time. The taps are 60 minutes. More than enough, plus they are so small you can stick a couple comfortably in your pocket. I bouot an extra, larger capacity battery, FF70, and that one can go for almost 2 hours. 3) Digital Camera Mode. Yes, the IP55 has it, INCLUDING A FLASH. The flash pops out if its needed, and also has red-eye reduction mode. The quality is slightly over a megapixel, which is fine for 4 x 6 prints. Plus, as an added bonus, you can take stills while you are taping! (without the flash though). 4) Reasonable quality. Yes, with the IP55 you only get upper-mid range Digital Video quality for High-end price, but it is still a good quality and certainly good enough for the kind of taping I do. I'm not making a bluckbuster, I just make simple movies to share with friends and family. Now, the problems... 1) If you don't have FirWire on your computer, you need to get it. The USB transfer mode is HORRIBLE. You can pick up a firewire card ... . Amazon sells the "Adaptec AFW-4300 1394/FireWire Card", which has worked well for me. 2) Not all editing apps *currently* support the new MMV format. The IP55 ships with a basic editor that works well, but if you are used to the features of Adobe Premier, you will find the included application (MovieShaker) lacking. Currently Pinnacle Studio 8 supports the MMV format, but there have been some glitches. Hopefully, Adobe will get on the bandwagon and support the new format soon. The MicroMV (MMV) cameras from Sony are selling like hotcakes, so more software should start supporting the format soon. Those are the only major problems I've had. The small (CRAZY SMALL) size and weight of this camera makes up for the price. I now have a digital video camera that can also take stills, and is only very slighty larger than my existing digital still camera. The IP55 has exceded my expectations of the requirements I set for my camera. I *love* it even despite the two problems I mentioned. Both of which are not really problems with the camera itself.
Rating:
Summary: Caution! Not compatible with Apple Computers
Review: I was about to buy this little beauty when I found out Sony's MicroMV system (compressing in MPEG2) is not compatible with Apple's iMovie and other editing software. The editing software that comes with the camcorder (Movie Shaker) is PC only. So if you are a Mac user, save yourself a lot of hassle and prefer a (Sony?) MiniDV camcorder. Apart from this issue, I guess it is a great buy. If I would use a PC, it would be on the top of my wishlist.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazingly tiny and feature packed
Review: I've had this camcorder for about 3 weeks now and have had numerous occasions to use it including downloading video to the PC. The bottom line: The DCRIP55 is all it's cracked up to be. I've taken stills and movies, both interior and exterior shots and found the quality of the video to be exceptional and the sound to be crisp and clear. That being said, here are the pros and cons based on 10 or so filming sessions including full use of MovieShaker to download and edit films: Pros: - Way smaller than the web pics make it appear
- High quality video and sound
- Very solid construction, everything is quite sturdy
- The touch screen makes using most features a breeze
- Incredibly convenient handle and good access to key controls near handle
- Virtually no compromise on standard camcorder features (steadyshot, nightshot, megapixel, etc.)
- LCD is very crisp and clear even in bright light
- Taking still pictures and making videos is easy and straightforward Cons: - No FireWire cable included so you have to spend [money] if you want that
- MovieShaker and one commercial product from Pinnacle are your only options for actually downloading. And no editing in other products *until* you convert the MMV files to something standard.
- Native MMV tape format is not in actual DVD MPEG format (it's actually higher quality!) but it's still MPEG. My QuickTime player had no problem playing the files directly downloaded from the camcorder.
- Conversion to regular MPEG files had minor quality and artifact issues, I was NOT pleased with this but it was acceptable.
- Bluetooth capabilities appear only to work with Sony Bluetooth hardware, could not find my laptop using two different Bluetooth transceivers
- LCD seems small, but what can you expect when the whole camcorder will fit in your pocket (pants pocket not shirt pocket).
- Sony put no money into the remote control, it's huge, bulky, and... . But so are they on all Sony models is what I find. The bottom line is that this camcorder works as advertised. The biggest problem for most folks will be that the Firewire/i.Link port does not put out the standard Sony MiniDV format, it is a new proprietary format but I had no problems getting it to work.
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly tiny and feature packed
Review: I've had this camcorder for about 3 weeks now and have had numerous occasions to use it including downloading video to the PC. The bottom line: The DCRIP55 is all it's cracked up to be. I've taken stills and movies, both interior and exterior shots and found the quality of the video to be exceptional and the sound to be crisp and clear. That being said, here are the pros and cons based on 10 or so filming sessions including full use of MovieShaker to download and edit films: Pros: - Way smaller than the web pics make it appear
- High quality video and sound
- Very solid construction, everything is quite sturdy
- The touch screen makes using most features a breeze
- Incredibly convenient handle and good access to key controls near handle
- Virtually no compromise on standard camcorder features (steadyshot, nightshot, megapixel, etc.)
- LCD is very crisp and clear even in bright light
- Taking still pictures and making videos is easy and straightforward Cons: - No FireWire cable included so you have to spend [money] if you want that
- MovieShaker and one commercial product from Pinnacle are your only options for actually downloading. And no editing in other products *until* you convert the MMV files to something standard.
- Native MMV tape format is not in actual DVD MPEG format (it's actually higher quality!) but it's still MPEG. My QuickTime player had no problem playing the files directly downloaded from the camcorder.
- Conversion to regular MPEG files had minor quality and artifact issues, I was NOT pleased with this but it was acceptable.
- Bluetooth capabilities appear only to work with Sony Bluetooth hardware, could not find my laptop using two different Bluetooth transceivers
- LCD seems small, but what can you expect when the whole camcorder will fit in your pocket (pants pocket not shirt pocket).
- Sony put no money into the remote control, it's huge, bulky, and... . But so are they on all Sony models is what I find. The bottom line is that this camcorder works as advertised. The biggest problem for most folks will be that the Firewire/i.Link port does not put out the standard Sony MiniDV format, it is a new proprietary format but I had no problems getting it to work.
Rating:
Summary: Size versus video quality
Review: In a nutshell, the major issue with the IP55 is the small trade-off of video quality versus size. Mind you, you're getting by far one of the smallest video cameras on the market, with all the camcorder features you'd expect in a larger model. However, its only major limitation in my eyes is the video quality. Regardless, it's still very impressive. In all my use of it, the only thing that bugs me is the slow autofocus. That's it. I can only tell the video quality issues when compared side by side with the TRV50, but after converting to DVD there's little difference between the two. MicroMV isn't a hard format to handle once you get it converted to the MOV format. To do this you need Quicktime Pro 5 (Quicktime Pro 6 doesn't work), which Sony should've bundled with it. Simply open your MMV file in Quicktime, select Save As, and save it as a MOV. Load it into Premiere or whatever video editing software you like and away you go, no other issues to speak of. I've successfully edited my videos using a variety of programs, so don't let the MicroMV format put you off. Quibbles aside, the best bit of owning the IP55 is when you pull it out of the case (which, incidently, is the size of a regular camera case, not a camcorder). You can't beat the wow factor.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 Stars if it worked on a mac
Review: Please sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/osxmicmv/ requesting Sony support this camera (and other MicroMV camcorders) on Mac OS X. This is a great camcorder, but it is impossible to use because you cannot get the video onto your Mac. For those of you that use a PC for video editing (yeah, right...) and don't mind using Sony's proprietary Movie Shaker program to do your editing instead of something like Premier (again, yeah, right), you will find this camera wonderful. But for the rest of us, Sony needs to take steps to open up this format or support the camcorder on the most popular digital video platform (Mac).
Rating:
Summary: This is a tiny, very cool camcorder doesn't mind limitations
Review: Pros: Stylish and amazingly compact; innovative design; built-in flash and low-power video light; flexible low-light shooting. Cons: Limited choice in editing apps for MicroMV video format; lens has fairly narrow angle of view; no accessory shoe or external microphone jack. It has been a week after I bought this camcorder and so far it is great. The super night vision comes really handy if you go on camping or some other interesting dark places. The controls are very easy to reach and the picture quality is really good. Some people say that they do not like the cassette to be ejected from bottom, but I have no problems with it. I think it is fine. The movie shaker software that comes with the camcorder is not a very professional one. It can handle basic editing and it has great effects. Very easy to use and to set up. You can export the movies you capture in different formats such as real audio, quicktime, etc. It really takes a long time to export though. It is the same with other digital cameras. So, it shouldn't be a concern for you to decide if you should buy the camera or not. You can use the network function to email the photos to a website.If you have a bluetooth cell phone, it is very easy. But if you don't have one, you will have to buy the sony bluetooth adapter for the camcorder which costs about $199. It is better to buy a new cell phone than buying the adapter. This little device is top of the line. It has manual focus for better capturing. It has a smart flash which pops-up automatically when you hit the photo shoot button half-way down. One downside of the camera is that it does not have an input for external microphone. But the built in one does a good very good job. All in all, you should not miss this camcorder. It is affordable, small, cute, and it is SONY. You would never mind carrying it to everywhere you go. And if you are a guy, you'll make a lot of "female" friends. You'll become the center of attention. GRAB ONE! HAVE FUN!
Rating:
Summary: What Sony doesn't tell you...
Review: The problem with all of the Sony MicroMV cameras is that you cannot use them with any of the standard video editing packages such as Adobe Premiere or Apple's Final Cut Pro. Sony neglects to tell you that you can only use their included MovieShaker software which is notoriously unreliable. So, unless you plan to edit in the analog realm, or not edit at all, you're better off with any other MiniDV or Digital8 camera.
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